It is narrated from Sayyiduna Anas (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "The earth will never be empty of forty men like Ibrahim (peace be upon him), the Friend (Khalil) of the Most Merciful. Because of them people are given rain and because of them they are given help. Whenever one of them dies, Allah Almighty puts another in his place."
(The narrator) said: I heard Qatadah (may Allah have mercy on him) saying: "We have no doubt that al-Hasan (al-Basri) is one of them."
Imam al-Tabarani (may Allah have mercy on him) said: "No one narrated this hadith from Qatadah except Sa'id, and no one narrated it from Sa'id except Abd al-Wahhab; Ishaq is alone in narrating it."
Hadith Referenceالمعجم الأوسط / باب العين / 4101
Hadith Gradingمحدثین:إسناده حسن
Hadith Takhrij«قال الهيثمي: إسناده حسن «مجمع الزوائد ومنبع الفوائد، ج 10، ص 63»»