What is the authenticity of the widely circulated hadith: "The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, asked our master Gabriel, peace be upon him: (O Gabriel, will my Ummah neglect prayer? So he, peace be upon him, replied: O Muhammad, there will come people from your Ummah who will sell their entire religion for a small worldly gain)"? Has any of the major scholars deemed it weak? And what is its source?

The aforementioned Hadith (definition), with this specific wording, has no basis from the Prophet (peace be upon him) and has not been mentioned by any of the scholars; rather, it has only been mentioned by some preachers. However, regarding the one who neglects prayer, there is a good Hadith narrated by Ahmad from Abu Sa'id al-Khudri that the Prophet (peace be upon him) said: "There will be a generation after sixty years who will neglect prayer and follow lusts, and soon they will meet with Ghayy (misguidance/punishment)..." Moreover, there are well-known authentic Hadiths concerning those who sell their religion for a worldly gain, among them what Muslim narrated from Abu Hurairah that the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said: "Hasten to do good deeds before trials come like sections of a dark night. A man will wake up as a believer and go to sleep as a disbeliever, or he will go to sleep as a believer and wake up as a disbeliever, selling his religion for a worldly gain." We recommend exercising caution and verification when attributing anything to the Prophet (peace be upon him).