Raja' bin Haywah narrates: I heard Sayyiduna Maslamah bin Mukhallad (may Allah be pleased with him) say: "When I was governor of Egypt, the doorkeeper came to me and said: 'There is a Bedouin at the door on his camel asking permission to come in.' I asked: 'Who are you?' He said: 'Jabir bin Abdullah al-Ansari.'" Sayyiduna Maslamah bin Mukhallad (may Allah be pleased with him) says: "I looked down at him from above and asked: 'Shall I come down to you, or will you come up?' He said: 'Neither you come down nor will I come up. I have been informed about a hadith that you narrate from the Messenger of Allah, and that hadith is about concealing (the faults of) a believer. I have come to hear it.'" (Sayyiduna Maslamah bin Mukhallad (may Allah be pleased with him) says:) "I said: I heard the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) say: 'Whoever conceals a hidden matter of a believer, it is as though he has given life to a girl who was to be buried alive.'" Then Sayyiduna Jabir (may Allah be pleased with him) struck his camel and set off back.
Al-Tabarani recorded it in al-Mu'jam al-Awsat; its chain contains Abu Sinan al-Qasmali, whom Ibn Hibban, and Ibn Khirash according to one report, declared thiqah (trustworthy), while Imam Ahmad, Imam al-Bukhari (may Allah have mercy on him) and Yahya bin Ma'in declared him da'if (weak).
Hadith Referenceمجمع الزوائد ومنبع الفوائد / كتاب العلم / 565
Hadith Gradingمحدثین:إسنادہ ضعیف
Hadith Takhrij«اخرجه الامام الطبراني فى معجم الاوسط 8103 ، أخرجه المعجم الأوسط للطبراني برقم: 8081»