It is narrated from Sayyiduna Anas (may Allah be pleased with him) that among us there was a young man who was extremely devoted to worship, abstinent and hard-striving. We mentioned him to the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), but he (peace and blessings be upon him) did not recognise him; then we described his qualities, and still he (peace and blessings be upon him) did not recognise him. Meanwhile he was seen coming towards us, so we said to the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him): "Here he is!" On seeing him, he (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Indeed, I see on his face a mark of Satan and a glimpse of his ill omen." Then the man came near and gave the greeting of salam, and the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) asked him: "Have you settled it in your heart that in this whole gathering there is no one better than you?" He replied: "Allahumma na'am" (O Allah, yes). Then he turned his back and entered the mosque. At this the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) asked: "Who will kill this man?" Sayyiduna Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) said: "I." He went in and saw that he was standing in prayer, and he thought: "Shall I kill a man who is praying, when the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) has forbidden us from striking those who pray?" The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) again asked: "Who will kill this man?" Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) said: "O Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), I." He entered the mosque and saw that he was in prostration. He too thought as Sayyiduna Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) had thought, and he added: "I will certainly go back, for one who is better than me has gone back." The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "O Umar, stop," and then he related the whole matter. He (peace and blessings be upon him) again asked: "Who will kill this man?" Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) said: "I." He (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "You will kill him, provided you find him." When Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) entered the mosque, he found that he had already left. Then the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Listen! By Allah, had you killed him, he would have been the first and the last of these mischief-makers, and after that not even two people in my Ummah would have disagreed."
Imam Abu Ya'la narrated it through the chain of Abu Bakr bin Abi Shaybah, and (also) Amr bin al-Dahhak bin Makhlad from his father, and Muhammad bin al-Faraj Abu Ja'far in Baghdad from Muhammad bin al-Zibriqan, all of them through the chain of Musa bin Ubaydah, in the same way.
Hadith Referenceالمطالب العالية بزوائد المسانيد الثمانية / كتاب الفتوح / 4441
Hadith Gradingمحدثین:إسناده ضعيف
Hadith Takhrij«حکم الحدیث المطالب العالیہ محققاً تنسیق د. سعد بن ناصر بن عبد العزيز الشَّثري- مکتبہ شاملہ :إسناده ضعيف » «أخرجه سنن الدارقطني برقم: 1756، وأخرجه مسند أبي يعلى برقم: 90، وأخرجه مسند البزار برقم: 7510، وأخرجه المطالب العالية لابن حجر برقم: 4441 / 3»