قَالَ إِسْحَاقُ : أَخْبَرَنَا الْمُعْتَمِرُ بْنُ سُلَيْمَانَ ، أَنَا أَبِي ، أَنَا أَبُو نَضْرَةَ ، عَنْ أَبِي سَعِيدٍ مَوْلَى أَبِي أُسَيْدٍ الْأَنْصَارِيِّ رَضِيَ اللهُ عَنْهُ قَالَ : سَمِعَ عُثْمَانُ بْنُ عَفَّانَ رَضِيَ اللهُ عَنْهُ أَنَّ وَفْدَ أَهْلِ مِصْرَ قَدْ أَقْبَلُوا ، فَاسْتَقْبَلَهُمْ ، وَكَانَ رَضِيَ اللهُ عَنْهُ فِي قَرْيَةٍ خَارِجًا مِنَ الْمَدِينَةِ - أَوْ كَمَا قَالَ - : فَلَمَّا سَمِعُوا بِهِ ، أَقْبَلُوا نَحْوَهُ إِلَى الْمَكَانِ الَّذِي هُوَ فِيهِ ، قَالُوا : كَرِهَ أَنْ يَقْدَمُوا عَلَيْهِ الْمَدِينَةَ أَوْ نَحْوَ ذَلِكَ ، فَأَتَوْهُ فَقَالُوا لَهُ : ادْعُ بِالْمُصْحَفِ ، قَالَ : فَدَعَا بِالْمُصْحَفِ ، فَقَالُوا لَهُ : افْتَحِ السَّابِعَةَ ، وَكَانُوا يُسَمُّونَ سُورَةَ يُونُسَ السَّابِعَةَ ، فَقَرَأَ حَتَّى أَتَى هَذِهِ الْآيَةَ : قُلْ أَرَأَيْتُمْ مَا أَنْـزَلَ اللهُ لَكُمْ مِنْ رِزْقٍ فَجَعَلْتُمْ مِنْهُ حَرَامًا وَحَلالا قُلْ آللهُ أَذِنَ لَكُمْ أَمْ عَلَى اللهِ تَفْتَرُونَ ، فَقَالُوا لَهُ : قِفْ ، أَرَأَيْتَ مَا حُمِيَ مِنْ حِمَى اللهِ تَعَالَى ، آللهُ أَذِنَ لَكَ أَمْ عَلَى اللهِ تَفْتَرِي ؟ فَقَالَ : أَمْضِهِ ، نَزَلَتْ فِي كَذَا وَكَذَا ، وَأَمَّا الْحِمَى ، فَإِنَّ عُمَرَ رَضِيَ اللهُ عَنْهُ حَمَى الْحِمَى قَبْلِي لِإِبِلِ الصَّدَقَةِ ، فَلَمَّا وُلِّيتُ حَمَيْتُ لِإِبِلِ الصَّدَقَةِ ، أَمْضِهِ ، فَجَعَلُوا يَأْخُذُونَهُ بِالْآيَةِ ، فَيَقُولُ : أَمْضِهِ نَزَلَتْ فِي كَذَا وَكَذَا ، قَالَ : وَكَانَ الَّذِي يَلِي عُثْمَانُ رَضِيَ اللهُ عَنْهُ فِي سِنِّكَ ، قَالَ : يَقُولُ أَبُو نَضْرَةَ ذَلِكَ لِي أَبُو سَعِيدٍ وَأَنَا فِي سِنِّكَ ، قَالَ أَبِي : وَلَمْ يَخْرُجْ وَجْهِي يَوْمَئِذٍ ، لَا أَدْرِي لَعَلَّهُ قَالَ مَرَّةً أُخْرَى : وَأَنَا يَوْمَئِذٍ ابْنُ ثَلَاثِينَ سَنَةً .
