Silsilat al-Ahadith al-Sahihah

Abdullah bin Buraidah says that I heard from Abu Buraidah (may Allah be pleased with him), he says: We laid siege to Khaybar. Abu Bakr Siddiq (may Allah be pleased with him) took the flag, but victory was not achieved. The next day, Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) took the flag, but victory was still not achieved, and on that day, people faced great hardship, distress, and toil. The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: "Tomorrow I will give the flag to a man who loves Allah and His Messenger, and Allah and His Messenger love him. He will not return until victory is achieved." We spent the night in a pleasant mood, hoping that victory would come the next day. When morning came, the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) led the Fajr prayer, then stood up and called for the flag. People remained seated in their places. Every person who had a high status with the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) hoped to be the flag-bearer. The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) called Ali bin Abi Talib (may Allah be pleased with him), who at that time was suffering from an eye ailment. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) applied his saliva to his eye and then wiped it, and handed him the flag. Allah Almighty granted victory at his hands. I was also among those who stretched their necks to see (who would receive the flag?).