Awf bin Malik reported,

He was with the Prophet ﷺ on a journey. He led them on the march for their entire day, during which they did not loosen a single knot, and through their entire night, during which they did not loosen a knot except for prayer, until they finally halted in the middle of the night.A man kept watch over the Messenger of Allah ﷺ when he set down his saddle. He said, "I came up to him and looked around, and I saw no one but those asleep, and not a camel but had laid its neck on the ground, sleeping. I stretched up and looked toward where the Prophet ﷺ had set down his saddle, but I did not see him in his place. So I went out, stepping over the saddles, until I made my way past the people. Then I pressed on into the darkness of the night, and I heard a sound. I went toward it, and there I came upon Muaz bin Jabal and al-Ashari."I went up to them and asked, "Where is the Messenger of Allah ﷺ?"Just then there was a humming like the humming of a millstone. I said, "Was the Messenger of Allah ﷺ near this sound?"They replied, "Sit down and be quiet."He went on a little further, then turned and came back to us. We rose to meet him and said, "Messenger of Allah, we became alarmed when we did not see you, so we followed your tracks."He said, "A messenger came to me from my Lord and gave me a choice between half of my nation entering Paradise and intercession, and I chose intercession."We said, "We implore you by Allah and by our companionship with you, make us among the people of your intercession."He said, "You are among them."Then we went on, and a man or two would come, and he would inform them of what he had told us. They would implore him by Allah and their companionship to make them among the people of his intercession, and he would say, "You are among them," until all the people had gathered around him crowding upon him, saying, "Make us among them."He said, "I call you to witness that it is for whoever from my nation dies without associating anything with Allah."

حدثنا عبد الصمد قال حدثنا محمد بن أبي المليح الهذلي قال حدثني زياد بن أبي المليح عن أبيه عن أبي بردة

عن عوف بن مالك الأشجعي

أنه كان مع النبي ﷺ في سفر فسار بهم يومهم أجمع لا يحل لهم عقدة وليلته جمعاء لا يحل عقدة إلا لصلاة حتى نزلوا أوسط الليل قال فرقب رجل رسول الله ﷺ حين وضع رحله قال فانتهيت إليه فنظرت فلم أر أحدا إلا نائما ولا بعيرا إلا واضعا جرانه نائما قال فتطاولت فنظرت حيث وضع النبي ﷺ رحله فلم أره في مكانه فخرجت أتخطى الرحال حتى خرجت إلى الناس ثم مضيت على وجهي في سواد الليل فسمعت جرسا فانتهيت إليه فإذا أنا بمعاذ بن جبل والأشعري فانتهيت إليهما فقلت أين رسول الله ﷺ فإذا هزيز كهزيز الرحا فقلت كان رسول الله ﷺ عند هذا الصوت قالا اقعد اسكت فمضى قليلا فأقبل حتى انتهى إلينا فقمنا إليه فقلنا يا رسول الله فزعنا إذ لم نرك واتبعنا أثرك فقال إنه أتاني آت من ربي عز وجل فخيرني بين أن يدخل نصف أمتي الجنة وبين الشفاعة فاخترت الشفاعة فقلنا نذكرك الله والصحبة إلا جعلتنا من أهل شفاعتك قال أنتم منهم ثم مضينا فيجيء الرجل والرجلان فيخبرهم بالذي أخبرنا به فيذكرونه الله والصحبة إلا جعلهم من أهل شفاعته فيقول فإنكم منهم حتى انتهى الناس فأضبوا عليه وقالوا اجعلنا منهم قال فإني أشهدكم أنها لمن مات من أمتي لا يشرك بالله شيئا