I say: This is an authentic chain of transmission. All its narrators are trustworthy and are among the narrators of the two Sahihs, apart from Abu ‘Aqil—whose name was Zuhrah ibn Ma‘bad—who is among al-Bukhari’s narrators alone. Thus, when the two connected reports from Mu‘adh and Abu Hurayrah are joined to this authentic mursal report, the hadith is strengthened and rises to the rank of good, at the very least.
- “There will rule over you, after me, leaders who introduce practices that you deem objectionable and condemn you for practices that you deem right. Whoever among you lives to see this, then there is no obedience to one who disobeys Allah.”
Al-‘Uqayli recorded it in al-Du‘afa’ (225), and al-Hakim (3/356), through the route of ‘Abdullah ibn Waqid, from Abu al-Zubayr, from Jabir, from ‘Ubadah ibn al-Samit, attributed to the Prophet with this wording. Al-Hakim said: “Its chain of transmission is authentic.” Al-Dhahabi refuted him, saying: “I say: ‘Abdullah ibn Waqid alone narrated it, and he is weak.” Al-Manawi then commented: “This shows that the compiler’s marking it as good is itself not sound.”
Al-‘Uqayli said: “A narration concerning this has been reported through a route other than this one which is more sound than this narration, though with wording different from this.” Al-Suyuti also attributed the hadith to al-Tabarani in al-Kabir. I have not seen it in al-Majma‘. Perhaps he marked it as good in view of another route from ‘Ubadah which contains an addition not found in this route; for that reason, I cited it in the other series (1353). As for this version, having sought Allah’s guidance, I have included it here because the two routes, taken together, strengthen it. Allah is the Guide to the straight path.
I then found a corroborating report from Ibn Mas‘ud, attributed to the Prophet, with the wording: