What is the authenticity of the hadith: "There will come upon you rulers who bring the worst of people near and delay the prayer from its appointed times. Whoever among you witnesses that, let him not be a leader (arif), nor a policeman (shurati), nor a tax collector (jābi), nor a treasurer (khāzin) for them"? What are the details of its narrator, Abd al-Rahman ibn Mas'ud al-Yashkuri? Does Ibn Hibban's authentication of him, despite the weakening of the chain of transmission (isnad), have an effect? What is the ruling on a narrator whom some authenticate and others weaken, along with a request for an explanation of the hadith?

Imam Ahmad did not narrate the aforementioned hadith. Rather, it was narrated by Ibn Hibban, and some scholars deemed it weak while others authenticated it. The narrations and corroborating evidence for this hadith are numerous and varied; some are strong and some are weak. From the totality of the narrations, it can be concluded that the hadith is hasan (good) or acceptable. The hadith indicates that the rulers of the End Times will draw near to the worst of people and delay the prayer. The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, forbade a Muslim from being a 'arif (overseer), a policeman, a tax collector, or a treasurer for them, due to the assistance this provides to injustice. The 'arif refers to one who manages people's affairs, the policeman to security guards, the tax collector to one who collects taxes, and the treasurer to one who guards money. These individuals are blameworthy if they assist in injustice, but praiseworthy if they are in the service of justice.