Narration of Abū Dharr al-Ghifārī (may Allah be pleased with him)
Muslim ibn al-Ḥajjāj states in his Ṣaḥīḥ: “Abū Bakr ibn Abī Shaybah, Isḥāq ibn Ibrāhīm, and Ibn Abī ʿUmar al-Makkī narrated to us—the wording is that of Abū Bakr ibn Abī Shaybah (Isḥāq said, ‘he informed us,’ while the other two said, ‘he narrated to us’)—from ʿAbd al-ʿAzīz ibn ʿAbd al-Ṣamad, from Abū ʿImrān al-Jawni, from ʿAbd Allāh ibn al-Ṣāmit, from Abū Dharr.
Abū Dharr said: I asked, ‘Messenger of Allah, what are the vessels of the Pool?’
He replied:
‘By Him in whose hand is the soul of Muḥammad, its vessels are more numerous than the stars and their constellations in the sky on a pitch-black, cloudless night. They are the vessels of Paradise: whoever drinks from them will never again experience thirst. Two gutters from Paradise pour into it. Whoever drinks from it will never thirst. Its breadth equals its length—the distance between ʿAmmān and Aylah. Its water is whiter than milk and sweeter than honey.’
This is Muslim’s exact wording, both in chain and in text. (1)
Narration of Abū Saʿīd al-Khudrī (may Allah be pleased with him)
Ibn Abī ʿĀṣim said: “Abū Bakr ibn Abī Shaybah narrated to us; Muḥammad ibn Bishr narrated to us; Zakarriyā narrated to us from ʿAṭiyyah al-ʿAwfī, from Abū Saʿīd al-Khudrī, from the Prophet ﷺ, who said:
‘Indeed, I have a Pool whose length is the distance between the Kaʿbah and Bayt al-Maqdis. It is white like milk, its vessels are as numerous as the stars, and I will have the greatest following among the prophets on the Day of Resurrection.’”
Ibn Mājah likewise recorded it from Abū Bakr ibn Abī Shaybah. (2)
Ibn Abī al-Dunyā said: “Muḥammad ibn Sulaymān al-Asadī narrated to us; ʿĪsā ibn Yūnus narrated to us; from Zakarriyā, from ʿAṭiyyah, from Abū Saʿīd, that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:
‘Indeed, I have a Pool whose length is the distance from the Kaʿbah to Bayt al-Maqdis. It is even whiter than milk, and its vessels are as numerous as the stars. Every prophet will summon his nation to his pool; each prophet has a pool. Some prophets will be approached by multitudes, others by a company, others by a small group, others by one man or two, and some will have no one come to them. It will be said to them, “You did convey the message.” Yet I will have the largest following among the prophets on the Day of Resurrection.’” (3)
Al-Bayhaqī also transmitted—through the route of Rūḥ ibn ʿUbādah, from Mālik, from Khubayb (4) ibn ʿAbd al-Raḥmān, from Ḥafṣ ibn ʿĀṣim—on the authority of Abū Hurayrah and Abū Saʿīd, that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:
‘The space between my house and my pulpit is a garden from the gardens of Paradise.’
He then remarked: “Al-Bukhārī recorded it through another chain from Mālik, and both al-Bukhārī and Muslim included it.”