Musannaf Ibn Abi Shaybah 34257 — The virtues of Ali bin Abi Talib

Sayyiduna Abd al-Rahman bin Awf (may Allah be pleased with him) said: When the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) had conquered Makkah, he (peace and blessings be upon him) turned towards Ta'if, and he (peace and blessings be upon him) besieged Ta'if for eighteen or nineteen days, but could not conquer it. Then he (peace and blessings be upon him) set off in the morning or the evening. He (peace and blessings be upon him) halted, then he (peace and blessings be upon him) set off at midday. Then he (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "O people! I shall reach it before you, and I enjoin you to treat my offspring well. Your appointed meeting place is the Pond of Kawthar. By the One in whose hand my soul is, you must certainly establish the prayer and pay the zakah, or else I shall send to you a man of mine, or a man like myself, and he will certainly strike the necks of those among them who fight, and he will take their offspring captive." The narrator said: The people thought that this person would be Sayyiduna Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) or Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him). Then he (peace and blessings be upon him) took the hand of Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) and said: "This is that person."