Sahih al-Bukhari
Sahih al-Bukhari 7207
حَدَّثَنَا عَبْدُ اللَّهِ بْنُ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ أَسْمَاءَ، حَدَّثَنَا جُوَيْرِيَةُ، عَنْ مَالِكٍ، عَنِ الزُّهْرِيِّ، أَنَّ حُمَيْدَ بْنَ عَبْدِ الرَّحْمَنِ، أَخْبَرَهُ أَنَّ الْمِسْوَرَ بْنَ مَخْرَمَةَ أَخْبَرَهُ. أَنَّ الرَّهْطَ الَّذِينَ وَلاَّهُمْ عُمَرُ اجْتَمَعُوا فَتَشَاوَرُوا، قَالَ لَهُمْ عَبْدُ الرَّحْمَنِ لَسْتُ بِالَّذِي أُنَافِسُكُمْ عَلَى هَذَا الأَمْرِ، وَلَكِنَّكُمْ إِنْ شِئْتُمُ اخْتَرْتُ لَكُمْ مِنْكُمْ. فَجَعَلُوا ذَلِكَ إِلَى عَبْدِ الرَّحْمَنِ، فَلَمَّا وَلَّوْا عَبْدَ الرَّحْمَنِ أَمْرَهُمْ فَمَالَ النَّاسُ عَلَى عَبْدِ الرَّحْمَنِ، حَتَّى مَا أَرَى أَحَدًا مِنَ النَّاسِ يَتْبَعُ أُولَئِكَ الرَّهْطَ وَلاَ يَطَأُ عَقِبَهُ، وَمَالَ النَّاسُ عَلَى عَبْدِ الرَّحْمَنِ يُشَاوِرُونَهُ تِلْكَ اللَّيَالِيَ حَتَّى إِذَا كَانَتِ اللَّيْلَةُ الَّتِي أَصْبَحْنَا مِنْهَا، فَبَايَعْنَا عُثْمَانَ قَالَ الْمِسْوَرُ طَرَقَنِي عَبْدُ الرَّحْمَنِ بَعْدَ هَجْعٍ مِنَ اللَّيْلِ فَضَرَبَ الْبَابَ حَتَّى اسْتَيْقَظْتُ فَقَالَ أَرَاكَ نَائِمًا، فَوَاللَّهِ مَا اكْتَحَلْتُ هَذِهِ اللَّيْلَةَ بِكَبِيرِ نَوْمٍ، انْطَلِقْ فَادْعُ الزُّبَيْرَ وَسَعْدًا، فَدَعَوْتُهُمَا لَهُ فَشَاوَرَهُمَا ثُمَّ دَعَانِي فَقَالَ ادْعُ لِي عَلِيًّا. فَدَعَوْتُهُ فَنَاجَاهُ حَتَّى ابْهَارَّ اللَّيْلُ، ثُمَّ قَامَ عَلِيٌّ مِنْ عِنْدِهِ، وَهْوَ عَلَى طَمَعٍ، وَقَدْ كَانَ عَبْدُ الرَّحْمَنِ يَخْشَى مِنْ عَلِيٍّ شَيْئًا، ثُمَّ قَالَ ادْعُ لِي عُثْمَانَ، فَدَعَوْتُهُ فَنَاجَاهُ حَتَّى فَرَّقَ بَيْنَهُمَا الْمُؤَذِّنُ بِالصُّبْحِ، فَلَمَّا صَلَّى لِلنَّاسِ الصُّبْحَ وَاجْتَمَعَ أُولَئِكَ الرَّهْطُ عِنْدَ الْمِنْبَرِ، فَأَرْسَلَ إِلَى مَنْ كَانَ حَاضِرًا مِنَ الْمُهَاجِرِينَ وَالأَنْصَارِ، وَأَرْسَلَ إِلَى أُمَرَاءِ الأَجْنَادِ وَكَانُوا وَافَوْا تِلْكَ الْحَجَّةَ مَعَ عُمَرَ، فَلَمَّا اجْتَمَعُوا تَشَهَّدَ عَبْدُ الرَّحْمَنِ ثُمَّ قَالَ أَمَّا بَعْدُ يَا عَلِيُّ، إِنِّي قَدْ نَظَرْتُ فِي أَمْرِ النَّاسِ فَلَمْ أَرَهُمْ يَعْدِلُونَ بِعُثْمَانَ، فَلاَ تَجْعَلَنَّ عَلَى نَفْسِكَ سَبِيلاً. فَقَالَ أُبَايِعُكَ عَلَى سُنَّةِ اللَّهِ وَرَسُولِهِ وَالْخَلِيفَتَيْنِ مِنْ بَعْدِهِ. فَبَايَعَهُ عَبْدُ الرَّحْمَنِ، وَبَايَعَهُ النَّاسُ الْمُهَاجِرُونَ وَالأَنْصَارُ وَأُمَرَاءُ الأَجْنَادِ وَالْمُسْلِمُونَ.
Al-Miswar ibn Makhrama reported: The group whom ʿUmar had appointed gathered and consulted one another. ʿAbd al-Raḥmān said to them, “I will not compete with you for this authority. But if you wish, I will choose one of you for you.” They entrusted the matter to ʿAbd al-Raḥmān. When they put their decision in his hands, the people turned to ʿAbd al-Raḥmān, consulting him during those nights, until the night before the morning when we pledged allegiance to ʿUthmān. Al-Miswar said:
ʿAbd al-Raḥmān came to me late in the night and knocked on the door until I woke. He said, “I see you were asleep. By God, I have hardly slept at all tonight. Go and summon al-Zubayr and Saʿd.” I summoned them for him, and he consulted them. Then he called me and said, “Summon ʿAlī.” I summoned him, and ʿAbd al-Raḥmān spoke privately with him until the night had grown very late. ʿAlī then left him, still hopeful. ʿAbd al-Raḥmān had been apprehensive about something from ʿAlī. Then he said, “Summon ʿUthmān.” I summoned him, and ʿAbd al-Raḥmān spoke privately with him until the caller to dawn prayer separated them.
After ʿAbd al-Raḥmān led the people in the dawn prayer, the group gathered by the pulpit. He sent for those of the Emigrants and Helpers who were present, and for the commanders of the army divisions who had accompanied ʿUmar on that pilgrimage. When they had gathered, ʿAbd al-Raḥmān bore witness to the faith and then said, “Now then, ʿAlī, I have considered the people’s affairs and have not found them regarding anyone as equal to ʿUthmān. So do not give them a way against yourself.”
ʿAlī said, “I pledge allegiance to you on the basis of the practice of God, His Messenger, and the two caliphs after him.” ʿAbd al-Raḥmān pledged allegiance to him, and the people pledged allegiance: the Emigrants, the Helpers, the commanders of the army divisions, and the Muslims.
Translation notes
The source recounts ʿUmar’s appointed group delegating the choice to ʿAbd al-Raḥmān, then records his consultations with al-Zubayr, Saʿd, ʿAlī, and ʿUthmān in sequence. The phrase about ʿAlī leaving “still hopeful” and ʿAbd al-Raḥmān’s apprehension is left without specifying what outcome each feared or hoped for.