Badr. (1)
Among those who transmitted from him were Abū Mūsā al-Hamdānī and al-Shaʿbī.
He served as governor of Kūfa for ʿUthmān, campaigned in Syria, and, after his brother ʿUthmān was killed, withdrew to the Jazīra, fighting on neither side of the civil war.
He was generous, praised, and a poet, yet he drank wine. ʿUmar had earlier sent him to collect the alms of Banū Taghlib.
His grave lies near Raqqa. (2)
ʿAlqama said, “We were in Byzantine territory with al-Walīd commanding us. He drank, and we wanted to administer the prescribed punishment to him. Hudhayfa ibn al-Yamān said, ‘Would you inflict the ḥadd on your leader when you are so close to the enemy? They would only be emboldened against you.’”
Al-Walīd himself recited:
“I shall surely drink, even though it be forbidden,
and I shall surely drink despite whoever takes offense.” (3)
Hudayn (4) ibn al-Mundhir related: “Al-Walīd led the people in the dawn prayer as four rakʿahs while intoxicated, then turned and said, ‘Shall I add more for you?’ When this reached ʿUthmān, he summoned him and carried out the prescribed punishment. (5)"
…you acted remorsefully) and ends at the words (as a favour from Allah and a blessing; Allah is All-Knowing, All-Wise).
Al-Haythami cites the report in Majmaʿ al-zawaʾid, 7/108–109, remarking: “It is transmitted by Ahmad and al-Tabarani; the transmitters used by Ahmad are dependable.” He says this even though Dinar, the father of ʿIsa, is authenticated only by Ibn Hibban—who is known for accrediting unknown narrators—and no one transmits from him except his son ʿIsa.
Ibn ʿAbd al-Barr states in al-Istiʿab, 3/632: “To the best of my knowledge, all scholars of Quranic exegesis agree that the divine words in jaʾakum fasiqun binabaʾ (If a wicked man brings you news, 49:6) were revealed concerning al-Walid b. ʿUqba.”
(1) See Ibn Saʿd, 2/18; Ibn Hisham, al-Sirah, 1/644.
(2) See Ibn ʿAsakir, 17/435 b.
(3) Ibn ʿAsakir, 17/440.
(4) Hudayn b. al-Mundhir b. al-Harith al-Ruqashi, known as Abu Sasan and also kunya Abu Muhammad, was one of ʿAli’s commanders at Siffin; he is reliable and appears in Muslim’s chain of transmitters.
(5) Recorded by Muslim (no. 1707) in the Book of Hudud, chapter “The legal penalty for wine,” through the chain: ʿAbd al-ʿAziz b. al-Mukhtar—ʿAbd Allah b. Firuz, the freedman of Ibn ʿAmir al-Danaj—Hudayn b. al-Mundhir Abu Sasan, who said: “I was present when ʿUthman b. ʿAffan had al-Walid brought before him. Al-Walid had performed the dawn prayer as two rakʿahs and then asked, ‘Shall I add another for you?’ whereupon witnesses testified against him …”