Musannaf Ibn Abi Shaybah

It is narrated from A’mash that we came to Ibn Abu Hudhail, so he said that they said that they martyred Hazrat Uthman. He then came to me again, and we said, “Did you not have any doubt anywhere?”

Sur bin Ibrahim narrates from his father that I heard him say: These are my two feet; if the Word of Allah permitted that they be put in chains, then put shackles on both my feet.

It is narrated from Muhammad that Hazrat Hudhaifa (may Allah be pleased with him) said at the time of the killing of Hazrat Uthman: "O Allah, if the people of Arabia have martyred Hazrat Uthman in a good way, that is, for goodness, guidance, and Your pleasure, then I am free from it and have no part in it. And if the people of Arabia have made a mistake by martyring him, then You already know about my disassociation from it." Then he said, "Take a lesson from what I am telling you. By Allah, if the people of Arabia have done good in his killing, soon they will see its benefit, and if they have made a mistake in it, they will also see its bloody loss."

It is narrated from Humaid bin Hilal that Abu Dharr said to Hazrat Uthman: "If you command me, I will hang myself with the ring of the camel-litter and remain tied to it until I die (meaning, I am ready to obey you in every way)."

It is narrated from Ibn Hanfiyyah who says that Hazrat Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) used to say that if Hazrat Uthman had ordered me to go to that group (the rebels), I would have listened to and obeyed his order.

Hazrat Abu Dharr said that if Hazrat Usman ordered me to walk on my head, I would certainly do so.

It is narrated from Ubaid bin Amr Kharafi that I was also among those who came to Madinah. So this caravan stayed at Dhi Marwah. The people of the caravan sent us to the Companions of Muhammad (peace be upon him and his family) and his pure wives g so that we might ask them whether we should come to Madinah or return, and we were also instructed to ask Hazrat Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) last of all. So we spoke to them and asked about coming or returning. They advised us to come. Then we reached Hazrat Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) and asked him, so he asked, "Did you ask anyone else before me?" We said, "Yes." Hazrat Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) asked, "What did they command?" We said, "They commanded us to come." Hazrat Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) said, "But I do not give you this command. This is a matter whose outcome will soon become apparent."

It is narrated from one of the companions of Ajr’s companions, who narrates from two elders of Banu Tha’labah—one a man and the other a woman—both say: We passed by the place of Rabadhah, where we saw a disheveled man with a white beard and white hair. It was said that he is a companion of the Messenger of Allah. (A delegation came and, seeing the improved condition of Hazrat Abu Dharr, said:) Who has treated this man in this way? Will you set up a banner for us so that people may come to your aid? If you wish, they said: O people! Do not present your distress to me, nor disgrace the rulers, for whoever disgraces the ruler, Allah will disgrace him. By Allah, if Hazrat Uthman wishes to crucify me on the highest mountain or on a piece of wood, I will obey his command and be patient, hoping for reward from Allah, and I will consider it good for myself. If he commands me to walk from one horizon to another, or from east to west, I will surely obey and be patient.

Abu Wa'il says that when Uthman was martyred, Abu Musa said: "Indeed, this tribulation is like a disease that tears open the belly; we do not know where it came from, just like a stomach illness. It has come to you from your place of safety. It will make a patient person like a newborn child of yesterday. You will sever ties of kinship and strike each other with spears."

It is narrated from Zaid bin Ali, may Allah be pleased with him, that Zaid bin Thabit was among those who wept over Hazrat Uthman on the days of his siege.

Hasan narrates that the Ansar came to the service of Hazrat Uthman and said, "O Commander of the Faithful, we have helped Allah twice (stood firm in the way of Allah twice) and also helped His Messenger (peace be upon him). We will help you as well." So he said, "There is no need for that, you may return." Hasan used to say, "By Allah, if the Ansar had intended to stop them (the rebels) even through their weak ones, they would have easily stopped them."

It is narrated from Abu Salih that when Hazrat Uthman was besieged, Hazrat Abdullah bin Salam said: "Do not kill Hazrat Uthman, for very little of his life remains. By Allah, if you kill him, you will never again be able to perform prayer together in unity."

Munzir Thawri narrates that we were sitting with Muhammad ibn al-Hanafiyyah when someone spoke ill of Hazrat Uthman. Muhammad ibn al-Hanafiyyah said, "Wait." So we said, "Your respected father (Hazrat Ali, may Allah be pleased with him) used to speak ill of him." He replied, "He never spoke ill of Hazrat Uthman. If he had spoken ill, he would have done so on the day when I came to him while the collectors of charity had come to him. Hazrat Ali, may Allah be pleased with him, said, 'The best book is the Book of Allah; take it and give it to Hazrat Uthman.' So I took it and presented it to Hazrat Uthman, but he said, 'I have no need of it.' So I returned to Hazrat Ali, may Allah be pleased with him, and informed him of Hazrat Uthman's statement. Hazrat Ali, may Allah be pleased with him, said, 'Put it back in its place.' If Hazrat Ali, may Allah be pleased with him, had criticized or reproached him, he would have done so on that day."