قَالَ : ثُمَّ أَخَذُوهُ بِأَشْيَاءَ لَمْ يَكُنْ عِنْدَهُ مِنْهَا مَخْرَجٌ ، فَعَرَفَهَا ، فَقَالَ : أَسْتَغْفِرُ اللهَ وَأَتُوبُ إِلَيْهِ ، ثُمَّ قَالَ لَهُمْ : مَا تُرِيدُونَ ؟ قَالُوا : فَأَخَذُوا مِيثَاقَهُ وَكَتَبَ عَلَيْهِمْ شَرْطًا ، ثُمَّ أَخَذَ عَلَيْهِمْ أَنْ لَا يَشُقُّوا عَصًا ، وَلَا يُفَارِقُوا جَمَاعَةً ، مَا قَامَ لَهُمْ بِشَرْطِهِمْ ، أَوْ كَمَا أَخَذُوا عَلَيْهِ - فَقَالَ لَهُمْ : مَا تُرِيدُونَ ؟ قَالُوا : نُرِيدُ أَنْ لَا يَأْخُذَ أَهْلُ الْمَدِينَةِ عَطَاءً ، فَإِنَّمَا هَذَا الْمَالُ لِمَنْ قَاتَلَ عَلَيْهِ ، وَلِهَذِهِ الشُّيُوخِ مِنْ أَصْحَابِ مُحَمَّدٍ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ ، فَرَضُوا ، وَأَقْبَلُوا مَعَهُ إِلَى الْمَدِينَةِ رَاضِينَ .
قَالَ فَقَامَ رَضِيَ اللهُ عَنْهُ فَخَطَبَهُمْ ، فَقَالَ : إِنِّي وَاللهِ مَا رَأَيْتُ وَفْدًا فِي الْأَرْضِ هُوَ خَيْرٌ مِنْ هَذَا الْوَفْدِ الَّذِي مِنْ أَهْلِ مِصْرَ ، أَلَا مَنْ كَانَ لَهُ زَرْعٌ فَلْيَلْحَقْ بِزَرْعِهِ ، وَمَنْ كَانَ لَهُ ضَرْعٌ فَيَحْتَلِبْ ، أَلَا إِنَّهُ لَا مَالَ لَكُمْ عِنْدَنَا ، قَالَ : فَغَضِبَ النَّاسُ وَقَالُوا : هَذَا مَكْرُ بَنِي أُمَيَّةَ .
ثُمَّ رَجَعَ الْوَفْدُ الْمِصْرِيُّونَ رَاضِينَ ، فَبَيْنَمَا هُمْ فِي الطَّرِيقِ إِذَا هُمْ بِرَاكِبٍ يَتَعَرَّضُ لَهُمْ وَيُفَارِقُهُمْ ، ثُمَّ يَرْجِعُ إِلَيْهِمْ ، ثُمَّ يُفَارِقُهُمْ وَيَسُبُّهُمْ ، قَالُوا لَهُ : مَا لَكَ ؟ إِنَّ لَكَ لَأَمْرًا ، مَا شَأْنُكَ ؟ فَقَالَ : أَنَا رَسُولُ أَمِيرِ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ إِلَى عَامِلِهِ بِمِصْرَ ، فَفَتَّشُوهُ فَإِذَا هُمْ بِالْكِتَابِ مَعَهُ عَلَى لِسَانِ عُثْمَانَ رَضِيَ اللهُ عَنْهُ ، عَلَيْهِ خَاتَمُهُ إِلَى عَامِلِهِ بِمِصْرَ أَنْ يَقْتُلَهُمْ أَوْ يَصْلُبَهُمْ ، أَوْ يَقْطَعَ أَيْدِيَهُمْ وَأَرْجُلَهُمْ مِنْ خِلَافٍ ، فَأَقْبَلُوا حَتَّى قَدِمُوا الْمَدِينَةَ ، فَأَتَوْا عَلِيًّا رَضِيَ اللهُ عَنْهُ ، فَقَالُوا : أَلَمْ تَرَ إِلَى عَدُوِّ اللهِ يَكْتُبُ فِينَا كَذَا وَكَذَا ، وَإِنَّ اللهَ قَدْ أَحَلَّ دَمَهُ ، قُمْ مَعَنَا إِلَيْهِ ، قَالَ : وَاللهِ لَا أَقُومُ مَعَكُمْ إِلَيْهِ ، قَالُوا : فَلِمَ كَتَبْتَ إِلَيْنَا ؟ قَالَ : وَاللهِ مَا كَتَبْتُ إِلَيْكُمْ كِتَابًا قَطُّ ، قَالَ : فَنَظَرَ بَعْضُهُمْ إِلَى بَعْضٍ . فَقَالُوا : لِهَذَا تُقَاتِلُونَ أَمْ لِهَذَا تَغْضَبُونَ ؟ فَانْطَلَقَ عَلِيٌّ رَضِيَ اللهُ عَنْهُ يَخْرُجُ مِنَ الْمَدِينَةِ إِلَى قَرْيَةٍ .
