عَنْ أَبِي هَرَيْرَةَ رَضِيَ اللّهُ عَنْهُ: أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللّهِ صَلَّى اللّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ قَالَ: «إذا قال الرَّجُلُ: هلَكَ النَّاسُ، فهُو أهْلَكُهُمْ» رواه مسلم. وَالرِّوَايَةُ الْمَشْهُورَةُ: «أَهْلكُهُمْ» بِرفْعِ الْكَافِ، وَرُوِيَ بِنَصْبِهَا ، وَهَذَا النَّهْيُ لِمَنْ قَالَ ذَلِكَ عُجْبًا بِنَفْسِهِ ، وَتَصَاغُرًا لِلنَّاسِ ، وَارْتِفَاعًا عَلَيْهِمْ ، فَهَذَا هُوَ الْحَرَامُ. وَأَمَّا مَنْ قَالَهُ لِمَا يَرَى فِي النَّاسِ مِنْ نَقْصٍ فِي أَمْرِ دِينِهمْ، وَقَالَهُ تَحَزُّنًا عَلَيْهِمْ، وَعَلَى الدِّينِ فَلا بَأسَ بِهِ. هَكَذَا فَسَّرَهُ الْعُلَمَاءُ وَفَصَّلُوهُ، وَمِمَّنْ قَالَهُ مِنَ الْأَئِمَّةِ الْأَعْلامِ: مَالِكُ بْنُ أَنَسٍ، وَالْخَطَّابِيُّ، وَالْحُمَيْدِيُّ وَآخَرُونَ، وَقَدْ أَوْضَحْتُهُ فِي كِتَابِ (الْأَذْكَارِ).

Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "When a man says: The people are ruined, he is the most ruined of them." Reported by Muslim. The well-known narration is "ahlakuhum" with the kaf in the nominative, and it is also narrated with it in the accusative. This prohibition applies to whoever says that out of conceit with himself, belittling people, and exalting himself over them; this is what is forbidden. As for one who says it because of the deficiency he sees in people regarding the matter of their religion, and says it out of grief for them and for the religion, then there is no harm in it. Thus have the scholars interpreted and detailed it. Among the eminent imams who said this are: Malik ibn Anas, al-Khattabi, al-Humaydi, and others. I have clarified it in the book (al-Adhkar).