It was narrated that Anas bin Malik said:

“It was said: ‘O Messenger of Allah, when should we stop enjoining what is good and forbidding what is evil?’ He said: ‘When there appears among you that which appeared among those who came before you.’ We said: ‘O Messenger of Allah, what appeared among those that came before us?’ He said: ‘Kingship given to your youth, immorality even among the old, and knowledge among the base and vile.’”

حَدَّثَنَا الْعَبَّاسُ بْنُ الْوَلِيدِ الدِّمَشْقِيُّ، حَدَّثَنَا زَيْدُ بْنُ يَحْيَى بْنِ عُبَيْدٍ الْخُزَاعِيُّ، حَدَّثَنَا الْهَيْثَمُ بْنُ حُمَيْدٍ، حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو مُعَيْدٍ، حَفْصُ بْنُ غَيْلاَنَ الرُّعَيْنِيُّ عَنْ مَكْحُولٍ، عَنْ أَنَسِ بْنِ مَالِكٍ، قَالَ قِيلَ يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ مَتَى نَتْرُكُ الأَمْرَ بِالْمَعْرُوفِ وَالنَّهْىَ عَنِ الْمُنْكَرِ قَالَ ‏"‏ إِذَا ظَهَرَ فِيكُمْ مَا ظَهَرَ فِي الأُمَمِ قَبْلَكُمْ ‏"‏ ‏.‏ قُلْنَا يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ وَمَا ظَهَرَ فِي الأُمَمِ قَبْلَنَا قَالَ ‏"‏ الْمُلْكُ فِي صِغَارِكُمْ وَالْفَاحِشَةُ فِي كِبَارِكُمْ وَالْعِلْمُ فِي رُذَالَتِكُمْ ‏"‏ ‏.‏ قَالَ زَيْدٌ تَفْسِيرُ مَعْنَى قَوْلِ النَّبِيِّ ـ صلى الله عليه وسلم ـ ‏"‏ وَالْعِلْمُ فِي رُذَالَتِكُمْ ‏"‏ ‏.‏ إِذَا كَانَ الْعِلْمُ فِي الْفُسَّاقِ ‏.‏