عَنْ أَبِي بُرْدَةَ عَنْ أَبِي مُوسَى الْأَشْعَرِيِّ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ قَالَ غَزَوْنَا مَعَ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَآلِهِ وَسَلَّمَ فِي بَعْضِ أَسْفَارِهِ قَالَ فَعَرَّسَ بِنَا رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَآلِهِ وَسَلَّمَ فَانْتَهَيْتُ بَعْضَ اللَّيْلِ إِلَى مُنَاخِ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَآلِهِ وَسَلَّمَ أَطْلُبُهُ فَلَمْ أَجِدْهُ قَالَ فَخَرَجْتُ بَارِزًا أَطْلُبُهُ وَإِذَا رَجُلٌ مِنْ أَصْحَابِ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَآلِهِ وَسَلَّمَ يَطْلُبُ مَا أَطْلُبُ قَالَ فَبَيْنَا نَحْنُ كَذَلِكَ إِذِ اتَّجَهَ إِلَيْنَا رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَآلِهِ وَسَلَّمَ قَالَ فَقُلْنَا يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ أَنْتَ بِأَرْضِ حَرْبٍ وَلَا نَأْمَنُ عَلَيْكَ فَلَوْلَا إِذْ بَدَتْ لَكَ الْحَاجَةُ قُلْتَ لِبَعْضِ أَصْحَابِكَ فَقَامَ مَعَكَ قَالَ فَقَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَآلِهِ وَسَلَّمَ ”إِنِّي سَمِعْتُ هَزِيزًا كَهَزِيزِ الرَّحَى أَوْ حَنِينًا كَحَنِينِ النَّحْلِ وَأَتَانِي آتٍ مِنْ رَبِّي عَزَّ وَجَلَّ قَالَ فَخَيَّرَنِي أَنْ يَدْخُلَ شَطْرُ أُمَّتِي الْجَنَّةَ وَبَيْنَ شَفَاعَتِي لَهُمْ فَاخْتَرْتُ شَفَاعَتِي لَهُمْ وَعَلِمْتُ أَنَّهَا أَوْسَعُ لَهُمْ فَخَيَّرَنِي بِأَنْ يَدْخُلَ ثُلُثُ أُمَّتِي الْجَنَّةَ وَبَيْنَ الشَّفَاعَةِ فَاخْتَرْتُ لَهُمْ شَفَاعَتِي وَعَلِمْتُ أَنَّهَا أَوْسَعُ لَهُمْ“ فَقَالَا يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ ادْعُ اللَّهَ تَعَالَى أَنْ يَجْعَلَنَا مِنْ أَهْلِ شَفَاعَتِكَ قَالَ فَدَعَا لَهُمَا ثُمَّ إِنَّهُمَا نَبَّهَا أَصْحَابَ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَآلِهِ وَسَلَّمَ وَأَخْبَرَاهُمْ بِقَوْلِ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَآلِهِ وَسَلَّمَ فَجَعَلُوا يَأْتُونَهُ وَيَقُولُونَ يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ ادْعُ اللَّهَ تَعَالَى أَنْ يَجْعَلَنَا مِنْ أَهْلِ شَفَاعَتِكَ فَيَدْعُو لَهُمْ قَالَ فَلَمَّا أَضَبَّ عَلَيْهِ الْقَوْمُ وَكَثُرُوا قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَآلِهِ وَسَلَّمَ ”إِنَّهَا لِمَنْ مَاتَ وَهُوَ يَشْهَدُ أَنْ لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا اللَّهُ“
It is narrated from Sayyiduna Abu Musa Ash’ari (may Allah be pleased with him), he says: We were with the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) on a military expedition during a journey. In the last part of the night, the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) stopped at a place to rest. Then, at some point during the night, I went to see the resting place of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), but I did not find him there. Then I set out in search of him, and another companion was also searching for him like me. We were searching for the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) when he came towards us. We said: O Messenger of Allah! You are in the enemy’s territory, so we cannot be careless about you. If you have any task, then please tell one of your companions so that he may go with you. The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: I heard a sound like the turning of a millstone or the buzzing of bees, and a messenger from my Lord, the Exalted, came to me. He gave me the choice between two things: either Allah, the Exalted, would admit half of my Ummah into Paradise, or I would intercede for them. I chose the matter of intercession for my Ummah, because I knew that there is more vastness in it. Then Allah, the Exalted, gave me the choice that either one third of my Ummah would enter Paradise, or I would intercede for them. So I chose the matter of intercession for them, because I knew that there is more vastness in intercession. Upon hearing this, those two companions said: O Messenger of Allah! Pray to Allah, the Exalted, that He makes us among those who will receive your intercession. The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) prayed for both of them. After this, they came to the other companions and told them all that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) had said. Upon hearing this, the rest of the people also came to the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) and began to request the same, that he pray to Allah, the Exalted, to make them among those who will receive his intercession. The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) continued to pray for them as well, but when many people began to come to him with this request, he said: My intercession will be for every person who dies in such a state that he bears witness that there is no god but Allah.