Hadithcore
Sahih Muslim, 249a
sahih

Abu Huraira reported:

The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) came to the graveyard and said: "Peace be upon you! The abode of the believing people and we, if God so wills, are about to join you. I love to see my brothers." They (the hearers) said: Aren't we your brothers, O Messenger of Allah? He said: You are my companions, and our brothers are those who have, so far, not come into the world. They said: Messenger of Allah, how would you recognise those persons of your Ummah who have not yet been born? He said: Supposing a man had horses with white blazes on foreheads and legs among horses which were all black, tell me, would he not recognise his own horses? They said: Certainly, O Messenger of Allah. He said: They would come with white faces and arms and legs owing to ablution, and I would arrive at the Cistern before them. Some people would be driven away from my Cistern as the stray camel is driven away. I would call out: Come, come. Then it would be said (to me): These people changed themselves after you, and I would say: Be off, be off.

حَدَّثَنَا يَحْيَى بْنُ أَيُّوبَ، وَسُرَيْجُ بْنُ يُونُسَ، وَقُتَيْبَةُ بْنُ سَعِيدٍ، وَعَلِيُّ بْنُ حُجْرٍ، جَمِيعًا عَنْ إِسْمَاعِيلَ بْنِ جَعْفَرٍ، - قَالَ ابْنُ أَيُّوبَ حَدَّثَنَا إِسْمَاعِيلُ، - أَخْبَرَنِي الْعَلاَءُ، عَنْ أَبِيهِ، عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ، أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم أَتَى الْمَقْبُرَةَ فَقَالَ ‏"‏ السَّلاَمُ عَلَيْكُمْ دَارَ قَوْمٍ مُؤْمِنِينَ وَإِنَّا إِنْ شَاءَ اللَّهُ بِكُمْ لاَحِقُونَ وَدِدْتُ أَنَّا قَدْ رَأَيْنَا إِخْوَانَنَا ‏"‏ ‏.‏ قَالُوا أَوَلَسْنَا إِخْوَانَكَ يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ قَالَ ‏"‏ أَنْتُمْ أَصْحَابِي وَإِخْوَانُنَا الَّذِينَ لَمْ يَأْتُوا بَعْدُ ‏"‏ ‏.‏ فَقَالُوا كَيْفَ تَعْرِفُ مَنْ لَمْ يَأْتِ بَعْدُ مِنْ أُمَّتِكَ يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ فَقَالَ ‏"‏ أَرَأَيْتَ لَوْ أَنَّ رَجُلاً لَهُ خَيْلٌ غُرٌّ مُحَجَّلَةٌ بَيْنَ ظَهْرَىْ خَيْلٍ دُهْمٍ بُهْمٍ أَلاَ يَعْرِفُ خَيْلَهُ ‏"‏ ‏.‏ قَالُوا بَلَى يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ ‏.‏ قَالَ ‏"‏ فَإِنَّهُمْ يَأْتُونَ غُرًّا مُحَجَّلِينَ مِنَ الْوُضُوءِ وَأَنَا فَرَطُهُمْ عَلَى الْحَوْضِ أَلاَ لَيُذَادَنَّ رِجَالٌ عَنْ حَوْضِي كَمَا يُذَادُ الْبَعِيرُ الضَّالُّ أُنَادِيهِمْ أَلاَ هَلُمَّ ‏.‏ فَيُقَالُ إِنَّهُمْ قَدْ بَدَّلُوا بَعْدَكَ ‏.‏ فَأَقُولُ سُحْقًا سُحْقًا ‏"‏ ‏.‏

References2 variants
In-Book Reference
Book 2, Hadith 51
USC-MSA web (English) reference
Book 2, Hadith 482 (deprecated numbering scheme)
Sharh · explanationclick to expand
Allah confirms that the believers will have characteristics that distinguish them from others in the Hereafter, by which the Prophet ﷺ will recognize them on that day. They will have blazing limbs due to the effect of ablution. In this hadith, Abu Hurairah narrated that Prophet ﷺ came to Al-Baqi cemetery, greeted his dead companions, and said, “Peace be upon you, an abode of the believing people. We, Allah willing, will join you.” They preceded the alive ones who would join them, Allah willing, when their life ended. Then, the Prophet ﷺ wished that he had seen his brothers, so his companions wondered and asked him, “Are not we your brothers?” He answered that they were his companions but his brothers had not come yet to this world. He clarified that whoever saw and believed him was one of his companions, but whoever believed him without seeing him among his nation were his brothers. They asked him how he would recognize his brothers on the Day of Resurrection among his nation although he did not see them. He answered, “Suppose a man has horses with white blazes on their foreheads and legs among black horses. Does he not recognize his horses?” This will be the Muslims’ case on that day. They will be distinguished by their white foreheads, hands, and legs owing to the ablution. The Prophet ﷺ will arrive at his cistern before them, from which he will water those coming to him from his nation. On the other hand, he mentioned that the angels would expel some Muslims from his cistern just as a camel herder expelled a camel that was not his own because it competed with his camels for food and drink. Before knowing the reason for expelling, the Prophet ﷺ will call them to come, but the angels will confirm that these people changed his guidance after his death, so he will say to them, “Be off, be off.” It is a supplication against them to be expelled from Allah’s mercy or the Prophet’s cistern. Finally, this hadith contains the following benefits: (1) It shows the legitimacy of visiting Muslims’ cemetery and clarifies the supplications that a Muslim should say in this event, (2) The Prophet’s love and longing for his followers, (3) It shows the virtue of ablution in Islam, (4) It indicates the punishment of deviation from Islam, which is a reason for being expelled from the Prophet’s cistern on the Day of Resurrection, (5) The virtue of having blazing foreheads and bright limbs due to traces of ablution on that day, (6) The legitimacy of wishing goodness for others and meeting virtuous people, and (6) The Prophet ﷺ does not know the unseen world except what Allah reveals to him..
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