Sahih Muslim

Sahih Muslim 1823b

Arabic hadith text

حَدَّثَنَا إِسْحَاقُ بْنُ إِبْرَاهِيمَ، وَابْنُ أَبِي عُمَرَ، وَمُحَمَّدُ بْنُ رَافِعٍ، وَعَبْدُ بْنُ حُمَيْدٍ، وَأَلْفَاظُهُمْ، مُتَقَارِبَةٌ قَالَ إِسْحَاقُ وَعَبْدٌ أَخْبَرَنَا وَقَالَ الآخَرَانِ، حَدَّثَنَا عَبْدُ الرَّزَّاقِ، - أَخْبَرَنَا مَعْمَرٌ، عَنِ الزُّهْرِيِّ، أَخْبَرَنِي سَالِمٌ، عَنِ ابْنِ عُمَرَ، قَالَ دَخَلْتُ عَلَى حَفْصَةَ فَقَالَتْ أَعَلِمْتَ أَنَّ أَبَاكَ غَيْرُ مُسْتَخْلِفٍ قَالَ قُلْتُ مَا كَانَ لِيَفْعَلَ ‏.‏ قَالَتْ إِنَّهُ فَاعِلٌ ‏.‏ قَالَ فَحَلَفْتُ أَنِّي أُكَلِّمُهُ فِي ذَلِكَ فَسَكَتُّ حَتَّى غَدَوْتُ وَلَمْ أُكَلِّمْهُ - قَالَ - فَكُنْتُ كَأَنَّمَا أَحْمِلُ بِيَمِينِي جَبَلاً حَتَّى رَجَعْتُ فَدَخَلْتُ عَلَيْهِ فَسَأَلَنِي عَنْ حَالِ النَّاسِ وَأَنَا أُخْبِرُهُ - قَالَ - ثُمَّ قُلْتُ لَهُ إِنِّي سَمِعْتُ النَّاسَ يَقُولُونَ مَقَالَةً فَآلَيْتُ أَنْ أَقُولَهَا لَكَ زَعَمُوا أَنَّكَ غَيْرُ مُسْتَخْلِفٍ وَإِنَّهُ لَوْ كَانَ لَكَ رَاعِي إِبِلٍ أَوْ رَاعِي غَنَمٍ ثُمَّ جَاءَكَ وَتَرَكَهَا رَأَيْتَ أَنْ قَدْ ضَيَّعَ فَرِعَايَةُ النَّاسِ أَشَدُّ قَالَ فَوَافَقَهُ قَوْلِي فَوَضَعَ رَأْسَهُ سَاعَةً ثُمَّ رَفَعَهُ إِلَىَّ فَقَالَ إِنَّ اللَّهَ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ يَحْفَظُ دِينَهُ وَإِنِّي لَئِنْ لاَ أَسْتَخْلِفْ فَإِنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم لَمْ يَسْتَخْلِفْ وَإِنْ أَسْتَخْلِفْ فَإِنَّ أَبَا بَكْرٍ قَدِ اسْتَخْلَفَ ‏.‏ قَالَ فَوَاللَّهِ مَا هُوَ إِلاَّ أَنْ ذَكَرَ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم وَأَبَا بَكْرٍ فَعَلِمْتُ أَنَّهُ لَمْ يَكُنْ لِيَعْدِلَ بِرَسُولِ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم أَحَدًا وَأَنَّهُ غَيْرُ مُسْتَخْلِفٍ ‏.‏

Translation

Ishaq ibn Ibrahim, Ibn Abi Umar, Muhammad ibn Rafi, and Abd ibn Humayd narrated to us, with closely similar wordings. Ishaq and Abd said: Abd al-Razzaq informed us. The other two said: Abd al-Razzaq narrated to us, from Mamar, from al-Zuhri: Salim informed me, from Ibn Umar, who said: I went in to see Hafsah. She asked whether I knew that my father was not going to appoint a successor. I said he would not do that. She said he would. I swore that I would speak to him about it, but I remained silent until morning and did not speak to him. I felt as though I were carrying a mountain in my right hand until I returned and went in to see him. He asked me about the state of the people, and I told him. Then I said: I heard people saying something and swore that I would tell you. They think that you are not going to appoint a successor. If you had a shepherd of camels or sheep who came to you leaving them unattended, you would think he had neglected them; caring for the people is more serious. My words struck him. He bowed his head for a while, then raised it toward me and said: Allah, Mighty and Majestic, will preserve His religion. If I do not appoint a successor, the Messenger of Allah did not appoint one; and if I do appoint a successor, Abu Bakr did appoint one. Ibn Umar said: By Allah, as soon as he mentioned the Messenger of Allah and Abu Bakr, I knew that he would not regard anyone as equal to the Messenger of Allah, and that he would not appoint a successor.