Sayyiduna Abu Barzah (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates: I heard the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) say: "The distance between the two edges of my Hawd (cistern) is as much as the distance from Aylah to Sana'a, which is the distance of one month's journey. The width of this Hawd is equal to its length. There are two channels in it that come from Paradise, made of silver and gold. Its drink (or water) is whiter than milk, sweeter than honey, and colder than ice. By this Hawd, there are as many cups as there are stars in the sky."

Sayyiduna Anas bin Malik (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates this statement of the Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him): "Indeed, the length of my cistern is as much as the distance from Aylah to Sana'a, and by it are vessels as numerous as the stars in the sky."

Sayyiduna Jabir bin Abdullah (may Allah be pleased with them both) narrates that the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Every prophet has a specific supplication through which he prays for his ummah; I have reserved my specific supplication for the intercession of my ummah on the Day of Resurrection."

Sayyiduna Abu Huraira (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates this statement of the Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him): "Every prophet has a specific supplication which he makes; I have postponed my supplication for the intercession of my Ummah in the Hereafter."

Sayyiduna Abu Dharr Ghifari (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates that the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "I have been given five things which were not given to anyone before me. I have been sent to the red and the black (i.e., all of mankind). The spoils of war have been made lawful for me, which were not made lawful for anyone before me. I have been helped through awe; the enemy is overcome with fear from a distance of one month's journey. The entire earth has been made a means of purification and a place of prayer for me. And it was said to me: Ask, and you will be given. So I have reserved my supplication for the intercession of my Ummah on the Day of Resurrection. If Allah wills, this supplication will be granted to everyone who does not associate anyone with Allah."

Sayyiduna Awf bin Malik (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates: One night the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) camped with us, and everyone spread out the arms of his mount. The narrator says: In a part of the night, I woke up and there was no one in front of the camel of the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) (i.e., the Prophet was not present). I set out in search of the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him), and Sayyiduna Mu'adh bin Jabal (may Allah be pleased with him) and Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Qais (may Allah be pleased with him) were also standing there. I asked: Where is the Messenger of Allah? They replied: We do not know, but we heard a sound from the upper part of the valley, a sound like that of a millstone turning.

The narrator says: Shortly after, the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) came to us. He informed us: A messenger from my Lord came to me and gave me the choice that either half of my Ummah would enter Paradise or I could choose intercession (Shafa'ah), so I chose intercession. The people said: O Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him)! We beseech you by Allah and by our relationship with you, include us among those who will receive your intercession. The Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) said: You will receive my intercession. The narrator says: When those people mounted (their rides), the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) said: I make all those present witnesses that I declare, whoever from my Ummah dies in such a state that he does not associate anyone with Allah, he will receive my intercession.

