حَدَّثَنَا مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ جَعْفَرٍ وَحَجَّاجٌ قَالَا حَدَّثَنَا شُعْبَةُ عَنْ سَعْدِ بْنِ إِبْرَاهِيمَ قَالَ سَمِعْتُ عُبَيْدَ اللَّهِ بْنَ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ عُتْبَةَ يُحَدِّثُ عَنِ ابْنِ عَبَّاسٍ عَنْ عَبْدِ الرَّحْمَنِ بْنِ عَوْفٍ قَالَ حَجَّ عُمَرُ بْنُ الْخَطَّابِ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ فَأَرَادَ أَنْ يَخْطُبَ النَّاسَ خُطْبَةً فَقَالَ عَبْدُ الرَّحْمَنِ بْنُ عَوْفٍ إِنَّهُ قَدْ اجْتَمَعَ عِنْدَكَ رَعَاعُ النَّاسِ فَأَخِّرْ ذَلِكَ حَتَّى تَأْتِيَ الْمَدِينَةَ فَلَمَّا قَدِمَ الْمَدِينَةَ دَنَوْتُ مِنْهُ قَرِيبًا مِنْ الْمِنْبَرِ فَسَمِعْتُهُ يَقُولُ وَإِنَّ نَاسًا يَقُولُونَ مَا بَالُ الرَّجْمِ وَإِنَّمَا فِي كِتَابِ اللَّهِ الْجَلْدُ وَقَدْ رَجَمَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ وَرَجَمْنَا بَعْدَهُ وَلَوْلَا أَنْ يَقُولُوا أَثْبَتَ فِي كِتَابِ اللَّهِ مَا لَيْسَ فِيهِ لَأَثْبَتُّهَا كَمَا أُنْزِلَتْ
مسند امام احمد بن حنبل · Hadith 352
It was narrated that 'Abdur-Rahman bin 'Awf said: 'Umar bin al-Khattab (RA) did Hajj and wanted to deliver a speech to the people. 'Abdur-Rahman bin 'Awf said: The uneducated people are gathered around you, so delay it until you come to Madinah. When he came to Madinah, I got close to him when he was on the minbar and I heard him saying: Some people are saying, Why should we stone [adulterers]? In the book of Allah it only mentions flogging. But the Messenger of Allah (PBUH) stoned [adulterers] and we stoned [them] after him. Were it not that people would say. You have inserted something into the Book of Allah that is not part of it, I would have inserted it as it was revealed.
Translated by Dr. Muhammad Muhsin Khan · Reviewed by Islamic University of Madinah · Published March 2020