When the Messenger of Allah ﷺ passed away and Abu Bakr was appointed caliph, Abbas brought a dispute against Ali concerning certain things that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ had left behind.Abu Bakr said, "Anything that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ left untouched, I will not touch."When Umar became caliph, the two brought their dispute to him, and he said, "Anything that Abu Bakr did not disturb, I will not disturb."When Uthman became caliph, they brought their dispute to him as well. Uthman fell silent and lowered his head.Ibn Abbas said, "I feared that he might grant it to him, so I struck my hand between Abbas's shoulders and said, 'Father, I implore you, hand it over to Ali.'" So he handed it over to him.
لما قبض رسول الله ﷺ، واستخلف أبو بكر خاصم العباس عليا في أشياء تركها رسول الله ﷺ، فقال أبو بكر: شيء تركه رسول الله ﷺ فلم يحركه فلا أحركه. فلما استخلف عمر اختصما إليه، فقال: شيء لم يحركه أبو بكر فلست أحركه. قال: فلما استخلف عثمان اختصما إليه، قال: فأسكت عثمان ونكس رأسه، قال ابن عباس: فخشيت أن يأخذه، فضربت بيدي بين كتفي العباس، فقلت: يا أبت، أقسمت عليك إلا سلمته لعلي، قال: فسلمه له.
Ahmad (77) narrated it from Yahya bin Hammad, who said, Abu Awana told us, from Amash, from Ismail bin Raja, from Umayr the freedman of Abbas, from Ibn Abbas, who mentioned it.Abu Yaala (26) also narrated it from Abu Khaythama, who said, Yahya bin Hammad told us, with his chain, in a shortened form.Its chain of transmission is sahih. Umayr, the freedman of Abbas, is Ibn Abdullah Hilali, one of the narrators found in the Sahih.