Examination of the Chain of the Ḥadīth:
Source: Qur’an and Hadith Based Rulings and Issues, Vol. 01, p. 547
Question
There is a ḥadīth which states:
“The best people of my Ummah will be its scholars, and the worst people of my Ummah will also be its scholars.”
What is the authenticity of its chain?
Answer
Al-ḥamdu lillāh, waṣ-ṣalātu was-salāmu ʿalā Rasūlillāh, ammā baʿd!
The ḥadīth اَلاَ اِنَّ شَرَّ الشَّرِّ شِرَارُ الْعُلَمَآئِ... is found in Mishkāt al-Maṣābīḥ with reference to al-Dārimī.
However, its chain is extremely weak for the following reasons:
◄ From Aḥwaṣ b. Ḥakīm down to al-Dārimī, all the narrators are weak.
◄ This narration is also mursal, since Ḥakīm was a tābiʿī, not a companion.
ھذا ما عندي والله أعلم بالصواب
