حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو بَكْرِ بْنُ أَبِي شَيْبَةَ ، وَمُحَمَّدُ بْنُ الْمُثَنَّى ، وَابْنُ بَشَّارٍ جَمِيعًا ، عَنْ غُنْدَرٍ ، قَالَ ابْنُ الْمُثَنَّى : حَدَّثَنَا مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ جَعْفَرٍ ، حَدَّثَنَا شُعْبَةُ ، سَمِعْتُ أَبَا جَمْرَةَ ، حَدَّثَنِي زَهْدَمُ بْنُ مُضَرِّبٍ ، سَمِعْتُ عِمْرَانَ بْنَ حُصَيْنٍ يُحَدِّثُ ، أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ ، قَالَ : " إِنَّ خَيْرَكُمْ قَرْنِي ، ثُمَّ الَّذِينَ يَلُونَهُمْ ، ثُمَّ الَّذِينَ يَلُونَهُمْ ، ثُمَّ الَّذِينَ يَلُونَهُمْ " ، قَالَ عِمْرَانُ : فَلَا أَدْرِي ، أَقَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ : بَعْدَ قَرْنِهِ مَرَّتَيْنِ أَوْ ثَلَاثَةً ، ثُمَّ يَكُونُ بَعْدَهُمْ قَوْمٌ يَشْهَدُونَ وَلَا يُسْتَشْهَدُونَ ، وَيَخُونُونَ وَلَا يُؤْتَمَنُونَ ، وَيَنْذِرُونَ وَلَا يُوفُونَ وَيَظْهَرُ فِيهِمُ السِّمَنُ .

Imran b. Husain reported Allah's-Messenger (ﷺ) as saying:The best among you (are) the people (who belong to) my age. Then those next to them, then those next to them, then those next to them. 'Imran said: I do not know whether Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) said twice or thrice (the words:" Then next" ) after (saying) about his (own age but he then said): Then after them (after successors or those who would succeed them) would come a people who would give evidence before they are asked for it, and would be dishonest and not trustworthy, who would make vows but would not fulfil them, and would be significant in being bulky.

حَدَّثَنِي مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ حَاتِمٍ ، حَدَّثَنَا يَحْيَي بْنُ سَعِيدٍ . ح وحَدَّثَنَا عَبْدُ الرَّحْمَنِ بْنُ بِشْرٍ الْعَبْدِيُّ ، حَدَّثَنَا بَهْزٌ . ح وحَدَّثَنِي مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ رَافِعٍ ، حَدَّثَنَا شَبَابَةُ كُلُّهُمْ ، عَنْ شُعْبَةَ ، بِهَذَا الْإِسْنَادِ ، وَفِي حَدِيثِهِمْ ، قَالَ : لَا أَدْرِي أَذَكَرَ بَعْدَ قَرْنِهِ قَرْنَيْنِ أَوْ ثَلَاثَةً ، وَفِي حَدِيثِ شَبَابَةَ ، قَالَ : سَمِعْتُ زَهْدَمَ بْنَ مُضَرِّبٍ ، وَجَاءَنِي فِي حَاجَةٍ عَلَى فَرَسٍ ، فَحَدَّثَنِي أَنَّهُ سَمِعَ عِمْرَانَ بْنَ حُصَيْنٍ ، وَفِي حَدِيثِ يَحْيَي ، وَشَبَابَةَ : يَنْذُرُونَ وَلَا يَفُونَ ، وَفِي حَدِيثِ بَهْزٍ : يُوفُونَ كَمَا ، قَالَ ابْنُ جَعْفَرٍ .

This hadith has been reported on the authority of Shu'ba with the same chain of transmitters (and the words are):I do not know whether he made a mention of two generations after his generation or of the third one too. Shababa said: I heard this from Zahdam b. Mudarrib as he came to me riding a horse for some need and he narrated it to me that he had heard it from 'Imran b. Husain, and in the hadith transmitted on the authority of Yahya and Shababa (the words are): They take an oath but they do not fulfil it, and in the hadith transmitted on the authority of Bahz there the word is Yafun as transmitted on the authority of Ibn Ja'far.

وحَدَّثَنَا قُتَيْبَةُ بْنُ سَعِيدٍ ، وَمُحَمَّدُ بْنُ عَبْدِ الْمَلِكِ الْأُمَوِيُّ ، قَالَا : حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو عَوَانَةَ . ح وحَدَّثَنَا مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ الْمُثَنَّى ، وَابْنُ بَشَّارٍ ، قَالَا : حَدَّثَنَا مُعَاذُ بْنُ هِشَامٍ ، حَدَّثَنَا أَبِي كِلَاهُمَا ، عَنْ قَتَادَةَ ، عَنْ زُرَارَةَ بْنِ أَوْفَى ، عَنْ عِمْرَانَ بْنِ حُصَيْنٍ ، عَنِ النَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ بِهَذَا الْحَدِيثِ : خَيْرُ هَذِهِ الْأُمَّةِ الْقَرْنُ الَّذِينَ بُعِثْتُ فِيهِمْ ثُمَّ الَّذِينَ يَلُونَهُمْ ، زَادَ فِي حَدِيثِ أَبِي عَوَانَةَ ، قَالَ : وَاللَّهُ أَعْلَمُ أَذَكَرَ الثَّالِثَ أَمْ لَا بِمِثْلِ حَدِيثِ زَهْدَمٍ ، عَنْ عِمْرَانَ ، وَزَادَ فِي حَدِيثِ هِشَامٍ ، عَنْ قَتَادَةَ وَيَحْلِفُونَ وَلَا يُسْتَحْلَفُونَ .

This hadith has been narrated on the authority of 'Imran b. Husain through another chain of transmitters (and the words are):The best generation of this Umma is the generation to which I have been sent, then the next one, and there is an addition in the hadith transmitted on the authority of Abu 'Awana (and the words are): And Allah knows best whether he made a mention of the third (generation) or not; the rest of the hadith is the same as transmitted by Zahdam on the authority of 'Imran. And in the hadith transmitted by Hisham on the authority of Qatada there is an addition of these words: They take an oath whereas they are not asked to take.