Jami' al-Saghir / Jam' al-Jawami' (al-Suyuti) 2-3384b

Translation

Machine translation, not reviewed

"From Ibn 'Abbas, who said: I served 'Umar ibn al-Khattab, and I was in awe of him and held him in high esteem. One day I entered upon him in his house while he was alone with himself, and he breathed a breath that I thought his soul had come out. Then he raised his head to the sky and sighed deeply. I forced myself and steeled myself and said: 'By Allah, I will ask him.' So I said: 'By Allah, nothing has brought this out of you except a concern, O Commander of the Believers?' He said: 'A concern, by Allah, a severe concern. This matter, I have not found a place for it'—meaning the caliphate. Then he said: 'Perhaps you say: indeed your companion is worthy of it'—meaning 'Ali. He said: I said: 'O Commander of the Believers, is he not worthy of it in his migration, worthy of it in his companionship, and worthy of it in his kinship?' He said: 'He is as you have mentioned, but he is a man with playfulness in him.' He said: I said: 'Al-Zubayr.' He said: 'A weak-spirited, sharp-tongued man who fights over a sa' in al-Baqi'.' He said: I said: 'Talhah.' He said: 'In him there is arrogance, and I do not think Allah will give him good, and that has not ceased in him since his hand was struck.' He said: I said: 'Sa'd.' He said: 'He attends people and fights, and he is not the holder of this matter.' He said: 'You said: and 'Abd al-Rahman ibn 'Awf.' He said: 'You have mentioned an excellent man, but he is weak.' He said: 'And I delayed 'Uthman because of his abundance of prayer, and he was the most beloved of people to Quraysh.' He said: I said: 'Then 'Uthman.' He said: 'Awwah, he is infatuated with his relatives.' Then he said: 'If I appoint him, he will appoint all of the Umayyads, all of them completely, and will make the Banu Mu'ayt ride on the necks of the people. By Allah, if I did so, he would do so. By Allah, if I did, he would do it. This matter will only be borne by one who is gentle without weakness, strong without harshness, generous without extravagance, and frugal without stinginess.' He said: 'And 'Umar said: No one can bear this matter except a man who is not flattered and does not flatter, who does not follow greed, and no one can bear the command of Allah except a man who does not speak with his tongue a word that does not reveal his resolve, and who judges in truth for his party'—and in the original—'upon its obligation.'"

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