“I have a Cistern, (as large as the distance) between the Ka’bah and Baitul-Maqdis (Jerusalem). (It is) whiter than milk, and its vessels are the number of the stars. I will be the Prophet with the most followers on the Day of Resurrection.”  

أَنَّ النَّبِيَّ ﷺ قَالَ إِنَّ لِي حَوْضًا مَا بَيْنَ الْكَعْبَةِ وَبَيْتِ الْمَقْدِسِ أَبْيَضَ مِثْلَ اللَّبَنِ آنِيَتُهُ عَدَدُ النُّجُومِ وَإِنِّي لأَكْثَرُ الأَنْبِيَاءِ تَبَعًا يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ  

“My Cistern is wider than the distance between Ailah and ‘Aden. By the One in Whose Hand is my soul, its vessels are more numerous than the number of stars, and it is whiter than milk and sweeter than honey. By the One in Whose Hand is my soul, I will drive men away from it as a man drives strange camels away from his cistern.” It was said: “O Messenger of Allah, will you recognize us?” He said: “Yes, you will come to me with radiant faces, hands and feet, because of the traces of ablution, and this is not for anyone but you.”  

قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ إِنَّ حَوْضِي لأَبْعَدُ مِنْ أَيْلَةَ إِلَى عَدَنَ وَالَّذِي نَفْسِي بِيَدِهِ لآنِيَتُهُ أَكْثَرُ مِنْ عَدَدِ النُّجُومِ وَلَهُوَ أَشَدُّ بَيَاضًا مِنَ اللَّبَنِ وَأَحْلَى مِنَ الْعَسَلِ وَالَّذِي نَفْسِي بِيَدِهِ إِنِّي لأَذُودُ عَنْهُ الرِّجَالَ كَمَا يَذُودُ الرَّجُلُ الإِبِلَ الْغَرِيبَةَ عَنْ حَوْضِهِ قِيلَ يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ أَتَعْرِفُنَا قَالَ نَعَمْ تَرِدُونَ عَلَىَّ غُرًّا مُحَجَّلِينَ مِنْ أَثَرِ الْوُضُوءِ لَيْسَتْ لأَحَدٍ غَيْرِكُمْ  

“Umar bin ‘Abdul-‘Aziz sent for me and I came to him upon the riding animal prepared for swift mail delivery. When I came to him, he said: ‘We have caused you some trouble O Abu Sallam.’ He said: ‘Yes, by Allah, O Commander of the Believers!’ He said: ‘By Allah, we did not want to cause you any hardship, but there is a Hadith which I have heard that you narrate from Thawban, the freed slave of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, concerning the Cistern, and I wanted to hear it directly from you.’ He said: “I said: ‘Thawban, the freed slave of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, told me that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: “My Cistern is (wider than) the distance between Ailah and ‘Aden. It is whiter than milk and sweeter than honey, and its cups are as many as the stars in the sky. Whoever drinks from it will never feel thirst again. The first ones who come to drink from it will be the poor Muhajirin, with dirty clothes and disheveled hair, who do not marry refined women and for whom no doors are opened.” ‘Umar wept until his beard became wet, then he said: ‘But I have married refined women and doors have been opened for me. Certainly I will not wash the clothes that are on my body until they become dirt, and I will not comb my hair until it becomes disheveled.’”  

لَقَدْ شَقَقْنَا عَلَيْكَ يَا أَبَا سَلاَّمٍ فِي مَرْكَبِكَ قَالَ أَجَلْ وَاللَّهِ يَا أَمِيرَ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ قَالَ وَاللَّهِ مَا أَرَدْتُ الْمَشَقَّةَ عَلَيْكَ وَلَكِنْ حَدِيثٌ بَلَغَنِي أَنَّكَ تُحَدِّثُ بِهِ عَنْ ثَوْبَانَ مَوْلَى رَسُولِ اللَّهِ ﷺ فِي الْحَوْضِ فَأَحْبَبْتُ أَنْ تُشَافِهَنِي بِهِ قَالَ فَقُلْتُ حَدَّثَنِي ثَوْبَانُ مَوْلَى رَسُولِ اللَّهِ ﷺ أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ ﷺ قَالَ إِنَّ حَوْضِي مَا بَيْنَ عَدَنَ إِلَى أَيْلَةَ أَشَدُّ بَيَاضًا مِنَ اللَّبَنِ وَأَحْلَى مِنَ الْعَسَلِ أَوَانِيهِ كَعَدَدِ نُجُومِ السَّمَاءِ مَنْ شَرِبَ مِنْهُ شَرْبَةً لَمْ يَظْمَأْ بَعْدَهَا أَبَدًا وَأَوَّلُ مَنْ يَرِدُهُ عَلَىَّ فُقَرَاءُ الْمُهَاجِرِينَ الدُّنْسُ ثِيَابًا وَالشُّعْثُ رُءُوسًا الَّذِينَ لاَ يَنْكِحُونَ الْمُنَعَّمَاتِ وَلاَ يُفْتَحُ لَهُمُ السُّدَدُ قَالَ فَبَكَى عُمَرُ حَتَّى اخْضَلَّتْ لِحْيَتُهُ ثُمَّ قَالَ لَكِنِّي قَدْ نَكَحْتُ الْمُنَعَّمَاتِ وَفُتِحَتْ لِيَ السُّدَدُ لاَ جَرَمَ أَنِّي لاَ أَغْسِلُ ثَوْبِي الَّذِي عَلَى جَسَدِي حَتَّى يَتَّسِخَ وَلاَ أَدْهُنُ رَأْسِي حَتَّى يَشْعَثَ  

