Silsilat al-Ahadith al-Sahihah

Sayyiduna Abdur Rahman bin Abd Rabb al-Ka'bah says: I entered Masjid al-Haram, and there, in the shade of the Ka'bah, Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Amr bin al-As (may Allah be pleased with him) was sitting and people were gathered around him. I came to him and sat there. He said: We were on a journey with the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), and we camped at a place. Some people began to fix their tents, some were competing in archery, and some were busy with their animals. Suddenly, a caller from the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) announced (to gather the people): «الصلاة جامعة». So we gathered around the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), and he said: "It was incumbent upon every prophet before me to teach his ummah every good that he knew and to warn them against every evil that he knew. (Fulfilling this duty, I say that) in the early period of this ummah there will be (peace and) safety, but in the later period (the sons of the ummah) will be afflicted with trials and undesirable matters. Tribulations will appear, and each subsequent tribulation will make the previous one seem lighter in comparison. A tribulation will arise, and seeing it, a believer will say: 'This is my destruction,' but it will pass. Then another tribulation will appear, and the believer will say upon seeing it: 'This is it (my destruction), this is it.' (In summary,) whoever wishes to be saved from Hell and admitted to Paradise, let his death come to him while he believes in Allah and the Last Day, and let him treat people as he would love to be treated by them. Whoever gives the pledge of allegiance to an imam, making his obedience binding upon himself, and gives him a sincere pledge and loves him from his heart, then he should obey him as much as he can. If another (caliph) comes and starts to dispute with him (rebels), then strike off the head of the latter." I (Abdur Rahman) drew closer to him and said: I adjure you by Allah! Did you hear this hadith from the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him)? He placed his hands on his ears and heart and said: My ears heard and my heart remembered. I said: This is your cousin, Sayyiduna Mu'awiyah (may Allah be pleased with him), he commands us to consume our wealth unlawfully and to kill ourselves, while Allah the Exalted says: "O you who believe! Do not consume one another's wealth unjustly, except that it be trade by mutual consent among you, and do not kill yourselves. Surely Allah is Most Merciful to you." (Surah an-Nisa: 29) Upon hearing this, (Abdullah bin Amr bin al-As, may Allah be pleased with him) fell silent and then said: If he obeys Allah the Exalted, then obey him, and if he disobeys Allah, then do not obey him.