Checking Hadith grading of narration of Abu Dhar in Musnad Ahmed

Question

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم

As-Salaamu alaikum

Hadith of Abu Dhar in Musnad Ahmed about Dajjal and misguiding imams. Musnad Ahmed 20334 & 20335.

The hadith is mentioned in The Book titled Dajjal (English) translated from Mahmoud A’tiyyah's “Faqad Jaa’aa Ash Raatuhu” with reference : “Sahih al-Jami” (no. 4165). I wanted to know how this hadith has been graded and whether the ref of Sahih Al-Jami is correct.

حَدَّثَنَا يَحْيَى بْنُ إِسْحَاقَ، أَخْبَرَنَا ابْنُ لَهِيعَةَ، عَنْ عَبْدِ اللهِ بْنِ هُبَيْرَةَ، أَخْبَرَنِي أَبُو تَمِيمٍ الْجَيْشَانِيُّ، قَالَ أَخْبَرَنِي أَبُو ذَرٍّ، قَالَ كُنْتُ أَمْشِي مَعَ رَسُولِ اللهِ صَلهى اللهُ عَلَ يهِ وَسَلهمَ فَقَالَ لَغَيْرُ الدَّجَّالِ أَخْوَفُنِي عَلَى أُمَّتِي قَالَهَا ثَلََثًا قَالَ قُلْتُ يَا رَسُولَ اللهِ مَا هَذَا الَّذِي غَيْرُ الدَّجَّالِ أَخْوَفُكَ عَلَى أُمَّتِكَ قَالَ أَئِمَّةً مُضِلِّينَ.

Answer 1

حَدَّثَنَا يَحْيَى بْنُ إِسْحَاقَ، أَخْبَرَنَا ابْنُ لَهِيعَةَ، عَنْ عَبْدِ اللهِ بْنِ هُبَيْرَةَ، أَخْبَرَنِي أَبُو تَمِيمٍ الْجَيْشَانِيُّ، قَالَ أَخْبَرَنِي أَبُو ذَرٍّ، قَالَ كُنْتُ أَمْشِي مَعَ رَسُولِ اللهِ صَلهى اللهُ عَلَ يهِ وَسَلهمَ فَقَالَ لَغَيْرُ الدَّجَّالِ أَخْوَفُنِي عَلَى أُمَّتِي قَالَهَا ثَلََثًا قَالَ قُلْتُ يَا رَسُولَ اللهِ مَا هَذَا الَّذِي غَيْرُ الدَّجَّالِ أَخْوَفُكَ عَلَى أُمَّتِكَ قَالَ أَئِمَّةً مُضِلِّينَ.

Abu Dhar al-Ghifari narrates that the I was in the presence of the Prophet one day and I heard him saying "There is something I fear for my ummah more than the Dajjal." It was then that I became so afraid that I asked 'Oh Messenger of Allah, which thing is it that you fear for your Ummah more than the Dajjal?' He [Prophet] said "Misguiding [or misguided] Imams"

The main problem is ابن لهيعة. His full name was عبد الله بن لهيعة الحضرمي and several major scholars declared him to be unreliable and rejected his narrations: Yahya bin Sa'id al-Qattan, ibn Hanbal, an-Nasai, a-Daraqutni, Abu Zurr

Only Abu Hafs was the only one who said he was upright, but he didn't say where he got this information from, since he had never met him.

This particular narration is also the only report coming through him in this manner, thus making it baseless.

However, there are other similar hadiths with different chains that don't mention ad-Dajjal:

نَّمَا أَخَافُ عَلَى أُمَّتِي الأَئِمَّةَ الْمُضِلِّينَ "I fear for my Ummah from the misguiding [or misguided] Imams."

This is also collected in Musnad Ahmed, Jami' at-Tirmidhi and Sunan a-Darimi, with authentic chain.

Answer 2

This chain of narrators contains ابن لهيعة whose hadiths are considered 'hasan' because he wouldn't preserve hadiths well. Rest of the narrators are fine. The hadith itself is صحيح لغيره (authentic by virtue of other chains).

Ref: Maktaba Shamila

Answer 3

Ibn Luhiah is in the chain but there are other hadiths which support it thus causing his weakness to be overlooked (as others reported similar ahadeeth)