Musnad Abi Ya'la 4127 — in the blessed time of the Messenger of Allah

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Anas bin Malik (may Allah be pleased with him) that in the blessed time of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) there was a man who used to take part in military expeditions with the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him). When he returned and unloaded the saddle from his mount, he would immediately head for the mosque of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), begin praying in it and lengthen his prayer, until some of the Companions (may Allah be pleased with them) of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) began to think that he had superiority over them. One day he passed by while the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) was sitting among his Companions (may Allah be pleased with them), and some of his Companions (may Allah be pleased with them) said: "O Prophet of Allah! This is that man." Then either the Prophet of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) sent for him or he came of his own accord. When the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) saw him coming, he said: "By the One in whose Hand is my soul! Between his eyes there is a mark (a sign of ill omen) from Satan." When he came and stood by the gathering, the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) asked him: "Did you say to yourself, when you stood at this gathering, that there is no one among these people better than you?" He replied: "Yes." Then he turned away, went to a corner of the mosque, drew a line with his foot, then aligned his ankles, stood and began to pray. The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Which of you will go to him and kill him?" So Sayyiduna Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) stood up. (When he came back,) the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) asked: "Did you kill the man?" He said: "I found him praying, and I felt awe (at killing him in that state)." Then the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Which of you will go to him and kill him?" Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) said: "I," and he took the sword, but he found him standing in prayer, so he came back. The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) asked Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him): "Did you kill the man?" He said: "O Prophet of Allah! I found him praying, and awe overcame me." Then the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Which of you will go to him and kill him?" Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) said: "I." The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "If you find him, you are the one for him (i.e. you will kill him)." So Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) went but did not find him there, and came back. The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) asked: "Did you kill the man?" He said: "I do not know which way on earth he went." Then the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Indeed, this is the first horn (a faction stirring up tribulation) to emerge from my Ummah." The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) further said: "Had you killed him, not even two people of my Ummah would have differed (in matters of religion). Indeed, the Children of Israel split into seventy-one sects, and this Ummah," meaning his Ummah, "will split into seventy-two sects, all of them in the Fire except one sect." We said: "O Prophet of Allah! Which sect is that?" He (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "It is the Jama'ah." Yazid al-Raqashi (may Allah have mercy on him) said: I asked Sayyiduna Anas (may Allah be pleased with him): O Abu Hamzah! Where is the Jama'ah? He replied: "With your rulers, with your rulers."