Mustadrak al-Hakim — Hadith 2928

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Jundub (may Allah be pleased with him) that he said: I came to Madinah to acquire knowledge. When I entered the mosque of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), I saw people sitting in circles engaged in learned conversation. I went forward and reached a circle in which there was a man of pale complexion wearing two sheets, who looked like a traveller. I heard him saying three times: "By the Lord of the Ka'bah! The people of the pact (those in authority) have perished, and I feel no grief for them." I sat down with him, and when he finished his talk and stood up, I asked about him. The people said: This is the leader of the people, Sayyiduna Ubayy bin Ka'b. I followed him to his house, and I saw that his house, his clothing and his outward state were all extremely simple and worn. I greeted him with salam and he returned it. Then he asked me: Where are you from? I said: I am from the people of Iraq. At this he became angry and said: (The people of Iraq) are the ones who ask the most questions. I turned towards the qiblah, knelt on my knees, raised my hands and said: O Allah! We bring our complaint about them (the scholars) to You. We spend our wealth in the pursuit of knowledge, we wear out our bodies and bear the hardships of travel, but when we meet them they treat us with sullen faces. On hearing this, Sayyiduna Ubayy bin Ka'b began to weep and began trying to placate me, saying: Woe to you! I did not mean that. Then he said: I promise you that if I remain alive until Friday, I will certainly relate what I heard from the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), and in it I will not care for the blame of any blamer. Then I left and began waiting for Friday. When Thursday came, I saw that the streets of Madinah were filled with people. I asked: What has happened? The people said: We think you are a stranger. I said: Yes. They said: The leader of the people, Ubayy bin Ka'b, has passed away. Then when I met Sayyiduna Abu Musa al-Ash'ari in Iraq and related this incident to him, he said: If only he had lived until that word of his had reached us.
This hadith is sahih (authentic) on the condition of Imam Muslim, but the two Shaykhs (Bukhari and Muslim) did not record it.