فَانْطَلَقُوا حَتَّى دَخَلُوا عَلَى عُثْمَانَ رَضِيَ اللهُ عَنْهُ ، فَقَالُوا لَهُ : كَتَبْتَ فِينَا كَذَا وَكَذَا ، وَإِنَّ اللهَ قَدْ أَحَلَّ دَمَكَ ، فَقَالَ رَضِيَ اللهُ عَنْهُ : إِنَّهُمَا اثْنَتَانِ : أَنْ تُقِيمُوا عَلَيَّ رَجُلَيْنِ مِنَ الْمُسْلِمِينَ ، أَوْ يَمِينِي بِاللهِ الَّذِي لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا هُوَ مَا كَتَبْتُ ، وَلَا أَمْلَيْتُ وَلَا عَلِمْتُ ، وَقَدْ تَعْلَمُونَ أَنَّ الْكِتَابَ يُكْتَبُ عَلَى كِتَابِ الرَّجُلِ ، وَقَدْ يُنْقَشُ الْخَاتَمُ عَلَى الْخَاتَمِ ، قَالُوا : فَوَاللهِ لَقَدْ أَحَلَّ اللهُ دَمَكَ بِنَقْضِ الْعَهْدِ وَالْمِيثَاقِ .
قَالَ : فَحَاصَرُوهُ رَضِيَ اللهُ عَنْهُ ، فَأَشْرَفَ عَلَيْهِمْ ، وَهُوَ مَحْصُورٌ ذَاتَ يَوْمٍ ، فَقَالَ : السَّلَامُ عَلَيْكُمْ . قَالَ أَبُو سَعِيدٍ رَضِيَ اللهُ عَنْهُ : فَوَاللهِ مَا أَسْمَعُ أَحَدًا مِنَ النَّاسِ رَدَّ عَلَيْهِ السَّلَامَ ، إِلَّا أَنْ يَرُدَّ الرَّجُلُ فِي نَفْسِهِ ، فَقَالَ : أَنْشُدُكُمْ بِاللهِ الَّذِي لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا هُوَ هَلْ عَلِمْتُمْ ؟ قَالَ : فَذَكَرَ شَيْئًا فِي شَأْنِهِ ، وَذَكَرَ أَيْضًا أُرَى كِتَابَتَهُ الْمُفَصَّلَ فَفَشَا النَّهْيُ ، فَجَعَلَ يَقُولُ النَّاسُ : مَهْلًا عَنْ أَمِيرِ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ ، فَفَشَا النَّهْيُ فَقَامَ الْأَشْتَرُ ، فَقَالَ : فَلَا أَدْرِي ، أَيَوْمُئِذٍ أَمْ يَوْمٌ آخَرُ ، قَالَ : فَلَعَلَّهُ قَدْ مُكِرَ بِهِ وَبِكُمْ ، قَالَ : فَوَطِئَهُ النَّاسُ حَتَّى لَقِيَ كَذَا وَكَذَا ، ثُمَّ إِنَّهُ رَضِيَ اللهُ عَنْهُ أَشْرَفَ عَلَيْهِمْ مَرَّةً أُخْرَى ، فَوَعَظَهُمْ وَذَكَّرَهُمْ ، فَلَمْ تَأْخُذْ فِيهِمُ الْمَوْعِظَةُ ، وَكَانَ النَّاسُ تَأْخُذُ فِيهِمُ الْمَوْعِظَةُ أَوَّلَ مَا يَسْمَعُونَ بِهَا ، فَإِذَا أُعِيدَتْ عَلَيْهِمْ لَمْ تَأْخُذْ فِيهِمْ ، قَالَ : ثُمَّ إِنَّهُ رَضِيَ اللهُ عَنْهُ فَتَحَ الْبَابَ وَوَضَعَ الْمُصْحَفَ بَيْنَ يَدَيْهِ ، وَذَلِكَ أَنَّهُ رَأَى النَّبِيَّ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ ، فَقَالَ لَهُ : يَا عُثْمَانُ ، أَفْطِرْ عِنْدَنَا اللَّيْلَةَ .
