Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Unays (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates: The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) called me and said: "It has reached me that Khalid bin Sufyan bin Nubayh al-Hudhali is gathering people against me in order to wage war against me. Go to him and kill him." The narrator says: I said: "O Messenger of Allah, describe his appearance to me so that I may recognise him." The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "When you see him, a shiver will come over you on seeing him." The narrator says: I set out with my sword and came to that place. He was at the place called Uranah with some women, who were preparing a place of lodging for him. The time of Asr had come. When I saw him, a shiver came over me just as the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) had described to me. I came towards him, and I feared that something else might come as an obstacle between me and him, so I began to pray, performing the bowing and prostration by gesturing with my head. When I reached him, he asked: "Who are you?" I said: "I am a man who has heard about you, that you are gathering people against this man, so I have come to you in that connection." He said: "Right, I am doing this." The narrator says: I kept walking with him until, when I got the chance, I attacked him with the sword and killed him. Then I left that place, leaving his women bent over him. When I came to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) and he saw me, he said: "This is a successful face." I said: "O Messenger of Allah, I have killed him." The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "You have spoken the truth." Then the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) got up, taking me with him, and brought me to his house. He gave me a staff and said: "O Abdullah bin Unays, keep this with you." The narrator says: I came out with it to the people, and the people said: "Where has this staff come from?" I said: "The Messenger of Allah gave it to me, and he has ordered me to keep it with me." The people said: "Why do you not go to the Messenger of Allah and ask him about it?" So I went back to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) and said: "O Messenger of Allah, why have you given me this staff?" The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "So that it may be a sign between me and you on the Day of Resurrection. On that day there will be few people who lean on a staff." The narrator says: So Sayyiduna Abdullah (may Allah be pleased with him) kept it together with his sword, and it remained with him constantly, until, when his death drew near, he gave instructions about it, and that staff was placed in his shroud, and then the two were buried together. (Allamah al-Haythami says:) I say: Abu Dawud recorded part of this report in the chapter on the prayer of fear.
Ahmad recorded it, and Abu Ya'la recorded something similar. Its chain contains a narrator who has not been named, and he is the son of Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Unays (may Allah be pleased with him); the rest of the narrators of this report are thiqat (trustworthy).