Sunan Abu Dawud 3573
The Office of the Judge (Kitab Al-Aqdiyah)
حَدَّثَنَا مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ حَسَّانَ السَّمْتِيُّ، حَدَّثَنَا خَلَفُ بْنُ خَلِيفَةَ، عَنْ أَبِي هَاشِمٍ، عَنِ ابْنِ بُرَيْدَةَ، عَنْ أَبِيهِ، عَنِ النَّبِيِّ صلى الله عليه وسلم قَالَ " الْقُضَاةُ ثَلاَثَةٌ وَاحِدٌ فِي الْجَنَّةِ وَاثْنَانِ فِي النَّارِ فَأَمَّا الَّذِي فِي الْجَنَّةِ فَرَجُلٌ عَرَفَ الْحَقَّ فَقَضَى بِهِ وَرَجُلٌ عَرَفَ الْحَقَّ فَجَارَ فِي الْحُكْمِ فَهُوَ فِي النَّارِ وَرَجُلٌ قَضَى لِلنَّاسِ عَلَى جَهْلٍ فَهُوَ فِي النَّارِ " . قَالَ أَبُو دَاوُدَ وَهَذَا أَصَحُّ شَىْءٍ فِيهِ يَعْنِي حَدِيثَ ابْنِ بُرَيْدَةَ " الْقُضَاةُ ثَلاَثَةٌ " .
Narrated Buraydah ibn al-Hasib: The Prophet (ﷺ) said: Judges are of three types, one of whom will go to Paradise and two to Hell. The one who will go to Paradise is a man who knows what is right and gives judgment accordingly; but a man who knows what is right and acts tyrannically in his judgment will go to Hell; and a man who gives judgment for people when he is ignorant will go to Hell. Abu Dawud said: On this subject this is the soundest tradition, that is, the tradition of Ibn Buraidah: Judges are of three types
Grading: Al-Albani: Sahih · Muhammad Muhyi Al-Din Abdul Hamid: Sahih · Zubair Ali Zai: Daif
Text from the public-domain hadith-api dataset. Numbering follows that dataset and can differ by a few from some printed editions — check the wording, not only the number.