Ali bin Abu Talib came out from the presence of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ during the illness in which he died. The people asked, "Abu Hasan, how has the Messenger of Allah ﷺ been this morning?"He replied, "By the praise of Allah, he has awakened recovering."Ibn Abbas reported that Abbas bin Abdul-Muttalib then took Ali by the hand and said, "Do you not see? By Allah, the Messenger of Allah ﷺ will die from this illness of his. I recognize the faces of the descendants of Abdul-Muttalib at the approach of death. So let us go to the Messenger of Allah ﷺ and ask him with whom this matter of leadership will rest. If it is to be among us, we will know it, and if it is to be with others, we will speak to him so that he may give instructions concerning us."Ali
said, "By Allah, if we ask the Messenger of Allah ﷺ for it and he refuses us, the people will never grant it to us afterward. By Allah, I will never ask him for it."
حدثنا يعقوب حدثنا أبي عن صالح قال قال ابن شهاب أخبرني عبد الله بن كعب بن مالك أن
أن علي بن أبي طالب رضي الله عنه خرج من عند رسول الله ﷺ في وجعه الذي توفي فيه فقال الناس يا أبا حسن كيف أصبح رسول الله ﷺ فقال أصبح بحمد الله بارئا قال ابن عباس فأخذ بيده عباس بن عبد المطلب فقال ألا ترى أنت والله إن رسول الله ﷺ سيتوفى في وجعه هذا إني أعرف وجوه بني عبد المطلب عند الموت فاذهب بنا إلى رسول الله ﷺ فلنسأله فيمن هذا الأمر فإن كان فينا علمنا ذلك وإن كان في غيرنا كلمناه فأوصى بنا فقال علي رضي الله عنه والله لئن سألناها رسول الله ﷺ فمنعناها لا يعطيناها الناس أبدا فوالله لا أسأله أبدا
Its isnad is sahih. Abdullah bin Kaab bin Malik Ansari was a Madinan follower of the companions (tabii) and trustworthy. His father, Kaab bin Malik, was one of the three who stayed behind and whom Allah later forgave.Ibn Kathir mentioned this hadith in Al-Tarikh 5:227, from Sahih Bukhari, transmitted through Zuhri, and said, "Bukhari alone reported it." See also 1930.