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.

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Abu Sa'id Khudri (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: The just ruler will be the most beloved to Allah Almighty on the Day of Resurrection and will have the closest position to Allah. And on the Day of Resurrection, the most disliked by Allah and the one deserving the severest punishment will be the ruler who oppressed others in the world.

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Ma'qil bin Yasar (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: Whoever is given authority over a group, whether few or many, from my Ummah, and then does not act with justice, Allah Almighty will cast him face down into Hell.

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Abu Hurairah, may Allah be pleased with him, that the Noble Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said: Whoever is appointed as a leader and ruler over a small group of ten people, he will be brought forth on the Day of Resurrection bound; his justice and fairness will grant him deliverance, and his oppression and tyranny will destroy him.

Abu Qahzam says: In the era of Ziyad or Ibn Ziyad, grains as large as date stones were found in a pouch. It was written on them that such grain used to grow at a time when justice prevailed.

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Abu Umamah (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: Whoever becomes a ruler over ten or more people, on the Day of Resurrection he will be brought before Allah Almighty in such a state that his hand will be tied to his neck; his good deeds will free him or his sins will destroy him. At the beginning of this authority is blame, in the middle is regret, and its end on the Day of Resurrection is disgrace.

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Abu Sa'id Khudri (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: In the last era, there will be a caliph who will give wealth to people without counting it. In another narration, the words are: He will distribute wealth among the people, but he will not count it.

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Abu Hurairah, may Allah be pleased with him, that the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said: The Imam and ruler is a shield, behind whom fighting is done against the enemy and by means of whom one is protected from the enemy’s attacks. If he commands piety and acts with justice, he will be rewarded for these deeds, and if he commands anything else, he will bear its sin.

Abu al-Wadaak says: I said: Every ruler who comes over us is worse than the previous one, and every coming year is worse than the last. Upon hearing this, Sayyiduna Abu Sa'id Khudri (may Allah be pleased with him) said: If I had not heard a hadith from the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), I would have said the same. I heard the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) say: A ruler will come over you who will distribute wealth abundantly, without even counting it. Whoever comes to him and asks, he will say: Take it away. So that person will spread out his cloth and fill it up and take it away. At that time, the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) had a thick sheet over him; he spread it out and demonstrated how that person would fill it, then the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) held the edges of the sheet and showed it. And he said: He will take away the sheet filled with wealth like this.