Caution: Translations of Quran and Ḥadīth may lead to possible misapplications and misinterpretations. This site is intended for students of sacred knowledge that are proficient in comprehending classical Arabic and have a strong foundation in Islamic sciences. Also note that religious injunctions rely on several aspects beyond what one may glean through reading individual aḥādīth.
Qurʾān Bukhārī Muslim Nasāʾī Abū Dāwūd Tirmidhī Ibn Mājah Mālik Aḥmad Dārimī Ḥākim Ibn Ḥibbān Ṭabarānī Nasāʾī's Kubrá Bayhaqī al-Luʾluʾ wa-al-Marjān Ibn Rajab's Fifty Riyāḍ al-Ṣāliḥīn Aḥmad's Zuhd Suyūṭī
ahmad:9260 – ʿAffān > Ḥammād > ʿAlī b. Zayd > Aws b. Khālid > Abū Hurayrah

[Machine] The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, "The example of one who listens to wisdom and follows the worst of what he hears is like a man who went to a shepherd and said to him, 'Give me the best sheep from your flock.' The shepherd replied, 'Go and take the best sheep by its ear.' So he went and took the ear of the dog instead of the sheep."  

أحمد:٩٢٦٠ – حَدَّثَنَا عَفَّانُ حَدَّثَنَا حَمَّادٌ عَنْ عَلِيِّ بْنِ زَيْدٍ عَنْ أَوْسِ بْنِ خَالِدٍ عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ قَالَ

قَالَ رَسُولُ اللهِ ﷺ مَثَلُ الَّذِي يَسْمَعُ الْحِكْمَةَ وَيَتَّبِعُ شَرَّ مَا يَسْمَعُ كَمَثَلِ رَجُلٍ أَتَى رَاعِيًا فَقَالَ لَهُ أَجْزِرْنِي شَاةً مِنْ غَنَمِكَ فَقَالَ اذْهَبْ فَخُذْ بِأُذُنِ خَيْرِهَا شَاةً فَذَهَبَ فَأَخَذَ بِأُذُنِ كَلْبِ الْغَنَمِ  

See similar narrations below:

Collected by Ibn Mājah, Aḥmad, Suyūṭī
ibnmajah:4172 – Abū Bakr b. Abū Shaybah > al-Ḥasan b. Mūsá > Ḥammād b. Salamah > ʿAlī b. Zayd > Aws b. Khālid > Abū Hurayrah

“The likeness of the one who sits and listen to wisdom then only speaks of the bad things that he had heard, is that of a man who comes to a shepherd and says: “O shepherd, give me one of your sheep to slaughter,” and (the shepherd) says: “Go and grab the ear of the best of them.” Then he goes and grabs the ear of the sheepdog.’” Another chain reports a similar hadith.  

ابن ماجة:٤١٧٢ – حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو بَكْرِ بْنُ أَبِي شَيْبَةَ حَدَّثَنَا الْحَسَنُ بْنُ مُوسَى عَنْ حَمَّادِ بْنِ سَلَمَةَ عَنْ عَلِيِّ بْنِ زَيْدٍ عَنْ أَوْسِ بْنِ خَالِدٍ عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ قَالَ

قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ مَثَلُ الَّذِي يَجْلِسُ يَسْمَعُ الْحِكْمَةَ ثُمَّ لاَ يُحَدِّثُ عَنْ صَاحِبِهِ إِلاَّ بِشَرِّ مَا يَسْمَعُ كَمَثَلِ رَجُلٍ أَتَى رَاعِيًا فَقَالَ يَا رَاعِي أَجْزِرْنِي شَاةً مِنْ غَنَمِكَ قَالَ اذْهَبْ فَخُذْ بِأُذُنِ خَيْرِهَا فَذَهَبَ فَأَخَذَ بِأُذُنِ كَلْبِ الْغَنَمِ قَالَ أَبُو الْحَسَنِ بْنُ سَلَمَةَ حَدَّثَنَاهُ إِسْمَاعِيلُ بْنُ إِبْرَاهِيمَ حَدَّثَنَا مُوسَى حَدَّثَنَا حَمَّادٌ فَذَكَرَ نَحْوَهُ وَقَالَ فِيهِ بِأُذُنِ خَيْرِهَا شَاةً  

ahmad:8639 – Ḥasan And ʿAffān > Ḥammād b. Salamah > ʿAlī b. Zayd > Aws b. Khālid > Abū Hurayrah

