Musnad Ahmad ibn Hanbal: Book 2, Hadith 25
Shuraih bin ‘Ubaid narrated that ‘Umar bin al-Khattab .رضي الله عنه said: I have heard that there is a severe plague in Syria. I said: If my time comes, and Abu ‘Ubaidah bin al-Jarrah is still alive, I appoint him as my successor, And if Allah asks me why I appointed him as my successor to lead the ummah of Muhammad ﷺ , I will say: I heard Your Messenger ﷺ say: `Every Prophet has a close confidant and my close confidant is Abu ‘Ubaidah bin al-Jarrah.` The people objected to that, and said: What about the prominent figures of Quraish? meaning Banu Fihr. Then he said: If my time comes, and Abu ‘Ubaidah has died, then I appoint Mu’adh bin Jabal as my successor, and if my Lord, may He be glorified and exalted, asks me why I appointed him as my successor, I will say: I heard Your Messenger say:`He will be gathered on the Day of Resurrection as a leader of scholars.`
حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو الْمُغِيرَةِ، حَدَّثَنَا صَفْوَانُ، حَدَّثَنَا شُرَيْحُ بْنُ عُبَيْدٍ، قَالَ قَالَ عُمَرُ بْنُ الْخَطَّابِ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ خَرَجْتُ أَتَعَرَّضُ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ قَبْلَ أَنْ أُسْلِمَ فَوَجَدْتُهُ قَدْ سَبَقَنِي إِلَى الْمَسْجِدِ فَقُمْتُ خَلْفَهُ فَاسْتَفْتَحَ سُورَةَ الْحَاقَّةِ فَجَعَلْتُ أَعْجَبُ مِنْ تَأْلِيفِ الْقُرْآنِ قَالَ فَقُلْتُ هَذَا وَاللَّهِ شَاعِرٌ كَمَا قَالَتْ قُرَيْشٌ قَالَ فَقَرَأَ {إِنَّهُ لَقَوْلُ رَسُولٍ كَرِيمٍ وَمَا هُوَ بِقَوْلِ شَاعِرٍ قَلِيلًا مَا تُؤْمِنُونَ} قَالَ قُلْتُ كَاهِنٌ قَالَ {وَلَا بِقَوْلِ كَاهِنٍ قَلِيلًا مَا تَذَكَّرُونَ تَنْزِيلٌ مِنْ رَبِّ الْعَالَمِينَ وَلَوْ تَقَوَّلَ عَلَيْنَا بَعْضَ الْأَقَاوِيلِ لَأَخَذْنَا مِنْهُ بِالْيَمِينِ ثُمَّ لَقَطَعْنَا مِنْهُ الْوَتِينَ فَمَا مِنْكُمْ مِنْ أَحَدٍ عَنْهُ حَاجِزِينَ} إِلَى آخِرِ السُّورَةِ قَالَ فَوَقَعَ الْإِسْلَامُ فِي قَلْبِي كُلَّ مَوْقِعٍ.
Musnad Ahmad ibn Hanbal: Book 2, Hadith 25
The above hadith is from the Musnad Ahmad ibn Hanbal collection of hadiths. The Musnad of Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal is a foundational work in Islamic hadith literature, highly valued for its comprehensive nature. Its most defining feature is its organizational method; it categorizes hadiths based on the companion of the Prophet who first reported them, with a dedicated section for each. This structure provides a unique window into the practices and sayings of the Prophet as witnessed and related by his diverse companions. Although the Musnad is held in extremely high regard and contains many authentic narrations, it is important to note that, due to its encyclopedic aim of collecting available reports, it also contains some hadiths with weaker chains of transmission that are subject to scholarly scrutiny.
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For more Hadith in Book 2: Musnad `Umar b. al-Khattab (ra)