Musannaf Ibn Abi Shaybah

It is narrated from Hazrat Mughira that Hazrat Umar bin Abdul Aziz had some storytellers, and the sign for them to end their gathering was that he would say to them, "Now, whenever you wish."

Hazrat Hisham says that whenever Ibrahim was mentioned in the presence of Muhammad bin Sirin (may Allah have mercy on him), he would say that I saw him as such a young man who was always attached to Hazrat Alqamah. There was whiteness in his eye, and I also saw Shabi in the time of Ibn Ziyad.

A'mash narrates that Mu'adh was a young man, wheat-colored in complexion, with shining teeth, and when he would sit with the companions of the Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), people would see that he held a distinguished position among the elders.

Hazrat Umair bin Sa’d narrates that when Hazrat Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) returned from the Battle of Jamal and began preparations for Siffin, the people of the tribe of Nakha’ gathered and went to Ashtar. He asked, “Is there anyone in this house besides the people of the tribe of Nakha’?” They replied in the negative. He said, “Indeed, this group has killed its best men, and we advanced towards the people of Basra upon whom we had the right of allegiance, so with their breaking of the covenant, we were aided. Surely, soon you will march towards the people of Syria, upon whom you do not have the right of allegiance, so every man should see and carefully consider where he will wield his sword.”

Hazrat Ibn Sirin narrates that it was said to Hazrat Umar to send a message to the youth. He asked, "Who are the youth?" People replied, "The best young men." He said, "I will send a message to the worst of the young men."

A'mash narrates that I saw Abdur Rahman bin Abi Laila (may Allah be pleased with him) whom Hajjaj had made to stand at the door of the mosque after having him flogged. He narrates that then people started saying to him, "Curse the liars." He replied, "May Allah curse the liars." Then after a short while he said, "Ali bin Abi Talib (may Allah be pleased with him), Abdullah bin Zubair, and Mukhtar bin Abi Ubaid." From his silence and then speaking, I understood that he did not mean them.

Ata bin Saib says that I was once sitting with Abu Al-Bakhtari Tai while Hajjaj was delivering a sermon and saying that the example of Hazrat Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him) with Allah is like that of Hazrat Isa bin Maryam. He says that then Hajjaj raised his head and sighed, then said {إنِّی مُتَوَفِّیک وَرَافِعُک إلَیَّ } … { وَجَاعِلُ الَّذِینَ اتَّبَعُوک فَوْقَ الَّذِینَ کَفَرُوا إلَی یَوْمِ الْقِیَامَۃِ } (And I will make those who follow you superior to those who disbelieve until the Day of Resurrection). Ata says that upon this Abu Al-Bakhtari said, "By the Lord of the Ka'bah! He has become a disbeliever."

Kinana narrates that I was leading the mount of Hazrat Safiyyah so that she could go to support Hazrat Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him) and defend him, when suddenly Ashtar came before her and started striking the face of her mule until the mule turned back, and Hazrat Safiyyah also began to say, "Take me back, lest this man disgrace me."

Rabi’ bin Abi Salih narrates that when Sa’id bin Jubair came from Makkah to Kufa so that he could be taken to Hajjaj in Wasit, we, three or four people, came to him and found him sitting on a pile of wood. We sat with him, and one of us began to weep. Sa’id asked him, “What makes you weep?” He replied, “I am weeping over your affliction.” Sa’id said, “Do not weep, for it was already known to Allah that this would happen.” Then he recited: { مَا أَصَابَ مِنْ مُصِیبَۃٍ فِی الأَرْضِ ، وَلاَ فِی أَنْفُسِکُمْ إلاَّ فِی کِتَابٍ مِنْ قَبْلِ أَنْ نَبْرَأَہَا إنَّ ذَلِکَ عَلَی اللہِ یَسِیرٌ} (No calamity befalls on the earth or in yourselves but it is inscribed in the Book (Al-Lawh Al-Mahfuz) before We bring it into existence. Verily, that is easy for Allah.)