“The likeness of the one who sits and listen to wisdom then only speaks of the bad things that he had heard, is that of a man who comes to a shepherd and says: “O shepherd, give me one of your sheep to slaughter,” and (the shepherd) says: “Go and grab the ear of the best of them.” Then he goes and grabs the ear of the sheepdog.’” Another chain reports a similar hadith. (Using translation from Ibn Mājah 4172)   

أحمد:٨٦٣٩ – حَدَّثَنَا حَسَنٌ وَعَفَّانُ قَالَا حَدَّثَنَا حَمَّادُ بْنُ سَلَمَةَ عَنْ عَلِيِّ بْنِ زَيْدٍ عَنْ أَوْسِ بْنِ خَالِدٍ عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ قَالَ

قَالَ رَسُولُ اللهِ ﷺ مَثَلُ الَّذِي يَجْلِسُ فَيَسْمَعُ الْحِكْمَةَ ثُمَّ لَا يُحَدِّثُ عَنْ صَاحِبِهِ إِلَّا بِشَرِّ مَا سَمِعَ كَمَثَلِ رَجُلٍ أَتَى رَاعِيًا فَقَالَ يَا رَاعِيَ أجزرني شَاةً مِنْ غَنَمِكَ قَالَ اذْهَبْ فَخُذْ بِأُذُنِ خَيْرِهَا فَذَهَبَ فَأَخَذَ بِأُذُنِ كَلْبِ الْغَنَمِ  

ahmad:10606 – Yazīd > Ḥammād b. Salamah > ʿAlī b. Zayd > Aws b. Khālid > Abū Hurayrah

[Machine] On the authority of the Prophet ﷺ, he said, "The example of the one who hears wisdom but does not inform about its source is like the example of a man who came to a shepherd and said, 'Sell me a sheep from your flock.' The shepherd said, 'Choose.' So he took hold of the ear of a sheep."  

أحمد:١٠٦٠٦ – حَدَّثَنَا يَزِيدُ أَخْبَرَنَا حَمَّادُ بْنُ سَلَمَةَ عَنْ عَلِيِّ بْنِ زَيْدٍ عَنْ أَوْسِ بْنِ خَالِدٍ عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ

عَنِ النَّبِيِّ ﷺ قَالَ مَثَلُ الَّذِي يَسْمَعُ الْحِكْمَةَ ثُمَّ لَا يُخْبِرُ عَنْ صَاحِبِهِ إِلَّا بِشَرِّ مَا يَسْمَعُ كَمَثَلِ رَجُلٍ أَتَى رَاعِيَ غَنَمٍ فَقَالَ أَجْزِرْنِي شَاةً مِنْ غَنَمِكَ فَقَالَ اخْتَرْ فَأَخَذَ بِأُذُنِ كَلْبِ الْغَنَمِ  

suyuti:19849a –
Request/Fix translation

  

السيوطي:١٩٨٤٩a –

"مَثلُ الَّذِي يَجْلِسُ فَيَسْمَعُ الْحِكْمَةَ وَلَا يُحَدِّثُ عَنْ صَاحِبهِ إلا بِشَرِّ مَا يَسْمَعُ، كَمَثَلِ رَجُلٍ أَتَى رَاعِيًا، فَقَال: يَا رَاعِى أَجْزِرْنِى شَاةً مِنْ غَنَمِكَ، قَال: اذْهَبْ فَخُذْ بِأُذُنِ خَيرِ شَاةٍ، فَذَهَبَ فَأَخَذَ بِأُذُنِ كَلْبِ الْغنَمِ".  

[حم] أحمد [هـ] ابن ماجة وأَحمد بن منيع، [ط] الطيالسي والرامهرمزى في الأَمثال، [هب] البيهقى في شعب الإيمان عن أَبي هريرة