I say: Layth is weak because his memory became confused in later life. Al-Tabarani also narrated it through him in al-Muʿjam al-Kabir, as a report from Abu Umamah, who said: The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said. Al-Haythami said in al-Majmaʿ (7/203): “It includes Layth ibn Abi Sulaym, who is somewhat weak, while the rest of its narrators have been declared trustworthy.” However, the hadith has many corroborating reports which, in my assessment, raise it to the level of authenticity. They are reported from Abu Mihjan, Abu al-Darda, and Anas ibn Malik.

1 — As for the hadith of Abu Mihjan, its wording is: “I fear three things for my community after me: the injustice of rulers, belief in the stars, and denial of the divine decree.” Ibn Abd al-Barr narrated it in Jamiʿ Bayan al-ʿIlm (2/39), as did Ibn ʿAsakir (16/308/1): Husayn ibn Abi Zayd al-Dabbagh informed us; ʿAli ibn Yazid al-Sadaʾi informed us; Abu Saʿd al-Baqqal informed us, from Abu Mihjan, who said: I bear witness that the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said it—then he mentioned it. This chain is weak. Abu Saʿd al-Baqqal, whose name was Saʿid ibn al-Marzuban, is weak and practised tadlis, and he narrated it using the ambiguous ʿan (“from”) formula. ʿAli ibn Yazid al-Sadaʾi is somewhat weak, as stated in al-Taqrib. As for this al-Dabbagh, al-Khatib included his biographical notice (8/110–111) and declared him trustworthy.

2 — As for the hadith of Abu al-Darda, its wording is: “I fear three things for my community: a scholar’s lapse, a hypocrite’s argumentative use of the Quran, and denial of the divine decree.” Al-Tabarani narrated it in al-Kabir from Abu al-Darda, attributing it to the Prophet. Al-Haythami said (7/203): “It includes Muʿawiyah ibn Yahya al-Sadafi, who is weak.”