Sayyiduna Nu’man bin Bashir (may Allah be pleased with him) says that we were sitting in the mosque. Bashir would pause while speaking. Meanwhile, Abu Tha’labah Khushani (may Allah be pleased with him) came and said:“Bashir bin Sa’d! Do you remember any Prophetic hadith regarding the rulers?”Sayyiduna Hudhayfah (may Allah be pleased with him) said:“(In this matter) I remember your sermon.”Abu Tha’labah sat down and Hudhayfah said: The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said:“Prophethood will remain among you as long as Allah wills, then Allah will remove it when He wills. After Prophethood, there will be Caliphate upon the way of Prophethood for as long as Allah wills, then Allah will remove it when He wills. Then there will be kingship according to Allah’s decree, in which there will be oppression and excess, and eventually that too will end. Then there will be coercive kingship, which after some time will also decline. After that, there will be Caliphate again upon the way of Prophethood.”Then the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) fell silent.

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "The beginning of this matter was Prophethood and mercy, then there will be Caliphate and mercy, and then kingship and mercy. After that, people will fall upon it like donkeys biting each other. You must hold fast to Jihad; the best Jihad is Ribaat (stationing oneself at the frontier), and the Ribaat of (the coastal city of) Asqalan (in Syria) is the most virtuous."