1454 — Ibrāhīm ibn al-Haytham informed us. He said: Dāwūd ibn Rushayd narrated to us. He said: Sālih ibn Umar narrated to us, from Kulayb ibn Wā’il, from Ibn Abī Mulaykah, who said:

A man came and questioned Ibn Umar. He asked, “Was Uthmān present at Badr?”

He replied, “No.”

He asked, “Was he present at the Pledge of al-Ridwān?”

He replied, “No.”

He asked, “Did he turn back on the day the two armies met?”

He replied, “Yes.”

When the man rose to leave, Ibn Umar was told, “He will now go away and claim that you spoke disparagingly of Uthmān.”

He said, “Bring him back.” They summoned him, and Ibn Umar asked, “Do you understand what you asked me about?”

He replied, “Yes. I asked you, ‘Was Uthmān present at Badr?’ ⦗1976⦘ and you said, ‘No.’ I asked you, ‘Was he present at the Pledge of al-Ridwān?’ and you said, ‘No.’ I also asked you, ‘Did he turn back on the day the two armies met?’ and you said, ‘Yes.’”

Ibn Umar said, “As for Badr, he was attending to a matter for Allah and His Messenger, so the Messenger of Allah—peace and blessings be upon him—assigned him his share, something he did for no one else. As for the Pledge of al-Ridwān, he was attending to a matter for Allah and His Messenger, so the Messenger of Allah—peace and blessings be upon him—pledged on his behalf with his own hand. The hand of the Messenger of Allah—peace and blessings be upon him—on Uthmān’s behalf was better than Uthmān’s own hand on his own behalf. As for the day the two armies met, Allah—Majestic and Exalted—said: ‘Indeed, those of you who turned back on the day the two armies met—it was Satan who caused them to slip because of some of what they had earned. Yet Allah has already pardoned them. Indeed, Allah is All-Forgiving, Most Forbearing’ [Āl Imrān: 155]. Now go and do your utmost.”