“The distance between the two ends of my Cistern is like the distance between San’a and Al-Madinah,’ or ‘between Al-Madinah and ‘Amman.’”  

قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ مَا بَيْنَ نَاحِيَتَىْ حَوْضِي كَمَا بَيْنَ صَنْعَاءَ وَالْمَدِينَةِ أَوْ كَمَا بَيْنَ الْمَدِينَةِ وَعَمَّانَ  

‘One can see in it (the Cistern) jugs of gold and silver, like the number of stars in the sky.”  

نَبِيُّ اللَّهِ ﷺ يُرَى فِيهِ أَبَارِيقُ الذَّهَبِ وَالْفِضَّةِ كَعَدَدِ نُجُومِ السَّمَاءِ  

“Peace be upon you, abode of believing people. We will join you soon, if Allah wills.” Then he said: “Would that we could see our brothers.” They said: “O Messenger of Allah, are we not your brothers?” He said: “You are my Companions. My brothers are those who will come after me. I will reach the Cistern ahead of you.” They said: “O Messenger of Allah, how will you recognize those of your nation who have not yet come?” He said: “If a man has a horse with a blaze on its forehead and white feet, don’t you think that he will recognize it among horses that are deep black in color?” They said: “Of course.” He said: “On the Day of Resurrection they will come with radiant faces, hands, and feet, because of the traces of ablution.” He said: “I will reach the Cistern ahead of you.” Then he said: “Men will be driven away from my Cistern just as stray camels are driven away. And I will call to them: ‘Come here!’ But it will be said: ‘They changed after you were gone, and they kept turning on their heels.’ So I will say: “Be off with you!”  

عَنِ النَّبِيِّ ﷺ أَنَّهُ أَتَى الْمَقْبَرَةَ فَسَلَّمَ عَلَى الْمَقْبَرَةِ فَقَالَ السَّلاَمُ عَلَيْكُمْ دَارَ قَوْمٍ مُؤْمِنِينَ وَإِنَّا إِنْ شَاءَ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى بِكُمْ لاَحِقُونَ ثُمَّ قَالَ وَدِدْتُ أَنَّا قَدْ رَأَيْنَا إِخْوَانَنَا قَالُوا يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ أَوَلَسْنَا إِخْوَانَكَ قَالَ أَنْتُمْ أَصْحَابِي وَإِخْوَانِي الَّذِينَ يَأْتُونَ مِنْ بَعْدِي وَأَنَا فَرَطُكُمْ عَلَى الْحَوْضِ قَالُوا يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ كَيْفَ تَعْرِفُ مَنْ لَمْ يَأْتِ مِنْ أُمَّتِكَ قَالَ أَرَأَيْتُمْ لَوْ أَنَّ رَجُلاً لَهُ خَيْلٌ غُرٌّ مُحَجَّلَةٌ بَيْنَ ظَهْرَانَىْ خَيْلٍ دُهْمٍ بُهْمٍ أَلَمْ يَكُنْ يَعْرِفُهَا قَالُوا بَلَى قَالَ فَإِنَّهُمْ يَأْتُونَ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ غُرًّا مُحَجَّلِينَ مِنْ آثَارِ الْوُضُوءِ قَالَ أَنَا فَرَطُهُمْ عَلَى الْحَوْضِ ثُمَّ قَالَ أَلاَ لَيُذَادَنَّ رِجَالٌ عَنْ حَوْضِي كَمَا يُذَادُ الْبَعِيرُ الضَّالُّ فَأُنَادِيهِمْ أَلاَ هَلُمُّوا فَيُقَالُ إِنَّهُمْ قَدْ بَدَّلُوا بَعْدَكَ وَلَمْ يَزَالُوا يَرْجِعُونَ عَلَى أَعْقَابِهِمْ فَأَقُولُ أَلاَ سُحْقًا سُحْقًا