- “The people most severely punished on the Day of Resurrection will be: a man killed by a prophet, or one who killed a prophet; a leader of misguidance; and an image-maker among image-makers.”
Ahmad (1/407) recorded it: ʿAbd al-Ṣamad narrated to us; Abān narrated to us; ʿĀṣim narrated to us, from Abū Wāʾil, from ʿAbd Allāh, that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said this.
I say: This is a good chain of transmission. ʿĀṣim is Ibn Bahdalah, Abū al-Nujūd.
It has another route, narrated by Abū Isḥāq from al-Ḥārith, from Ibn Masʿūd, with the wording: “...or a man who leads people astray without knowledge, or an image-maker who makes statues.”
Al-Ṭabarānī recorded it in al-Muʿjam al-Kabīr (3/80/2). Al-Haythamī cited it only to him in al-Majmaʿ (1/181) and said:
“In its chain is al-Ḥārith al-Aʿwar, who is weak.”
I say: The first route is free of him. Perhaps al-Bazzār recorded it through that route, for ʿAbd al-Ḥaqq al-Ishbīlī attributed it to him in al-Aḥkām al-Kubrā (no. 142), with the first wording but without the phrase, “and an image-maker among image-makers.” He made no comment on it, indicating that he considered it authentic, as he explicitly stated in the introduction.
Al-Mundhirī (3/136) said: “Al-Bazzār also narrated it with a good chain of transmission.”
It has a third route, narrated by ʿAbbād ibn Kathīr from Layth ibn Abī Sulaym, from Ṭalḥah ibn Muṣarrif, from Khaythamah ibn ʿAbd al-Raḥmān, from ʿAbd Allāh ibn Masʿūd; except that he said: “and an unjust leader.”