We were with the Messenger of Allah ﷺ on a journey. One night we made camp, and I went looking for the Prophet's ﷺ tent ropes but could not find them. I came across Muaz bin Jabal and Abu Musa al-Ashari, who asked, "What do you need?"I said, "Where is the Messenger of Allah ﷺ?"They replied, "We do not know."While we were in this state, we heard at the upper end of the valley a rumbling like the sound of a millstone. Soon afterward the Prophet ﷺ came to us.We said, "Messenger of Allah, we lost track of you tonight."He said, "Someone came to me from my Lord and gave me the choice between half of my community entering Paradise or the right of intercession, and I chose intercession."We said, "Prophet of Allah, ask Allah to make us among those for whom you intercede."He said, "O Allah, make them among them."Then we went to the rest of the people and told them, and they said, "Messenger of Allah, ask Allah to make us among those for whom you intercede."He said, "O Allah, make them among them."Then the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, "I call you to witness that my intercession is for everyone who dies without associating anything with Allah."
كنا مع رسول الله ﷺ في سفر فنزلنا ليلة، فقبضت أطناب النبي ﷺ ثلث أجده، ووجدت معاذ بن جبل وأبا موسى الأشعري قبالا: ما حاجتك؟ فقلت: أين رسول الله ﷺ؟ فقالا: لا ندري فبينا نحن على ذلك، إذ سمعنا في أعلى الوادي هديرا كهدير الزحا، فلم نلبث أن جاء النبي ﷺ. فقلنا: يا رسول الله فقدناك الليلة؟ فقال: إنه أتاني آت من ربي فخيرني بين أن تكون أمتي شطر أهل الجنة وبين الشفاعة، فاخترت الشفاعة. فقلنا: يا نبي الله ادع الله أن يجعلنا من أهل الشفاعة. فقال: اللهم اجعلهم من أهلها. ثم أتينا القوم فأخبرناهم، فقالوا: يا رسول الله ادع الله أن يجعلنا من أهل شفاعتك. فقال: اللهم اجعلهم من أهلها. ثم قال رسول الله ﷺ: أشهدكم أن شفاعتي لكل من مات لا يشرك بالله شيئا.
Abdul-Razzaq (20865), Ibn Abu Asim (819), and Ibn Khuzayma (522) all narrated it via Abu Qilaba, from Awf bin Malik, who said (and then he mentioned it). The wording given is that of Abdul-Razzaq, and the wording of the other two is close to it. Its chain of transmission is sahih, though Abu Qilaba has been accused of tadlis. However, Ibn Khuzayma narrated it through two routes from Abu Bishr Wasiti, who said, Khalid narrated to us, meaning Ibn Abdullah, from Khalid, meaning Hazza, from Abu Qilaba, with his chain of transmission.He said, and Khalid said, Humayd bin Hilal narrated to me, from Abu Burda, from Abu Musa, from Awf bin Malik, who said, "I heard behind Abu Musa a grinding sound like the grinding of a millstone, so I said, 'Where is the Messenger of Allah ﷺ?' He said, 'Behind me,' and he had just approached, and there was the Messenger of Allah ﷺ before me. I said, 'Messenger of Allah, when the Prophet ﷺ is in enemy territory, he is guarded!' The Prophet ﷺ said, 'A visitor came to me from my Lord just now, and gave me the choice between half of my nation entering Paradise, or intercession, so I chose intercession.'" End of narration.Ibn Khuzayma said, "I have recorded this report, meaning the report of Awf bin Malik, with two chains of transmission. The first is Abu Malih, from Awf bin Malik. The second is Abu Burda, from Abu Musa, from Awf bin Malik." The first route is as mentioned previously, and the second route is the route of Abu Qilaba which has been converted into the route of Abu Burda, from Abu Musa, from Awf bin Malik. For that reason, I have treated this route separately, but this hadith has also been narrated within the musnad of Abu Musa, which follows below.