4247 - Musaddad narrated to us, Abd al-Warith narrated to us, Abu al-Tayyah narrated to us, from Sakhr ibn Badr al-'Ijli, from Subay' ibn Khalid, with this hadith.

From Hudhayfah, from the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, who said: "If you do not find on that day a caliph, then flee until you die, for if you die while you are biting [upon a root of a tree]..." And he said at its end: He said: I said: "What will happen after that?" He said: "If a man were to cause his mare to give birth, it would not give birth until the Hour is established." (1)

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= It was also recorded by al-Nasa'i in "al-Kubra" (7979), and al-Hakim 4/432, via the path of Abu 'Amir Salih ibn Rustam this one, from Humayd ibn Hilal, from Abd al-Rahman ibn Qurt, from Hudhayfah.

And Abd al-Rahman ibn Qurt is unknown (majhul).

Most of the hadith has been narrated through other sound paths, as we have clarified at the preceding hadith numbered (4244).

And from it, his command to Hudhayfah to learn the Qur'an and follow what is in it was narrated by Ibn Hibban (117), and al-Bayhaqi in "al-Shu'ab" (1941), via the path of Abd Allah ibn al-Samit, and al-Bazzar in his "Musnad" (2799), via the path of Abu al-Tufayl, both from Hudhayfah. The first path has a sound chain, and the second is good (hasan).

And it was narrated without the story of his command, peace and blessings be upon him, to Hudhayfah to learn the Qur'an: by al-Bazzar (2811), and al-Tabarani in "al-Awsat" (3531), via the path of Zayd ibn Wahb, from Hudhayfah. And its chain is good (hasan).

(1) A sound hadith, without the mention of the sword in the preceding narration (4244), and without his saying: "If a man were to cause his mare to give birth, it would not give birth until the Hour is established." And this chain is weak due to the unknown status of Sakhr ibn Badr al-'Ijli. The hadith has been narrated without these two phrases through other sound chains, reference to which has preceded at hadiths (4244) and (4246). And for discussion of his saying: "If a man were to cause his mare to give birth..." see the preceding hadith numbered (4245).

Abu al-Tayyah: he is Yazid ibn Humayd al-Duba'i, and Abd al-Warith: he is Ibn Sa'id al-'Anbari.

And it was narrated by al-Tayalisi (443), and Ibn Abi Shaybah 15/8, and Ahmad (23425), (23427), and (23428), via the path of Sakhr ibn Badr, with it.

And his saying: "If a man were to cause his mare to give birth" means: if he were to strive in obtaining the offspring of his mare, the establishment of the Hour would be closer in time and occurrence than the pregnancy of the mare and its giving birth.