صحيح مسلم
Sahih Muslim
كتاب فضائل الصحابة
The Book of the Merits of the Companions
باب فَضْلِ الصَّحَابَةِ ثُمَّ الَّذِينَ يَلُونَهُمْ ثُمَّ الَّذِينَ يَلُونَهُمْ:
Chapter: The Virtues Of the Sahabah, Then Those Who Come After Them, Then Those Who Come After Them
Hadith 2533
This hadith is listed as number 6472 in Maktaba Shamila
وحَدَّثَنِي الْحَسَنُ بْنُ عَلِيٍّ الْحُلْوَانِيُّ ، حَدَّثَنَا أَزْهَرُ بْنُ سَعْدٍ السَّمَّانُ ، عَنْ ابْنِ عَوْنٍ ، عَنْ إِبْرَاهِيمَ ، عَنْ عَبِيدَةَ ، عَنْ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ ، عَنِ النَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ ، قَالَ : " خَيْرُ النَّاسِ قَرْنِي ، ثُمَّ الَّذِينَ يَلُونَهُمْ ، ثُمَّ الَّذِينَ يَلُونَهُمْ ، فَلَا أَدْرِي فِي الثَّالِثَةِ ، أَوْ فِي الرَّابِعَةِ ، قَالَ : ثُمَّ يَتَخَلَّفُ مِنْ بَعْدِهِمْ خَلْفٌ تَسْبِقُ شَهَادَةُ أَحَدِهِمْ يَمِينَهُ ، وَيَمِينُهُ شَهَادَتَهُ " .
'Abdullah (b. Mas'ud) reported Allah's Apostle (ﷺ) as saying: The best among people are of my generation, then those next to them. (The narrator said): I do not know whether (he said) it three times or four times. Then there would fellow after them such persons whose evidence would precede the oath, and in case of some others, the oath (would precede) the evidence.
