7. A similar narration

وَبِهِ قَالَ ابْنُ مَاجَه: حَدَّثَنَا مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ عَبْدِ اللهِ بْنِ نُمَيْرٍ وَعَلِيُّ بْنُ مُحَمَّدٍ قَالَا: حَدَّثَنَا وَكِيْعٌ، حَدَّثَنَا إِسْمَاعِيْلُ بْنُ أَبِي خَالِدٍ، عَنْ قَيْسِ بْنِ أَبِي حَازِمٍ، عَنْ عَائِشَةَ، قَالَتْ: قَالَ رَسُوْلُ اللهِ فِي مَرَضِهِ: وَدِدْتُ أَنَّ عِنْدِي بَعْضَ أَصْحَابِي، قُلْنَا: يَا رَسُوْلَ اللهِ أَلَا نَدْعُو لَكَ أَبَا بَكْرٍ؟ فَسَكَتَ، قُلْنَا: أَلا نَدْعُو لَكَ عُمَرَ؟ فَسَكَتَ، قُلْنَا: أَلَا نَدْعُو لَكَ عُثْمَانَ؟ قَالَ: نَعَم، فَجَاءَ عُثْمَانُ، فَخَلا بِهِ، فَجَعَلَ النَّبِيُّ يُكَلِّمُهُ وَوَجْهُ عُثْمَانَ يَتَغَيَّرُ، وَيُكَلِّمُهُ وَوَجْهُ عُثْمَانَ يَتَغَيَّر.

قَالَ قَيْسٌ: فَحَدَثَنِي أَبُو سَهْلَةَ مَوْلَى عُثْمَانَ، أَنَّ عُثْمَانَ بْنَ عَفَّانَ قَالَ يَوْمَ الدَّارِ: إِنَّ رَسُوْلَ اللهِ عَهِدَ إِلَيَّ عَهْدًا وَأَنَا صَائِرٌ إِلَيْه، وَقَالَ [عَلِيٌّ] فِي حَدِيْثِهِ: وَأَنَا صَابِرٌ عَلَيْه.

قَالَ قَيْسٌ: فَكَانُوا يَرَوْنَهُ ذَلِكَ اليَوْم

Ibn Majah states—Muhammad ibn ‘Abdullah ibn Numair and ‘Ali ibn Muhammad narrated to us—Waki’ narrated to us—Ismail ibn Abi Khalid narrated to us—from Qais ibn Abi Hazim—from Aisha:

The Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam on his deathbed said, “I wish some of my companions were by my side.”

We said, “O Prophet of Allah, should we call Abu Bakr?”

The Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam remained silent.

We said, “Should we call ‘Umar?”

The Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam remained silent.

We said, “Should we call ‘Uthman?”

The Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam said, “Yes.”

‘Uthman came and privately met with the Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam. The Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam began speaking to him and ‘Uthman’s expression changed.

Qais said that Abu Sahlah—the freed slave of ‘Uthman—informed him, “‘Uthman radiya Llahu ‘anhu said on the day he was besieged: The Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam commissioned me with a commitment and now I am coming to it.”

In ‘Ali’s narration he said, “And I am going to bear it with patience.”[1]

Qais said, “They used to think that that was the Day (of the House).”[2]

NEXT⇒ 8. The Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam informing ‘Uthman radiya Llahu ‘anhu at the time of civil strife he will be besieged while he is on the right path.

[1] This is absent in the original manuscript, but it is found in the published Sunan Ibn Majah.

[2] The isnad is Da’if. Ibn Majah narrates it in his Sunan (113) from Muhammad ibn ‘Abdullah ibn Numair and ‘Ali ibn Muhammad al Tanafisi with this chain of narration. Imam Ahmed also reports it in his Musnad (405, 25797), from Waki’ with the same chain of transmission. However, he also reports from Yahya ibn Sa’id al Qattan—from Ismail—from Qais—from Abu Sahlah—from Aisha radiya Llahu ‘anha, (24253). He does not differentiate between the narrations of Aisha radiya Llahu ‘anha and Abu Sahlah. The issue is complicated further by the narrations of Hammad ibn Abi Usamah narrating from Abu Sahlah with an unbroken chain to the Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam in Tabaqat al Kubra of Ibn Sa’d (3/63) and Musanaf Ibn Abi Shaibah (32028). More confusion is caused by Abu Muawiyah Muhammad ibn Khazim narrating the second part of the narration from Abu Sahlah—from Aisha radiya Llahu ‘anha. Ibn Abi ‘Asim: Al Sunnah, (1176). The discrepancy in pinpointing the narrator is not the fault of any of these narrators but it seems that the confusion stems from Ismail ibn Abi Khalid. It is very unlikely that it may stem from Qais ibn Abi Hazim, due to him being closer to the actual incident then his student. As for Abu Sahlah—the freed slave of ‘Uthman radiya Llahu ‘anhu—no one deemed him reliable except Ibn Hibban (4704), and al ‘Ijli (1962). There is a strong collaborating narration that has been reported from other than the chain leading to Abu Sahlah, which will be expounded upon under narration 43.

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