—you and your father—eager to see the number of non-Arab foreigners in Medina increase (1).” Ibn Abbās replied, “If you wish, we can kill them.” Umar said, “You are wrong—not [after] they have spoken (2) your language and prayed toward your qibla (3).”

Here was Ibn Abbās, who was vastly more knowledgeable in jurisprudence than Ubayd Allah [ibn Umar, as well as far more devout and virtuous] (4), seeking Umar’s permission to kill, without distinction, the Persian foreigners who were in Medina. When they were suspected of wrongdoing, he deemed such an act permissible. How, then, could Abd Allah fail to believe in [the permissibility of] (5) killing al-Hurmuzān?

When Uthmān consulted the people (6) about putting him to death, a group of the Companions advised him not to kill him, for his father had been killed the previous day and he would now be killed today, which would cause disorder within Islam. They apparently entertained a doubt concerning the inviolability of al-Hurmuzān’s life: Was he (7) one of the assailants whose attack could rightfully be repelled? Or was he one of those who participated in Umar’s killing and therefore deserved to be put to death?

Furthermore, the jurists [have] differed concerning (8) those jointly involved in a killing when some of them directly carried it out, but not