It is narrated from Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Umar (may Allah be pleased with them both) that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Whoever separates from the Jama'ah (community) even by a handspan has thrown off the collar of Islam from his neck, until he returns (to the Jama'ah)." And he said: "Whoever dies while there is no Imam of the (Muslim) Jama'ah over him, his death is a death of Jahiliyyah (pre-Islamic ignorance)." And the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) delivered a sermon and said: "O people! I will be your forerunner at the Pool (the one who arrives first to receive you). Its extent is as the distance between Kufah and the Black Stone, and its vessels are as numerous as the stars. And I saw some people of my Ummah: when they came near me, a man appeared and took them away from me. Then another group came, and he did the same with them. So none of them succeeded (in reaching the Pool) except a few, like animals strayed from the herd (very few)." Sayyiduna Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) said: O Prophet of Allah! Am I among them? He (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "No, rather they are people who will come after you and will turn back on their heels (from the religion)." This hadith is sahih (authentic) according to the conditions of the two Shaykhs (Bukhari and Muslim), and Hajjaj bin Muhammad also narrated it from al-Layth, but they did not record it.