Sahih al-Bukhari 4602
صحيح البخاري#4602Sahihحَدَّثَنَا عُمَرُ بْنُ حَفْصٍ، حَدَّثَنَا أَبِي، حَدَّثَنَا الأَعْمَشُ، قَالَ حَدَّثَنِي إِبْرَاهِيمُ، عَنِ الأَسْوَدِ، قَالَ كُنَّا فِي حَلْقَةِ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ فَجَاءَ حُذَيْفَةُ حَتَّى قَامَ عَلَيْنَا، فَسَلَّمَ ثُمَّ قَالَ لَقَدْ أُنْزِلَ النِّفَاقُ عَلَى قَوْمٍ خَيْرٍ مِنْكُمْ. قَالَ الأَسْوَدُ سُبْحَانَ اللَّهِ، إِنَّ اللَّهَ يَقُولُ {إِنَّ الْمُنَافِقِينَ فِي الدَّرَكِ الأَسْفَلِ مِنَ النَّارِ} فَتَبَسَّمَ عَبْدُ اللَّهِ، وَجَلَسَ حُذَيْفَةُ فِي نَاحِيَةِ الْمَسْجِدِ، فَقَامَ عَبْدُ اللَّهِ فَتَفَرَّقَ أَصْحَابُهُ، فَرَمَانِي بِالْحَصَا، فَأَتَيْتُهُ فَقَالَ حُذَيْفَةُ عَجِبْتُ مِنْ ضَحِكِهِ، وَقَدْ عَرَفَ مَا قُلْتُ، لَقَدْ أُنْزِلَ النِّفَاقُ عَلَى قَوْمٍ كَانُوا خَيْرًا مِنْكُمْ، ثُمَّ تَابُوا فَتَابَ اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِمْ.
Narrated Al-Aswad:While we were sitting in a circle in `Abdullah's gathering, Hudhaifa came and stopped before us, and greeted us and then said, "People better than you became hypocrites." Al-Aswad said: I testify the uniqueness of Allah! Allah says: "Verily! The hypocrites will be in the lowest depths of the Fire." (4.145) On that `Abdullah smiled and Hudhaifa sat somewhere in the Mosque. `Abdullah then got up and his companions (sitting around him) dispersed. Hudhaifa then threw a pebble at me (to attract my attention). I went to him and he said, "I was surprised at `Abdullah's smile though he understood what I said. Verily, people better than you became hypocrites and then repented and Allah forgave them
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:
Every narration in Sahih al-Bukhari is accepted as Sahih (authentic) by the established status of the book.
In-book reference: 65:124