Narrated It was narrated from Ibn Abu Mulaikah that he heard Ibn `Abbas say:
When `Umar bin al Khattab (رضي الله عنه) was placed on his bier, the people gathered around him, praying and invoking blessings upon him before was lifted up, and I was among them. No one alarmed me except a man who seized me by the shoulder from behind. I turned and saw that it was ‘Ali bin Abi Talib (رضي الله عنه). He prayed for mercy for ‘Umar (رضي الله عنه), then he said: You have not left behind anyone more dear to me, with the like of whose deeds I would hope to meet Allah, than you. By Allah, I think that Allah will most certainly join you to your two companions, and that is because I often heard the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) saying, `Abu Bakr, `Umar and I went; Abu Bakr, `Umar and I came in; Abu Bakr, ‘Umar and I went out.” So I think that Allah will most certainly join you to them.
The people of Syria were mentioned in the presence of `Ali bin Abi Talib (رضي الله عنه) when he was in Iraq. They said: Curse them, O Ameer al-Mu`mineen. He said: No, I heard the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) say: “The abdal (people who are close to Allah) will be in Syria, and they will be forty men. Every time one of them dies, Allah will replace him with another man. By virtue of them rain is sent and through them victory is achieved against the enemy and punishment is warded off from the people of Syria.`
