قَالَ: وقَالَ ابْنُ سِيرِينَ رَضِيَ اللهُ عَنْهُ: "لَا وَاللَّهِ مَا كَتَبْتُ حَدِيثًا قَطُّ"، قَالَ ابْنُ عَوْنٍ: قَالَ لِي ابْنُ سِيرِينَ: عَنْ زَيْدِ بْنِ ثَابِتٍ رَضِيَ اللهُ عَنْهُ أَرَادَنِي مَرْوَانُ بْنُ الْحَكَمِ وَهُوَ أَمِيرٌ عَلَى الْمَدِينَةِ أَنْ أُكْتِبَهُ شَيْئًا، قَالَ: فَلَمْ أَفْعَلْ، قَالَ: فَجَعَلَ سِتْرًا بَيْنَ مَجْلِسِهِ وَبَيْنَ بَقِيَّةِ دَارِهِ، قَالَ: فَكَانَ أَصْحَابُهُ يَدْخُلُونَ عَلَيْهِ، وَيَتَحَدَّثُونَ فِي ذَلِكَ الْمَوْضِعِ، فَأَقْبَلَ مَرْوَانُ عَلَى أَصْحَابِهِ، فَقَالَ: مَا أُرَانَا إِلَّا قَدْ خُنَّاهُ، ثُمَّ أَقْبَلَ عَلَيَّ، قَالَ: قُلْتُ وَمَا ذَاكَ ؟، قَالَ: مَا أُرَانَا إِلَّا قَدْ خُنَّاكَ، قَالَ: قُلْتُ: وَمَا ذَاكَ ؟، قَالَ: "إِنَّا أَمَرْنَا رَجُلًا يَقْعُدُ خَلْفَ هَذَا السِّتْرِ، فَيَكْتُبُ مَا تُفْتِي هَؤُلَاءِ وَمَا تَقُولُ".
Abdullah bin Awn said: Muhammad bin Sirin (may Allah have mercy on him) said to me: It is narrated from our master Zaid bin Thabit (may Allah be pleased with him) that Marwan bin Al-Hakam, who was the governor of Madinah, wanted me to write something for him, but I did not do so. The narrator said: The Amir (respected one) had a curtain placed between himself and the rest of the women of the household (the people of the house), then the governor’s (Marwan’s) companions came to him at that place and began to converse. Then Marwan turned to his companions and said: I think we have betrayed them. Then he turned to me (Zaid bin Thabit), and I said: What kind of betrayal? He said: I think we have betrayed you. I said: What is the matter? He said: We had ordered a man to sit behind that curtain and to write down whatever fatwa these people give and whatever you say.