What is Sunan Abu Dawud 4639 about?

This hadith from Sunan Abu Dawud (Book of Model Behavior of the Prophet (Kitab Al-Sunnah)), narrated by Samurah b. Jundub told that a man said:, states: "Messenger of Allah (ﷺ)! I saw (in a dream) that a bucket was hung from the sky. Abu Bakr came, caught hold of both ends of its wooden handle, and drank a little of it. Next came ‘Umar who caught hold…"

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 Sunan Abu Dawud, which contains 5,276 hadiths across 43 books. It is hadith number 4639 in the Book of Model Behavior of the Prophet (Kitab Al-Sunnah).

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

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#4638

#4639

Sunan Abu Dawud

#4640

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Sunan Abu Dawud #4639

Model Behavior of the Prophet (Kitab Al-Sunnah)

Sahih

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

حَدَّثَنَا مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ الْمُثَنَّى، قَالَ حَدَّثَنِي عَفَّانُ بْنُ مُسْلِمٍ، حَدَّثَنَا حَمَّادُ بْنُ سَلَمَةَ، عَنْ أَشْعَثَ بْنِ عَبْدِ الرَّحْمَنِ، عَنْ أَبِيهِ، عَنْ سَمُرَةَ بْنِ جُنْدُبٍ، أَنَّ رَجُلاً، قَالَ يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ إِنِّي رَأَيْتُ كَأَنَّ دَلْوًا دُلِّيَ مِنَ السَّمَاءِ فَجَاءَ أَبُو بَكْرٍ فَأَخَذَ بِعَرَاقِيهَا فَشَرِبَ شُرْبًا ضَعِيفًا ثُمَّ جَاءَ عُمَرُ فَأَخَذَ بِعَرَاقِيهَا فَشَرِبَ حَتَّى تَضَلَّعَ ثُمَّ جَاءَ عُثْمَانُ فَأَخَذَ بِعَرَاقِيهَا فَشَرِبَ حَتَّى تَضَلَّعَ ثُمَّ جَاءَ عَلِيٌّ فَأَخَذَ بِعَرَاقِيهَا فَانْتَشَطَتْ وَانْتَضَحَ عَلَيْهِ مِنْهَا شَىْءٌ ‏.‏

Messenger of Allah (ﷺ)! I saw (in a dream) that a bucket was hung from the sky. Abu Bakr came, caught hold of both ends of its wooden handle, and drank a little of it. Next came ‘Umar who caught hold of both ends of its wooden handle and drank of it to his fill. Next came ‘Uthman who caught hold of both ends of its handle and drank of it to his fill. Next came ‘All. He caught hold of both ends of its handle, but it became upset and some (water) from it was sprinkled on him.

Narrated by Samurah b. Jundub told that a man said:

Context

In this hadith, a man shares a dream he had about a bucket from the sky and the actions of the first four caliphs. Each caliph drank from the bucket, symbolizing their leadership and the nourishment they provided to the community. The dream serves as a metaphor for the varying degrees of influence and responsibility held by these leaders.

Modern Application

This hadith encourages us to reflect on the qualities of leadership and the responsibilities that come with it. In our own lives, we should strive to embody the virtues of fairness, justice, and service to others.

Topics

This hadith is tagged with Prophetic Authority and Prophetic Mission because it illustrates the significance of leadership and the responsibilities associated with guiding the community.

Prophetic Authority Prophetic Mission