How sound is the Hadith: "Indeed, Satan is a wolf to man, just as the wolf is to the sheep; he devours the straying and the distant sheep. So beware of the isolated paths, and adhere to the community, the general populace, and the mosque"?

The aforementioned hadith (definition) was narrated by Ahmad in his Musnad, and its verifiers stated: It is hasan (definition) li ghayrihi (good due to external corroboration), though it is munqati' (disconnected). It has a shahid (corroborating narration) from Abu Ad-Darda', narrated by Ahmad, Abu Dawud, and An-Nasa'i, and authenticated by Al-Albani: «There are no three people in a village where the call to prayer (adhan) is not made, nor is the prayer established among them, except that Satan gains mastery over them. So, adhere to the congregation (jama'ah), for indeed the wolf devours the stray sheep.»

The hadith has many other corroborating narrations, some of which Al-Albani deemed hasan (good), and its meaning is undoubtedly sound. Among its corroborations is what came from Zirr, who said: Umar delivered a sermon in Ash-Sham and said: The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) stood among us, just as I stand among you, and said: «Treat my Companions well, then those who follow them, then those who follow them. Then falsehood will become widespread until a man rushes to give testimony before being asked for it, and to swear an oath before being asked for it. So, whoever desires the choicest part of Paradise, let him adhere to the jama'ah (congregation), for Satan is with the lone individual, and further from two. And whoever is pleased by his good deed and grieved by his evil deed, he is a believer.» A group of scholars have authenticated this narration.