Status of the Hadeeth “If you see a man frequently coming to the mosque, then bear witness that he is a believer”
Question

                How sound is this hadeeth: “Whoever you see frequenting the mosques, then bear witness that he is a believer”?
Praise be to Allah.
    It was 
    narrated that Abu Sa’eed al-Khudri (may Allah be pleased with him) said: The 
    Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: “If you 
    see a man frequently coming to the mosque, then bear witness that he is a 
    believer, for Allah says (interpretation of the meaning): ‘The mosques of 
    Allah shall be maintained only by those who believe in Allah and the Last 
    Day; perform as-Salah, and give Zakah …’ [al-Tawbah 9:18].” 

    Narrated 
    by al-Tirmidhi (2617), Ahmad in al-Musnad (27325) and others, all via Darraj 
    Abu’l-Samah, from Abu’l-Haytham, from Abu Sa’eed (may Allah be pleased with 
    him). 

    This is a 
    da’eef (weak) isnad (chain of transmission), because of Darraj ibn Sam’an 
    Abu’l-Samah al-Qurashi. Al-Daraqutni said: he is da’eef. Al-Imam Ahmad and 
    Abu Dawood regard him as da’eef only in the ahadeeth (narrations) that he 
    narrated from Abu’l-Haytham, as in this case. See Tahdheeb al-Tahdheeb 
    (3/209).    

    Hence 
    al-Tirmidhi commented, after narrating the hadeeth: it is ghareeb hasan 
    (rare but sound). He said in the second place: it is hasan ghareeb. 

    
    Al-‘Allamah ‘Ala’ al-Deen Maghlatawi said: This hadeeth has a da’eef isnad. 
    End quote. 

    Sharh 
    Sunan Ibn Majah (1/1345) 

    When 
    al-Hakim classed this hadeeth as saheeh in al-Mustadrak, al-Dhahabi 
    commented by saying: Darraj narrated many munkar (disapproved) reports. End 
    quote. 

    Al-Shaykh 
    al-Albani (may Allah have mercy on him) said: 

    Its isnad 
    is neither saheeh nor hasan, because it is narrated via Darraj Abu’l-Samah 
    from Abu Haytham from Abu Sa’eed, and al-Hafiz said concerning this Darraj 
    in al-Taqreeb: He is sadooq (truthful) but in his hadeeth from Abu’l-Haytham 
    there is some weakness. Hence al-Dhahabi commented on al-Hakim by saying: I 
    say: Darraj narrated many munkar reports. End quote. 

    Tamam 
    al-Minnah  (p.291) 

    It was 
    also classed as da’eef in a fatwa of the Standing Committee (4/444), and by 
    al-Shaykh Ibn ‘Uthaymeen (may Allah have mercy on him) in Sharh Riyadh 
    al-Saliheen. This has been published previously on our website in the answer 
    to question no. 
    
    
    
    34593. 
     

    Al-Hafiz 
    Ibn Rajab suggested that the matn (text) of the hadeeth is also 
    objectionable, because it is not possible to testify to anyone’s being a 
    believer, rather it is only possible to testify to his being a Muslim, 
    because being a Muslim is an outward attribute whereas being a believer is 
    an inward attribute,

    As it says 
    in the hadeeth of Sa’d ibn Abu Waqqas (may Allah have mercy on him), 
    according to which the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be 
    upon him) distributed (some wealth) to some people, and Sa’d (may Allah be 
    pleased with him) was sitting among them. Sa’d (may Allah be pleased with 
    him) said: The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) 
    left out some of them and did not give them anything, although they were 
    better in my view. I said: O Messenger of Allah, what about so and so? For 
    by Allah, I think he is a believer. The Messenger of Allah (peace and 
    blessings of Allah be upon him) said: “Or a Muslim.” I kept quiet for a 
    while, then what I knew got the better of me and I said: O Messenger of 
    Allah, what about so and so? For by Allah, I think that he is a believer. 
    The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: “Or 
    a Muslim.” I kept quiet for a while, then what I knew got the better of me 
    and I said: O Messenger of Allah, what about so and so? For by Allah, I 
    think that he is a believer. The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of 
    Allah be upon him) said: “Or a Muslim. I may give to one man although 
    someone else is more beloved to me, for fear lest he be thrown on his face 
    into the Fire.” Narrated by al-Bukhari (27) and Muslim (150). 

    Al-Hafiz 
    Ibn Rajab (may Allaah have mercy on him) said: 

    It seems – 
    and Allah knows best – that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be 
    upon him) rebuked Sa’d for testifying to people’s faith (or their being 
    believers), because faith is something hidden in the heart, and no one can 
    see it, so testifying to it is testimony that is based on conjecture, and it 
    is improper to make definite statements about that, as he said: “If you must 
    praise anyone then say: I think that so and so is such and such, but I do 
    not praise anyone before Allah.” 

    He told 
    him to testify that the person was a Muslim, because that is something that 
    can be seen, as it is narrated in al-Musnad from Anas in a marfoo’ report 
    (traced directly to the Prophet): “Islam is outward and faith is in the 
    heart.” Al-Shaykh al-Albani said: it is munkar (al-Silsilah al-Da’eefah, 
    6906). 

    Hence, 
    many of the salaf (pious predecessors) regarded it as makrooh (disliked) for 
    a person to describe himself as a believer, and said: This is flattering and 
    praising oneself on the basis of what is hidden in the heart; rather he 
    should testify that he is a Muslim because this is something visible. 

    As for the 
    hadeeth: “If you see a man frequently coming to the mosque, then bear 
    witness that he is a believer”, it was narrated by Ahmad, al-Tirmidhi and 
    Ibn Majah from the hadeeth of Darraj, from Abu’l-Haytham, from Abu Sa’eed 
    (may Allah be pleased with him) in a marfoo’ report. Ahmad said: It is a 
    munkar hadeeth; Darraj narrated munkar reports. End quote. 

    Fath 
    al-Bari (1/122) 

    And Allah 
    knows best.