Ibad narrates that Mukhtar brought wealth from Madain to Hazrat Ali (may Allah be pleased with him), and Mukhtar’s uncle Sa’d bin Mas’ud was the governor of Madain. The narrator says that he placed the wealth before him, and there was a red cloth over it. He put his hand into it and took out a pouch from it, which contained about fifteen hundred dirhams. He said, “These are the wages of adulterous women.” Hazrat Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) said, “We have no need for the wages of adulterous women.” He narrates that Hazrat Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) then ordered the wealth of Madain to be deposited in the treasury, and when Mukhtar left, he said: “May Allah destroy him; if his chest were to be split open, it would be found filled with the love of Lat and Uzza.”

Hasan narrates from Hazrat Zubair bin Al-Awwam (may Allah be pleased with him) that { وَاتَّقُوا فِتْنَۃً لاَ تُصِیبَنَّ الَّذِینَ ظَلَمُوا مِنْکُمْ خَاصَّۃً } was revealed, and we did not know who would pursue this tribulation. The narrator says that upon this, some people said, "O Abu Abdullah! Then why did you come to Basra?" He replied, "Woe to you, we see very well, but we are not able to be patient."

Qudamah bin Utbah narrates that I saw that Hazrat Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) was delivering a sermon when a man came to him and said, "O Commander of the Faithful! Go to the aid of Bakr bin Wa'il, for Banu Tamim have almost killed them at the place of Kunasa." Hazrat Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) sighed and then turned back to his sermon. Then another person came and said the same thing; you also sighed. Then he came a third or fourth time and repeated the same thing, so you said, "O Shaddad! Now you have dealt truthfully with me. Go to Bakr bin Wa'il and Banu Tamim and cast lots between them."

Abu Wa'il narrates that I received a message from Hajjaj, so I went to him at Ahwaz. He asked me, "How much of the Qur'an have you memorized?" I replied, "I have memorized enough that if I follow it, it will suffice for me." He said, "I want to seek your help in some of my affairs." I said, "If you throw me into this work, I will withdraw, and if you assign another man with me, I will fear having a bad confidant." He says that upon this Hajjaj said, "By Allah, you have spoken the truth. Indeed, bad confidants are a cause of a man's corruption." I said, "I spent the whole night on my bed anxious about this matter, fearing that you might kill me." He said, "Why would I kill you? By Allah, since you have said this, I will tell you: I only kill a man for such a crime that people before me also feared being killed for such a thing."

Hilal Qurashi narrates that I heard Hazrat Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him) saying this to Marwan when Marwan arrived late for Jumu’ah, that you remain lying with so-and-so’s daughter who fans you and gives you cold water to drink, while the children of the Muhajireen burn in the heat. I had intended to do such and such, then he said to the people: Listen to your leader.

Abu Na’ama Amr bin Isa narrates this statement from Hazrat Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her): O Allah! Fulfill Your promise regarding Uthman! And bring “Mudhammam” to retribution! And expose the faults of A’yan! A’yan was a man from Banu Tamim and the father of Farazdaq’s wife.

Abu Nadrah narrates that Rabi’ah spoke to Talhah (may Allah be pleased with him) in the mosque of Banu Salamah, and said: We were facing the enemy when news reached us that you had pledged allegiance at the hand of that person, and now you are fighting against them? He replied: A sword was placed on my neck in a narrow place and I was told, “Pledge allegiance or we will kill you,” so I pledged allegiance knowing that it was a pledge of misguidance. Ibrahim Taimi states that Walid bin Abdul Malik said that a hypocrite from the people of Iraq, Jabalah bin Hakim, said to Hazrat Zubair: “You had pledged allegiance?” Hazrat Zubair replied: A sword was placed on my neck and I was told, “Pledge allegiance or we will kill you,” so I pledged allegiance.

