Sunan Abi Dawud 681
سنن أبي داود#681Da'ifحَدَّثَنَا جَعْفَرُ بْنُ مُسَافِرٍ، حَدَّثَنَا ابْنُ أَبِي فُدَيْكٍ، عَنْ يَحْيَى بْنِ بَشِيرِ بْنِ خَلاَّدٍ، عَنْ أُمِّهِ، أَنَّهَا دَخَلَتْ عَلَى مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ كَعْبٍ الْقُرَظِيِّ فَسَمِعَتْهُ يَقُولُ حَدَّثَنِي أَبُو هُرَيْرَةَ، قَالَ قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم " وَسِّطُوا الإِمَامَ وَسُدُّوا الْخَلَلَ " .
Narrated AbuHurayrah: The Prophet (ﷺ) said: Have the imam in the centre and close up the gaps
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:
Al-AlbaniDaif
Muhammad Muhyi Al-Din Abdul HamidDaif
Zubair Ali ZaiDaif
In-book reference: 2:291