[Machine] There was a man who said, "O Abu Abdullah! Did you ask the Messenger of Allah ﷺ how many caliphs this Ummah would have?" Abdullah replied, "No one has asked me about it since I came to Iraq before you." Then he said, "Yes, we did ask the Messenger of Allah ﷺ and he said there would be twelve caliphs, similar to the number of heads of the Bani Israel."
لَهُ رَجُلٌ يَا أَبَا عَبْدِ الرَّحْمَنِ هَلْ سَأَلْتُمْ رَسُولَ اللهِ ﷺ كَمْ تَمْلِكُ هَذِهِ الْأُمَّةُ مِنْ خَلِيفَةٍ؟ فَقَالَ عَبْدُ اللهِ مَا سَأَلَنِي عَنْهَا أَحَدٌ مُنْذُ قَدِمْتُ الْعِرَاقَ قَبْلَكَ ثُمَّ قَالَ نَعَمْ وَلَقَدْ سَأَلْنَا رَسُولَ اللهِ ﷺ فَقَالَ اثْنَا عَشَرَ كَعِدَّةِ نُقَبَاءِ بَنِي إِسْرَائِيلَ