"It was said to 'Umar bin Al-Khattab: 'Perhaps you should endorse your successor.' He said: 'If I appoint a successor, then indeed Abu Bakr appointed a successor. And if I do not appoint a successor, the Messenger of Allah ﷺ did not appoint a successor."'  

إِنْ أَسْتَخْلِفْ فَقَدِ اسْتَخْلَفَ أَبُو بَكْرٍ وَإِنْ لَمْ أَسْتَخْلِفْ لَمْ يَسْتَخْلِفْ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ  

"Safinah narrated to me, he said: 'The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: "Al-Khilafah will be in my Ummah for thirty years, then there will be monarchy after that."' Then Safinah said to me: 'Count the Khilafah of Abu Bakr,' then he said: 'Count the Khilafah of 'Umar and the Khilafah of 'Uthman.' Then he said to me: 'Count the Khilafah of 'Ali."' He said: "So we found that they add up to thirty years." Sa'eed said: "I said to him: 'Banu Umaiyyah claim that the Khilafah is among them.' He said: 'Banu Az-Zarqa' lie, rather they are a monarchy, among the worst of monarchies."'  

قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ الْخِلاَفَةُ فِي أُمَّتِي ثَلاَثُونَ سَنَةً ثُمَّ مُلْكٌ بَعْدَ ذَلِكَ ثُمَّ قَالَ لِي سَفِينَةُ أَمْسِكْ خِلاَفَةَ أَبِي بَكْرٍ وَخِلاَفَةَ عُمَرَ وَخِلاَفَةَ عُثْمَانَ ثُمَّ قَالَ لِي أَمْسِكْ خِلاَفَةَ عَلِيٍّ قَالَ فَوَجَدْنَاهَا ثَلاَثِينَ سَنَةً قَالَ سَعِيدٌ فَقُلْتُ لَهُ إِنَّ بَنِي أُمَيَّةَ يَزْعُمُونَ أَنَّ الْخِلاَفَةَ فِيهِمْ قَالَ كَذَبُوا بَنُو الزَّرْقَاءِ بَلْ هُمْ مُلُوكٌ مِنْ شَرِّ الْمُلُوكِ