If Ali were ever going to speak ill of Uthman
, he would have done so the day some people came to him complaining about Uthman's tax collectors.Ali said to me, "Go to Uthman and inform him that this is the charity of the Messenger of Allah, so let your collectors handle it accordingly."I brought it to Uthman, and he said, "Keep it away from us."So I brought it back to Ali and told him what Uthman had said.Ali replied, "Put it back where you took it from."
لو كان علي رضي الله عنه ذاكرا عثمان رضي الله عنه ذكره يوم جاءه ناس فشكوا سعاة عثمان، فقال لي علي: اذهب إلى عثمان، فأخبره أنها صدقة رسول الله، فمر سعاتك يعملون فيها، فأتيته بها، فقال: أغنها عنا، فأتيت بها عليا، فأخبرته، فقال: ضعها حيث أخذتها.
Bukhari narrated it in "The Obligation of Khumus" (3111), from Qutayba bin Saeed, who said, Sufyan narrated to us, from Muhammad bin Suqa, from Mundhir, from Ibn Hanafiya, who said, and he narrated it.Imam Ahmad narrated it (1196) through another route from Muhammad bin Suqa with the same wording, and in it, Muhammad bin Ali bin Hanafiya said, "Some people came to Ali , and they complained about Uthman's collectors." He said, "My father said to me, 'Take this letter to Uthman and tell him, "The people have complained about your collectors, and this is the command of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ concerning charity, so order them to act by it."'" He said, "So I went to Uthman and told him that." He said, "If he had had anything against Uthman, he would have mentioned it that day, meaning something bad."This story shows that a ruler is not obligated to listen to everything said to him, rather he has the right to consider what the public interest requires in every case brought before him. That is why he excused him regarding
, and did not speak of him badly. It also contains, among the etiquette for one who undertakes to advise a ruler, that he should not become angry if his advice is not accepted.