Arabic (Original)
حَدَّثَنَا عَلِيُّ بْنُ بَحْرٍ قَالَ حَدَّثَنِي مَرْحُومُ بْنُ عَبْدِ الْعَزِيزِ قَالَ حَدَّثَنِي أَبُو نَعَامَةَ السَّعْدِيُّ عَنْ أَبِي عُثْمَانَ النَّهْدِيِّ عَنْ أَبِي سَعِيدٍ الْخُدْرِيِّ قَالَ خَرَجَ مُعَاوِيَةُ عَلَى حَلْقَةٍ فِي الْمَسْجِدِ فَقَالَ مَا أَجْلَسَكُمْ قَالُوا جَلَسْنَا نَذْكُرُ اللَّهَ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ قَالَ آللَّهِ مَا أَجْلَسَكُمْ إِلَّا ذَاكَ قَالُوا آللَّهِ مَا أَجْلَسَنَا إِلَّا ذَاكَ قَالَ أَمَا إِنِّي لَمْ أَسْتَحْلِفْكُمْ تُهْمَةً لَكُمْ وَمَا كَانَ أَحَدٌ بِمَنْزِلَتِي مِنْ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ أَقَلَّ عَنْهُ حَدِيثًا مِنِّي وَإِنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ خَرَجَ عَلَى حَلْقَةٍ مِنْ أَصْحَابِهِ فَقَالَ مَا أَجْلَسَكُمْ قَالُوا جَلَسْنَا نَذْكُرُ اللَّهَ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ وَنَحْمَدُهُ عَلَى مَا هَدَانَا لِلْإِسْلَامِ وَمَنَّ عَلَيْنَا بِكَ قَالَ آللَّهِ مَا أَجْلَسَكُمْ إِلَّا ذَلِكَ قَالُوا آللَّهِ مَا أَجْلَسَنَا إِلَّا ذَلِكَ قَالَ أَمَا إِنِّي لَمْ أَسْتَحْلِفْكُمْ تُهْمَةً لَكُمْ وَإِنَّهُ أَتَانِي جِبْرِيلُ عَلَيْهِ السَّلَام فَأَخْبَرَنِي أَنَّ اللَّهَ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ يُبَاهِي بِكُمْ الْمَلَائِكَةَ.
English Translation
Ali ibn Bahr told us, he said: Marhum ibn Abd al-Aziz told me, he said: Abu Nu'amah al-Sa'di told me, from Abu Uthman al-Nahdi, from Abu Sa'id al-Khudri, who said: Mu'awiyah came upon a circle of people in the mosque and said: What has made you sit here? They said: We sat to remember Allah, Mighty and Sublime. He said: By Allah, is that the only reason that made you sit? They said: By Allah, nothing made us sit but that. He said: I did not make you swear out of suspicion of you. No one held a position with the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, lower in narrating hadith from him than I. Indeed, the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, came upon a circle of his companions and said: What has made you sit here? They said: We sat to remember Allah, Mighty and Sublime, and to praise Him for guiding us to Islam and for His favor upon us through you. He said: By Allah, is that the only reason that made you sit? They said: By Allah, nothing made us sit but that. He said: I did not make you swear out of suspicion of you, for Gabriel, peace be upon him, came to me and informed me that Allah, Mighty and Sublime, boasts of you to the angels.