384 – ‘Abdullāh narrated to us: My father narrated to me: Wahb ibn Jarīr narrated to us: My father narrated to us, saying: “I heard it from Nāfi‘.” Wahb said: He used to narrate it to us from Ya‘lā, from Nāfi‘, who said:

Khālid ibn al-Walīd, Yazīd ibn Abī Sufyān, and ‘Amr ibn al-‘Ās wrote to Abū Bakr: “Increase our stipends; otherwise, send someone who can discharge the duties you have entrusted to us.”

Abū Bakr sought advice about this, and ‘Umar said: “Do not increase their stipends by a single dirham.”

He asked: “Then who will undertake their duties?”

‘Umar replied: “I will undertake them, and I do not want you to pay me anything.”

‘Umar then prepared to leave. When ‘Uthmān ibn ‘Affān heard of this, he said to Abū Bakr: “O successor to the Messenger of Allah, keeping ‘Umar close to you and consulting him is more beneficial to the Muslims than a small sum of money. Increase these men’s stipends; ‘Umar will be the caliph after you.”

Abū Bakr therefore insisted that ‘Umar remain, and granted them the increase they had requested.

When ‘Umar became caliph, he wrote to them: “If you are content with your original stipends, you may remain; otherwise, resign from our service.”

Nāfi‘ also said: Mu‘āwiyah—meaning Ibn Abī Sufyān—had been appointed in Yazīd’s place. Mu‘āwiyah and ‘Amr accepted, but Khālid resigned. ‘Umar then wrote to the two of them: “Send me a written account of all the property you own.” They did so. Thereafter, whenever he discovered any property belonging to them, he took it and placed it in the public treasury.