Hadith record

A number of our companions, from Sahl Bin Ziyad, from Ali Bin Asbaat, (It has been narrated) from Ali son of Ja’far asws who said, ‘My brother asws Musa asws said: ‘I asws was standing next to the head of my asws father asws , when a messenger of Ziyad Bin Ubeydulla, the governor of Al-Medina came over. He said, ‘The commander is saying to you asws , ‘Arise to come over to me’. So he asws excused himself asws due to illness. So the messenger reiterated to him, so he said to him asws , ‘He has ordered that the shorter door be opened up for you, it would be nearer for your asws steps’. He asws said: ‘So my asws father asws arose and leaned upon me asws , and entered upon the governor, and there had gathered therein the jurists of Al-Medina, all of them, and there was a letter in front of him in which was a testimony upon a man from the people of the valley of Al-Qura, in which he mentioned the Prophet saww having been maligned (defamed) in it. So the governor said to him asws , ‘O Abu Abdullah asws ! Look in the letter’. He asws said: ‘(Not) until I asws look at what they said’. So he turned towards them, so he said, ‘What are you saying?’ They said, ‘We say he should be displined, and whipped, and reprimanded, and imprisoned’. So he asws said to them: ‘What is your view if he had mentioned a man from the companions of the Prophet saww with similar to what he has mentioned the Prophet saww by. What would have been the judgement regarding it?’ They said, ‘Similar to this’. He asws said: ‘Glory be to Allah azwj ! So there is not between the Prophet saww and a man from his saww companions, a difference?’. He (7 th Imam asws ) said: ‘So the governor said: ‘Leave them, O Abu Abdullah asws ! Had we intended them, we would not have sent a messenger to you asws ’. So Abu Abdullah asws said: ‘My asws father asws informed me asws that Rasool-Allah saww said: ‘The people are all equal in example. The one who hears anyone mentioning me saww (maliciously) so it is Obligatory upon him that he kills the one who insults me, and not raise it to the authorities, and it is Obligatory upon the authorities when it is raised to them that they should kill the one who maligns (slanders) me asws ’. So Ziyad Bin Ubeydullah said, ‘Bring out the man, so kill him, by the judgement of Abu Abdullah asws ’.

Translation: HubeAli — attributed by Thaqalayn·The Arabic above is the original.