Compiled by Imam Abu Dawud as-Sijistani
حَدَّثَنَا يَزِيدُ بْنُ خَالِدِ بْنِ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ مَوْهَبٍ الْهَمْدَانِيُّ، حَدَّثَنَا اللَّيْثُ، عَنْ عُقَيْلٍ، عَنِ ابْنِ شِهَابٍ، أَنَّ أَبَا إِدْرِيسَ الْخَوْلاَنِيَّ، عَائِذَ اللَّهِ أَخْبَرَهُ أَنَّ يَزِيدَ بْنَ عُمَيْرَةَ وَكَانَ مِنْ أَصْحَابِ مُعَاذِ بْنِ جَبَلٍ أَخْبَرَهُ قَالَ كَانَ لاَ يَجْلِسُ مَجْلِسًا لِلذِّكْرِ حِينَ يَجْلِسُ إِلاَّ قَالَ اللَّهُ حَكَمٌ قِسْطٌ هَلَكَ الْمُرْتَابُونَ فَقَالَ مُعَاذُ بْنُ جَبَلٍ يَوْمًا إِنَّ مِنْ وَرَائِكُمْ فِتَنًا يَكْثُرُ فِيهَا الْمَالُ وَيُفْتَحُ فِيهَا الْقُرْآنُ حَتَّى يَأْخُذَهُ الْمُؤْمِنُ وَالْمُنَافِقُ وَالرَّجُلُ وَالْمَرْأَةُ وَالصَّغِيرُ وَالْكَبِيرُ وَالْعَبْدُ وَالْحُرُّ فَيُوشِكُ قَائِلٌ أَنْ يَقُولَ مَا لِلنَّاسِ لاَ يَتَّبِعُونِي وَقَدْ قَرَأْتُ الْقُرْآنَ مَا هُمْ بِمُتَّبِعِيَّ حَتَّى أَبْتَدِعَ لَهُمْ غَيْرَهُ فَإِيَّاكُمْ وَمَا ابْتُدِعَ فَإِنَّ مَا ابْتُدِعَ ضَلاَلَةٌ وَأُحَذِّرُكُمْ زَيْغَةَ الْحَكِيمِ فَإِنَّ الشَّيْطَانَ قَدْ يَقُولُ كَلِمَةَ الضَّلاَلَةِ عَلَى لِسَانِ الْحَكِيمِ وَقَدْ يَقُولُ الْمُنَافِقُ كَلِمَةَ الْحَقِّ . قَالَ قُلْتُ لِمُعَاذٍ مَا يُدْرِينِي رَحِمَكَ اللَّهُ أَنَّ الْحَكِيمَ قَدْ يَقُولُ كَلِمَةَ الضَّلاَلَةِ وَأَنَّ الْمُنَافِقَ قَدْ يَقُولُ كَلِمَةَ الْحَقِّ قَالَ بَلَى اجْتَنِبْ مِنْ كَلاَمِ الْحَكِيمِ الْمُشْتَهِرَاتِ الَّتِي يُقَالُ لَهَا مَا هَذِهِ وَلاَ يُثْنِيَنَّكَ ذَلِكَ عَنْهُ فَإِنَّهُ لَعَلَّهُ أَنْ يُرَاجِعَ وَتَلَقَّ الْحَقَّ إِذَا سَمِعْتَهُ فَإِنَّ عَلَى الْحَقِّ نُورًا . قَالَ أَبُو دَاوُدَ قَالَ مَعْمَرٌ عَنِ الزُّهْرِيِّ فِي هَذَا وَلاَ يُنْئِيَنَّكَ ذَلِكَ عَنْهُ مَكَانَ يُثْنِيَنَّكَ . وَقَالَ صَالِحُ بْنُ كَيْسَانَ عَنِ الزُّهْرِيِّ فِي هَذَا الْمُشَبَّهَاتِ مَكَانَ الْمُشْتَهِرَاتِ وَقَالَ لاَ يُثْنِيَنَّكَ كَمَا قَالَ عُقَيْلٌ . وَقَالَ ابْنُ إِسْحَاقَ عَنِ الزُّهْرِيِّ قَالَ بَلَى مَا تَشَابَهَ عَلَيْكَ مِنْ قَوْلِ الْحَكِيمِ حَتَّى تَقُولَ مَا أَرَادَ بِهَذِهِ الْكَلِمَةِ .
Whenever he (mu’adh b. jabal) sat in a meeting for preaching, he would say: Allah is a just arbiter; those who doubt would perish. One day Mu’adh b. jabal said: In the times after you there would be trails in which riches would be abundant. During these trails the Quran would be easy so much so that every believer, hypocrite, man, woman, young, grown up, slave and free man will learn it. Then a man might say: What happened with the people that they do not follow me while I read the Quran? They are not going to follow me until I introduce a novelty for them other than it. So avoid that which is innovated (in religion), for whichever is innovated is an error. I warn you of the deviation of a scholar from right guidance, for sometimes Satan utters a word of error through the tongue of a scholar; and sometimes a hypocrites may speak a word of truth. I said to Mu’adh b. jabal: I am at a loss to understand may Allah have mercy on you that a learned man sometimes may speak a word of error and a hypocrite may speak a word of truth. He replied: Yes, avoid the speech of a learned man on distract you from him (the learned), for it is possible that he may withdraw (from these well-known things), and you get the truth when you hear it, for truth has light. Abu Dawud said: In this tradition Ma’mar on the authority of al-Zuhrl said: The words “wa la yun iyannaka” instead of “wa la yuthniyannaka,” with the same meaning: “it may not distract you” salih b. Kaisan on the authority of al-Zurhrl said in this tradition the words “al-mushtaharat” (well-know things). He also said the word “La yuthniyannaka” as ‘Uqail mentioned. Ibn ishaq, on the authority of al-Zuhri, said: Yes, if you are doubtful about the speech of a scholar until you say: WHAT did he mean by this word?