أَخْبَرَنَا کَثِيرُ بْنُ عُبَيْدٍ قَالَ حَدَّثَنَا مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ حَرْبٍ عَنْ الزُّبَيْدِيِّ عَنْ الزُّهْرِيِّ عَنْ أَبِي سَلَمَةَ بْنِ عَبْدِ الرَّحْمَنِ وَأَبِي عَبْدِ اللَّهِ الْأَغَرِّ مَوْلَی الْجُهَنِيِّينَ وَکَانَا مِنْ أَصْحَابِ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ أَنَّهُمَا سَمِعَا أَبَا هُرَيْرَةَ يَقُولُ صَلَاةٌ فِي مَسْجِدِ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صَلَّی اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ أَفْضَلُ مِنْ أَلْفِ صَلَاةٍ فِيمَا سِوَاهُ مِنْ الْمَسَاجِدِ إِلَّا الْمَسْجِدَ الْحَرَامَ فَإِنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صَلَّی اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ آخِرُ الْأَنْبِيَائِ وَمَسْجِدُهُ آخِرُ الْمَسَاجِدِ قَالَ أَبُو سَلَمَةَ وَأَبُو عَبْدِ اللَّهِ لَمْ نَشُکَّ أَنَّ أَبَا هُرَيْرَةَ کَانَ يَقُولُ عَنْ حَدِيثِ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صَلَّی اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ فَمُنِعْنَا أَنْ نَسْتَثْبِتَ أَبَا هُرَيْرَةَ فِي ذَلِکَ الْحَدِيثِ حَتَّی إِذَا تُوُفِّيَ أَبُو هُرَيْرَةَ ذَکَرْنَا ذَلِکَ وَتَلَاوَمْنَا أَنْ لَا نَکُونَ کَلَّمْنَا أَبَا هُرَيْرَةَ فِي ذَلِکَ حَتَّی يُسْنِدَهُ إِلَی رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صَلَّی اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ إِنْ کَانَ سَمِعَهُ مِنْهُ فَبَيْنَا نَحْنُ عَلَی ذَلِکَ جَالَسْنَا عَبْدَ اللَّهِ بْنَ إِبْرَاهِيمَ بْنِ قَارِظٍ فَذَکَرْنَا ذَلِکَ الْحَدِيثَ وَالَّذِي فَرَّطْنَا فِيهِ مِنْ نَصِّ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ فَقَالَ لَنَا عَبْدُ اللَّهِ بْنُ إِبْرَاهِيمَ أَشْهَدُ أَنِّي سَمِعْتُ أَبَا هُرَيْرَةَ يَقُولُ قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّی اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ فَإِنِّي آخِرُ الْأَنْبِيَائِ وَإِنَّهُ آخِرُ الْمَسَاجِدِ
سنن نسائی · Hadith 698
It was narrated from Abu Salamah bin ‘Abdur-Rahman and Abu ‘Abdullah Al-Agharr, the freed slave of the Juhanis — better of whom were companions of Abu Hurairah — that they heard Abu Hurairah say: “One prayer in the Masjid of the Messenger of Allah صلی اللہ علیہ وآلہ وسلم is better than one thousand prayers offered in other mosques, except Al-Masjid Al Haram, for the Messenger of Allah صلی اللہ علیہ وآلہ وسلم was the last of the prophets and his Masjid was the last of the Masjids.” Abu Salamah and Abu ‘Abdullah said: “We do not doubt that Abu Hurairah was speaking on the basis of the Hadith of the Messenger of Allah صلی اللہ علیہ وآلہ وسلم but we could not verify that Hadith with Abu Hurairah before he died. Then we remembered that and we blamed one another for not having spoken to Abu Hurairah about that, so that he could attribute it to the Messenger of Allah صلی اللہ علیہ وآلہ وسلم if he had indeed heard it from him. While we were arguing, we went and sat down with ‘Abdullah bin Ibrahim bin Qariz, and we told him about the Hadith and how we had been negligent in not checking it with Abu Hurairah. ‘Abdullah bin Ibrahim said to us: ‘I bear witness that I heard Abu Hurairah say: The Messenger of Allah صلی اللہ علیہ وآلہ وسلم said: I am the last of the prophets and it is the last of the Masjids.” (Sahih)
Translated by Dr. Muhammad Muhsin Khan · Reviewed by Islamic University of Madinah · Published March 2020