Arabic (Original)
قَالَ حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو أَحْمَدَ مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ الزُّبَيْرِيُّ حَدَّثَنَا سَعْدٌ يَعْنِي ابْنَ أَوْسٍ الْعَبْسِيَّ عَنْ بِلَالٍ الْعَبْسِيِّ قَالَ أَخْبَرَنَا عِمْرَانُ بْنُ حُصَيْنٍ الضَّبِّيُّ أَنَّهُ أَتَى الْبَصْرَةَ وَبِهَا عَبْدُ اللَّهِ بْنُ عَبَّاسٍ أَمِيرًا فَإِذَا هُوَ بِرَجُلٍ قَائِمٍ فِي ظِلِّ الْقَصْرِ يَقُولُ صَدَقَ اللَّهُ وَرَسُولُهُ صَدَقَ اللَّهُ وَرَسُولُهُ لَا يَزِيدُ عَلَى ذَلِكَ فَدَنَوْتُ مِنْهُ شَيْئًا فَقُلْتُ لَهُ لَقَدْ أَكْثَرْتَ مِنْ قَوْلِكَ صَدَقَ اللَّهُ وَرَسُولُهُ فَقَالَ أَمَا وَاللَّهِ لَئِنْ شِئْتَ لَأَخْبَرْتُكَ فَقُلْتُ أَجَلْ فَقَالَ اجْلِسْ إِذًا فَقَالَ إِنِّي أَتَيْتُ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ وَهُوَ بِالْمَدِينَةِ فِي زَمَانِ كَذَا وَكَذَا وَقَدْ كَانَ شَيْخَانِ لِلْحَيِّ قَدْ انْطَلَقَ ابْنٌ لَهُمَا فَلَحِقَ بِهِ فَقَالَا إِنَّكَ قَادِمٌ الْمَدِينَةَ وَإِنَّ ابْنًا لَنَا قَدْ لَحِقَ بِهَذَا الرَّجُلِ فَأْتِهِ فَاطْلُبْهُ مِنْهُ فَإِنْ أَبَى إِلَّا الِافْتِدَاءَ فَافْتَدِهِ فَأَتَيْتُ الْمَدِينَةَ فَدَخَلْتُ عَلَى نَبِيِّ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ فَقُلْتُ يَا نَبِيَّ اللَّهِ إِنَّ شَيْخَيْنِ لِلْحَيِّ أَمَرَانِي أَنْ أَطْلُبَ ابْنًا لَهُمَا عِنْدَكَ فَقَالَ تَعْرِفُهُ فَقَالَ أَعْرِفُ نَسَبَهُ فَدَعَا الْغُلَامَ فَجَاءَ فَقَالَ هُوَ ذَا فَأْتِ بِهِ أَبَوَيْهِ فَقُلْتُ الْفِدَاءَ يَا نَبِيَّ اللَّهِ قَالَ إِنَّهُ لَا يَصْلُحُ لَنَا آلُ مُحَمَّدٍ أَنْ نَأْكُلَ ثَمَنَ أَحَدٍ مِنْ وَلَدِ إِسْمَاعِيلَ ثُمَّ ضَرَبَ عَلَى كَتِفِي ثُمَّ قَالَ لَا أَخْشَى عَلَى قُرَيْشٍ إِلَّا أَنْفُسَهَا قُلْتُ وَمَا لَهُمْ يَا نَبِيَّ اللَّهِ قَالَ إِنْ طَالَ بِكَ الْعُمُرُ رَأَيْتَهُمْ هَاهُنَا حَتَّى تَرَى النَّاسَ بَيْنَهُمَا كَالْغَنَمِ بَيْنَ حَوْضَيْنِ مَرَّةً إِلَى هَذَا وَمَرَّةً إِلَى هَذَا فَأَنَا أَرَى نَاسًا يَسْتَأْذِنُونَ عَلَى ابْنِ عَبَّاسٍ رَأَيْتُهُمْ الْعَامَ يَسْتَأْذِنُونَ عَلَى مُعَاوِيَةَ فَذَكَرْتُ مَا قَالَ النَّبِيُّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ.
English Translation
He said: Abu Ahmad Muhammad ibn Abdullah al-Zubayri narrated to us: Sa'd - meaning Ibn Aws al-Absi - narrated to us from Bilal al-Absi, who said: Imran ibn Husayn al-Dabbi informed us that he came to Basra, where Abdullah ibn Abbas was governor, and there was a man standing in the shade of the palace saying: 'God and His Messenger have spoken the truth, God and His Messenger have spoken the truth,' not adding anything beyond that. I drew a little closer to him and said to him: You have said a great deal, 'God and His Messenger have spoken the truth.' He said: Indeed, by God, if you wish, I will tell you. I said: Yes. He said: Then sit down. He said: I came to the Messenger of God, peace and blessings be upon him, while he was in Medina at such-and-such a time; and there were two old men of the tribe whose son had gone off and joined him. They said: You are going to Medina, and a son of ours has joined this man; go to him and ask for him back, and if he refuses except for a ransom, then ransom him. So I came to Medina and entered upon the Prophet of God, peace and blessings be upon him, and said: O Prophet of God, two old men of the tribe have ordered me to seek back a son of theirs who is with you. He said: Do you know him? I said: I know his lineage. So he called the boy, and he came, and he said: Here he is; take him to his parents. I said: [Let me pay] the ransom, O Prophet of God! He said: It is not fitting for us, the family of Muhammad, to eat the price of any of the children of Isma'il. Then he struck me on the shoulder and said: I do not fear for Quraysh except from themselves. I said: What do you mean by that, O Prophet of God? He said: If you live long, you will see them here, until you see the people between the two of them like sheep between two watering troughs, [going] now to this one, now to that one. I now see people seeking permission to enter upon Ibn Abbas, when I saw them this very year seeking permission to enter upon Mu'awiyah - and I recalled what the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, had said.