It is narrated from Hazrat Abu Saeed that many people were near the tent of Hazrat Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) when Hazrat Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him) passed by there. I think this incident took place in Mecca. Abu Saeed says that, except for me, all those people cursed Hazrat Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him) and spoke ill of him. Among them was a man from the people of Kufa. Hazrat Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him) showed more boldness towards this Kufan than the others and said, "O people of Kufa! Do you abuse me? Just come to Madinah." He said this in a threatening manner. That man came to Madinah and was told to stay with Talha (may Allah be pleased with him). It is said that Hazrat Talha (may Allah be pleased with him) went with him until they came to Hazrat Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him). Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him) said, "By Allah, I will give you a hundred lashes." Hazrat Talha (may Allah be pleased with him) said, "By Allah, you can only give him a hundred lashes if he is guilty of adultery." He (Uthman) said to him, "I will deprive you of your stipend." Hazrat Talha (may Allah be pleased with him) said, "Allah will provide him with sustenance."

Ahnaf bin Qais (may Allah have mercy on him) says: We came to Madinah and we wanted to go for Hajj. He says: I went to Talha (may Allah be pleased with him) and Zubair (may Allah be pleased with him) and said: Whom do you advise me to stay with and whom do you prefer for me? Because I think that this person, i.e., Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him), will be killed. They said: We advise you to stay with Ali (may Allah be pleased with him). I said: Do you really advise me to stay with him and prefer him for me? They said: Yes! He says: Then I went for Hajj until I reached Makkah. While we were there, the news of the killing of Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him) reached us, and Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) was also there. I met her and asked: Whose allegiance do you command me to give? She said: The allegiance of Ali (may Allah be pleased with him). I said: Do you really command me to give allegiance to him and prefer him for me? She said: Yes! After that, I passed by Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) in Madinah and pledged allegiance to him. Then I went to Basra, thinking that the matter had been settled. During this time, someone came to me and said: Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her), Talha (may Allah be pleased with him), and Zubair (may Allah be pleased with him) have camped at the edge of Khuraibah. I asked: Why have they come? People said: They have come to you to seek your help regarding the blood of Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him), because he was killed unjustly. He says: Upon hearing this, I became so anxious that I had never been so anxious before, and I thought that leaving those people with whom is the Mother of the Believers and the disciples of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) is a very serious matter, and likewise, fighting against the cousin of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) after these people had already commanded me to pledge allegiance to him is a very difficult thing. He says: When I reached them, they said: We have come to you and we want to seek your help regarding the blood of Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him). I said: O Mother of the Believers! I ask you by Allah, did I not ask you whom you command me to pledge allegiance to? You said: To Ali (may Allah be pleased with him). And then I asked you: Do you really command me to pledge allegiance to him and prefer him for me? You said: Yes! She said: That is how it was, but Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) has changed. Then I said: O Zubair! O disciple of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him)! O Talha! I ask you by Allah, did I not ask you whom you command me to pledge allegiance to? You said: To Ali (may Allah be pleased with him). I asked: Do you really command me to pledge allegiance to him and prefer him for me? You said: Yes! They said: Of course, that is how it is, but he has changed. He says: I said: I will not fight with you because with you is the Mother of the Believers and the disciples of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), nor will I fight against the cousin of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) whom you commanded me to pledge allegiance to. Accept one of three things from me! Either open the way of the bridge for me, I will go to the land of the non-Arabs until Allah decides as He wills, or I will go to Makkah and stay there until Allah decides as He wills, or I will separate myself and stay somewhere nearby. They said: We will consult and then send you a message. So they consulted and said: If we open the way of the bridge for him, then whoever wants to leave the army or whoever fails and retreats will go to him, and if we send him to Makkah, then he will keep getting news from the Quraysh of Makkah and will convey your news to them, this is not a correct decision, keep him nearby so that you may have a soft spot for him and also keep an eye on him. So he separated himself at a place called "Jalha" near Basra, and about six thousand men joined him. Then there was a clash, and the first to be killed were Talha and Ka'b bin Masur, who had a copy of the Noble Qur'an with them and were advising both groups until they were martyred between the two groups. And Zubair reached a place called Safwan near Basra, as far from you as Qadisiyyah is. There, a man named Nua'ra from the tribe of Mujashi' met him and asked: O disciple of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him)! Where are you going? Come with me, you are under my guarantee...

