Hadith No. 9

A number of my nation will always be upon the truth until Isa, son of Maryam, is sent down, and he will be sent down to the Mahdi.

رَوَى مُسْلِمُ بْنُ الْحَجَّاجِ [ت261هـ] فِي «صَحِيحِهِ»[1]، قَالَ: حَدَّثَنَا الْوَلِيدُ بْنُ شُجَاعٍ، وَهَارُونُ بْنُ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ، وَحَجَّاجُ بْنُ الشَّاعِرِ، قَالُوا: حَدَّثَنَا حَجَّاجٌ وَهُوَ ابْنُ مُحَمَّدٍ، عَنِ ابْنِ جُرَيْجٍ، قَالَ: أَخْبَرَنِي أَبُو الزُّبَيْرِ، أَنَّهُ سَمِعَ جَابِرَ بْنَ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ يَقُولُ:

سَمِعْتُ النَّبِيَّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَآلِهِ وَسَلَّمَ يَقُولُ: «لَا تَزَالُ طَائِفَةٌ مِنْ أُمَّتِي يُقَاتِلُونَ عَلَى الْحَقِّ ظَاهِرِينَ إِلَى يَوْمِ الْقِيَامَةِ»، قَالَ: «فَيَنْزِلُ عِيسَى بْنُ مَرْيَمَ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ، فَيَقُولُ أَمِيرُهُمْ: تَعَالَ صَلِّ لَنَا، فَيَقُولُ: لَا، إِنَّ بَعْضَكُمْ عَلَى بَعْضٍ أُمَرَاءُ، تَكْرِمَةَ اللَّهِ هَذِهِ الْأُمَّةَ».

Translation:

Muslim ibn Hajjaj [d. 261 AH] has narrated in his Sahih, (in this way that) he has said: Walid ibn Shuja‘, Harun ibn Abdullah, and Hajjaj ibn Sha‘ir narrated to us, they said: Hajjaj, i.e. ibn Muhammad, narrated to us from ibn Jurayj who said: Abu Zubair informed me that he heard Jabir ibn Abdullah say:

I heard the Prophet, peace and blessings of God be upon him and his family, say: “A number of my Ummah will always fight firmly upon the truth until the Day of Judgment,” he said: “Then Isa ibn Maryam will be sent down, then their commander will say (to him): ‘Come lead us in prayer,’ so he will say: ‘No, some of you are commanders of some others, a tribute from God paid to this Ummah.’”

Attestation No. 1

وَرَوَى أَبُو عَوَانَةَ [ت316هـ] فِي «مُسْتَخْرَجِهِ»[2]، قَالَ: حَدَّثَنِي مُضَرُ بْنُ مُحَمَّدٍ، قَالَ: حَدَّثَنَا عَبْدُ الرَّحْمَنِ بْنُ عَمْرٍو الْحَرَّانِيُّ، قَالَ: قَرَأْنَا عَلَى مَعْقِلٍ، عَنْ أَبِي الزُّبَيْرِ، عَنْ جَابِرٍ، عَنِ النَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَآلِهِ وَسَلَّمَ بِمِثْلِهِ.

Translation:

Also, Abu Awanah [d. 316 AH] has narrated in his Mustakhraj and said: Mudar ibn Muhammad narrated to me, he said: Abd al-Rahman ibn Amr al-Harrani narrated to us, he said: We read to Ma‘qil from Abu Zubair, from Jabir, from the Prophet, peace and blessings of God be upon him and his family, similar to this Hadith.

Consideration

قَالَ الْمَنْصُورُ حَفِظَهُ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى: أَبُو الزُّبَيْرِ مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ مُسْلِمٍ الْقُرَشِيُّ صَدُوقٌ عِنْدَهُمْ، وَلَمْ يَنْفَرِدْ بِهِ، بَلْ تَابَعَهُ عَبْدُ اللَّهِ بْنُ عُبَيْدَةَ وَالطُّفَاوِيُّ:

Translation:

Mansoor, may God protect him, said: Abu Zubair Muhammad ibn Muslim al-Qurashi is trustworthy in their opinion. However, he is not alone in narrating it, but rather Abdullah ibn Ubaidah and al-Tufawi have followed him:

