Sunan Abi Dawud 4247
سنن أبي داود#4247Hasanحَدَّثَنَا مُسَدَّدٌ، حَدَّثَنَا عَبْدُ الْوَارِثِ، حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو التَّيَّاحِ، عَنْ صَخْرِ بْنِ بَدْرٍ الْعِجْلِيِّ، عَنْ سُبَيْعِ بْنِ خَالِدٍ، بِهَذَا الْحَدِيثِ عَنْ حُذَيْفَةَ، عَنِ النَّبِيِّ صلى الله عليه وسلم قَالَ " فَإِنْ لَمْ تَجِدْ يَوْمَئِذٍ خَلِيفَةً فَاهْرَبْ حَتَّى تَمُوتَ فَإِنْ تَمُتْ وَأَنْتَ عَاضٌّ " . وَقَالَ فِي آخِرِهِ قَالَ قُلْتُ فَمَا يَكُونُ بَعْدَ ذَلِكَ قَالَ " لَوْ أَنَّ رَجُلاً نَتَجَ فَرَسًا لَمْ تُنْتَجْ حَتَّى تَقُومَ السَّاعَةُ " .
The tradition mentioned above has also been transmitted by Hudhaifah through a different chain of narrators from the Prophet (ﷺ). This version says:He said: If you do not find a caliph in those days, then flee away until you die, even of you die holding on (to a stump of a tree). I asked: What will come next ? He replied: If a man wants the mare to bring forth a foal, it will not deliver in till the Last Hour comes
Scholarly Authentication
The label above is the grade most of these scholars gave, each scholar counted once — one dissenting opinion no longer speaks for all of them. If any scholar calls a narration fabricated, that verdict is shown instead, whatever the others say. When they judged only its chain of narrators (“Isnaad”), the label says “Sound chain”. Each scholar's own wording:
Our source also lists this ruling under Muhammad Muhyi Al-Din Abdul Hamid, the editor of the printed edition it was taken from. It is al-Albani's ruling printed again, so it is counted once.
In-book reference: 37:8