There was a man in Syria called Madan whom Abu Darda used to teach the Quran. Abu Darda lost track of him for a while, then met him one day at Dabiq.Abu Darda said to him, "Madan, what has become of the Quran you used to recite? How are you and the Quran these days?"He replied, "Allah knows of it what is good."Abu Darda asked, "Madan, are you living in a city these days, or in a village?"He said, "No, in a village close to the city."Abu Darda said, "Hold on, woe to you, Madan! I heard the Messenger of Allah ﷺ say, 'There are no five households in which the call to prayer is not made and the prayers are not established but that Satan gains mastery over them. Indeed, the wolf seizes the stray sheep. So stick to the cities, woe to you, Madan!'"
حدثنا علي بن ثابت حدثني هشام بن سعد عن حاتم بن أبي نصر
كان رجل بالشام يقال له معدان كان أبو الدرداء يقرئه القرآن ففقده أبو الدرداء فلقيه يوما وهو بدابق فقال له أبو الدرداء يا معدان ما فعل القرآن الذي كان معك كيف أنت والقرآن اليوم قال قد علم الله منه فأحسن قال يا معدان أفي مدينة تسكن اليوم أو في قرية قال لا بل في قرية قريبة من المدينة قال مهلا ويحك يا معدان فإني سمعت رسول الله ﷺ يقول ما من خمسة أهل أبيات لا يؤذن فيهم بالصلاة وتقام فيهم الصلوات إلا استحوذ عليهم الشيطان وإن الذئب يأخذ الشاذة فعليك بالمدائن ويحك يا معدان
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Its isnad is hasan, though there is some discussion of it, because Hatim bin Abu Nasr was deemed unknown by the two Hafiz scholars Dhahabi and Ibn Hajar. However, Ibn Hibban and Ibn Khuzayma judged him trustworthy, and he is corroborated here, as will be seen in the hadith that follows.The hadith was narrated by Abu Dawud in the Book of Prayer, 1/150, no. 547, by Nasai in the Book of Leadership in Prayer, 2/106, no. 847, by Ibn Khuzayma, 2/371, no. 1486, and by Ibn Hibban, 5/457, no. 2101, in al-Ihsan.Hakim cited the hadith that comes after this one, and said, "This is a hadith whose narrators are truthful." I will repeat his statement there in full, if Allah wills.