Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him) states: I came into the presence of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), and he (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "O Ibn Mas'ud! Which handhold of faith is the firmest?" I said: "Allah and His Messenger know best." He (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "The firmest handhold of Islam is friendship for the sake of Allah Almighty, love for the sake of Allah Almighty, and hatred for the sake of Allah Almighty." After this the narrator mentioned the complete hadith; the full narration will come in the chapter on knowledge.
Al-Tabarani recorded it in al-Mu'jam al-Saghir; its chain contains a narrator, Aqil bin al-Ja'd, about whom Imam al-Bukhari (may Allah have mercy on him) said: He is munkar al-hadith (his narrations are denounced).
Hadith Referenceمجمع الزوائد ومنبع الفوائد / كتاب الإيمان / 309
Hadith Gradingمحدثین:إسناده ضعیف
Hadith Takhrij«اخرجه الامام الطبراني فى معجمه الصغير 10357 ، 10531 اخرجه الامام الطبراني فى معجمه الصغير 223/1 ، أخرجه المعجم الكبير للطبراني برقم: 10531، وأخرجه المعجم الصغير للطبراني برقم: 597»