What is Sahih Muslim 4578 about?

This hadith from Sahih Muslim (Book of The Book on Government), narrated by It has been narrated on the authority of Jabir b. Samura that the Prophet (ﷺ) said:, states: "This order will continue to be dominant until there have been twelve Caliphs. The narrator says: Then he said something which I could not understand, and I said to my father: What did he say? My fathe…"

Is this hadith authentic?

This hadith is graded Sahih. Sahih hadiths are considered the most authentic grade in hadith classification.

Which collection is this hadith from?

This hadith is from Sahih Muslim, which contains 7,459 hadiths across 57 books. It is hadith number 4578 in the Book of The Book on Government.

I searched for a different number — is this the right hadith?

Hadith numbering varies across editions and translations (USC-MSA, Dar as-Salam, Fath al-Bari, and others). If you followed a link citing a different number but landed here, you may have been redirected to the canonical version in our library. If you were looking for a different hadith entirely, use the search bar to find it by text.

‹

#4577

#4578

Sahih Muslim

#4579

›

Sahih Muslim #4578

The Book on Government

Sahih

The Arabic includes the chain of narration (sanad) and the collector's commentary; the English translation shows the Prophet's words only.

حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو بَكْرِ بْنُ أَبِي شَيْبَةَ، حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو مُعَاوِيَةَ، عَنْ دَاوُدَ، عَنِ الشَّعْبِيِّ، عَنْ جَابِرِ، بْنِ سَمُرَةَ قَالَ قَالَ النَّبِيُّ صلى الله عليه وسلم ‏"‏ لاَ يَزَالُ هَذَا الأَمْرُ عَزِيزًا إِلَى اثْنَىْ عَشَرَ خَلِيفَةً ‏"‏ ‏.‏ قَالَ ثُمَّ تَكَلَّمَ بِشَىْءٍ لَمْ أَفْهَمْهُ فَقُلْتُ لأَبِي مَا قَالَ فَقَالَ ‏"‏ كُلُّهُمْ مِنْ قُرَيْشٍ ‏"‏ ‏.‏

This order will continue to be dominant until there have been twelve Caliphs. The narrator says: Then he said something which I could not understand, and I said to my father: What did he say? My father told me that he said that all of them (Caliphs) would be from the Quraish.

Narrated by It has been narrated on the authority of Jabir b. Samura that the Prophet (ﷺ) said:

Context

This hadith discusses the continuity of leadership in the Muslim community, as stated by the Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ). He mentions that there will be twelve Caliphs, all from the Quraish tribe, indicating a specific lineage for leadership that is significant in Islamic governance.

Modern Application

In modern times, this can inspire discussions about leadership and governance within communities. It encourages individuals to reflect on the qualities of effective leadership and the importance of ethical governance.

Topics

This hadith is tagged with Leadership and Authority because it outlines the framework for leadership within the Muslim community as articulated by the Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ).

Leadership and Authority