64 — ‘Abdullāh narrated to us, saying: My father narrated to me, saying: Bishr ibn Shu‘ayb ibn Abī Hamza narrated to us, saying: My father narrated to me, from al-Zuhrī, who said: Sālim ibn ‘Abdullāh informed me that ‘Abdullāh ibn ‘Umar said:

“A man from the Ansār came to me during the caliphate of ‘Uthmān and spoke to me. As he spoke, he urged me to find fault with ‘Uthmān. He spoke at length, and because he had difficulty speaking, it took him a long time to finish. When he finished, I said to him:

“‘While the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) was alive, we used to say: The best of the Messenger of Allah’s community after him is Abū Bakr, then ‘Umar, then ‘Uthmān. By Allah, we do not know of ‘Uthmān having killed anyone unjustly or committed any major sin. Rather, it is this wealth that is at issue: if he gives it to you, you are pleased, but if he gives it to his relatives, you are displeased. You only want to be like the Persians and the Romans, who leave none of their rulers alive, but kill them.’”