Sayyiduna Anas bin Malik (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "On the Day of Resurrection, people will be gathered (in the plain of Mahshar). It will be inspired to them, so they will say: If someone could intercede for us before our Lord so that we may be relieved from this situation, it would be better. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: The people will come to Sayyiduna Adam (peace be upon him) and say: You are Sayyiduna Adam (peace be upon him), whom Allah created with His own Hand. He breathed into you of His spirit, He commanded the angels and they prostrated to you. Intercede for us before your Lord so that we may be relieved from this situation. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: Sayyiduna Adam (peace be upon him) will say: I cannot do this. He will mention his mistake which he committed, and because of that mistake he will feel shy before his Lord. He will say: Go to Sayyiduna Nuh (peace be upon him), for he is the first Messenger whom Allah sent. The people will go to Sayyiduna Nuh (peace be upon him). He will say: I cannot do this. He will mention his mistake which he committed, and because of that mistake he will feel shy before his Lord. (He will say:) Go to Sayyiduna Ibrahim (peace be upon him), whom Allah made His Khalil (close friend). The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: The people will come to Sayyiduna Ibrahim (peace be upon him). He will say: I cannot do this. He will remember his mistake which he committed, and because of that he will feel shy before his Lord. (He will say:) Go to Sayyiduna Musa (peace be upon him), whom Allah created and to whom He gave the Torah. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: The people will come to Sayyiduna Musa (peace be upon him). He will say: I cannot do this. He will remember his mistake, because of which he will feel shy before his Lord. (So he will say:) Go to Sayyiduna Isa (peace be upon him). Sayyiduna Isa (peace be upon him) will say: I cannot do this. Go to Sayyiduna Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him), who is a servant whose past and future sins Allah has forgiven. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: The people will come to me. I will seek permission from my Lord. He will grant me permission, so I will fall into prostration. For as long as Allah wills, I will remain in prostration. Then it will be said: O Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him), raise your head. Speak, you will be heard. Ask, you will be given. Intercede, your intercession will be accepted. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: I will raise my head and praise my Lord with such words as He will teach me, then I will intercede and a limit will be set for me. I will take those people out of Hell and admit them into Paradise. Then I will return to prostration. For as long as Allah wills, He will let me remain in prostration. Then it will be said: Muhammad, raise your head from prostration. Speak, you will be heard. Ask, you will be given. Intercede, your intercession will be accepted. So I will raise my head and praise my Lord with such words as He will teach me, then I will intercede and a limit will be set for me. I will take those people out of Hell and admit them into Paradise. Then I will return to prostration. For as long as Allah wills, He will let me remain in prostration. Then it will be said: Muhammad! Raise your head from prostration. Speak, you will be heard. Ask, you will be given. Intercede, your intercession will be accepted. So I will raise my head and praise my Lord with such words as He will teach me, then I will intercede and a limit will be set for me. I will take those people out and admit them into Paradise. Then I will place my head (in prostration). For as long as Allah wills, He will let me remain (in prostration). Then it will be said to me: Raise your head (from prostration), speak, you will be heard. Ask, you will be given. Intercede, your intercession will be accepted. So I will raise my head and praise my Lord with such words as He will teach me, then I will intercede and a limit will be set for me. I will take those people out of Hell and admit them into Paradise." The narrator named Abu Awanah says: I do not know whether the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said this the third or fourth time: I will say: O my Lord, now only those remain in Hell whom the Qur'an (has decreed) to remain (the narrator is unsure, perhaps these are the words) for whom it has been decreed to remain in Hell forever.

(Imam Ibn Hibban, may Allah have mercy on him, says:) Hasan bin Sufyan has narrated these words in this narration: "Go to Sayyiduna Musa (peace be upon him), whom Allah created," whereas the original words are: "with whom Allah spoke."

Sayyiduna Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates: I placed a bowl of tharid (bread soaked in broth) and meat before the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him), so the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) picked up the foreleg. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) liked that part of the goat’s meat the most. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) tore it with his teeth and ate it, and said: On the Day of Resurrection, I will be the leader of all mankind. Then he ate from it a second time and said: On the Day of Resurrection, I will be the leader of all mankind. Then he ate from it a third time and said: On the Day of Resurrection, I will be the leader of all mankind. When the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) saw that his companions did not ask him any question, he said: Why do you not ask how this will be? The people said: O Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him)! How will this be? The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: (On the Day of Resurrection) all people will be standing before the Lord of all the worlds. The caller will be able to make his voice reach them. The sight will be able to see them. And the sun will be close to their heads. Its heat will be a cause of severe hardship for them. And the nearness of the sun will be a cause of distress for them. Because of their situation, they will go weeping and wailing and will come to Sayyiduna Adam (peace be upon him). And they will say: O Sayyiduna Adam (peace be upon him), you are the father of mankind. Allah Almighty created you with His own hand of power. He commanded the angels, so they prostrated to you. Intercede for us before your Lord. Do you not see what a terrible situation we are in? Then Sayyiduna Adam (peace be upon him) will say: My Lord is as angry today as He has never been before, and He will never be so angry after this. He commanded me with one thing, but I did not obey Him. Now I fear that He may cast me into Hell. Go to someone else instead of me (now) I am concerned only for myself, only for myself.