Yahya bin Abdullah bin Abi Qatadah narrates that the Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) joked with Abu Qatadah, saying, "I will cut your locks of hair." He replied, "In exchange for them, I will give you a slave." Later, the Prophet said to him, "Take good care of them," so he used to keep them perfumed.

Hazrat Hasan bin Hasan narrates that Abdullah bin Ja'far (may Allah be pleased with him) married off his daughter and advised her in private that when death approaches you or you are faced with any distressing situation in the world, supplicate before Allah with these words: La ilaha illallahu al-Haleemul-Kareem, Subhanallahi Rabbil-'Arshil-'Azim, Alhamdu lillahi Rabbil-'Alameen. Hasan bin Hasan says that when Hajjaj sent for me, I recited these words. When I was presented before him, he said, "I had called you so that I could kill you, but it is extremely difficult for me to kill you among your Ahl al-Bayt. Therefore, if you have any need you wish to fulfill, tell me and I will grant it to you."

Ibn Abi Mulaykah narrates that Ibn Zubair said to Ubaid bin Umair, "Speak to these Syrians so that they may turn back." When Hajjaj heard this, he sent a message to the people, "Raise your voices so that you do not hear what he says." So Ubaid said, "Woe to you! Do not be like those people who said, '__QUR_N__ Do not listen to this Qur'an and make noise in it so that you may prevail __QUR_N__.'"

Hazrat Mughira narrates that Abu Ja'far Muhammad bin Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) said: O Allah! Surely You know that I am not the Imam of these people.

Jarir bin Hazim narrates from a sheikh of Kufa, who said: I saw Ibn Umar (may Allah be pleased with them) during the time of Abdullah bin Zubair, that he entered the mosque and saw weapons displayed. He said: You have begun to honor the world, until he performed istilam (touching or kissing) of the Black Stone.

Hazrat Ibrahim bin Abd A'la narrates that Hajjaj bin Yusuf sent a message to Suwaid bin Ghaflah instructing him not to lead the people in prayer. He says, I replied that your order will be obeyed.

Ibrahim says that during the time of Mukhtar, I received a summons, so I applied oil to my face and took some medicine and did not go to them; thus, they left me alone.

Shu'bi narrates that Hazrat Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) sent a message to Hazrat Muawiyah (may Allah be pleased with him) saying: "Those who praise a person who commits deeds that incur Allah Almighty's displeasure are also counted among those who condemn him."

Abu Ishaq says that I heard Hajar bin 'Adi saying: "Alas for my pledge of allegiance! Which I can neither annul nor seek release from, for it has been heard by Allah and the people." By "the people," he meant Hazrat Mughirah (may Allah be pleased with him).

Hazrat Salim bin Abi Al-Ja'd narrates that the noble companions (may Allah be pleased with them) wrote down a fault of Hazrat Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him), after which they began to ask, "Who will take this writing to him?" Hazrat Ammar said, "I will take it." He took it, and when Hazrat Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him) read the writing, he said, "May Allah make your nose dusty." Hazrat Ammar replied to this, "Then may the noses of Abu Bakr and Umar also be so." It is said that upon this Hazrat Uthman stood up, threw him down, and began to trample him with his feet until he became unconscious. At that time, he was wearing a garment of coarse cloth. Then Hazrat Uthman sent Hazrat Zubair and Talha to him, and they said to him, "Choose one of three things: either forgive, or take compensation, or take retaliation." Hazrat Ammar said, "I will not accept any of these until I meet Allah." Abu Bakr says, "I heard Yahya bin Adam say that I mentioned this hadith before Hasan bin Salih, and he said, 'There is no greater accusation against Hazrat Uthman than this act of his.'"

Hammad says: I said to Ibrahim, letters come from Qutaybah in which there are false and untrue things. When I want to inform one of my companions about it, should I do so? He replied: No! Rather, remain silent.

