English Translation

Abu al-Nadr told us, Hashraj b. Nubatah al-'Absi, a Kufan, told us, Sa'id b. Jumhan told us: Safinah told me, who said: The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said: "The Caliphate in my nation will be thirty years, then kingship after that." Then Safinah said to me: "Count the caliphate of Abu Bakr, the caliphate of 'Umar, and the caliphate of 'Uthman, and count the caliphate of 'Ali, may Allah, the Exalted, be pleased with them all." He said: "So we found it to be thirty years." Then I looked afterward into [the reigns of] the caliphs and found that thirty years did not fit for them, so I said to Sa'id: "Where did you meet Safinah?" He said: "I met him at Batn Nakhl in the time of al-Hajjaj, and I stayed with him for eight nights asking him about the hadiths of the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him." He said: I said to him: "What is your name?" He said: "I will not tell you; the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, named me Safinah." I said: "And why did he name you Safinah?" He said: "The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, set out with his Companions, and their belongings became heavy for them, so he said to me: 'Spread out your cloak.' I spread it out, and they put their belongings in it, then they loaded it onto me. The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said to me: 'Carry it, for you are nothing but a ship (Safinah)!' Had I carried that day the load of a camel, or two camels, or three, four, five, six, or seven, it would not have been heavy on me, unless they treated me unfairly."