He said: If you do not find a caliph in those days, then flee away until you die, even of you die holding on (to a stump of a tree). I asked: What will come next ? He replied: If a man wants the mare to bring forth a foal, it will not deliver in till the Last Hour comes.

The Prophet (ﷺ) as saying: If a man takes an oath of allegiance to a leader, and puts his hand on his hand and does it with the sincerity of his heart, he should obey him as much as possible. If another man comes and contests him, then behead the other one. The narrator 'Abd al-Rahman said: I asked: Have you heard this from the Messenger of Allah ? He said: My ears heard it and my heart retained it. I said: Your cousin Mu'awiyah orders us that we should do this and do that. He replied: Obey him in the acts of obedience to Allah, and disobey him in the acts of disobedience to Allah.