The Hadith: 'Two types of people if they are righteous, people will be righteous'

1300

Q 5: “Two types of people if they are righteous, people will be righteous; and if they are corrupt, people will be corrupt...” Is this an authentic Hadith or is it ‘Umar’s speech?

A: This was narrated by Abu Nu‘aym in [Al-Hilyah] on the authority of Ibn ‘Abbas, and was mentioned by Al-Suyuty in [Al-Jami‘ Al-Saghir] with the following wording: “Two types of people if they are righteous, people will be righteous; and if they are corrupt, people will be corrupt: scholars and rulers.” Al-Suyuty indicated its weakness, and Al-Munawy stated in his commentary on [Al-Jami‘ Al-Saghir] on the authority of Al-Hafizh Al-‘Iraqy that it is Da‘if (weak). The knowledgeable Shaykh Nasir Al-Din Al-Albany also stated in the book [Silsilat Al-Ahadith Al-Da‘ifah] that it is Hadith Mawdu‘ (fabricated Hadith) because it includes Muhammad ibn Ziyad Al-Yashkury in its Isnad (chain of narrators), who is classified as a "liar". The same was said by Ahmad and Ibn Ma`in .