Majma al-Zawaid — Hadith 12000

Abu Sa'id, the freed slave of Sayyiduna Abu Usayd (may Allah be pleased with him), narrates: "News reached Sayyiduna Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him) that a delegation of the people of Egypt had come. Sayyiduna Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him) met them in a village outside Madinah; he disliked that the people should come in to him, or however he put it. When those people learned where Sayyiduna Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him) was, they came to Sayyiduna Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him) and said: 'Have the Mushaf brought for us.' Sayyiduna Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him) had it brought. They said: 'Open it.' He began to read it until he reached this passage: 'Say: What is your view about the provision that Allah Almighty has sent down for you, some of which you have made unlawful or lawful (on your own)? Say: Has Allah Almighty given you permission (to do this), or do you attribute a lie to Allah Almighty?' Those people said: 'Have you been given permission by Allah Almighty concerning the pasture, or are you attributing a lie to Allah Almighty?' He said: 'Carry on! This was revealed concerning such-and-such a situation. As for the pasture, Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) designated it as a reserved pasture, set aside for the camels of charity. When I became the ruler, I did the same as he had done, and I added nothing to what he had done.' The narrator says: I think that he said: 'At that time I was so many years old.' The narrator says: Then those people asked Sayyiduna Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him) about certain matters, concerning which he kept saying: 'Carry on with it! This was revealed concerning such-and-such a thing.' Then those people asked Sayyiduna Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him) about certain matters which he recognised and for which he had no answer, so he said: 'I seek forgiveness from Allah Almighty.' Then he said: 'What do you want?' They said: 'We want the people of Madinah not to receive the state stipends, for this wealth should go to the one who took part in the fighting, and to these elders among the Companions of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him).' The narrator says: Sayyiduna Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him) agreed to this, and they too agreed to it. The narrator says: They took a pledge from him on this and took a written document about it, and a pledge was also taken that they would not break the staff (of unity) and would not separate from the community. The narrator says: Sayyiduna Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him) agreed, and they too agreed. The narrator narrates: Then they came with Sayyiduna Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him) to Madinah. Sayyiduna Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him), after praising and glorifying Allah Almighty, said: 'By Allah! I have not seen any delegation better than this delegation. Whoever has crops, let him attend to his crops; whoever has livestock, let him milk them; for we no longer have wealth to give you. This wealth will now go to the one who took part in the fighting, and to the elders among the Companions of Sayyiduna Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him).' The narrator says: The people became angry and said: 'This is a trick coming from Banu Umayyah.' The members of the delegation went back satisfied. When they reached a certain point on the road, a rider appeared in front of them; then the rider left them, then came back to them and began to revile them. They seized him and asked: 'What is your business? You seem to have some particular business.' He said: 'I am the messenger of the Commander of the Faithful, going to his governor in Egypt.' They searched him, and he had with him a letter from Sayyiduna Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him), bearing his seal, stating that these people should be crucified, or their necks struck, or their hands and feet cut off. The narrator says: They came back and said: 'He has broken the covenant, so Allah Almighty has made his blood lawful.' They came to Madinah; they went to Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) and said: 'Have you not seen the enemy of Allah? He has had such-and-such written about us. Rise and come with us to him.' Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) said: 'By Allah! I will not rise and go with you.' They said: 'Then why did he write to us?' Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) said: 'By Allah! He has never written any letter to you.' Then they began to look at one another, and one of them said: 'Is it for his sake that you want to fight? Is it for his sake that you are angry?' Then Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) left and stayed in a village outside Madinah. They went to Sayyiduna Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him) and said: 'Have you written such-and-such a letter about us?' Sayyiduna Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him) said: 'There are two options: either you produce two witnesses, or I swear an oath by the name of Allah that I neither wrote it, nor dictated it, nor had any knowledge of it. And you know that a person can write anything on behalf of another, and a copy of a ring's engraving can also be made.' The narrator narrates: Then they besieged Sayyiduna Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him). One day Sayyiduna Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him) looked down at them and said: 'Peace be upon you!' The narrator says: I did not hear anyone return his greeting, though if someone replied in his heart, that is another matter. Sayyiduna Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him) said: 'I ask you by Allah: do you know that I bought the well of Rumah with my own wealth so that sweet water could be obtained from it, and I made my bucket in that well like the bucket of any one of the Muslims?' He was answered: 'Yes!' Sayyiduna Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him) said: 'Then why are you preventing me from drinking the water of that very well? I have had to break my fast with brackish water.' Then Sayyiduna Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him) said: 'I ask you by Allah: do you know that I extended the mosque in return for such-and-such an amount from my own wealth?' The people replied: 'Yes!' Sayyiduna Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him) said: 'Do you know of anyone before me who was prevented from praying in this mosque?' Then he mentioned some other matters which the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) had said to him. The narrator says: I think he mentioned that he had written the Mufassal surahs with his own hand. The narrator says: Then the news spread, and it was said: 'Hold back from the Commander of the Faithful!'" (Allamah al-Haythami says:) I say: Al-Tirmidhi recorded part of this narration.
Al-Bazzar recorded it, and its narrators are the narrators of the Sahih, except Abu Sa'id, the freed slave of Sayyiduna Abu Usayd (may Allah be pleased with him), and he is thiqah (trustworthy).