—Israel were governed by their prophets; whenever a prophet passed away, another prophet succeeded him. There will be no prophet after me, but there will be caliphs, and they will become numerous.’ They asked, ‘What do you command us to do?’ He replied, ‘Give your pledge of allegiance to the first one, and then to the next. Grant them their rights, for Allah will question them about the flock He has placed under their care.’ Agreed upon.

Jarīr ibn Ḥāzim narrated—from Layth—from ʿAbd al-Raḥmān ibn Sābiṭ—from Abū Thaʿlabah al-Khushanī—from Abū ʿUbaydah ibn al-Jarrah and Muʿādh ibn Jabal—that the Prophet ﷺ said: ‘Allah began this affair with prophethood and mercy; then there shall be a caliphate and mercy; then a biting kingship; then arrogance, tyranny, and corruption within the community. They will deem illicit sexual relations, wine, and silk permissible, will be aided in spite of that, and will go on receiving provision until they meet Allah.’

ʿAbd al-Wārith and others narrated—from Saʿīd ibn Jumhān—from Safīnah that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: ‘The prophetic caliphate will last thirty years; thereafter Allah will give kingship to whomever He wills.’ Safīnah added, ‘Abu Bakr held office for two years, ʿUmar for ten, ʿUthmān for twelve, and ʿAlī for six.’ I said to Safīnah, ‘Some people claim that ʿAlī was not a caliph.’ He replied, ‘The posteriors of the sons of the blue-eyed woman have lied’—meaning the Umayyads. He thus counted ‘six’ for ʿAlī, whereas his caliphate actually lasted five years save two months, and the thirty years are completed by ten additional months beyond what he mentioned for Abu Bakr and ʿUmar. Reported by Abū Dāwūd.

Ṣāliḥ ibn Kaysān narrated—from Ibn Shihāb—from ʿUrwah—from ʿĀʾishah, who said: ‘The Messenger of Allah ﷺ came in to me on the day his illness began. I said, “Oh, my head!” He replied, “I would have wished that had happened while I was still alive, so that I could wash you, shroud you, and bury you.” I answered jokingly, “It is as though I see you on that very day as a bride with one of your other wives.”

He said, “Rather, it is I who cry, ‘Oh, my head!’ Call for me your father and your brother, that I may write a document for Abu Bakr, for I…"