Zuhri said at the place of Rasafah: By Allah, Hazrat Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) showed goodwill towards Hazrat Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him) and adopted obedience. If they (the rebels) had not known about the letter, they would not have returned to Madinah.

It is narrated from Alqamah who says: I said to Mushtahir, "You used to dislike the Day of Dar (the day of the siege of the house of the Prophet), so how did you change your opinion?" He replied, "By Allah, I disliked the Day of Dar, and I brought Umm Habibah bint Abu Sufyan so that I could take her to the house of Uthman and take Uthman out in a litter. But she prevented me from entering and said, 'What do we have to do with Ashtar?' But I saw Talha, Zubair, and some people who pledged allegiance to Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) without any compulsion, and then they broke that pledge. Alqamah says: I said, 'Ibn Zubair was about to say, "Kill me and Malik."' So he replied, 'No, by Allah, I did not remove the sword from Ibn Zubair while I was looking at the soul inside (i.e., I kept seeing the signs of life), because I was angry with them for not giving due respect to the Mother of the Believers, until I took the Mother of the Believers back.' So when I faced them in battle, I did not rely on the strength of my arms alone, but I stood in both stirrups and struck his head with the sword with force, and I saw him being killed. But the one who said, 'Kill me and Malik,' when I met Abdur Rahman bin Atab, I struck him with the sword until both he and I fell from our horses. Then he began to shout, 'Kill me and Malik,' and people were passing by, but they did not know who he meant by Malik, because he did not say Ashtar. If he had said Ashtar, he would have been killed."

It is narrated from Qatadah that Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) took Ashter by the hand and set out until they came to Talhah. Then he said: These people, meaning the people of Egypt, listen to you and obey you, so prevent them from killing Uthman. He replied: The blood which Allah has intended to be shed, I cannot prevent it. So Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) took Ashter by the hand and returned, saying: How great is this assumption of Ibn Hazramiyyah, that my cousin would be killed while he is overpowering me in my own land, as I am witnessing.

It is narrated from Ibn Sirin who says: I do not know that Hazrat Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) was accused of the murder of Hazrat Uthman until after he was given the pledge of allegiance; then people accused him of the murder.

It is narrated from Umairah bin Sa’d that when Talha, Zubair, and their companions came, a man stood up from the middle of the gathering and said, “I am so-and-so, from the tribe of Banu Jusham.” Then he said, “These people (Talha, Zubair, and their companions) have come to you. If they have come out of fear, then they have come from a place where even a bird is safe (meaning Makkah). And if they have come because of the killing of Hazrat Uthman, then he was killed in their presence. My opinion about them is that their animals should be pricked so that they leave from here.”

It is narrated from Abu Uthman that Hazrat Uthman was martyred in the middle of the days of Tashreeq.

It is narrated from Ibn Sirin, he says: When Hazrat Uthman was called a martyr, Adi bin Hatim said that there was no difference of opinion in this matter. Then, on the day of the Battle of Siffin, when his eye was lost, it was said that there was no difference of opinion in the killing of Hazrat Uthman. Hazrat Adi bin Hatim said: Why not, in that too many eyes were lost.

It is narrated from Abu Zubyan Azdi who says that Hazrat Umar said: O Abu Zubyan, how much wealth do you have? I said, twenty-five hundred dirhams. Hazrat Umar said: Hold on to this abundance of wealth, for soon the youths of Quraysh will come and they will withhold these gifts.

Hazrat Abu Hurairah says: By Allah, if you knew what I know, you would laugh little and weep much, and if you knew all that I know, you would laugh less and weep more. By Allah, a murder will occur in this tribe of Quraysh, then a man will come to a heap of filth, he will find a shoe there, and people will say: This is the shoe of a Qurayshi.

It is narrated from ‘Amir bin Shahr who says: I heard one thing from the Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) and also heard one thing from Najashi. The Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: Look at the people of Quraysh, listen to their words, and leave their actions. He says: I was with Najashi when his son came carrying a book and he recited a verse from the Gospel and then explained it. I laughed. Najashi said: Do you laugh because of the Book of Allah? Listen! By Allah, indeed it is written in this Book which Allah revealed to ‘Isa that Allah’s curse will be upon this earth when its rulers are children (young boys).

It is narrated from Abu Mas'ud that the Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) said to the Quraysh: "This matter of caliphate is among you and you are its guardians as long as you do not do anything because of which Allah Almighty takes it away from you. When you do such a thing, Allah Almighty will set over you the most wicked people of creation, and they will strip you as a branch is stripped."

