Musnad Ahmad

It is narrated from Hazrat Abdullah bin Hawalah (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Whoever is saved from three things is indeed saved (he said this three times): my death, the Dajjal, and the killing of a rightly guided caliph who remains firm upon the truth."

It is narrated from Hazrat Ibn Hawalah (may Allah be pleased with him) that once I presented myself before the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), at that time he (peace be upon him) was sitting in the shade of a tree and there was a scribe with him to whom he (peace be upon him) was dictating something. The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: "O Ibn Hawalah! Should we not write for you as well?" I replied that I do not know what Allah and His Messenger (peace be upon him) have chosen for me. So the Prophet (peace be upon him) turned away from me and again leaned towards the scribe to dictate. After a while, the same question and answer occurred again. After that, I saw that the name of Hazrat Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) was written in that document. I thought in my heart that Umar's (may Allah be pleased with him) name could only be written for a good deed. Then, for the third time, when the Prophet (peace be upon him) asked, "O Ibn Hawalah! Should we not write for you as well?" I replied, "Yes!" The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: "Ibn Hawalah! When tribulations erupt in the corners of the earth like the horns of a cow, what will you do?" I replied that I do not know; Allah and His Messenger know best what they prefer for me. The Prophet (peace be upon him) asked the next question: "After that, when another tribulation immediately appears, what will you do then?" I gave the same answer as before. The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: "Follow that person." At that time, that man was walking away with his back turned. I ran and caught him by the shoulders and brought him to the Prophet (peace be upon him) and said, "Is this the person about whom you have just given this command?" The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: "Yes!" And that person was Hazrat Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him).

It is narrated from Hazrat Ibn Hawalah that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Soon this matter will become so great that countless armies will be prepared; thus, one army will be in Shaam, one in Yemen, and one in Iraq." Ibn Hawalah asked: "O Messenger of Allah! If I reach that time, please tell me a chosen path?" The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Make Shaam obligatory upon yourself, for it is the best land of Allah, to which He selects His chosen servants. If you cannot do that, then make Yemen obligatory upon yourself, and keep giving people water from your reservoirs, for Allah the Exalted has taken the responsibility of the people of Shaam and the land of Shaam upon Himself for my sake."

It is narrated from Hazrat Abdullah bin Hawalah (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Whoever is saved from three things, he is saved (he said this three times): my death, the Dajjal, and the killing of a steadfast caliph upon the truth."