Sunan Abi Dawud 418
سنن أبي داود#418Sahihحَدَّثَنَا عُبَيْدُ اللَّهِ بْنُ عُمَرَ، حَدَّثَنَا يَزِيدُ بْنُ زُرَيْعٍ، حَدَّثَنَا مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ إِسْحَاقَ، حَدَّثَنِي يَزِيدُ بْنُ أَبِي حَبِيبٍ، عَنْ مَرْثَدِ بْنِ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ، قَالَ لَمَّا قَدِمَ عَلَيْنَا أَبُو أَيُّوبَ غَازِيًا وَعُقْبَةُ بْنُ عَامِرٍ يَوْمَئِذٍ عَلَى مِصْرَ فَأَخَّرَ الْمَغْرِبَ فَقَامَ إِلَيْهِ أَبُو أَيُّوبَ فَقَالَ لَهُ مَا هَذِهِ الصَّلاَةُ يَا عُقْبَةُ فَقَالَ شُغِلْنَا . قَالَ أَمَا سَمِعْتَ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم يَقُولُ " لاَ تَزَالُ أُمَّتِي بِخَيْرٍ - أَوْ قَالَ عَلَى الْفِطْرَةِ - مَا لَمْ يُؤَخِّرُوا الْمَغْرِبَ إِلَى أَنْ تَشْتَبِكَ النُّجُومُ " .
Narrated AbuAyyub: Marthad ibn Abdullah said: When AbuAyyub came upon us to fight the infidels and in those days Uqbah ibn Amir was the Governor of Egypt, he (Uqbah) delayed the sunset prayer. Hence AbuAyyub stood and said: What kind of prayer is this, Uqbah? He said: We were busy. He said: Did you not hear the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) say: My community will remain well, or he said: will remain on its natural condition, so long as it would not delay the evening prayer until the stars shine brightly just like a network
Scholarly Authentication
The label above is the grade most of these scholars gave — one dissenting opinion no longer speaks for all of them. If any scholar calls a narration fabricated, that verdict is shown instead, whatever the others say. Each scholar's own wording:
In-book reference: 2:28