Sahih Muslim Book - 43, Hadith - 5965

وَحُدِّثْتُ عَنْ أَبِي أُسَامَةَ ، وَمِمَّنْ رَوَى ذَلِكَ عَنْهُ إِبْرَاهِيمُ بْنُ سَعِيدٍ الْجَوْهَرِيُّ ، حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو أُسَامَةَ ، حَدَّثَنِي بُرَيْدُ بْنُ عَبْدِ اللهِ ، عَنْ أَبِي بُرْدَةَ ، عَنْ أَبِي مُوسَى ، عَنِ النَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ قَالَ : إِنَّ اللَّهَ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ إِذَا أَرَادَ رَحْمَةَ أُمَّةٍ مِنْ عِبَادِهِ ، قَبَضَ نَبِيَّهَا قَبْلَهَا ، فَجَعَلَهُ لَهَا فَرَطًا وَسَلَفًا بَيْنَ يَدَيْهَا ، وَإِذَا أَرَادَ هَلَكَةَ أُمَّةٍ ، عَذَّبَهَا وَنَبِيُّهَا حَيٌّ ، فَأَهْلَكَهَا وَهُوَ يَنْظُرُ ، فَأَقَرَّ عَيْنَهُ بِهَلَكَتِهَا حِينَ كَذَّبُوهُ وَعَصَوْا أَمْرَهُ.

It was narrated from Abu Musa that the Prophet (s.a.w) said: “When Allah wants to show mercy to a nation among His slaves, He takes their Prophet before them, and makes him a forerunner for them. When He wants to destroy a nation, He punishes them when their Prophet is still alive, then He destroys them while he is looking on, and He relieves him by means of their destruction because they belied him and destroyed his commands.”