Murrah bin Ka'b al-Sulami al-Bahzi (may Allah be pleased with him) (his name is disputed: it is said Ka'b bin Murrah, but the correct name is Murrah bin Ka'b)

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Murrah al-Bahzi (may Allah be pleased with him); he said: The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "A trial (fitnah) will arise upon the earth, spreading like the horns of cattle." Just then a man passed by with his face covered, and he (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "This man and his companions will be upon guidance on that day." And it was seen that he was Sayyiduna Uthman bin Affan (may Allah be pleased with him).

Sayyiduna Murrah al-Bahzi (may Allah be pleased with him) said: We were with the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) on the road to Madinah when he (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "What will you do at the time of a trial that will spread across the regions of the earth like the horns of cattle?" We said: O Messenger of Allah! What should we do? - and there was a man in front of him - He (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Follow this man and his companions." I went quickly towards him, took hold of the man, turned him towards the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), and said: O Messenger of Allah! Is it this one? He (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Yes." The narrator said: And he was Sayyiduna Uthman bin Affan (may Allah be pleased with him).

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Murrah al-Bahzi (may Allah be pleased with him); he said: We were with the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) on the road to Madinah when he (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "What will you do in a trial that will flare up across the regions of the earth like the horns of cattle?" The people said: O Messenger of Allah! Then what should we do? He (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Hold fast to this man and his companions" - or he said: "Follow this man and his companions" - I went quickly until I turned the man around, then I said: O Prophet of Allah! Is it this one? He (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "This is the one." And he was Sayyiduna Uthman bin Affan (may Allah be pleased with him).

Jubayr bin Nufayr (may Allah have mercy on him) narrates: After the martyrdom of Sayyiduna Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him), we were encamped with the army of Sayyiduna Mu'awiyah (may Allah be pleased with him), when Sayyiduna Murrah bin Ka'b al-Bahzi (may Allah be pleased with him) stood up and said: Listen, by Allah! Were it not for something I heard from the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), I would not have stood in this place. When Sayyiduna Mu'awiyah (may Allah be pleased with him) heard mention of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), he made the people sit down. Then Sayyiduna Murrah (may Allah be pleased with him) said: We were sitting with the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) when Sayyiduna Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him) passed by, his hair combed and well dressed, and the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "A trial will soon emerge from beneath my feet - or from beneath my foot - and this man and his followers will be upon guidance on that day." I stood up, took hold of Sayyiduna Uthman's shoulder and turned him towards the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), and I said: Is it this one? He (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Yes, this man and his followers will be upon guidance on that day." At that, Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Hawalah al-Ansari (may Allah be pleased with him) stood up from near the pulpit and said: Are you speaking about this one? He said: Yes. Abdullah bin Hawalah said: "Listen, by Allah! I was present in that gathering, and had I known that there was someone in the army who would confirm me, I would have been the first to tell the people of it."

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Murrah al-Bahzi (may Allah be pleased with him) that he heard the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) say: "A group of my nation will always remain upon the truth, prevailing over whoever opposes them, and they will be like a vessel placed among those who eat, until the command of Allah comes while they are in that state." We said: O Messenger of Allah! Where will they be? He (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "In the surroundings of Bayt al-Maqdis (Jerusalem)." The narrator said: He also told me that "Ramlah is al-Rabwah (the elevated ground), because it faces both the west and the east."

Sayyiduna Ka'b bin Murrah, or Murrah bin Ka'b (may Allah be pleased with him), said: The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) supplicated against the tribe of Mudar, so I said: O Messenger of Allah! Allah has granted you that and has answered your supplication, and indeed your people have perished, so pray for rain for them. He (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "O Allah! Grant us rain that brings relief, wholesome, quick in coming, abundant, spreading everywhere, immediate, without delay, beneficial and free of harm." The narrator said: Barely a Friday or so had passed when rain began to fall upon us.

Then it was said to Murrah bin Ka'b: Narrate to us a hadith that you heard from the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) - may Allah have mercy on your father - and be careful. He said: I heard the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) say: "Any servant who frees a Muslim slave, that will be the means of his release from Hell; for every bone of the slave, a bone of the one who freed him will be saved. And any Muslim man who frees two Muslim women, they will both be the means of his release from Hell; for every two bones of theirs, one bone of his will be saved. And any Muslim woman who frees a Muslim woman, she will be the means of her release from Hell; for every bone of hers, a bone of the woman who freed her will be saved."

Ibn al-Simt (may Allah have mercy on him) said: I said to Sayyiduna Ka'b bin Murrah, or Murrah bin Ka'b al-Sulami (may Allah be pleased with him) - Shu'bah was in doubt -: Narrate to us a hadith that you heard from the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) - may Allah have mercy on your father - and be careful. He said: The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) supplicated against the tribe of Mudar, so I came to the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) and said: O Messenger of Allah! Allah has granted you that, answered your supplication and helped you, and indeed your people have perished, so ask Allah for rain for them. He (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "O Allah! Grant us rain that brings relief, wholesome, bringing greenery, quick in coming, abundant, spreading everywhere, immediate, without delay, beneficial and free of harm." The narrator said: Not even a single Friday had passed when rain began to fall upon us.

I said: Narrate to us a hadith that you heard from the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) - may Allah have mercy on your father - and be careful. He said: I heard the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) say: "Any Muslim servant who frees a Muslim man, that will be the means of his release from Hell; for every bone of his, one bone of his will be saved. And any Muslim servant who frees two Muslim women, they will both be the means of his release from Hell; for every two bones of theirs, one bone of his will be saved. And any Muslim woman who frees a Muslim woman, she will be the means of her release from Hell; for every bone of hers, one bone of hers will be saved from the Fire."

Sayyiduna Murrah bin Ka'b al-Bahzi (may Allah be pleased with him) said: I said: O Messenger of Allah! Which part of the night is most heard (for supplication)? He (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "The last middle part of the night; at that time prayer is accepted until dawn (Fajr) breaks. Then no prayer is offered until the sun has risen the height of one or two spears. Then prayer continues to be accepted until the shadow stands equal to the spear. Then there is no prayer until the sun passes its zenith. Then prayer continues to be accepted until the sun is the height of one or two spears before setting. Then there is no prayer until the sun sets."