Wahb ibn ʿAbdAllāh ibn Maslama (Arabic: وهب بن عبدالله بن مَسْلمة), known as Abu Juhayfa (ابوجحیفة), was one of the companions of Muhammad and Ali . He was from the tribe of BaniSuwa'a ibn Amer bin Sa'aa'a. When Muhammad passed away, he was almost a teenager. During his caliphate, Ali appointed him as The head of the city's guards and Bayt al-mal and gave him the title of "Wahb al-Khair". He was present in the Battle of Nahrawan in Ali army and went to Al-Mada'in with him. He has narrated hadiths about the Adhan (call to prayer), Qibla and the imamate of twelve imams.[1] These hadiths have been narrated in Sunni sources. After the death of the old companions of Muhammad in Kufa, he was one of the authorities on Fiqh (jurisprudence) and hadith.[2] He heard and narrated hadith from Ali and Al-Bara' ibn Azib.[1] He died during the rule of Bishr bin Marwan in Iraq and was the last one of the companions of Muhammad who died in Kufa. His hadiths are included in the authentic books of Sunnis.[2]
One of the hadiths of Abu Juhaifa, which is important for the Shia and is mentioned in Sunni sources as evidence for twelve imams, is a hadith in which Muhammad said that after him there will be twelve caliphs, all of whom are from Quraysh.[3] [4] [1] [5]
Narrated by Abu Juḥayfa:
When Ali was speaking on the pulpit of the Kufa mosque during his Caliphate, Abu Juhaifa asked him: Did you write anything about the Prophet Muhammad that was not among the people? He replied: We did not write from the Prophet except the Quran and what is in this book.[6]
Sharif al-Radi in Nahj al-balagha narrates a narration from Abu Juhaifa who says that I heard alisaying: The first jihad in which you fail is jihad with your hands, then jihad with your tongue, and then jihad with your heart. Therefore, the person who does not know the good with his heart and does not avoid the bad, values will disappear in him and vices will grow.[7]