Compiled by Imam Muslim ibn al-Hajjaj
حَدَّثَنَا يَحْيَى بْنُ يَحْيَى، وَأَبُو بَكْرِ بْنُ أَبِي شَيْبَةَ وَمُحَمَّدُ بْنُ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ نُمَيْرٍ وَإِسْحَاقُ بْنُ إِبْرَاهِيمَ وَأَبُو كُرَيْبٍ - وَاللَّفْظُ لأَبِي كُرَيْبٍ - قَالَ يَحْيَى وَإِسْحَاقُ أَخْبَرَنَا وَقَالَ الآخَرُونَ حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو مُعَاوِيَةَ حَدَّثَنَا الأَعْمَشُ عَنْ شَقِيقٍ عَنْ أُسَامَةَ بْنِ زَيْدٍ قَالَ قِيلَ لَهُ أَلاَ تَدْخُلُ عَلَى عُثْمَانَ فَتُكَلِّمَهُ فَقَالَ أَتُرَوْنَ أَنِّي لاَ أُكَلِّمُهُ إِلاَّ أُسْمِعُكُمْ وَاللَّهِ لَقَدْ كَلَّمْتُهُ فِيمَا بَيْنِي وَبَيْنَهُ مَا دُونَ أَنْ أَفْتَتِحَ أَمْرًا لاَ أُحِبُّ أَنْ أَكُونَ أَوَّلَ مَنْ فَتَحَهُ وَلاَ أَقُولُ لأَحَدٍ يَكُونُ عَلَىَّ أَمِيرًا إِنَّهُ خَيْرُ النَّاسِ . بَعْدَ مَا سَمِعْتُ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم يَقُولُ " يُؤْتَى بِالرَّجُلِ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ فَيُلْقَى فِي النَّارِ فَتَنْدَلِقُ أَقْتَابُ بَطْنِهِ فَيَدُورُ بِهَا كَمَا يَدُورُ الْحِمَارُ بِالرَّحَى فَيَجْتَمِعُ إِلَيْهِ أَهْلُ النَّارِ فَيَقُولُونَ يَا فُلاَنُ مَا لَكَ أَلَمْ تَكُنْ تَأْمُرُ بِالْمَعْرُوفِ وَتَنْهَى عَنِ الْمُنْكَرِ فَيَقُولُ بَلَى قَدْ كُنْتُ آمُرُ بِالْمَعْرُوفِ وَلاَ آتِيهِ وَأَنْهَى عَنِ الْمُنْكَرِ وَآتِيهِ " .
Why don't you visit 'Uthman and talk to him? Thereupon he said: Do you think that I have not talked to him but that I have made you hear? By Allah. I have talked to him (about things) concerning me and him and I did not like to divulge those things about which I had to take the initiative and I do not say to my ruler: "You are the best among people," after I heard Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) as saying: A man will be brought on the Day of Resurrection and thrown in Hell-Fire and his intestines will pour forth in Hell and he will go round along with them, as an ass goes round the mill stone. The denizens of Hell would gather round him and say: O, so and so, what has happened to you? Were you not enjoining us to do what was reputable and forbid us to do what was disreputable? He will say: Of course, it is so; I used to enjoin (upon people) to do what was reputable but did not practise that myself. I had been forbidding people to do what was disreputable, but practised it myself.