Chapter: The Cistern Of Our Prophet (SAW) And Its Attributes

I heard Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) as saying: I shall be there at the Cistern before you.

This hadith has been narrated on the authority of Jundab through another chain of transmitters.

I heard Allah's Apostle (ﷺ) as saying : I shall go to the Cistern before you and he who comes would drink and he who drinks would never feel thirsty , and there would come to me people whom I would know and who would know me. Then there would be intervention between me and them. Abu Hazim said that Nu'man b. Abu 'Ayyash heard it and I narrated to them this hadith , and said : Is it this that you heard Sahl saying ? He said : Yes , and I bear witness to the fact that I heard it from Abu Sa'id Khudri also , but he made this addition that he (the Holy Prophet) would say : They are my followers , and it would be said to him : You do not know what they did after you and I will say to them : Woe to him who changes (his religion) after me.

This hadith has been narrated on the authority of Abu Sa'id Khudri through another chain of transmitters.

My Cistern (is as wide and broad that it requires) a month's journey (to go round it) all , and its sides are equal and its water is whiter than silver , and its odour is more fragrant than the fragrance of musk , and its jugs (placed around it) are like stars in the sky ; and he who would drink from it would never feel thirsty after that.

Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) said : I would be on the Cistern so that I would be seeing those who would be coming to me from you , but some people would be detained (before reaching me). I would say : My Lord , they are my followers and belong to my Ummah , and it would be said to me : Do you know what they did after you ? By Allah , they did not do good after you , and they turned back upon their heels. He (the narrator) said : lbn Abu Mulaika used to say (in supplication) : O Allah , I seek refuge with Thee that we should turn back upon our heels or put to any trial about our religion.

I heard Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) say in the company of his Companions: I would be on the Cistern waiting for those who would be coming to me from amongst you. By Allah, some persons would be prevented from coming to me, and I would say: My Lord, they are my followers and people of my Umma. And He would say,: You don't know what they did after you; they had been constantly turning back on their heels (from their religion).

" O people." I said to that girl: Keep away from me. She said: He (the Holy Prophet) has addressed the men only and he has not invited the attention of the women. I said: I am amongst the people also (and have thus every right to listen to the things pertaining to religion). Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) said: I shall be your harbinger on the Cistern; therefore, be cautious lest one of you should come (to me) and may be driven away like a stray camel. I would ask the reasons, and it would be said to me: You don't know what innovations they made after you. And I would then also say: Be away.

" O people." And she said to one who was combing: Leave my head; the rest of the hadith is the same.

I shall be present there (at the Cistern) before you. I shall be your witness and, by Allah, I perceive as if I am seeing with my own eyes my Cistern at this very state and I have been given the keys of the treasures of the earth or the keys of the earth and, by Allah, I am not afraid concerning you that you would associate anything (with Allah after me), but I am afraid that you would be vying with one another (for the possession of) the treasures of the earth.

Allah's Messenger offered prayer over those who had fallen matyrs at Uhud. He then climbed the pulpit as if someone is saying good-bye to the living and the dead, and then said: I shall be there as your predecesor on the Cistern before you, and it is as wide as the distance between Aila and Juhfa (Aila is at the top of the gulf of 'Aqaba). I am not afraid that you would associate anything with Allah after me, but I am afraid that you may be (allured) by the world and (vie) with one another (in possessing material wealth) and begin killing one another, and you would be destroyed as were destroyed those who had gone before you. 'Uqba said that that was the last occasion that he saw Allah's Massenger on the pulpit.

My Lord, they are my friends, they are my friends, and it would be said: You don't know what innovations they made after you.

" They are my companions; they are my companions."

This hadith has been narrated on the authority of 'Abdullah through another chain of transmitters.

This hadith has been narrated on the authority of Hudhaifa through another chain of transmitters.

His Cistern would be as extensive as the distance between San'a' and Medina. Mustaurid (one of the narrators) said: Did you not hear anything about the utensils? Thereupon he said. No. Mustaurid said: You would find that the utensils would be like stars.

Haritha b. Wahb al-Khuza'i reported Allah's Messeiiger's (ﷺ) words concerning the Cistern like it, but he made no mention of the words of Mustaurid.

There is before you a Cistern and the distance between its two sides is as it is between Jarba' and Adhruh.

That he said there would be before you a Cistern extending from jarba' and Adhruh and the same has been transmitted on the authority of Ibn Muthanna and the wording is:" My Cistern."

Ubaidullah was asked (about these two names, i. e. Jarba' and Adhruh). He said: These are the two towns of Syria and there is between them the distance which can be covered in three nights, and the hadith transmitted on the authority of Ibn Bishr (the words are)." Three days."

A hadith like this has been narrated on the authority of Ibn Umar through another chain of transmitters.

There would be before you a Cistern (as extensive) as there is the distance between Jarba' and Adhruh and there would be jugs like stars in the sky; he who would come to that and drink from it would never feel thirsty after that.

Allah's Messenger, what about the vessels of that Cistern? He said: By Him in Whose Hand is the life of Muhammad, the vessels would outnumber the stars in the sky and its planets shining on a dark cloudless night. These would be the vessels of Paradise. He who drinks out of it (the Cistern) would never feel thirsty. There would flow in it two spouts from Paradise and he who would drink out of it would not feel thirsty; and the distance between its (two corners) is that between 'Amman and Aila, and its water is whiter than milk and sweeter than honey.

I would be pushing back from my Cistern the crowd of people. I would strike away from it (the Cistern) with my staff the people of Yemen until the water (of the Haud) would spout forth upon them. He was asked about its breadth. He said : From this place of mine to 'Amman , and he was asked about the drink and he said : It is whiter than milk and sweeter than honey. There would spout into it two streamlets having their sources in Paradise. the one is from gold and the other is from silver.

This hadith has been narrated on the authority of Hisham with the same chain of transmitters and the words are : " I would be on the Day of Resurrection near the bank of the Cistern."

I said to Yahya b. Hammad: This is the hadith that I heard from Abu 'Awana and he said: I also heard it from Shu'ba. I said: Narrate that to me and he narrated that to me.

I will drive away from my Cistern people just as the stray camels are driven away.

This hadith has been narrated on the authority of Abu Huraira through another chain ot transmitters.

My Cistern would be as extensive as the distance between Aila and San'a, of Yemen, and there would be in it jugs like stars in the sky.

Some persons from amongst my associates would turn to my Cistern; when I would see them and they would be presented to me, they would be detained in the way while coming to me. I would say: My Lord, they are my companions, they are my companions, and it would be said to me: You don't know what innovations they made after you.

" The vessels would be as numerous as the number of stars.

There would be such a vast distance between the sides of my Cistern as it is between Sana' and Medina.

Anas reported this hadith with this change that there was some doubt between (places mentioned) and there is a slight variation of wording.

You would be shown in it jugs of gold and silver (as numerous) as the number of stars in the sky.

This hadith has been transmitted on the authority of Anas b. Malik with this addition : " More numerous than stars in the sky."

Behold, I shall be present ahead of you on the Cistern, and the distance between its different sides would be like that between Sana' and Aila, and its jugs would be like stars in the sky.

I wrote (a letter) to Jabir b. Samura (and it was sent) through my servant Nafi' asking him to inform me about something (pertaining to the Haud Kauthar). He wrote to me: I heard him (the Holy Prophet) say: I shall be there ahead of you at the Haud Kauthar.