Sayyiduna Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) reports that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Each prayer is an expiation for what lies between it and the prayer before it, except for three matters." The narrator says: We realised that some new ruling had come. (The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said:) "Except for associating partners with Allah, breaking the bargain (al-safqah), or abandoning the Sunnah." The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said (or the narrator said): "As for breaking the bargain, it is that you give your pledge of allegiance to a man and then set out to fight him with your sword; and abandoning the Sunnah means leaving the Jama'ah (the united community)." (Allamah al-Haythami says:) I say: part of it is recorded in the Sahih.
This narration has been recorded by Imam Ahmad. Its chain contains one narrator who has not been named.
Hadith Referenceمجمع الزوائد ومنبع الفوائد / كتاب الخلافة / 9132
Hadith Gradingمحدثین:إسنادہ ضعیف
Hadith Takhrij«اخرجه احمد فى المسند (10584) ، أخرجه مسند أحمد برقم: 7089، 10198، وأخرجه المستدرك على الصحيحين برقم: 7739»