A man from the Ansar spoke privately with the Messenger of Allah ﷺ and said, "Will you not appoint me to a position as you appointed so-and-so?"He replied, "After me you will encounter favoritism shown to others over you. So be patient until you meet me at the Pool."
أن رجلا من الأنصار خلا برسول الله ﷺ فقال: ألا تستعملني كما استعملت فلانا؟ فقال: إنكم ستلقون بعدي أثرة، فاصبروا حتى تلقوني على الحوض.
Bukhari narrated it in the Virtues of the Ansar (3792), and Muslim in Leadership (1845), both from Muhammad bin Bashshar, who said, Muhammad bin Jafar Ghundar narrated to us, Shuba narrated to us, I heard Qatada narrate from Anas bin Malik, from Usayd bin Hudayr, and he related it.As for his saying "atharah," it is with two fathas, though it is also permissible to read the first with damma and the second with sukun, and it derives from istithaar (preferring oneself over others). So be patient in the face of being given preference over. In it is an indication that authority would come to rest in others besides the Ansar, and this indeed happened just as the Prophet ﷺ had described. See Fath al-Bari (11/118).