Attestation No. 2

وَرَوَى عُثْمَانُ بْنُ سَعِيدٍ الدَّانِيُّ [ت444هـ] فِي «السُّنَنِ الْوَارِدَةِ فِي الْفِتَنِ»[3]، قَالَ: حَدَّثَنَا عَبْدُ اللَّهِ بْنُ عَمْرٍو، حَدَّثَنَا عَتَّابُ بْنُ هَارُونَ، قَالَ: حَدَّثَنَا الْفَضْلُ بْنُ عُبَيْدِ اللَّهِ، قَالَ: حَدَّثَنَا يَحْيَى بْنُ زَكَرِيَّا بْنِ حَيَّوَيْهِ النَّيْسَابُورِيُّ، قَالَ: حَدَّثَنَا مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ يَحْيَى، عَنْ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ مَسْلَمَةَ، عَنْ أَبِي الْوَاصِلِ، عَنْ عُبَيْدٍ يَعْنِي الطُّفَاوِيَّ، قَالَ: قَالَ جَابِرُ بْنُ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ: قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَآلِهِ وَسَلَّمَ: «لَا تَزَالُ طَائِفَةٌ مِنْ أُمَّتِي تُقَاتِلُ عَنِ الْحَقِّ حَتَّى يَنْزِلَ عِيسَى بْنُ مَرْيَمَ عِنْدَ طُلُوعِ الْفَجْرِ بِبَيْتِ الْمَقْدِسِ، يَنْزِلُ عَلَى الْمَهْدِيِّ، فَيُقَالُ لَهُ: تَقَدَّمْ يَا نَبِيَّ اللَّهِ فَصَلِّ لَنَا، فَيَقُولُ: إِنَّ هَذِهِ الْأُمَّةَ أَمِينٌ بَعْضُهُمْ عَلَى بَعْضٍ لِكَرَامَتِهِمْ عَلَى اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ».

Translation:

Also, Uthman ibn Sa‘id al-Dani [d. 444 AH] has narrated in the book al-Sunan al-Waridah Fi al-Fitan and said: Abdullah ibn Amr narrated to us, (he said:) Attab ibn Harun narrated to us, he said: Fadl ibn Ubaidillah narrated to us, he said: Yahya ibn Zakariyya ibn Hayyawayh al-Naishaburi narrated to us, he said: Muhammad ibn Yahya narrated to us, from Muhammad ibn Maslamah, from Abu Wasil, from Ubaid, i.e. al-Tufawi, who said: Jabir ibn Abdullah said: The Messenger of God, peace and blessings of God be upon him and his family, said: A number of my Ummah will always fight for the truth until Isa ibn Maryam is sent down in Jerusalem at dawn, and he will be sent down to Mahdi, then it will be said to him: “Go ahead, O Prophet of God, and lead us in prayer,” so he will say: “Some of this Ummah are reliable for some others due to their tribute with God the Exalted, the Majestic.”

Attestation No. 3

وَرَوَى الْخَطِيبُ الْبَغْدَادِيُّ [ت463هـ] فِي «تَالِي تَلْخِيصِ الْمُتَشَابِهِ»[4]، قَالَ: أَخْبَرَنَا أَبُو الْحَسَنِ عَلِيُّ بْنُ يَحْيَى بْنِ جَعْفَرٍ إِمَامُ الْجَامِعِ بِأَصْبَهَانَ، أَخْبَرَنَا سُلَيْمَانُ بْنُ أَحْمَدَ بْنِ أَيُّوبَ الطَّبَرَانِيُّ، حَدَّثَنَا عَلِيُّ بْنُ الْمُبَارَكِ الصَّنْعَانِيُّ، حَدَّثَنَا زَيْدُ بْنُ الْمُبَارَكُ، حَدَّثَنَا إِبْرَاهِيمُ بْنِ عَقِيلِ بْنِ مَعْقِلِ بْنِ مُنَبِّهٍ، عَنْ أَبِيهِ، عَنْ وَهْبِ بْنِ مُنَبِّهٍ، عَنْ جَابِرِ بْنِ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ، قَالَ: سَمِعْتُ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَآلِهِ وَسَلَّمَ يَقُولُ: «لَا تَزَالُ طَائِفَةٌ مِنْ أُمَّتِي عَلَى الْحَقِّ ظَاهِرِينَ إِلَى يَوْمِ الْقِيَامَةِ».

Translation:

Also, al-Khatib al-Baghdadi [d. 463 AH] has narrated in the book Tali Talkhis al-Mutashabih and said: Abu al-Hasan Ali ibn Yahya ibn Ja‘far, the Imam of the great mosque of Isfahan, informed us, (he said:) Sulayman ibn Ahmad ibn Ayyub al-Tabarani informed us, (he said:) Ali ibn Mubarak al-San‘ani narrated to us, (he said:) Zayd ibn Mubarak narrated to us, (he said:) Ibrahim ibn Aqil ibn Ma‘qil ibn Munabbih narrated to us, from his father, from Wahb ibn Munabbih, from Jabir ibn Abdullah who said: I heard the Messenger of God, peace and blessings of God be upon him and his family, say: A number of my Ummah will always be steadfast upon the truth until the Day of Judgment[5].