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 2534
This hadith is listed as number 6473 in Maktaba Shamila
حَدَّثَنِي يَعْقُوبُ بْنُ إِبْرَاهِيمَ ، حَدَّثَنَا هُشَيْمٌ ، عَنْ أَبِي بِشْرٍ . ح وحَدَّثَنِي إِسْمَاعِيلُ بْنُ سَالِمٍ ، أَخْبَرَنَا هُشَيْمٌ ، أَخْبَرَنَا أَبُو بِشْرٍ ، عَنْ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ شَقِيقٍ ، عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ ، قَالَ : قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ : " خَيْرُ أُمَّتِي الْقَرْنُ الَّذِينَ بُعِثْتُ فِيهِمْ ، ثُمَّ الَّذِينَ يَلُونَهُمْ ، وَاللَّهُ أَعْلَمُ أَذَكَرَ الثَّالِثَ أَمْ لَا ، قَالَ : ثُمَّ يَخْلُفُ قَوْمٌ يُحِبُّونَ السَّمَانَةَ يَشْهَدُونَ قَبْلَ أَنْ يُسْتَشْهَدُوا " .
Abu Hurairah (RA) reported Allah's Messenger (may, peace be upon him) as saying: The best age of my Umma is one in which I was sent (by Allah as an Apostle), then the one next to that. (The narrator said): And Allah knows best whether he stated this third (time) or not. Then there would come people who would love (to look) bulky and they would hasten to the witness box before they are asked to bear witness.
