through page 119. Nor did al-Bājī cite it in al-Muntaqā, as was generally his practice (1/308–309)!

Zuhayr ibn Ḥarb transmitted the first part of it with a connected chain in al-ʿIlm (135/109), by way of Kumayl ibn Ziyād, from ʿAbd Allāh, who said:

“You are living in a time in which its scholars are many and its preachers are few; and after you will come a time in which its preachers are many and its scholars are few.”

Its chain of transmission is authentic, as I had explained in my commentary on al-ʿIlm.

Al-Bukhārī also transmitted it from him through another route, with a more complete wording, in al-Adab al-Mufrad. He said (205/789): ʿAbd Allāh ibn Abī al-Aswad narrated to us; he said: ʿAbd al-Wāḥid ibn Ziyād narrated to us; he said: al-Ḥārith ibn Ḥuṣayrah narrated to us; he said: Zayd ibn Wahb narrated to us; he said: I heard Ibn Masʿūd say: … He then mentioned it up to the words, “many are its givers,” and added:

“In it, action governs desire. After you will come a time in which its jurists are few, its preachers are many, its questioners are many, and its givers are few; in it, desire governs action. Know that sound guidance in the latter days is better than some deeds.”

I say: Its chain is good. Its narrators are trustworthy and are among al-Bukhārī’s narrators, except for al-Ḥārith ibn Ḥuṣayrah. The majority declared him trustworthy, while al-ʿUqaylī and Ibn ʿAdī declared him weak. Al-Ḥāfiẓ said in al-Taqrīb:

“Truthful, though he makes mistakes, and he was accused of Rāfiḍism (extreme Shiʿism).”

I say: Nevertheless, al-Ḥāfiẓ deemed its chain authentic in al-Fatḥ. For he cited its final sentence there (10/510) and said: