حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو النَّضْرِ حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو عَقِيلٍ حَدَّثَنَا مُجَالِدٌ عَنِ الشَّعْبِيِّ عَنْ مَسْرُوقٍ قَالَ كُنَّا مَعَ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ جُلُوسًا فِي الْمَسْجِدِ يُقْرِئُنَا فَأَتَاهُ رَجُلٌ فَقَالَ يَا ابْنَ مَسْعُودٍ هَلْ حَدَّثَكُمْ نَبِيُّكُمْ كَمْ يَكُونُ مِنْ بَعْدِهِ خَلِيفَةً قَالَ نَعَمْ كَعِدَّةِ نُقَبَاءِ بَنِي إِسْرَائِيلَ
مسند امام احمد بن حنبل · Hadith 3859
It was narrated that Masrooq said; We were sitting with 'Abdullah in the mosque and he was teaching us Qur'an. A man came and said: O Ibn Mas'ood, did your Prophet tell you how many caliphs there would be after him? He said: Yes, like the number of the leaders of the Children of Israel."
Sanad
حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو النَّضْرِ حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو عَقِيلٍ حَدَّثَنَا مُجَالِدٌ عَنِ الشَّعْبِيِّ عَنْ مَسْرُوقٍ