Sayyiduna Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates: The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Whoever adopts the desert life becomes harsh, whoever follows the game becomes heedless, and whoever goes to the door of the ruler is put to trial. The closer a servant draws to the ruler, the further he moves away from Allah Almighty."
I say: I did not find this narration in my copy of "Sunan Abi Dawud".
Ahmad and al-Bazzar recorded it; of the two chains of Ahmad, the narrators of one are the narrators of the Sahih, except for al-Hasan bin al-Hakam al-Nakha'i, who is thiqah (trustworthy).
Hadith Referenceمجمع الزوائد ومنبع الفوائد / كتاب الخلافة / 9256
Hadith Gradingمحدثین:إسنادہ صحیح
Hadith Takhrij«اخرجه البزار فى المسند (1618) اخرجه احمد فى المسند (371/2) ، أخرجه مسند أحمد برقم: 9390»