(65) باب بَيَانِ أَنَّ الْإِسْلَامَ بَدَأَ غَرِيبًا وَسَيَعُودُ غَرِيبًا وَأَنَّهُ يَأْرِزُ بَيْنَ الْمَسْجِدَيْنِ
It is narrated on the authority of Abu Huraira that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said:
Verily the faith would recede to Medina just as the serpent crawls back into its hole. (RU)
Reference (RU): Sahih Muslim 147 (RU)
In-book reference (RU): Book 1, Hadith 281 (RU)
USC-MSA web (English) reference(deprecated numbering scheme): Book 1, Hadith 272 (RU)