Hadith 6-10

حَدَّثَنا أَبُو عَلِيٍّ أَحْمَدُ بْنُ أَبي الحَسَنِ بْنِ عَلِىِّ بْنِ عَبْدَوَيْه القَطَّانُ قالَ: حَدَّثَنا أَبُو يَزِيدَ مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ يَحْيَى بْنِ خالِدِ بْنِ يَزِيدَ المَرْوَزِىُّ بِالرَّيِّ فِي شَهْرِ رَبِيعُ الأَوَّلِ سِنَةَ اثْنَتَيْنِ وَثَلاث مائَةٍ، قالَ: حَدَّثَنا إِسْحاقُ بْنِ إِبْراهِيمَ الحَنْظَلِيُّ فِي سَنَةَ ثَمانٍ وَثَلاثِينَ وَمائتَيْنِ – وَهُوَ المَعْرُوفُ بِإِسْحاقَ بْنِ راهْوَيْه - قالَ: حَدَّثَنا يَحْيَى بْنُ يَحْيَى قالَ: حَدَّثَنا هَشِيمٌ عَنْ مَجالِدٍ، عَنِ الشَّعْبِيِّ، عَنْ مَسْرُوقِ، قالَ: بَيْنا نَحْنُ عِنْدَ عَبْدِ اللَّه بْنِ مَسْعُودٍ نَعْرِضُ مَصاحِفَنا عَلَيْهِ، إِذْ قالَ لَهُ فَتىً شابٌ: هَلْ عَهِدَ إِلَيْكُمْ نَبِيُّكُمْ كَمْ يَكُونُ مِنْ بَعْدِهِ خَلِيفَةٌ؟ قالَ: إِنَّكَ لَحَدِيثُ السِّنِّ وَإِنَّ هذَا شَي‏ءٌ ما سَأَلَنِي عَنْهُ أَحَدٌ قَبْلَكَ، نَعَمْ عَهِدَ إِلَيْنا نَبِيِّنا صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَآلِهِ أَنَّهُ يَكُونُ بَعْدَهُ اثْنا عَشَر خَلِيفَةً بِعَدَدِ نُقَباءِ بَنِي إِسْرائِيلَ.

Abu Ali Ahmad ibn Abil Hassan ibn Ali ibn Abduwayh al-Qattan narrated that Abu Yazid Muhammad ibn Yahya ibn Khalid ibn al-Marwazi at Ray in the (Arabic) month of Rabi’ul Awwal in the year 230 A.H. (844 A.D.) quoted on the authority of Ishaq ibn Yahya bin Khalid bin Yazid from Yahya bin Yahya [6] Ibrahim al-Hanzalay known as Ishaq ibn Rahwayh in the year 238 A.H. (844 A.D.), on the authority of Haytham, on the authority of Mojalid, on the authority of al-Sha’bi, on the authority of Masrooq, “We were sitting with Abdullah ibn Mas’ood [7] and would read the Quran with him. A young fellow asked him asked, ‘Has your Prophet told you how man successors he will have after him?’ He replied, ‘You are young. No one had asked me this question before. Yes. Our Prophet (S) has told us that there will be twelve successors after him - as many as the Israelite chiefs.’”