Sunan Abi Dawud 4788
سنن أبي داود#4788Sahihحَدَّثَنَا عُثْمَانُ بْنُ أَبِي شَيْبَةَ، حَدَّثَنَا عَبْدُ الْحَمِيدِ، - يَعْنِي الْحِمَّانِيَّ - حَدَّثَنَا الأَعْمَشُ، عَنْ مُسْلِمٍ، عَنْ مَسْرُوقٍ، عَنْ عَائِشَةَ، رضى الله عنها قَالَتْ كَانَ النَّبِيُّ صلى الله عليه وسلم إِذَا بَلَغَهُ عَنِ الرَّجُلِ الشَّىْءُ لَمْ يَقُلْ مَا بَالُ فُلاَنٍ يَقُولُ وَلَكِنْ يَقُولُ " مَا بَالُ أَقْوَامٍ يَقُولُونَ كَذَا وَكَذَا " .
Narrated Aisha, Ummul Mu'minin: When the Prophet (ﷺ) was informed of anything of a certain man, he would not say: What is the matter with so and so that he says? But he would say: What is the matter with the people that they say such and such?
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: 43:16