Musannaf Ibn Abi Shaybah

Hazrat Qasama bin Zuhair narrates that when the matter of Hazrat Abu Bakrah and Hazrat Mughirah bin Shu’bah occurred, it happened in this way: Hazrat Abu Bakrah said, “Stay away from our prayers; indeed, we will not pray behind you.” So Hazrat Mughirah wrote a letter about them to Hazrat Umar. Hazrat Umar wrote a reply to Hazrat Mughirah: “After praise and salutations, indeed, one of your matters has reached me. So if it is true against you, then surely it would have been better for you to have died before today.” Then he wrote a letter to them and the witnesses that they should all come to him. So when all of them reached Hazrat Umar, he called the witnesses, and they gave testimony. Thus, Hazrat Abu Bakrah, Hazrat Shibl bin Ma’bad, and Abu Abdullah Nafi’ gave testimony. The narrator says: When these three had testified, Hazrat Umar said, “Mughirah is destroyed! Let the fourth man come!” And this situation was very hard on Hazrat Umar. So when Ziyad stood up, he said, “He will never testify, insha’Allah, except with the truth.” Then he testified and said, “As far as adultery is concerned, I do not testify to that, but indeed I saw an obscene matter.” Upon this, Hazrat Umar said, “Allahu Akbar! Flog these three.” So he had them flogged. When Hazrat Abu Bakrah stood up and said, “I testify that indeed he is an adulterer!” Hazrat Umar was about to have the punishment carried out on him again. Upon this, Hazrat Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) said, “If you flog him, then stone your companion as well!” So Hazrat Umar let him go, and after that, he was not flogged twice for one accusation.