They will go to Sayyiduna Nuh (peace be upon him) and say: O Sayyiduna Nuh (peace be upon him), you are Allah’s Prophet. You are the first person to be sent as a Messenger. Intercede for us before your Lord. Do you not see what a terrible situation we are in? Sayyiduna Nuh (peace be upon him) will say: My Lord is as angry today as He has never been before, and He will never be so angry after this. I had a supplication which I made against my people, as a result of which they were destroyed. Now I fear that He may cast me into Hell. So go to someone else instead of me. I am concerned only for myself, only for myself.

They will go to Sayyiduna Ibrahim (peace be upon him) and say: O Sayyiduna Ibrahim (peace be upon him), you are Allah’s Khalil (close friend). All the inhabitants of the heavens and the earth have heard about your friendship (with Allah). Intercede for us before your Lord. Do you not see what difficulty we are in? Then Sayyiduna Ibrahim (peace be upon him) will say: My Lord is as angry today as He has never been before, and He will never be so angry after this. Then he will mention his statement about the stars:“This is my Lord,”and his statement about their idols:“Rather, the biggest of them did it,”and his statement:“I am sick.”(Then Sayyiduna Ibrahim (peace be upon him) will say:) I fear that He may cast me into Hell. Go to someone else instead of me. I am concerned only for myself, only for myself.

They will go to Sayyiduna Musa (peace be upon him) and say: O Sayyiduna Musa (peace be upon him), you are such a Prophet whom Allah Almighty chose for His message. He spoke to you. Intercede for us before your Lord. Do you not see what difficulty we are in? Then Sayyiduna Musa (peace be upon him) will say: My Lord is as angry today as He has never been before, and He will never be so angry after this. I killed a person, although I was not commanded to do so, so I fear that He may admit me into Hell. Go to someone else instead of me. I am concerned only for myself, only for myself.

Then they will go to Sayyiduna Isa (peace be upon him) and say: You are Allah’s Prophet, you are His Word, His Spirit which He cast into Sayyiduna Maryam, a spirit coming from Him. Intercede for us before your Lord. Do you not see what difficulty we are in? Then Sayyiduna Isa (peace be upon him) will say: My Lord is as angry today as He has never been before, and He will never be so angry after this. I fear that He may cast me into Hell. Go to someone else instead of me. I am concerned only for myself, only for myself.

‘Umara, the narrator, says: To my knowledge (these words are not in the narration) that he mentioned any sin. Then the people will come to Sayyiduna Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) and say: You (peace and blessings be upon him) are Allah’s Messenger, the Seal of the Prophets. Allah Almighty has forgiven your past and future sins. Intercede for us before your Lord. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) says: I will go from there and come to the Throne. I will fall into prostration before my Lord, so the Lord of all the worlds will grant me such a station in His presence that He has not granted to anyone before me, nor will He grant it to anyone after me. He will say: O Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him), admit your Ummah through the right-hand door (of Paradise), those people for whom there will be no reckoning, although they may also enter through other doors with other people.

(Then the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said:) By the One in Whose hand is the soul of Muhammad, the width of one door of Paradise is as much as the distance between Makkah and Hajar (the narrator is unsure, perhaps these are the words), or as much as the distance between Hajar and Makkah. The narrator says: I do not know which of the two words is mentioned first in the narration.

Sayyiduna Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates: I asked the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him). I said: O Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him)! What has your Lord granted you regarding intercession? The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: By Him in Whose hand is the soul of Muhammad, I had thought that among my Ummah, you would be the first to ask me about this, because I have noticed that you are very eager to acquire knowledge. By Him in Whose hand is the soul of Muhammad, for me, the people coming one after another to the gates of Paradise is more important than my intercession being completed for them. My intercession will be granted to every person who bears witness with complete sincerity that there is no deity except Allah and that Muhammad (peace be upon him) is the Messenger of Allah. His tongue affirms what is in his heart, and his heart affirms what is on his tongue.

Imam Ja'far al-Sadiq, narrating from his father (Imam Muhammad al-Baqir), reports from Sayyiduna Jabir (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "My intercession is for those among my Ummah who commit major sins."