Isra’il narrates that a man said to ‘Uthman bin Abi al-‘As: “You have attained both this world and the Hereafter.” He asked, “How is that?” The man replied, “You have wealth from which you give charity and maintain ties of kinship, while we do not have wealth.” He (‘Uthman) said: “A single dirham that any one of you takes and spends in the right way is better than ten thousand dirhams that one of us takes from abundance but has no right to dispose of.”

It is narrated from Tariq bin Shihab that there was some dispute between Hazrat Khalid bin Walid and Sa’d bin Abi Waqqas. A man spoke ill of Hazrat Khalid in front of Hazrat Sa’d (may Allah be pleased with him), so he said, "Be quiet, our disagreement is not so great that it should reach our religion."

Ubaidullah bin Umar narrates from a student of Salim that when Hazrat Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) forbade people from something, he would gather his family and say: "I have forbidden the people from such-and-such things, and people will look towards you just as a bird looks towards meat. By Allah! If I see any of you doing this, I will give him double the punishment compared to others."

Sabah bin Thabit narrates that my respected father would hear the maidservant speaking ill of the goat, so he would say: "You are speaking ill of the very goat whose milk you drink!"

Salim bin Abdullah narrates that Umar bin Abdul Aziz (may Allah have mercy on him) said to me, "Write and send to me the method of Hazrat Umar (may Allah be pleased with him)." I said, "If you act in the same way as Hazrat Umar did, then you will be considered superior to Hazrat Umar, because neither is your era like the era of Hazrat Umar, nor are the people with you like the companions of Hazrat Umar."

Usman bin Waqid narrates from a transmitter that Ibn Umar (may Allah be pleased with them) was making this supplication in prostration near the Black Stone in the Hatim of the Kaaba: O Allah! I seek Your protection from the tribulations which the Quraysh are causing.

Abu Iyas Muawiyah bin Qurrah narrates that I was staying with Amr bin Nu'man bin Muqarrin. When the month of Ramadan arrived, a man came to him from Mus'ab bin Zubair with dirhams and said, "The Amir sends you greetings and says that we have not deprived any honorable reciter from our side of goodness. Please accept these two thousand dirhams and use them to help with your expenses this month." Hazrat Amr replied, "Convey my greetings to the Amir and tell him that, by Allah! We did not recite the Qur'an with the intention of acquiring worldly gain." Saying this, he returned the dirhams.

Habib bin Abi Thabit narrates that while we were sitting in the Sacred Mosque, Abdullah ibn Umar (may Allah be pleased with them both) was seated in one corner of the mosque, and his sons were sitting to his right and left. Hajjaj bin Yusuf said to the people in his sermon: Beware! Indeed, Abdullah bin Zubair has corrupted the Book of Allah; may Allah corrupt his heart. Upon this, Ibn Umar (may Allah be pleased with them both) said: Beware! Neither is this in your power nor in his power. Hajjaj remained silent for a while at this, so much so that if I say the silence was long, I could say so, and if I say it was not very long, that would also be correct. Then he said: O old man! Be aware! Indeed, Allah Almighty has granted us, you, and every Muslim knowledge; if that knowledge benefits you. The narrator says that at this, Ibn Umar (may Allah be pleased with them both) began to laugh, and said to his companions around him that I left a virtuous thing, that is, I could have said, "You have lied."

Hazrat Kamil bin Habib narrates that Hazrat Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him) had earlobes closer to the sky than other people.

Waleed bin Aizar narrates that Amr bin Aas (may Allah be pleased with him) was in the shade of the Kaaba when he saw Hazrat Hussain bin Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) approaching, so he said: "This person is the most beloved among the people of the earth to the inhabitants of the heavens."

Abdul Wahid bin Ayman narrates that I said to Saeed bin Jubair, "You are going to Hajjaj, so speak carefully. Do not say anything that might make him consider your blood lawful and kill you." He replied, "He will ask me whether I am a disbeliever or a believer. I cannot testify to disbelief about myself, and I have no knowledge whether I will be saved from his evil or not."