Arabic (Original)
حَدَّثَنَا سُرَيْجُ بْنُ النُّعْمَانِ قَالَ حَدَّثَنَا بَقِيَّةُ عَنْ أَبِي بَكْرِ بْنِ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ عَنْ حَبِيبِ بْنِ عُبَيْدٍ الرَّحَبِيِّ عَنْ غُضَيْفِ بْنِ الْحَارِثِ الثُّمَالِيِّ قَالَ بَعَثَ إِلَيَّ عَبْدُ الْمَلِكِ بْنُ مَرْوَانَ فَقَالَ يَا أَبَا أَسْمَاءَ إِنَّا قَدْ أَجْمَعْنَا النَّاسَ عَلَى أَمْرَيْنِ قَالَ وَمَا هُمَا قَالَ رَفْعُ الْأَيْدِي عَلَى الْمَنَابِرِ يَوْمَ الْجُمُعَةِ وَالْقَصَصُ بَعْدَ الصُّبْحِ وَالْعَصْرِ فَقَالَ أَمَا إِنَّهُمَا أَمْثَلُ بِدْعَتِكُمْ عِنْدِي وَلَسْتُ مُجِيبَكَ إِلَى شَيْءٍ مِنْهُمَا قَالَ لِمَ قَالَ لِأَنَّ النَّبِيَّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ قَالَ مَا أَحْدَثَ قَوْمٌ بِدْعَةً إِلَّا رُفِعَ مِثْلُهَا مِنْ السُّنَّةِ فَتَمَسُّكٌ بِسُنَّةٍ خَيْرٌ مِنْ إِحْدَاثِ بِدْعَةٍ.
English Translation
Surayj ibn al-Nu'man told us, saying: Baqiyyah told us, from Abu Bakr ibn Abdullah, from Habib ibn Ubayd al-Rahabi, from Ghudayf ibn al-Harith al-Thumali, who said: Abd al-Malik ibn Marwan sent for me and said: "O Abu Asma, we have united the people upon two matters." I said: "What are they?" He said: "Raising the hands on the pulpits on the day of Friday, and storytelling (sermons) after the dawn and afternoon prayers." I said: "As for these two, they are the more acceptable of your innovations to me, but I will not agree to either of them." He said: "Why?" I said: "Because the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said: 'No people introduce an innovation without an equivalent of the Sunnah being taken away.' So holding fast to a sunnah is better than introducing an innovation."