Sayyiduna Jabir bin Samurah (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: After me, there will be twelve caliphs, all of whom will be from the Quraysh family. After saying this, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) went home. The Quraysh came to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) and asked: What will happen after that? The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: After that, there will be killing.

Aamir bin Sa’d says: I asked Sayyiduna Jabir bin Samurah (may Allah be pleased with him) about a hadith of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), and he said: The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: This religion will remain dominant until there are twelve caliphs from the Quraysh. After them, before the Hour, some liars will appear. After them, a group of Muslims will come who will bring out the white treasures of Kisra and the family of Kisra. When Allah grants any of you wealth and blessings, he should begin by spending on himself and then on his family. And I will be your predecessor at the Hawd (Pond) of Kawthar.

It is narrated from Masruq, he says: We were sitting with Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him), and he was teaching us the Noble Qur'an. During this, a man said to him: Abu Abdur Rahman! Have you ever asked the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) how many caliphs will come in this Ummah? He said: Since I have come to Iraq, no one before you has asked me this question. Yes, we did ask the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) about this, and he (peace and blessings be upon him) said that the number of caliphs in my Ummah will be twelve, which is the same as the number of chiefs among the Children of Israel.

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Safinah that the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said: The Caliphate will last for thirty years, after which kingship will come. Safinah said, count it: two years was the Caliphate of Sayyiduna Abu Bakr, may Allah be pleased with him, ten years was the Caliphate of Sayyiduna Umar, may Allah be pleased with him, twelve years was the Caliphate of Sayyiduna Uthman, may Allah be pleased with him, and six years was the Caliphate of Sayyiduna Ali, may Allah be pleased with him.

It is narrated from Abdur Rahman bin Abi Bakrah, he says: We went as a delegation with Ziyad. In another narration, it is mentioned that I went with my father as a delegation to Sayyiduna Muawiyah bin Abi Sufyan (may Allah be pleased with him). In another hadith, Abdur Rahman said: We went to them for condolence. When we reached them, he was never as pleased at the arrival of any delegation as he was at the arrival of our delegation. He said: Abu Bakrah! Please narrate to us a hadith you heard from the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him). Sayyiduna Abu Bakrah (may Allah be pleased with him) said: The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) loved good dreams very much, and he (peace be upon him) used to ask people if anyone had seen a good dream, then he should narrate it. One day, he (peace be upon him) said: If any of you has seen a dream, let him narrate it. A man said: Yes, I saw as if a scale was let down from the sky, your weight and that of Sayyiduna Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) was measured, and you (peace be upon him) were heavier than Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him). Then Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) and Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) were weighed, and Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) was heavier. After that, Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) and Sayyiduna Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him) were weighed, and Umar was heavier. After that, the scale was lifted. Hearing this, Sayyiduna Muawiyah (may Allah be pleased with him) became sad. Hammad also narrated that upon hearing this, Muawiyah (may Allah be pleased with him) became sorrowful. And then he said: In this hadith, there is an indication towards the caliphate of prophethood, after which Allah, the Exalted, will grant rule to whomever He wills. Upon hearing this hadith, Muawiyah (may Allah be pleased with him) sent us out from his court. Ziyad said: Did you not remember any other hadith besides this? Sayyiduna Abu Bakrah (may Allah be pleased with him) said: No, by Allah! As long as I go to them, I will narrate only this hadith to them. After a few days, once again Sayyiduna Muawiyah called us and said: Abu Bakrah! Please narrate to us a hadith you heard from the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him). He repeated the same hadith. Sayyiduna Muawiyah disliked hearing this hadith and had us sent out from his court. Ziyad said: Did you not remember any other hadith besides this? Abu Bakrah (may Allah be pleased with him) said: No, by Allah! As long as I go to them, I will continue to narrate only this hadith. After a few days, Sayyiduna Muawiyah (may Allah be pleased with him) called us again and said: Abu Bakrah! Please narrate to us a hadith of the Messenger. Sayyiduna Abu Bakrah (may Allah be pleased with him) again repeated the same blessed hadith. He again found it unpleasant, but this time Sayyiduna Muawiyah (may Allah be pleased with him) said: Do you call our rule kingship? In one narration: Do you call us kings instead of caliphs? If that is so, then we are content with kingship. Abu Abdur Rahman said that I found this hadith written in my father's book in his own handwriting.