Arabic (Original)
حَدَّثَنَا إِسْمَاعِيلُ حَدَّثَنَا يُونُسُ عَنِ الْحَسَنِ عَنْ عَبْدِ الرَّحْمَنِ بْنِ سَمُرَةَ قَالَ قَالَ لِي رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ يَا عَبْدَ الرَّحْمَنِ لَا تَسْأَلْ الْإِمَارَةَ فَإِنَّكَ إِنْ أُعْطِيتَهَا عَنْ مَسْأَلَةٍ وُكِلْتَ إِلَيْهَا وَإِنْ أُعْطِيتَهَا عَنْ غَيْرِ مَسْأَلَةٍ أُعِنْتَ عَلَيْهَا وَإِذَا حَلَفْتَ عَلَى يَمِينٍ فَرَأَيْتَ غَيْرَهَا خَيْرًا مِنْهَا فَأْتِ الَّذِي هُوَ خَيْرٌ وَكَفِّرْ عَنْ يَمِينِكَ.
English Translation
Isma'il told us, Yunus told us, from al-Hasan, from 'Abd al-Rahman ibn Samura, who said: The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said to me: "O 'Abd al-Rahman, do not seek leadership, for if you are given it upon asking for it, you will be left to it alone; but if you are given it without asking, you will be helped in it. And if you swear an oath and then see something better than it, do the thing that is better, and make expiation for your oath."