""The Prophethood will last among you for as long as Allah (God) wills, then Allah would take it away..."

It is reported in Musnad Ahmad [17680] that Allah's Messenger said;

17680 حَدَّثَنَا سُلَيْمَانُ بْنُ دَاوُدَ الطَّيَالِسِيُّ، حَدَّثَنِي دَاوُدُ بْنُ إِبْرَاهِيمَ الْوَاسِطِيُّ، حَدَّثَنِي حَبِيبُ بْنُ سَالِمٍ، عَنِ النُّعْمَانِ بْنِ بَشِيرٍ، قَالَ كُنَّا قُعُودًا فِي الْمَسْجِدِ مَعَ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ وَكَانَ بَشِيرٌ رَجُلًا يَكُفُّ حَدِيثَهُ فَجَاءَ أَبُو ثَعْلَبَةَ الْخُشَنِيُّ فَقَالَ يَا بَشِيرُ بْنَ سَعْدٍ أَتَحْفَظُ حَدِيثَ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ فِي الْأُمَرَاءِ فَقَالَ حُذَيْفَةُ أَنَا أَحْفَظُ خُطْبَتَهُ فَجَلَسَ أَبُو ثَعْلَبَةَ فَقَالَ حُذَيْفَةُ قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ تَكُونُ النُّبُوَّةُ فِيكُمْ مَا شَاءَ اللَّهُ أَنْ تَكُونَ ثُمَّ
يَرْفَعُهَا إِذَا شَاءَ أَنْ يَرْفَعَهَا ثُمَّ تَكُونُ خِلَافَةٌ عَلَى مِنْهَاجِ النُّبُوَّةِ فَتَكُونُ مَا شَاءَ اللَّهُ أَنْ تَكُونَ ثُمَّ يَرْفَعُهَا إِذَا شَاءَ اللَّهُ أَنْ يَرْفَعَهَا ثُمَّ تَكُونُ مُلْكًا عَاضًّا فَيَكُونُ مَا شَاءَ اللَّهُ أَنْ يَكُونَ ثُمَّ يَرْفَعُهَا إِذَا شَاءَ أَنْ يَرْفَعَهَا ثُمَّ تَكُونُ مُلْكًا جَبْرِيَّةً فَتَكُونُ مَا شَاءَ اللَّهُ أَنْ تَكُونَ ثُمَّ يَرْفَعُهَا إِذَا شَاءَ أَنْ يَرْفَعَهَا ثُمَّ تَكُونُ خِلَافَةً عَلَى مِنْهَاجِ النُّبُوَّةِ ثُمَّ سَكَتَ قَالَ حَبِيبٌ فَلَمَّا قَامَ عُمَرُ بْنُ عَبْدِ الْعَزِيزِ وَكَانَ يَزِيدُ بْنُ النُّعْمَانِ بْنِ بَشِيرٍ فِي صَحَابَتِهِ فَكَتَبْتُ إِلَيْهِ بِهَذَا الْحَدِيثِ أُذَكِّرُهُ إِيَّاهُ فَقُلْتُ لَهُ إِنِّي أَرْجُو
أَنْ يَكُونَ أَمِيرُ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ يَعْنِي عُمَرَ بَعْدَ الْمُلْكِ الْعَاضِّ وَالْجَبْرِيَّةِ فَأُدْخِلَ كِتَابِي عَلَى عُمَرَ بْنِ عَبْدِ الْعَزِيزِ فَسُرَّ بِهِ وَأَعْجَبَهُ‏. ‏


"The Prophethood will last among you for as long as Allah (God) wills, then Allah would take it away. Then it will be (followed by) a Khilafah [caliphate] Rashida (rightly guided) according to the ways of the Prophethood. It will remain for as long as Allah wills, then Allah would take it away.

Afterwards there will be a hereditary leadership which will remain for as long as Allah wills, then He will lift it if He wishes.

Afterwards, there will be biting oppression, and it will last for as long as Allah wishes, then He will lift it if He wishes.

Then there will be a Khilafah Rashida [Guided Caliphs] according to the ways of the Prophethood," then he kept silent..






The first 3 stages of our history passed as prophecised:

1 - Prophethood (Muhammad, peace be upon him).

2 - Rightly guided Caliphs [Abu Bakr, Umar, Uthman and Ali], 

3 - Hereditary Leadership [Umayyads, Abbasids, Ottomans etc], 

4 - we are living in the present biting oppression stage (see the revolutions and conflicts in Syria and other Muslim nations against their oppressive rulers [Bashar al Asad etc]). 

See the story of Zainab al Ghazali to see the biting oppression stage in the Muslim world.


5 - We await the last one. Since there are many political Islamic groups now, it seems the last stage of this Prophecy might come into effect within our lifetimes.


Allah knows best.