915 — “The most contemptible name before Allah on the Day of Resurrection is that of a man who calls himself King of Kings.”

Ahmad (2/244) and al-Humaydi (1127) transmitted it, saying: Sufyan narrated to us from Abu al-Zinad, from al-A‘raj, from Abu Hurayrah, from the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him; then he cited it. Muslim (6/174) and Abu Dawud (2/309) also transmitted it through Ahmad’s route, and al-Hakim (4/274) through al-Humaydi’s route. He said: “Authentic according to the conditions of the two Shaykhs, though they did not transmit it.” Al-Dhahabi refuted him, observing that both of them had indeed transmitted it—and he was correct. For al-Bukhari (10/485–486), Muslim as well, and al-Tirmidhi (4/29) transmitted it through other routes from Sufyan, with this chain. Al-Tirmidhi said: “A good, authentic hadith.”

I say: Muslim added in one narration: “There is no king except Allah, Mighty and Majestic.”

The hadith also has another route from Abu Hurayrah, attributed to the Prophet, with the wording: “The man who will incur Allah’s greatest wrath on the Day of Resurrection—the most vile of them and the one who most provokes His anger—is a man who was called King of Kings. There is no king except Allah.”

Muslim and Ahmad (2/315) transmitted it through the route of Hammam ibn Munabbih, who said: Abu Hurayrah narrated to us from the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him; then he cited it.

Note: Al-Suyuti cited the hadith with the first wording in al-Jami‘ al-Saghir, correctly attributing it to the two Shaykhs, Abu Dawud, and al-Tirmidhi. He then cited it in Ziyadat al-Jami‘ al-Saghir (8/1), attributing to Abu Dawud the wording: “The most distressing name ...” It therefore seems that the text was corrupted either for him or for one of the copyists of Abu Dawud. Al-Suyuti then failed to notice this and included it in the supplement; the author of al-Fath al-Kabir fi Damm al-Ziyadah ila al-Jami‘ al-Saghir followed him in this.