حَدَّثَنَا الْعَبَّاسُ بْنُ الْوَلِيدِ الدِّمَشْقِيُّ حَدَّثَنَا زَيْدُ بْنُ يَحْيَی بْنِ عُبَيْدٍ الْخُزَاعِيُّ حَدَّثَنَا الْهَيْثَمُ بْنُ حُمَيْدٍ حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو مُعَيْدٍ حَفْصُ بْنُ غَيْلَانَ الرُّعَيْنِيُّ عَنْ مَکْحُولٍ عَنْ أَنَسِ بْنِ مَالِکٍ قَالَ قِيلَ يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ مَتَی نَتْرُکُ الْأَمْرَ بِالْمَعْرُوفِ وَالنَّهْيَ عَنْ الْمُنْکَرِ قَالَ إِذَا ظَهَرَ فِيکُمْ مَا ظَهَرَ فِي الْأُمَمِ قَبْلَکُمْ قُلْنَا يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ وَمَا ظَهَرَ فِي الْأُمَمِ قَبْلَنَا قَالَ الْمُلْکُ فِي صِغَارِکُمْ وَالْفَاحِشَةُ فِي کِبَارِکُمْ وَالْعِلْمُ فِي رُذَالَتِکُمْ قَالَ زَيْدٌ تَفْسِيرُ مَعْنَی قَوْلِ النَّبِيِّ صَلَّی اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ وَالْعِلْمُ فِي رُذَالَتِکُمْ إِذَا کَانَ الْعِلْمُ فِي الْفُسَّاقِ
ابن ماجہ · Hadith 4015
It was narrated that Anas bin Malik said: "It was said:Messenger of Allah, when should we stop enjoining what is good and forbidding what is evil?' He said: 'When there appears among you that which appeared among those who came before you.' We said: ‘0 Messenger of Allah, what appeared among those who came before us?’ He said: ‘Kingship given to your youth, immorality even among the old, and knowledge among the base and vile.” (Hasan) Zaid said: “The meaning of the Prophet’s words: ‘Knowledge among the base and vile’ is when knowledge is found among the evildoers.”
Translated by Dr. Muhammad Muhsin Khan · Reviewed by Islamic University of Madinah · Published March 2020