The Peak of Eloquence · Hadith 398 (#Passage #2)

بَعَثَهُ وَالنَّاسُ ضُلاَّلٌ فِي حَيْرَة، وَحَاطِبُونَ فِي فِتْنَة، قَدِ اسْتَهْوَتْهُمُ الاْهْوَاءُ، وَاسْتَزَلَّتْهُمُ الْكِبْرِيَاءُ، وَاسْتَخَفَّتْهُمُ الْجَاهِلِيِّةُ الْجَهْلاَءُ: حَيَارَى فِي زَلْزَال مَنَ الاْمْرِ، وَبَلاَء مِنَ الْجَهْلِ، فَبَالَغَ (صلى الله عليه وآله) فِي النَّصِيحَةِ، وَمَضَى عَلَى الطَّرِيقَةِ، وَدَعَا إِلَى الْحِكْمَةِ وَالْمَوْعِظَةِ.

Allāh sent the Prophet at a time when the people were going astray in perplexity and were moving here and there in mischief. Desires had deflected them and self-conceit had swerved them. Extreme ignorance had made them foolish. They were confounded by the unsteadiness of matters and the evils of ignorance. Then the Prophet — blessing of Allāh be upon him and his descendants — did his best in giving them sincere advice, himself trod on the right path and called (them) towards wisdom and good counsel.

Gradings are classical jarḥ-wa-taʿdīl, name-matched to a rijāl index (not individually re-verified).