It is narrated from Sayyiduna Awf bin Malik al-Ashja'i (may Allah be pleased with him); he said: We halted at a stopping place with the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him). I woke up during the night and could see nothing in the camp taller than the back of my saddle; every person and camel was clinging to the ground (asleep). I made my way between the people until I reached the bed of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), but he (peace and blessings be upon him) was not there. I put my hand on the bed and it was cold. I went out between the people saying: Inna lillahi wa inna ilayhi raji'un (We belong to Allah and to Him we return), the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) has been taken away somewhere! until I went out beyond the whole camp. I saw a dark shape, so I threw a stone and went towards it, and there were Sayyiduna Mu'adh bin Jabal and Sayyiduna Abu Ubaydah bin al-Jarrah (may Allah be pleased with them both). In front of us there was a sound like the whirring of a mill, or like the rustling of reeds when the wind blows on them. We said to one another: O people, stay firmly here until morning comes or the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) comes. The narrator says: We stayed as long as Allah willed; then he (peace and blessings be upon him) called out: "Are Mu'adh bin Jabal, Abu Ubaydah bin al-Jarrah and Awf bin Malik there?" We said: Yes. So he (peace and blessings be upon him) came towards us, and we walked along with him (peace and blessings be upon him); we did not ask him (peace and blessings be upon him) anything, nor did he (peace and blessings be upon him) tell us anything, until he (peace and blessings be upon him) sat on his bed and said: "Do you know what my Lord gave me a choice between tonight?" We said: Allah and His Messenger know best. He (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "My Lord gave me a choice between having half of my Ummah admitted into Paradise, or being granted the station of intercession, and I chose intercession." We said: O Messenger of Allah, pray to Allah to make us among those who receive intercession. He (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "It is for every Muslim." This hadith is sahih on the condition of Imam Muslim, but both of them did not narrate it. All of its narrators are trustworthy on the condition of the two Shaykhs, there is no hidden defect ('illah) in it, and the other narrations about intercession do not contain the words that it is for every Muslim.