Reports on the first generation and those who followed them

Abdullah bin Mawalah said: Once I was travelling in "al-Ahwaz", and a man was going ahead of me, riding a mule. He was saying: "O Allah, my generation of this ummah is departing, so join me with them." I said: "I too wish to be included in your supplication." He said: "And this companion of mine too, if he wishes it, then do so." Then he said that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "The best of my ummah are the people of my generation, then those who come after them." The narrator said: I do not know whether he mentioned a third time or not. (The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said:) "Then people will come among whom obesity will appear; they will give testimony although testimony will not have been asked of them." The narrator said: That man was Sayyiduna Buraydah al-Aslami (may Allah be pleased with him).

In one narration the wording is: I heard the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) say: "The best of this ummah is the generation in which I was sent, in which I am present; then the generation of those after them, then the generation of those after them, then the generation of those after them. Then there will be people whose testimony will precede their oath and whose oath will precede their testimony."

In one narration the wording is: "The generation in which I was sent, then the generation of those after them, then the generation of those after them, then of those after them, then the generation of those after them." Imam Ahmad recorded all these narrations, and Imam Abu Ya'la recorded them in abridged form, and their narrators are the narrators of the Sahih.

Sayyiduna al-Nu'man bin Bashir (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "The best of people is my generation, then those after them, then those after them, then those after them. Then people will come whose oaths will precede their testimony and whose testimony will precede their oaths."
Imam Ahmad and Imam al-Bazzar recorded it, and Imam al-Tabarani recorded it in al-Mu'jam al-Kabir and al-Mu'jam al-Awsat. Their routes contain a narrator, Asim bin Bahdalah, and he is hasan al-hadith (good in hadith); the remaining narrators of Imam Ahmad are the narrators of the Sahih.

Sayyiduna Umar bin al-Khattab (may Allah be pleased with him) said: I heard the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) say: "The best of people is my generation, in which I am present, then those after them. Then people will arise among whom obesity will spread; they will give testimony although testimony will not have been asked of them, and their voices will be raised in their marketplaces."
Imam al-Bazzar recorded it, and the wording is his.

Imam al-Tabarani recorded these words from him (the Companion) in al-Mu'jam al-Awsat: "The best generation is the one in which I am present, then the second, then the third; then, as for the people of the fourth generation, Allah Almighty will not care about them in the least." (Allamah al-Haythami says:) I say: Imam Ibn Majah has recorded part of this report, and the narrators of Imam al-Bazzar are thiqat (trustworthy). Among the narrators of Imam al-Tabarani is Ishaq bin Ibrahim, whom I do not know; the remaining narrators of this report are thiqat (trustworthy).

Sayyiduna Anas (may Allah be pleased with him) reports this saying of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him): "The best of people is my generation, then those after them, then those after them."
Imam al-Bazzar recorded it. Its chain contains a narrator, Yusuf bin Atiyyah, and he is matruk (abandoned).

Sayyiduna Sa'id bin Tamim (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates: I said: "O Messenger of Allah! Who are the best of your Ummah?" The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "I and the people of my generation." I said: "O Messenger of Allah! Then who?" He said: "Then the people of the second generation." I said: "Then who, O Messenger of Allah?" The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Then the people of the third generation." I said: "Then who, O Messenger of Allah?" The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Then there will come people who will swear oaths although they were not asked to swear, who will give testimony although they were not asked to testify, and when something is entrusted to them they will not return it."
Al-Tabarani recorded it, and its narrators are thiqat (trustworthy).

Sayyiduna Samurah bin Jundub (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "The best generation of my Ummah is the one in which I was sent, then those who come after them, then those who come after them."
Al-Tabarani recorded it in al-Mu'jam al-Saghir; its chain contains a narrator, Abdullah bin Muhammad bin Ayshun, whom I do not know, and the remaining narrators of this report are thiqat (trustworthy).

Sayyiduna Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates: I heard the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) say:
"The best of people is my generation, then those who come after them, then those who come after them; then in the fourth generation there will be people who are the most base, and it will remain so until the Day of Resurrection."
(Allamah al-Haythami says:) I say:
This report is mentioned in the Sahih, but without these words: "Then from the fourth generation until the Day of Resurrection there will be base people."
Al-Tabarani recorded it in al-Mu'jam al-Awsat; its chain contains a narrator, Dawud bin Yazid al-Awdi, who is da'if (weak).

Sayyiduna Abu Barzah al-Aslami (may Allah be pleased with him) reports that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "The best of people is my generation, then those who come after them, then those who come after them."
Al-Bazzar recorded it, and its chain is hasan (good).
Al-Tabarani also recorded it, and its chain contains a narrator whom I do not know.

Sayyiduna Ja'dah bin Hubayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "The best of people is my generation, then those who come after them, then those who come after them, then those who come after them; then the people who come after that will be the most base."
Al-Tabarani recorded it, and its narrators are the narrators of the Sahih, except that the narrator Idris bin Yazid al-Awdi did not hear from Sayyiduna Ja'dah (may Allah be pleased with him); and Allah knows best.

The daughter of Abu Lahab narrates: Once the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) passed by us and asked for something to drink. I went to a cup and offered it to him to drink. A man who was wearing two green garments asked him a question, and the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "You should worship Allah Almighty, not associate anything with Him, establish the prayer and pay the zakah." Then the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "The best of my Ummah is my generation, and then those who come after them."
Al-Tabarani recorded it, and its chain contains a narrator whose name has not been stated.

The daughter of Abu Jahl narrates that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "The best of people is my generation."
Al-Tabarani recorded it, and he named this lady Sayyidah Jamilah. The narrators of this report are thiqat (trustworthy), except that I do not know about this lady's husband.

Yazid bin Khumayr narrates: I asked Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Busr (may Allah be pleased with him): "What is our state compared with the people who came before?" He said: "Subhan Allah! If those people were raised from their graves, they would recognise you only by this: that they would find you standing, praying."