Someone said to him, "What keeps you from speaking to your maternal uncle Uthman about his brother Walid bin Uqba?" People were saying a great deal about what he had done.Ubaydullah said, "So I placed myself in Uthman's path when he came out for the prayer and said to him, 'I have a matter to bring before you, a piece of sincere advice.'"Uthman said, "Man, I seek refuge in Allah from you."So I turned away. When the prayer was over I sat with Miswar and Ibn Abd Yaghuth and told them what I had said to Uthman and what he had said to me.They both said, "You have discharged the duty that lay upon you."While I was sitting with them, Uthman's messenger came to me.They said to me, "Allah has put you to the test."So I set off and went in to him, and he said, "What is this advice of yours that you mentioned a short while ago?"I gave the testimony of faith, then said, "Allah sent Muhammad ﷺ and revealed the Book to him, and you were among those who answered the call of Allah and His Messenger ﷺ. You believed in him, you made the first two migrations, you kept the company of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, and you witnessed his guidance. Now people have said a great deal about the affair of Walid bin Uqba, so it is your duty to carry out the prescribed punishment upon him."He said to me, "Nephew, did you ever meet the Messenger of Allah ﷺ?"I said, "No, but knowledge of him has reached me as surely as it reaches a virgin secluded behind her curtain."Then Uthman gave the testimony of faith and said, "Allah sent Muhammad ﷺ with the truth and revealed the Book to him, and I was among those who answered the call of Allah and His Messenger ﷺ. I believed in what Muhammad ﷺ was sent with, and I made the first two migrations, as you said. I kept the company of the Messenger of Allah and pledged my allegiance to him, and by Allah, I never disobeyed him nor was I ever false to him until Allah took him. Then Allah appointed Abu Bakr as successor, and by Allah, I never disobeyed him nor was I ever false to him. Then Umar was appointed successor, and by Allah, I never disobeyed him nor was I ever false to him. Then I was made successor. Do I not have over you the same right that they had over me?"I said, "Indeed you do."He said, "Then what are these reports about you that reach me? As for what you mentioned concerning the affair of Walid bin Uqba, we shall deal with it according to the truth, Allah willing."So Walid was given forty lashes, and Uthman ordered Ali to flog him, and it was Ali who carried out the flogging.Yunus and Ibn Akhi Zuhri reported from Zuhri the wording, "Do I not have over you the same right that they had?"Abu Abdullah said, "A trial from your Lord" refers to the hardship with which you were tested. In another place the word means testing and purifying, from the expressions "I tested him" and "I refined him," that is, I drew out what he had within him. "Yablu" means he tests. "Mubtalikum" means testing you. As for the phrase "a great trial," there it means blessings, coming from the verb meaning to bestow, whereas the other comes from the verb meaning to test.
حدثنا عبد الله بن محمد الجعفي حدثنا هشام أخبرنا معمر عن الزهري حدثنا عروة بن الزبير أن عبيد الله بن عدي بن الخيار أخبره أن المسور بن مخرمة وعبد الرحمن بن الأسود بن
له ما يمنعك أن تكلم خالك عثمان في أخيه الوليد بن عقبة وكان أكثر الناس فيما فعل به قال عبيد الله فانتصبت لعثمان حين خرج إلى الصلاة فقلت له إن لي إليك حاجة وهي نصيحة فقال أيها المرء أعوذ بالله منك فانصرفت فلما قضيت الصلاة جلست إلى المسور وإلى ابن عبد يغوث فحدثتهما بالذي قلت لعثمان وقال لي فقالا قد قضيت الذي كان عليك فبينما أنا جالس معهما إذ جاءني رسول عثمان فقالا لي قد ابتلاك الله فانطلقت حتى دخلت عليه فقال ما نصيحتك التي ذكرت آنفا قال فتشهدت ثم قلت إن الله بعث محمدا ﷺ وأنزل عليه الكتاب وكنت ممن استجاب لله ورسوله ﷺ وآمنت به وهاجرت الهجرتين الأوليين وصحبت رسول الله ﷺ ورأيت هديه وقد أكثر الناس في شأن الوليد بن عقبة فحق عليك أن تقيم عليه الحد فقال لي يا ابن أخي آدركت رسول الله ﷺ قال قلت لا ولكن قد خلص إلي من علمه ما خلص إلى العذراء في سترها قال فتشهد عثمان فقال إن الله قد بعث محمدا ﷺ بالحق وأنزل عليه الكتاب وكنت ممن استجاب لله ورسوله ﷺ وآمنت بما بعث به محمد ﷺ وهاجرت الهجرتين الأوليين كما قلت وصحبت رسول الله وبايعته والله ما عصيته ولا غششته حتى توفاه الله ثم استخلف الله أبا بكر فوالله ما عصيته ولا غششته ثم استخلف عمر فوالله ما عصيته ولا غششته ثم استخلفت أفليس لي عليكم مثل الذي كان لهم علي قال بلى قال فما هذه الأحاديث التي تبلغني عنكم فأما ما ذكرت من شأن الوليد بن عقبة فسنأخذ فيه إن شاء الله بالحق قال فجلد الوليد أربعين جلدة وأمر عليا أن يجلده وكان هو يجلده وقال يونس وابن أخي الزهري عن الزهري أفليس لي عليكم من الحق مثل الذي كان لهم قال أبو عبد الله بلاء من ربكم ما ابتليتم به من شدة وفي موضع البلاء الابتلاء والتمحيص من بلوته ومحصته أي استخرجت ما عنده يبلو يختبر مبتليكم مختبركم وأما قوله بلاء عظيم النعم وهي من أبليته وتلك من ابتليته