He said:
“Abū Dāwūd also narrated, with his chain of transmission, from Jābir al-Ansārī, who said that the Messenger of Allah—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—said:
‘A righteous man had a vision last night in which Abū Bakr was linked to the Messenger of Allah—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—(1), Umar was linked to Abū Bakr, and Uthmān was linked to Umar.’
Jābir said, ‘When we rose to leave the Messenger of Allah—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—we said: “The righteous man (2) is the Messenger of Allah—may Allah bless him and grant him peace. As for their being linked to one another, they are those who will govern this matter with which Allah sent His Prophet.”’ (3)”
He said:
“Among such reports is that of Sālih ibn Kaysān, from al-Zuhrī, from Urwa, from Āisha—may Allah be pleased with her—who said:
‘The Messenger of Allah came to me—may Allah bless
(1) “May Allah bless him and grant him peace” is omitted from (A) and (B).
(2) “The man” is omitted from (A) and (B).
(3) This hadith is narrated from Jābir ibn Abd Allāh—may Allah be pleased with him—in *Sunan Abī Dāwūd*, 4:290 (Book of the Sunnah, “A Chapter concerning the Caliphs”). It begins: “A righteous man was shown [a vision] last night…” The critical editor states in his note that it is a *munqati* (disconnected) hadith. It is also recorded in *al-Musnad* (al-Halabī ed.), 3:355, and al-Hākim’s *al-Mustadrak*, 3:71–72 (Book of Knowledge of the Companions). Al-Hākim said: “The concluding portion of this hadith has an authentic chain of transmission from Abū Hurayra, though neither of them recorded it.” Al-Dhahabī said in *Talkhīs al-Mustadrak* (*Dhayl* [supplement], vol. 3): “Authentic.” Al-Albānī graded the hadith weak in *Daīf al-Jāmi al-Saghīr wa Ziyādatih*, 1:260–261.