It is narrated from Sayyiduna Abu Mas’ud (may Allah be pleased with him), he says: The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) delivered a sermon to us and said: This caliphate will remain with you and you alone will be its owners; it will remain with you as long as you do not commit unlawful acts. When you commit unlawful acts, Allah Almighty will raise evil people against you, and they will strip your skin from you just as a stick is peeled.

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Utbah bin Abd (may Allah be pleased with him), the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: The caliphate will be among the Quraysh, the office of judge among the Ansar, preaching and propagation among the Abyssinians, and migration among the Muslims and the later emigrants.

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Ibn Umar, may Allah be pleased with him, that the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said: As long as even two men remain, the caliphate will remain among the Quraysh.

Sayyiduna Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates that the Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: In matters of governance, people follow the Quraysh; the Muslims follow the Muslim Quraysh, and the disbelievers follow the disbelieving Quraysh.

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Muawiyah bin Abi Sufyan (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: In matters of governance, people follow the Quraysh. Those who were good before Islam are also good after accepting Islam, provided they gain understanding in religion. By Allah! If I did not fear that the Quraysh would become arrogant, I would have informed them of the status of their good people in the sight of Allah Almighty.

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Dhu Makhmar (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) said: This (matter of caliphate and kingship) was with the tribe of Himyar, Allah Almighty took it from them and entrusted it to the Quraysh, soon this matter will return to them. Abdullah, the narrator, says: In my father's book, the last words were in a fragmented form, but when he narrated them to us, he recited them continuously (just as he recited the rest of the hadith).

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 for as long as Allah wills, then Allah will remove it when He wills. After Prophethood, there will be Caliphate on the way of Prophethood for as long as Allah wills, then Allah will end it. 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 again be Caliphate on the way of Prophethood. Then the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) fell silent.

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.