Imran bin Husain reported Allah's-Messenger ( صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم ) as saying: The best among you (are) the people (who belong to) my age. Then those next to them, then those next to them, then those next to them. 'Imran said: I do not know whether Allah's Messenger ( صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم ) said twice or thrice (the words:" Then next") after (saying) about his (own age but he then said): Then after them (after successors or those who would succeed them) would come a people who would give evidence before they are asked for it, and would be dishonest and not trustworthy, who would make vows but would not fulfil them, and would be significant in being bulky.

This hadith has been reported on the authority of Shu'bah with the same chain of transmitters (and the words are): I do not know whether he made a mention of two generations after his generation or of the third one too. Shababa said: I heard this from Zahdam bin Mudarrib as he came to me riding a horse for some need and he narrated it to me that he had heard it from 'Imran bin Husain, and in the hadith transmitted on the authority of Yahya and Shababa (the words are): They take an oath but they do not fulfil it, and in the hadith transmitted on the authority of Bahz there the word is Yafun as transmitted on the authority of Ibn Ja'far.

This hadith has been narrated on the authority of 'Imran bin Husain through another chain of transmitters (and the words are): The best generation of this Umma is the generation to which I have been sent, then the next one, and there is an addition in the hadith transmitted on the authority of Abu 'Awana (and the words are): And Allah knows best whether he made a mention of the third (generation) or not; the rest of the hadith is the same as transmitted by Zahdam on the authority of 'Imran. And in the hadith transmitted by Hisham on the authority of Qatada there is an addition of these words: They take an oath whereas they are not asked to take.