Mishkat al-Masabih
Mishkat al-Masabih 1116
وَعَنْ قَيْسِ بْنِ عُبَادٍ قَالَ: بَيْنَا أَنَا فِي الْمَسْجِدِ فِي الصَّفِّ الْمُقَدَّمِ فَجَبَذَنِي رَجُلٌ مِنْ خَلْفِي جَبْذَةً فَنَحَّانِي وَقَامَ مَقَامِي فَوَاللَّهِ مَا عَقَلْتُ صَلَاتِي. فَلَمَّا انْصَرَفَ إِذَا هُوَ أُبَيُّ بْنُ كَعْبٍ فَقَالَ: يَا فَتَى لَا يَسُوءُكَ اللَّهُ إِنَّ هَذَا عُهِدَ مِنَ النَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ إِلَيْنَا أَنْ نَلِيَهُ ثُمَّ اسْتَقْبَلَ الْقِبْلَةَ فَقَالَ: هَلَكَ أَهْلُ الْعُقَدِ وَرَبِّ الْكَعْبَةِ ثَلَاثًا ثُمَّ قَالَ: وَاللَّهِ مَا عَلَيْهِمْ آسَى وَلَكِنْ آسَى عَلَى مَنْ أَضَلُّوا. قُلْتُ يَا أَبَا يَعْقُوبَ مَا تَعْنِي بِأَهْلِ العقد؟ قَالَ: الْأُمَرَاء. رَوَاهُ النَّسَائِيّ
Unreviewed translation. All hadiths in this collection are available in five languages. Titles and introductions may remain in Arabic.
Qays ibn Ubad said: While I was in the mosque in the front row, a man behind me pulled me back, moved me aside, and took my place. By God, I was so distracted that I did not know what I had prayed. When the prayer was over, I saw that it was Ubayy ibn Kab. He said, Young man, may God not let you be distressed. This is an instruction entrusted to us by the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him: that we should be nearest to him. Then he turned towards the qiblah and said, three times, The people of authority have perished, by the Lord of the Kaabah! Then he said, By God, I do not grieve for them; rather, I grieve for those whom they have led astray. I asked, Abu Yaqub, what do you mean by the people of authority? He replied, The rulers. Al-Nasai transmitted it.
Notes and open questions — unreviewed
The phrase أهل العقد is rendered contextually as people of authority; Ubayy ibn Kab identifies them as rulers in the narration.