Sunan Abi Dawud 4657
سنن أبي داود#4657Sahihحَدَّثَنَا عَمْرُو بْنُ عَوْنٍ، قَالَ أَنْبَأَنَا ح، وَحَدَّثَنَا مُسَدَّدٌ، قَالَ حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو عَوَانَةَ، عَنْ قَتَادَةَ، عَنْ زُرَارَةَ بْنِ أَوْفَى، عَنْ عِمْرَانَ بْنِ حُصَيْنٍ، قَالَ قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم " خَيْرُ أُمَّتِي الْقَرْنُ الَّذِينَ بُعِثْتُ فِيهِمْ ثُمَّ الَّذِينَ يَلُونَهُمْ ثُمَّ الَّذِينَ يَلُونَهُمْ " . وَاللَّهُ أَعْلَمُ أَذَكَرَ الثَّالِثَ أَمْ لاَ " ثُمَّ يَظْهَرُ قَوْمٌ يَشْهَدُونَ وَلاَ يُسْتَشْهَدُونَ وَيَنْذِرُونَ وَلاَ يُوفُونَ وَيَخُونُونَ وَلاَ يُؤْتَمَنُونَ وَيَفْشُو فِيهِمُ السِّمَنُ " .
‘Imran b. Husain reported the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) as saying :the best of my people is the generation in which I have been sent, then their immediate followers, then their immediate followers. Allah knows best whether he mentioned the third or not. After them will be people who will give testimony without being asked, who will make vows which they do not fulfill, who will be treacherous and not to be trusted, among whom fatness will appear
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: 42:62