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in their reports from(1) the Prophet—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—and [this was](2) part of Allah’s preservation of this religion. No one(3) ever deliberately lied about the Prophet—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—without Allah exposing him and bringing his deed to light. Hence it was(4) said: “If a man were to contemplate lying about the Messenger of Allah—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—in the predawn hours, by morning the people(5) would be saying, ‘[So-and-so](6) is a liar.’”
Among the Successors in Medina, Mecca, Syria, and Basra, hardly(7) anyone among them was known
(1) Manuscripts (B), (A), (N), and (M) read: “upon.”
(2) The words “and this was” occur only in manuscript (Ayn).
(3) Manuscripts (B) and (A) read: “one.”
(4) The word “was” is absent only from manuscript (B).
(5) Manuscripts (B) and (A) read: “the people.”
(6) The word “so-and-so” is absent from manuscripts (N) and (M).
(7) Manuscript (Ayn) reads: “they hardly.”
عَنِ
(١)
. النَّبِيِّ - صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ -،
[وَكَانَ هَذَا]
(٢)
. حِفْظًا مِنَ اللَّهِ لِهَذَا الدِّينِ، وَلَمْ يَتَعَمَّدْ أَحَدٌ
(٣)
. الْكَذِبَ عَلَى النَّبِيِّ - صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ - إِلَّا هَتَكَ اللَّهُ سِتْرَهُ وَكَشَفَ أَمْرَهُ، وَلِهَذَا كَانَ
(٤)
.
يُقَالُ:
لَوْ هَمَّ رَجُلٌ بِالسَّحَرِ أَنْ يَكْذِبَ عَلَى رَسُولِ اللَّهِ - صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ - لَأَصْبَحَ وَالنَّاسُ
(٥)
.
يَقُولُونَ:
[فُلَانٌ]
(٦)
. كَذَّابٌ.
وَقَدْ كَانَ التَّابِعُونَ بِالْمَدِينَةِ وَمَكَّةَ وَالشَّامِ وَالْبَصْرَةِ لَا يَكَادُ
(٧)
. يُعْرَفُ فِيهِمْ
(١) ب، ا، ن، م: عَلَى
(٢) وَكَانَ هَذَا: فِي (ع) ، فَقَطْ
(٣) ب، ا: وَاحِدٌ
(٤) كَانَ: سَاقِطَةٌ مِنْ (ب) فَقَطْ
(٥) ب، ا: النَّاسُ
(٦) فُلَانٌ: سَاقِطَةٌ مِنْ (ن) ، (م)
(٧) ع: لَا يَكَادُونَ