It is narrated from Abu Musa that the Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) was standing at the door of a house in which there were some people from the Quraysh. The Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said that this matter of caliphate will remain among the Quraysh as long as the Quraysh show mercy to those who seek mercy by virtue of kinship, do justice to those who come seeking justice, and act with fairness in distribution. Whoever among them does not do so, upon him will be the curse of Allah, the angels, and all people. Neither his voluntary nor obligatory acts will be accepted from him.

Abu Barzah Aslami narrates that the companions of the Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) were with him on a journey. Then they heard the sound of a cow and they turned their attention towards that sound. So a man got up and went in search of the sound. This was before the prohibition of alcohol. When he reached them and returned, he informed that it was so-and-so and so-and-so; both were singing and responding to each other, and saying that the bones of the Ansari will keep shining and a severe battle will prevent him from being buried so that his grave could be made. Then the Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) raised his hands and prayed, "O Allah! Put both of them in a trial, O Allah! Throw them into the Fire."

It is narrated from Azhar bin Abdullah that Ubadah bin Samit came from Syria to perform Hajj, then arrived in Medina and went to Hazrat Uthman and said, "O Uthman! Shall I not inform you of something that I heard from the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him)?" Hazrat Uthman replied, "Why not?" Hazrat Ubadah bin Samit said, "I heard the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) say: Soon there will come rulers over you who will command you to do things that you recognize, and they will appoint governors whom you do not know (i.e., whom you do not understand). Thus, obedience to such rulers is not obligatory upon you."

It is narrated from the daughter of Ma'qil bin Yasar that her respected father became very seriously ill, so this news reached Ibn Ziyad. Thus, Ibn Ziyad came to visit him and sat near him and saw the signs of death on his face. Then he said, "O Ma'qil! Will you not narrate a hadith? Indeed, Allah Almighty has given us much benefit from those ahadith which we have heard from you." So Hazrat Ma'qil bin Yasar said, "I heard the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) say: 'There is no ruler who has authority over my ummah, whether large or small, and does not act justly with them, except that Allah Almighty will throw him face down into the Fire.'" He was stunned for a moment. Then Ibn Ziyad said, "Did you hear this from the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) or from those who came after him?" Ma'qil replied, "No, rather I heard it from the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him)." Then he said, "I also heard the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) say: 'Whoever is given authority over the people and does not treat them well will not even smell the fragrance of Paradise, while the fragrance of Paradise can be perceived from a distance of one hundred years.'" Ibn Ziyad said, "Have you not narrated this hadith before?" Hazrat Ma'qil replied, "If I were not in the illness of death, I would not have narrated this hadith to you even now."

It is narrated from Qais that a man was going towards the Euphrates with Hudhaifa (may Allah be pleased with him). Hudhaifa (may Allah be pleased with him) said: "What will be your condition when you go out and you will not be able to taste even a drop from this river?" Qais says that we asked: "Is this your assumption?" Hazrat Uthman said: "It is not my assumption, rather I am certain of it."

It is narrated from Abu Al-Ala that people said to Mutarrif: "This is Abdur Rahman bin Al-Ash'ath who has come; he has embarked upon two matters: if he prevails, the religion of Allah will not be established, and if he is defeated, you will remain humiliated until the Day of Resurrection."

It is narrated from Abu Darda: If a person was made thoughtful by Islam, then he recognized Islam, and then he let go of the embrace of Islam, it is as if he never knew anything about Islam.

A'mash narrates from his teacher that Hazrat Umar said: Whoever seeks the truth should come out into the open field, that is, he should express his matter openly.

It is narrated from Abdullah bin Mas'ud that we were with the Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) when some young men from Banu Hashim appeared before us. When the Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) saw them, tears came to his eyes and his color changed. I said, "O Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), we are seeing something on your face which we do not like." The Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said, "Allah Almighty has preferred the Hereafter over this world for my Ahl al-Bayt. After me, my Ahl al-Bayt will face trials, division, and exile. Until a people come from the east with black flags; they will demand the truth but it will not be given to them. Then they will fight and will be victorious. Then their demand will be accepted but they will not accept it until the matter of caliphate is handed over to a man from my Ahl al-Bayt. Then he will fill the earth with justice as those before him had filled it with oppression and injustice. If any of you finds this, he should go to them even if he has to crawl over snow."

It is narrated from Abu Mahal who says: I said to Abu Ja'far, "Is a king appointed as a governor over work?" He replied, "Do not become a governor over anything for them. If you are appointed as a governor, then fear Allah and fulfill the trust."

It is narrated from Abu Ja'far who says: Do not prepare a book for the people, nor write anything for them with a pen.