قَالَ أَبِي : فَحَدَّثَنِي الْحَسَنُ أَنَّ مُحَمَّدَ بْنَ أَبِي بَكْرٍ رَضِيَ اللهُ عَنْهُ دَخَلَ عَلَيْهِ ، فَأَخَذَ بِلِحْيَتِهِ ، فَقَالَ رَضِيَ اللهُ عَنْهُ : لَقَدْ أَخَذْتَ مِنِّي مَأْخَذًا ، أَوْ قَعَدْتَ مِنِّي مَقْعَدًا - مَا كَانَ أَبُوكَ لِيَقْعُدَهُ - أَوْ قَالَ : لِيَأْخُذَهُ - فَخَرَجَ وَتَرَكَهُ ، وَدَخَلَ عَلَيْهِ رَضِيَ اللهُ عَنْهُ رَجُلٌ يُقَالُ لَهُ : الْمَوْتُ الْأَسْوَدُ ، فَخَنَقَهُ ، ثُمَّ خَنَقَهُ ، ثُمَّ خَرَجَ ، فَقَالَ : وَاللهِ لَقَدْ خَنَقْتُهُ ، فَمَا رَأَيْتُ شَيْئًا قَطُّ أَلْيَنَ مِنْ حَلْقِهِ ، حَتَّى رَأَيْتُ نَفَسَهُ يَتَرَدَّدُ فِي جَسَدِهِ كَنَفَسِ الْجَانِّ ، قَالَ : فَخَرَجَ وَتَرَكَهُ .
قَالَ : وَفِي حَدِيثِ أَبِي سَعِيدٍ رَضِيَ اللهُ عَنْهُ : وَدَخَلَ عَلَيْهِ رَجُلٌ ، فَقَالَ : بَيْنِي وَبَيْنَكَ كِتَابُ اللهِ ، فَخَرَجَ وَتَرَكَهُ ، ثُمَّ دَخَلَ عَلَيْهِ آخَرُ ، فَقَالَ : بَيْنِي وَبَيْنَكَ كِتَابُ اللهِ تَعَالَى ، وَالْمُصْحَفُ بَيْنَ يَدَيْهِ ، فَأَهْوَى بِالسَّيْفِ ، فَاتَّقَاهُ عُثْمَانُ رَضِيَ اللهُ عَنْهُ بِيَدِهِ فَقَطَعَهَا ، فَمَا أَدْرِي أَبَانَهَا ، أَمْ قَطَعَهَا ، وَلَمْ يُبِنْهَا ، قَالَ عُثْمَانُ رَضِيَ اللهُ عَنْهُ : أَمَا وَاللهِ إِنَّهَا لَأَوَّلُ كَفٍّ خَطَّتِ الْمُفَصَّلَ .
