حَدَّثَنَا مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ جَعْفَرٍ حَدَّثَنَا شُعْبَةُ عَنْ سُلَيْمَانَ عَنْ ذَكْوَانَ عَنْ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ عُمَرَ قَالَ قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ إِذَا كُنْتُمْ ثَلَاثَةً فَلَا يَتَنَاجَ اثْنَانِ دُونَ وَاحِدٍ قَالَ فَقُلْتُ لِابْنِ عُمَرَ فَإِذَا كَانُوا أَرْبَعَةً قَالَ فَلَا بَأْسَ بِهِ
مسند امام احمد بن حنبل · Hadith 5023
It was narrated that 'Abdullah ibn 'Umar said: The Messenger of Allah (PBUH) said: "If you are three, two should not converse privately to the exclusion of one." I (the narrator) said to Ibn ' Umar: What if they are four? He said Then it does not matter.
Translated by Dr. Muhammad Muhsin Khan · Reviewed by Islamic University of Madinah · Published March 2020