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.
darimi:98Abū al-Mughīrah > al-Awzāʿī > Yaḥyá b. Abū ʿAmr al-Saybānī > ʿAbdullāh b. al-Daylamī > Balaghanī

[Machine] "That the first thing to go when religion is gone is the Sunnah, and the religion goes bit by bit, just as a rope loses its strength gradually."  

الدارمي:٩٨أَخْبَرَنَا أَبُو الْمُغِيرَةِ حَدَّثَنَا الْأَوْزَاعِيُّ عَنْ يَحْيَى بْنِ أَبِي عَمْرٍو السَّيْبَانِيِّ عَنْ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ الدَّيْلَمِيِّ قَالَ بَلَغَنِي

أَنَّ «أَوَّلَ ذَهَابِ الدِّينِ تَرْكُ السُّنَّةِ يَذْهَبُ الدِّينُ سُنَّةً سُنَّةً كَمَا يَذْهَبُ الْحَبْلُ قُوَّةً قُوَّةً»