Musannaf Ibn Abi Shaybah 39726 — Reports on Taif

Sayyiduna Abd al-Rahman bin Awf (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates that when the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) had conquered Makkah, he (peace and blessings be upon him) set out for al-Ta'if, and he (peace and blessings be upon him) besieged the people of al-Ta'if for eighteen or nineteen (days) but could not conquer al-Ta'if. Then one morning or one evening he (peace and blessings be upon him) pressed the siege hard. Then he (peace and blessings be upon him) made camp, and at midday he (peace and blessings be upon him) set off, and he (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "O people! I will reach (the destination) before you, so I enjoin you to treat my family (itrah) well. And know for certain that the place of my appointment with you is the Pool. By the One in whose hand is my soul, they will most certainly establish the prayer and will most certainly pay the zakah, or I will send to them a man from me, or like myself, who will strike the necks of their fighters and take their offspring captive." The narrator says: The people thought that this man would be Sayyiduna Abu Bakr or Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with them both). But the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) took the hand of Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) and said: "That man is this one."