It is narrated from Abu Wa'il who says: I went to Ubaydullah bin Ziyad in Basra when there were three hundred thousand in jizya from Isfahan before him. Ibn Ziyad said, "O Abu Wa'il, what do you think about a person who died leaving behind such a large inheritance?" I replied with a hint, "What if this is wealth acquired through dishonesty?" Ibn Ziyad said, "That would be evil upon evil." Then he said, "O Abu Wa'il, when I come to Kufa, come to me; perhaps I may do good to you." Abu Wa'il says: "If you had gone to him before consulting me, I would have said nothing, but now that you have consulted me, it is my duty to advise you." Then Alqamah said: "I do not like that I should have two hundred thousand dirhams and be honored over an army, because I cannot reach their worldly gains as much as they can harm my religion."

It is narrated from Mu'adh that he said: In the last era, there will be sinful reciters, wicked ministers, treacherous trustees, oppressive overseers, and lying leaders.

It is narrated from Salamah bin Qais who says: I met Abu Dharr, and he said: O Salamah bin Qais! Preserve three things: Do not gather two wives together, you will not be able to do justice even if you are very eager; secondly, do not become a collector of charity, because either he is one who diminishes or one who increases; do not go near the king, because the more you reach their world, the more they will take away from your religion.

It is narrated from ‘Ammarah bin ‘Abd who says that Hudhayfah (may Allah be pleased with him) said: Beware of the doors of the rulers, for they are places of tribulation. Except that tribulation comes in a doubtful form and departs manifest (i.e., when tribulation arises, the truth and correctness are not clear and evident; when it passes, a person realizes that his action was a mistake).

It is narrated from Abdur Rahman, who says: I think it is narrated from Qais bin Sakan, who says: Hazrat Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) said from the pulpit: I have overcome the tribulation. If I were not among you, so-and-so and so-and-so would not have been killed. By Allah, if you had not abandoned action out of reliance, I would have told you what glad tidings the Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) gave regarding you, because of fighting those people who, while seeing their misguidance, also knew that we are upon guidance. Then he said: Ask me questions. Then he said: Beware, ask me questions, for whatever you ask me about the Day of Judgment and what is related to it among you, or about that army of which a hundred people attained guidance and a hundred went astray, I will inform you of its details.

Then a man stood up and said: O Commander of the Faithful, tell us about the trial (fitnah). The Commander of the Faithful said: When the questioner asks, he should do so with understanding, and when the one questioned is asked, he should remain steadfast. After you, great matters will arise and such tribulations will occur that will make a person defective and will make a person's color pale. By the One Who split the seed and sent the winds! If you lose me and then disliked matters descend and great trials descend, then many questioners will slip and many questioned will stand with bowed necks. This will happen when your war breaks out and the fighting flares up, and it becomes a trial for the people of the world until Allah grants victory to His remaining righteous servants.

Then a man stood up and said: O Commander of the Faithful, tell us some news about the tribulations. Hazrat Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) said: When the tribulation comes, it comes in a doubtful form, and when it goes, it returns clear and evident. Indeed, tribulations circulate like winds; they surround one city and leave another. So help those people who held the banners on the days of Badr and Hunayn, so that you may be helped and rewarded. Beware, listen carefully! Indeed, the most fearful tribulation in my view is the one that will be blind and dark. Its turmoil will be specific, but its trial will be a general calamity. That tribulation will reach the one who sees it, and will miss the one who closes his eyes to it. In that tribulation, those on falsehood will prevail over the people of truth until the earth is filled with oppression and injustice. Then the first to break the sheath of that tribulation, to subdue its power, and to uproot its pegs will be Allah, the Lord of all the worlds.

Listen, soon after me you will encounter evil people who will be like a furious she-camel that bites with its mouth, kicks with its feet, strikes with its forelegs, and does not allow its milk to be taken. Listen, this tribulation will continue upon you until there is no supporter for you in your city except one who benefits the people of falsehood or is harmless to them. Until none of you will be helped by them except as much as a master helps his slave (i.e., very little help). By Allah, if they gather you under every star, Allah will gather you on a day in which they will have no share.

Then a man stood up and said: O Commander of the Faithful! Will there be any group after this? He replied: No, then there will be various groups, but your grants, your Hajj, and your journeys will be the same, and your words will be different. Saying this, he interlaced his fingers. A man asked: How will this be, O Commander of the Faithful? He replied: People will kill each other; this will be a great and ignorant tribulation. In this tribulation, there will be no Imam of guidance, nor any banner to be seen. We, the Ahl al-Bayt, will be the saviors from it, and we will not be its instigators. Then he said: O Commander of the Faithful, what will happen after this? Hazrat Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) replied: Allah will separate this tribulation through a man from the Ahl al-Bayt, just as skin is separated from meat. Then he will make them taste the cup of torment. At that time, the Quraysh will become victims of the love of the world.