Question Summary:
“A time is certainly coming upon mankind when one who does not have the ‘yellow’ (gold) or the ‘white’ (silver) will not be able to meet his/her daily expenses”. Authenticity?

Question Detail:

  I few days back I came across the following quoted Hadis in a contemporary affairs related book:

 Our beloved Prophet Muhammed (saw) was quoted by Abu Bakr ibn abi Maryam (may Allah Almighty be pleased with him) narrated that the Prophet (pbuh) said
 "A time is certainly coming upon mankind when one who does not have the 'yellow' (gold) or the 'white' (silver) will not be able to meet his/her daily expenses". (from "The Big Book of Prophetic Traditions" by Tabarani).

Could you please tel me about the authenticity of this text ..?? I sit really a hadis .??

Answer :

In the name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful
Assalaamu `alaykum waRahmatullahi Wabarakatoh
The Arabic wording of the narration you quoted is as follows,
 
عن النبي صلى الله عليه و سلم قال : يأتي على الناس زمان من لم يكن معه أصفر وأبيض لم يتهن بالعيش
“A time will come on people when the one who does not possess the ‘yellow’ (gold) or the ‘white’  (silver) will not have an easy life.” 
(Note the difference of translations)
This narration is reported in the following works:
1.      Musnad Ahmad (4/133, Muassassah Qurtuba, Cairo)
2.      Al Mujam al Kabeer of Imam Tabrani (20/278, Maktaba al uloom wal hikam)
3.      Al Mujam al awsat (1/618, Dar al Haramain)
4.      Al Mujam as Sagheer (1/27, Dar Ammaan, Beirut)
5.      Musnad As Shamiyyeen (2/343, Muassassah ar Risalah)
However, due to the narrator Abu Bakr bin Abi Maryam, Scholars of Hadith have graded this narration as weak. (Ta’leeq Shuaib al Arnaoot ala Musnad 4/133, Mu’assasah Qurtuba)
 
مجمع الزوائد - (ج 4 / ص 111 دار الفكر، بيروت)
 ومدار طرقه كلها على أبي بكر بن أبي مريم وقد اختلط
 
مسند أحمد بن حنبل - (ج 4 / ص 133 مؤسسة قرطبة - القاهرة)
تعليق شعيب الأرنؤوط : إسناده ضعيف لضعف أبي بكر بن أبي مريم
And Allah knows best
Wassalam
Ml. Ismail Moosa,
Student Darul Iftaa
Checked and Approved by:
Mufti Ebrahim Desai
Darul Iftaa, Madrassah In'aamiyyah