Fadail al-Sahabah li-Ahmad ibn Hanbal - Ahmad Ibn Hanbal - (1/297)

392 – ‘Abdullāh narrated to us: Abū Hishām Muhammad ibn Yazīd al-Rifā‘ī narrated to us: ‘Abd al-Rahmān ibn Mahdī narrated to us, from Qurrah ibn Khālid, from Abū Nahīk—‘Abdullāh said: “Abū Nahīk’s name is al-Qāsim ibn Muhammad”—from Sālim ibn ‘Abdullāh, from his father, who said when ‘Uthmān was besieged:

“The Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, passed away, and the Muslims considered who was the best among them and appointed him caliph: Abū Bakr. When Abū Bakr passed away, the Muslims considered who was the best among them and appointed him caliph: ‘Umar. When ‘Umar passed away, the Muslims considered who was the best among them and appointed him caliph: ‘Uthmān. So if you kill him, then bring forward someone better than him.”

٣٩٢ - حَدَّثَنَا عَبْدُ اللَّهِ قثنا أَبُو هِشَامٍ مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ يَزِيدَ الرِّفَاعِيُّ قثنا عَبْدُ الرَّحْمَنِ بْنُ مَهْدِيٍّ، عَنْ قُرَّةَ بْنِ خَالِدٍ، عَنْ أَبِي نَهِيكٍ قَالَ عَبْدُ اللَّهِ: أَبُو نَهِيكٍ اسْمُهُ الْقَاسِمُ بْنُ مُحَمَّدٍ، عَنْ سَالِمِ بْنِ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ، عَنْ أَبِيهِ أَنَّهُ قَالَ حِينَ حُصِرَ عُثْمَانُ: إِنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ ﷺ قُبِضَ فَنَظَرَ الْمُسْلِمُونَ خَيْرَهُمْ فَاسْتَخْلَفُوهُ، وَهُوَ أَبُو بَكْرٍ، فَلَمَّا قُبِضَ أَبُو بَكْرٍ نَظَرَ الْمُسْلِمُونَ خَيْرَهُمْ فَاسْتَخْلَفُوهُ، وَهُوَ عُمَرُ، فَلَمَّا قُبِضَ عُمَرُ نَظَرَ الْمُسْلِمُونَ خَيْرَهُمْ فَاسْتَخْلَفُوهُ، وَهُوَ عُثْمَانُ، فَإِنْ قَتَلْتُمُوهُ فَهَاتُوا خَيْرًا مِنْهُ.