`Attab b. Muhammad b. `Attab al-Waramini narrated to us. He said: Yahya b. Muhammad b. Sa`id narrated to us. He said: Ahmad b. `Abd al-Rahman b. al-Mufaddal and Muhammad b. `Ubaydullah b. Sawwar narrated to us. They said: `Abd al-Ghaffar b. al-Hakam narrated to us. He said: Mansur b. Abi’l Aswad narrated to us from Mutrif from al-Sha`bi. And `Attab b. Muhammad narrated to us. He said: Ishaq b. Muhammad al-Anmati narrated to us from Yusuf b. Musa. He said: Jarir narrated to me from Ash`ath b. Sawwar from al-Sha`bi. And `Attab b. Muhammad narrated to us. He said: Al-Husayn b. Muhammad al-Harrani narrated to us. He said: Ayyub b. Muhamad al-Wizan narrated to us. He said: Sa`id b. Maslama narrated to us. He said: Ash`ath b. Sawwar narrated to us from Sha`bi. All of them reported from his uncle Qays b. `Abd. `Attab said: This is the hadith of Mutrif: He said:

We were sitting in the mosque, and `Abdullah b. Mas`ud was with us. A Bedouin came and said: Is there an `Abdullah among you? He said: Yes, I am `Abdullah. What do you need? He said: O `Abdullah! Has your Prophet (s) informed you of how many caliphs there would be? He said: You have asked me about something that no one has asked me since I came to Iraq. Yes, twelve – the number of chiefs of the Children of Israel. Abu `Uruba said in his hadith: He said: Yes, the number of chiefs of the Children of Israel.