Mishkat al-Masabih
Mishkat al-Masabih 298
وَعَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسلم أَتَى الْمَقْبَرَةَ فَقَالَ: «السَّلَامُ عَلَيْكُمْ دَارَ قَوْمٍ مُؤْمِنِينَ وَإِنَّا إِنْ شَاءَ اللَّهُ بِكُمْ لَاحِقُونَ وَدِدْتُ أَنَّا قَدْ رَأَيْنَا إِخْوَانَنَا قَالُوا أَوَلَسْنَا إِخْوَانَكَ يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ قَالَ أَنْتُمْ أَصْحَابِي وَإِخْوَانُنَا الَّذِينَ لَمْ يَأْتُوا بَعْدُ فَقَالُوا كَيْفَ تَعْرِفُ مَنْ لَمْ يَأْتِ بَعْدُ مِنْ أُمَّتِكَ يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ فَقَالَ أَرَأَيْتَ لَوْ أَنَّ رَجُلًا لَهُ خَيْلٌ غُرٌّ مُحَجَّلَةٌ بَيْنَ ظَهْرَيْ خَيْلٍ دُهْمٍ بُهْمٍ أَلَا يَعْرِفُ خَيْلَهُ قَالُوا بَلَى يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ قَالَ فَإِنَّهُمْ يَأْتُونَ غُرًّا مُحَجَّلِينَ مِنَ الْوُضُوءِ وَأَنَا فَرَطُهُمْ عَلَى الْحَوْض» . رَوَاهُ مُسلم
Unreviewed translation. All hadiths in this collection are available in five languages. Titles and introductions may remain in Arabic.
Abū Hurayra reported that the Messenger of God went to the cemetery and said: ‘Peace be upon you, abode of believing people. If God wills, we will join you. I wish we could see our brothers.’ They asked: ‘Are we not your brothers, Messenger of God?’ He replied: ‘You are my Companions. Our brothers are those who have not yet come.’ They asked: ‘How will you recognize those of your community who have not yet come, Messenger of God?’ He said: ‘Tell me: if a man had horses with bright foreheads and white markings on their legs among completely black horses, would he not recognize his own?’ They said: ‘Indeed, Messenger of God.’ He said: ‘They will come with shining faces and limbs from ablution, and I will go ahead of them to the Pond.’ Muslim transmitted it.
Notes and open questions — unreviewed
The accompanying grading labels this report ṣaḥīḥ (sound). The source’s horse analogy explains the imagery of distinctive bright markings from ablution; ‘those who have not yet come’ refers to later members of the community.