حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو الْيَمَانِ، قَالَ: أَخْبَرَنَا شُعَيْبٌ، عَنِ الزُّهْرِيِّ قَالَ: أَخْبَرَنِي عُبَيْدُ اللهِ بْنُ عَبْدِ اللهِ
قَالَ: قَدِمَ مُعَاوِيَةُ حَاجًّا حَجَّتَهُ الأُولَى وَهُوَ خَلِيفَةٌ، فَدَخَلَ عَلَيْهِ عُثْمَانُ بْنُ حُنَيْفٍ الأَنْصَارِيُّ فَقَالَ: السَّلَامُ عَلَيْكَ أَيُّهَا الأَمِيرُ وَرَحْمَةُ اللهِ، فَأَنْكَرَهَا أَهْلُ الشَّامِ وَقَالُوا: مَنْ هَذَا الْمُنَافِقُ الَّذِي يُقَصِّرُ بِتَحِيَّةِ أَمِيرِ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ؟
فَبَرَكَ عُثْمَانُ عَلَى رُكْبَتِهِ ثُمَّ قَالَ: يَا أَمِيرَ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ، إِنَّ هَؤُلَاءِ أَنْكَرُوا عَلَيَّ أَمْرًا أَنْتَ أَعْلَمُ بِهِ مِنْهُمْ، فَوَاللَّهِ لَقَدْ حَيَّيْتُ بِهَا أَبَا بَكْرٍ وَعُمَرَ وَعُثْمَانَ، فَمَا أَنْكَرَهُ مِنْهُمْ أَحَدٌ، فَقَالَ مُعَاوِيَةُ لِمَنْ تَكَلَّمَ مِنْ أَهْلِ الشَّامِ: عَلَى رِسْلِكُمْ، فَإِنَّهُ قَدْ كَانَ بَعْضُ مَا يَقُولُ، وَلَكِنَّ أَهْلَ الشَّامِ قَدْ حَدَثَتْ هَذِهِ الْفِتَنُ، قَالُوا: لَا تُقَصَّرُ عِنْدَنَا تَحِيَّةُ خَلِيفَتِنَا، فَإِنِّي إِخَالُكُمْ يَا أَهْلَ الْمَدِينَةِ تَقُولُونَ لِعَامِلِ الصَّدَقَةِ: أَيُّهَا الأمِيرُ
‘Ubaydullah ibn Abdullah said, ‘Muawiyah went on his first hajj when he was the khalifa and Uthman ibn Hanif al-Ansari came to him and said, ‘Peace be upon you, Amir, and the mercy of Allah.’
The people of Syria objected to that and said, ‘Who is this hypocrite who shortens the greeting of the Amir al-Muminin!’ Uthman made his camel kneel and said, Amir al-Muminin! These men object to something which you know better than them. By Allah, I used to this greeting for Abu Bakr, Umar, and Uthman, and none of them objected to it.’
Muawiyah said to those of the people of Syria who had spoken, ‘Take it easy! It was partly as he stated. But when the civil war engaged the people of Syria, they said, ‘Do not shorten the greeting of our khalifa in our presence (i.e. from Amir al-Muminin to Amir).’ People of Madina, I will treat you as friends even though you use Amir’ for a zakat collector.’