Sayyiduna Abu Musa al-Ash'ari (may Allah be pleased with him) relates: We took part in a campaign with the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). During the journey we made camp at night. At some point in the night I got up and came to the Prophet's (peace and blessings be upon him) particular resting place. I looked for him but did not find him. I went out to the open ground in search of him, and there was one of the Companions of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) who was also searching for what I was searching for. The narrator says: While we were in this state, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) came towards us. We said: "O Messenger of Allah, you are in a land where war is going on, and we were anxious about you. Why did you not, if some need arose for you, tell one of your Companions so that he could have gone with you?" The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "I heard a sound like the sound of a millstone turning, and I heard a humming like the humming of bees. A messenger from my Lord came to me and gave me the choice that either the Lord would admit one third of my Ummah into Paradise, or there would be intercession; so I chose my intercession for them, because I know that it will be more encompassing for them." The narrator says: The two of them said: "O Messenger of Allah, pray to Allah Almighty to include us among those who will benefit from your intercession." The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) prayed for the two of them. When these two reached the Companions of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) and told them about the saying of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), the narrator relates, people began coming to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) and saying: "O Messenger of Allah, pray to Allah Almighty to include us among those who will benefit from your intercession," and the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) would pray for them. When people began coming one after another and they came in great numbers, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "(That intercession) will be for everyone who dies in a state in which he testifies that there is no god but Allah."
Ahmad and al-Tabarani recorded it.
Hadith Referenceمجمع الزوائد ومنبع الفوائد / كتاب البعث / 18490
Hadith Gradingمحدثین:إسنادہ حسن
Hadith Takhrij«اخرجه الطيراني فى المعجم الصغير (784) اخرجه احمد فى المسند (415/4) ، أخرجه مسند أحمد برقم: 19225»