Abdullah reported:It was asked from Allah's Apostle (ﷺ) who amongst the people were the best. He said: (People) of my generation, then those next to them, then those next to them, then there would come a people whose evidence would precede their oath and their oath would precede their evidence. Ibrahim said: They forbade us to make vows and bear witness when we were too young.
حَدَّثَنَا عُثْمَانُ بْنُ أَبِي شَيْبَةَ، وَإِسْحَاقُ بْنُ إِبْرَاهِيمَ الْحَنْظَلِيُّ، قَالَ إِسْحَاقُ أَخْبَرَنَا وَقَالَ، عُثْمَانُ حَدَّثَنَا جَرِيرٌ، عَنْ مَنْصُورٍ، عَنْ إِبْرَاهِيمَ، عَنْ عَبِيدَةَ، عَنْ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ، قَالَ سُئِلَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم أَىُّ النَّاسِ خَيْرٌ قَالَ " قَرْنِي ثُمَّ الَّذِينَ يَلُونَهُمْ ثُمَّ الَّذِينَ يَلُونَهُمْ ثُمَّ يَجِيءُ قَوْمٌ تَبْدُرُ شَهَادَةُ أَحَدِهِمْ يَمِينَهُ وَتَبْدُرُ يَمِينُهُ شَهَادَتَهُ " . قَالَ إِبْرَاهِيمُ كَانُوا يَنْهَوْنَنَا وَنَحْنُ غِلْمَانٌ عَنِ الْعَهْدِ وَالشَّهَادَاتِ .
Muslim
The Book of the Merits of the Companions • Hadith 299