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
bayhaqi:20598 – Abū ʿAbdullāh al-Ḥāfiẓ from my father

[Machine] About the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ that he said, "The best people are my generation, then those who come after them, then those who come after them." He said, "And I do not know whether he said it in the third or fourth generation." Then there will come after them a generation that witnesses by oath, and their oath will suffice them.  

البيهقي:٢٠٥٩٨ – أَخْبَرَنَا أَبُو عَبْدِ اللهِ الْحَافِظُ ثنا أَبُو عَمْرٍو عُثْمَانُ بْنُ أَحْمَدَ الدَّقَّاقُ وَأَبُو الْعَبَّاسِ مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ يَعْقُوبَ الْأُمَوِيُّ وَأَبُو الْحُسَيْنِ مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ أَحْمَدَ بْنِ تَمِيمٍ الْقَنْطَرِيُّ وَأَبُو أَحْمَدَ بَكْرُ بْنُ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ حَمْدَانَ الصَّيْرَفِيُّ قَالُوا ثنا أَبُو قِلَابَةَ عَبْدُ الْمَلِكِ بْنُ مُحَمَّدٍ ثنا أَزْهَرُ بْنُ سَعْدٍ السَّمَّانُ ثنا ابْنُ عَوْنٍ عَنْ إِبْرَاهِيمَ عَنْ عَبِيْدَةَ قَالَ قَالَ عَبْدُ اللهِ ؓ

عَنِ النَّبِيِّ ﷺ أَنَّهُ قَالَ خَيْرُ النَّاسِ قَرْنِي ثُمَّ الَّذِينَ يَلُونَهُمْ ثُمَّ الَّذِينَ يَلُونَهُمْ قَالَ وَلَا أَدْرِي قَالَ فِي الثَّالِثَةِ أَوْ فِي الرَّابِعَةِ ثُمَّ يَخْلُفُ بَعْدَهُمْ خَلْفٌ يَسْبِقُ شَهَادَةُ أَحَدِهِمْ يَمِينَهُ وَيَمِينُهُ شَهَادَتَهُ  

رَوَاهُ مُسْلِمٌ فِي الصَّحِيحِ عَنِ الْحَسَنِ بْنِ عَلِيٍّ عَنْ أَزْهَرَ وَأَخْرَجَهُ الْبُخَارِيُّ مِنْ وَجْهٍ آخَرَ عَنْ إِبْرَاهِيمَ

See similar narrations below:

Collected by Muslim, Aḥmad, Nasāʾī's Kubrá
muslim:2533d – al-Ḥasan b. ʿAlī al-Ḥulwānī > Azhar b. Saʿd al-Sammān > Ibn ʿAwn > Ibrāhīm > ʿAbīdah > ʿAbdullāh

The best among people are of my generation, then those next to them. (The narrator said): I do not know whether (he said) it three times or four times. Then there would fellow after them such persons whose evidence would precede the oath, and in case of some others, the oath (would precede) the evidence.  

مسلم:٢٥٣٣d – وَحَدَّثَنِي الْحَسَنُ بْنُ عَلِيٍّ الْحُلْوَانِيُّ حَدَّثَنَا أَزْهَرُ بْنُ سَعْدٍ السَّمَّانُ عَنِ ابْنِ عَوْنٍ عَنْ إِبْرَاهِيمَ عَنْ عَبِيدَةَ عَنْ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ

عَنِ النَّبِيِّ ﷺ قَالَ خَيْرُ النَّاسِ قَرْنِي ثُمَّ الَّذِينَ يَلُونَهُمْ ثُمَّ الَّذِينَ يَلُونَهُمْ فَلاَ أَدْرِي فِي الثَّالِثَةِ أَوْ فِي الرَّابِعَةِ قَالَ ثُمَّ يَتَخَلَّفُ مِنْ بَعْدِهِمْ خَلْفٌ تَسْبِقُ شَهَادَةُ أَحَدِهِمْ يَمِينَهُ وَيَمِينُهُ شَهَادَتَهُ  

ahmad:3963 – Azhar b. Saʿd > Ibn ʿAwn > Ibrāhīm > ʿUbaydah > ʿAbdullāh

The best among people are of my generation, then those next to them. (The narrator said): I do not know whether (he said) it three times or four times. Then there would fellow after them such persons whose evidence would precede the oath, and in case of some others, the oath (would precede) the evidence. (Using translation from Muslim 2533d)   

أحمد:٣٩٦٣ – حَدَّثَنَا أَزْهَرُ بْنُ سَعْدٍ أَخْبَرَنَا ابْنُ عَوْنٍ عَنْ إِبْرَاهِيمَ عَنْ عُبَيْدَةَ عَنْ عَبْدِ اللهِ

عَنِ النَّبِيِّ ﷺ قَالَ خَيْرُ النَّاسِ أَقْرَانِي الَّذِينَ يَلُونِي ثُمَّ الَّذِينَ يَلُونَهُمْ ثُمَّ الَّذِينَ يَلُونَهُمْ قَالَ وَلَا أَدْرِي أَقَالَ فِي الثَّالِثَةِ أَوْ فِي الرَّابِعَةِ ثُمَّ يَخْلُفُ بَعْدَهُمْ خَلْفٌ تَسْبِقُ شَهَادَةُ أَحَدِهِمْ يَمِينَهُ وَيَمِينُهُ شَهَادَتَهُ  

nasai-kubra:5988 – Aḥmad b. ʿUthmān > Azhar > Ibn ʿAwn > Ibrāhīm > ʿUbaydah > ʿAbdullāh

The best among people are of my generation, then those next to them. (The narrator said): I do not know whether (he said) it three times or four times. Then there would fellow after them such persons whose evidence would precede the oath, and in case of some others, the oath (would precede) the evidence. (Using translation from Muslim 2533d)  

الكبرى للنسائي:٥٩٨٨ – أَخْبَرَنَا أَحْمَدُ بْنُ عُثْمَانَ قَالَ حَدَّثَنَا أَزْهَرُ قَالَ حَدَّثَنَا ابْنُ عَوْنٍ عَنْ إِبْرَاهِيمَ عَنْ عُبَيْدَةَ عَنْ عَبْدِ اللهِ قَالَ

قَالَ رَسُولُ اللهِ ﷺ خَيْرُ النَّاسِ قَرْنِي ثُمَّ الَّذِينَ يَلُونَهُمْ ثُمَّ الَّذِينَ يَلُونَهُمْ فَلَا أَدْرِي فِي الرَّابِعَةِ أَوِ الثَّالِثَةِ قَالَ ثُمَّ يَخْلُفُ بَعْدَهُمْ خَلْفٌ تَسْبِقُ شَهَادَةُ أَحَدِهِمْ يَمِينَهُ وَيَمِينُهُ شَهَادَتَهُ