The Prophet ﷺ said, "There will arise in my nation disagreement and division. A people who speak well but act wickedly. They recite the Quran, but it does not pass beyond their throats. Each of you will regard his own prayer as insignificant compared to theirs, and his fasting as insignificant compared to theirs. They will pass through the religion as an arrow passes through its target, never to return to it until the arrow returns to its notch. They are the worst of creation. Blessed is the one who kills them and is killed by them. They call to the Book of Allah, yet they have nothing to do with it. Whoever fights them is closer to Allah than they are."They asked, "Messenger of Allah, what is their distinguishing mark?"He replied, "Shaving the head."
عن النبي ﷺ قال: سيكون في أمتي خلاف وفرقة: قوم يحسنون القيل، ويسيئون الفعل، يقرؤون القرآن لا يجاوز تراقيهم، يحقر أحدكم صلاته مع صلاتهم، وصيامه مع صيامهم، يمرقون من الدين مروق السهم من الرمية، لا يرجعون حتى يرتدوا على فوقه، هم شر الخلق والخليقة، طوبى لمن قتلهم وقتلوه، يدعون إلى كتاب الله، وليسوا منه في شيء، من قاتلهم كان أولى بالله منهم قالوا: يا رسول الله ما سيماهم؟ قال: التحليق.
Abu Dawud (4765), Ahmad (13338), and Hakim (2/148) narrated it through several routes from Abu Amr Uzai, who said, Qatada told me, from Anas and Abu Saeed Khudri, and they both mentioned it. The wording given is that of Ahmad.Hakim (2/147-148) also narrated it through the route of Muhammad bin Kathir Masissi, who said, Uzai told us, from Qatada, from Anas alone.Abu Dawud (4766), Ibn Majah (175), and Ahmad (13036) all narrated it through the route of Mamar, from Qatada, from Anas alone, with similar wording.Its chain is sahih from Anas, but as for the narration from Abu Saeed, it contains a break. Hakim said, "Qatada did not hear this hadith from Abu Saeed Khudri directly. Rather, he heard it from Abu Mutawakkil Naji, from Abu Saeed, then he attributed it directly to him without mentioning the intermediary."The hadith has been narrated from Abu Saeed Khudri through numerous sahih routes, with both lengthy and abbreviated wordings, as mentioned previously.