قَالَ : وَقَالَ فِي غَيْرِ حَدِيثِ أَبِي سَعِيدٍ رَضِيَ اللهُ عَنْهُ : فَدَخَلَ عَلَيْهِ التُّجِيبِيُّ ، فَأَشْعَرَهُ مِشْقَصًا ، فَانْتَضَحَ الدَّمُ عَلَى هَذِهِ الْآيَةِ : فَسَيَكْفِيكَهُمُ اللهُ وَهُوَ السَّمِيعُ الْعَلِيمُ قَالَ : فَإِنَّهَا فِي الْمُصْحَفِ مَا حُكَّتْ بَعْدُ ، قَالَ : وَأَخَذَتْ بِنْتُ الْفُرَافِصَةِ رَضِيَ اللهُ عَنْهَا حُلِيَّهَا فِي حَدِيثِ أَبِي سَعِيدٍ رَضِيَ اللهُ عَنْهُ ، فَوَضَعَتْهُ فِي حَجْرِهَا ، وَذَلِكَ قَبْلَ أَنْ يُقْتَلَ رَضِيَ اللهُ عَنْهُ ، فَلَمَّا أُشْعِرَ - أَوْ قُتِلَ - تَفَاجَّتْ عَلَيْهِ ، فَقَالَ بَعْضُهُمْ : قَاتَلَهَا اللهُ مَا أَعْظَمَ عَجِيزَتَهَا ! فَقَالَ أَبُو سَعِيدٍ رَضِيَ اللهُ عَنْهُ : فَعَلِمْتُ أَنَّ أَعْدَاءَ اللهِ لَمْ يُرِيدُوا إِلَّا الدُّنْيَا .
قُلْتُ : رِجَالُهُ ثِقَاتٌ ، سَمِعَ بَعْضُهُمْ مِنْ بَعْضٍ .
It is narrated from Abu Sa'id (may Allah have mercy on him), the freed slave of Sayyiduna Abu Usayd al-Ansari (may Allah be pleased with him), that the Commander of the Believers, Sayyiduna Uthman bin Affan (may Allah be pleased with him), received news that a delegation of the people of Egypt was coming, so he went out of Madinah to a village to receive them. When the delegation heard of his coming, they came to the very place where he was staying; people thought that he disliked their coming into Madinah. They asked him to bring the Qur'an; he sent for the mushaf, and they said: "Open the seventh surah (which they called Surah Yunus)." He began reciting until he reached this verse: "Say: Have you considered what Allah has sent down for you of provision, and you have made some of it unlawful and some lawful? Say: Has Allah permitted you, or do you invent lies against Allah?" [Surah Yunus: 59]. They said: "Stop! Tell us: the state pastures (hima) that have been reserved, has Allah permitted this, or are you inventing lies against Allah?" He said: "Proceed further; this verse was revealed about such-and-such a matter. As for the pastures, Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) reserved pastures before me for the camels of charity (sadaqah), and when I became caliph I too reserved a pasture for the camels of charity. Proceed further." They kept taking him to task with various verses, and he would say: "Go on; this verse was revealed in such-and-such a context." The narrator says that at that time a young man was sitting with Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him) who was of (Abu Nadrah's) age. Abu Nadrah says that Abu Sa'id said this to me when I was of your age. (Mu'tamir says:) My father said: My face had not yet grown (a beard) at that time; and I do not know, perhaps he said on another occasion: And I was thirty years old that day. Then they took him to task over matters for which he had no answer, so he acknowledged those mistakes and said: 'Astaghfirullaha wa atubu ilayh' (I seek forgiveness from Allah and repent to Him). Then he asked them: "What do you want?" They took a covenant and pledge from him, and he wrote a condition upon them that as long as he kept fulfilling their demands, they would neither rebel nor separate from the Jama'ah. They demanded: "The people of Madinah should not receive stipends from the public treasury, for this wealth belongs to those who fought for it and is the right of these elderly Companions of Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him)." They were satisfied with this and happily returned with him to Madinah. Then Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him) delivered a sermon and said: "By Allah! I have not seen on the face of the earth a delegation better than this delegation of the people of Egypt. Beware! Whoever has crops, let him attend to his crops, and whoever has livestock, let him milk them. Remember! We now have no wealth (stipend) for you." At this the people became angry and said: "This is a scheme of Banu Umayyah." Then the delegation of Egypt set off back, satisfied. On the way they met a rider who kept coming in front of them, sometimes disappearing and sometimes reviling them. They asked him: "What is the matter with you? There seems to be something particular; what is your affair?" He said: "I am the messenger of the Commander of the Believers, going to the governor of Egypt." They searched him and a letter was found bearing the seal of Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him), in which the governor was ordered: "Kill these people, or crucify them, or cut off their hands and feet from opposite sides." Seeing this, they went back to Madinah, went to Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) and said: "Have you not seen this enemy of Allah who wrote such a thing about us? Allah has made his blood lawful; come with us to him." Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) said: "By Allah! I will not go with you." They said: "Then why did you write to us?" He said: "By Allah! I never wrote you any letter." They looked at one another in astonishment and said: "Is it for this that you are fighting, or for this that you are angry?" Then Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) left Madinah for a village. They went to Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him) and said: "You wrote such a thing about us, and Allah has made your blood lawful." He said: "There are only two ways: either you produce two Muslim witnesses against me, or else I swear by Allah, besides whom there is no god worthy of worship, that I neither wrote this letter, nor dictated it, nor had any knowledge of it. You know that a letter can be written in imitation of a man's handwriting, and a seal can be engraved like another seal." They said: "By Allah! By breaking the covenant you have made your blood lawful." So they besieged him. One day during the siege he looked down from above and greeted them: 'Assalamu alaykum' (Peace be upon you). Abu Sa'id (may Allah have mercy on him) says: By Allah! I did not hear anyone return his greeting, except that someone may have answered within himself. He said: "I adjure you by Allah, besides whom there is no god worthy of worship: do you know?" Then he mentioned his virtues and other matters, and also mentioned the writing of the Qur'an which had been set out in detail. Then talk spread among the people of restraining these rebels, and people began to say: "Do not be hasty in the matter of the Commander of the Believers." When these calls to hold back became widespread, al-Ashtar stood up (the narrator says: I do not know whether this was on that day or on another day) and said: "Perhaps a scheme has been played against you and against him." The narrator says that then the people trampled him. After that Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him) again looked down from the upper room and admonished and exhorted them, but it had no effect on them; for at first they would be affected on hearing the admonition, but through repeated reiteration its effect had worn off. He opened the door of the house and placed the Qur'an before him, because he had seen the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) in a dream saying: "O Uthman! Break your fast with us tonight." The narrator says: Al-Hasan told me that Muhammad bin Abi Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) came in to him and seized his beard. Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him) said: "The way you have seized me, or the place where you are sitting, your father would never have sat there." On hearing this he left. Then a man entered who was called "al-Mawt al-Aswad" (the Black Death); he throttled him, then throttled him again, and coming out he said: "By Allah! I throttled him, and I have never seen anything softer than his throat, until I saw his soul writhing in his body like a jinn." Then he left him and went away. In the hadith of Abu Sa'id (may Allah have mercy on him) it is stated that another man entered and said: "The Book of Allah will judge between me and you," and he too left him and went away. Then yet another man came and said the same thing: "Between me and you is the Book of Allah," while the mushaf was placed before him. He attacked with his sword, and Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him) protected himself with his hand, and his hand was cut; I do not know whether the hand was severed or merely cut. Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him) said: "By Allah! This is the first hand that wrote the Mufassal surahs." In narrations other than that of Abu Sa'id (may Allah have mercy on him) it is stated that a man named al-Tujibi entered and wounded him with a short spear (mishqas), and drops of blood fell upon this verse: "So Allah will suffice you against them, and He is the All-Hearing, the All-Knowing." [Surah al-Baqarah: 137]. The narrator says that the trace of that blood has not been erased from the mushaf to this day. In the hadith of Abu Sa'id (may Allah have mercy on him) it is stated that Sayyidah Bint al-Furafisah (may Allah be pleased with her) took her jewellery and placed it in her lap; this was before the martyrdom of Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him). When he was wounded or martyred, she threw herself over him, and someone said (shamelessly): "May Allah destroy her, how large her hips are!" Abu Sa'id (may Allah have mercy on him) says: Then I realised that the aim of these enemies of Allah was nothing but the world.
I (Ibn Hajar) say: All the narrators of this narration are thiqat (trustworthy), and their hearing from one another is established.