He said, "People, will you not ask me questions? For the people used to ask the Messenger of Allah ﷺ about good, while I would ask him about evil. Allah sent His Prophet ﷺ, who called the people from disbelief to faith, and from misguidance to guidance. Those who responded did respond, and through them the truth that had been dead came alive, and the falsehood that had been alive died out. Then prophethood departed, and the caliphate followed the path of prophethood."
يا أيها الناس، ألا تسألوني؟ فإن الناس كانوا يسألون رسول الله ﷺ عن الخير، وكنت أسأله عن الشر، إن الله بعث نبيه ﷺ، فدعا الناس من الكفر إلى الإيمان، ومن الضلالة إلى الهدى، فاستجاب من استجاب، فحي من الحق ما كان ميتا، ومات من الباطل ما كان حيا، ثم ذهبت النبوة، فكانت الخلافة على منهاج النبوة.
Ahmad (23432) narrated it from Abdul-Razzaq, who said, Bakkar narrated to us, Khallad bin Abdul-Rahman narrated to me, that he heard Abu Tufayl narrating that he heard Huzaifa bin Yaman say, then he mentioned it. Its chain is sahih. Bakkar is Ibn Abdullah Sanani, one of the narrators mentioned in Tajil.His statement, "so the caliphate followed the pattern of prophethood," means after the Prophet ﷺ, and this refers to the era of the Rightly Guided Caliphs, and it contains praise and commendation for the Rightly Guided Caliphs.