Muhammad ibn Ishaq said: I mentioned the story of Ma'iz ibn Malik to Asim ibn Umar ibn Qatadah. He said to me: Hasan ibn Muhammad ibn Ali ibn AbuTalib said to me: Some men of the tribe of Aslam whom I do not blame and whom you like have transmitted to me the saying of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ: Why did you not leave him alone? He said: But I did not understand this tradition. So I went to Jabir ibn Abdullah and said (to him): Some men of the tribe of Aslam narrate that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said when they mentioned to him the anxiety of Ma'iz when the stones hurt him: "Why did you not leave him alone?' But I do not know this tradition. He said: My cousin, I know this tradition more than the people. I was one of those who had stoned the man. When we came out with him, stoned him and he felt the effect of the stones, he cried: O people! return me to the Messenger of Allah ﷺ. My people killed me and deceived me; they told me that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ would not kill me. We did not keep away from him till we killed him. When we returned to the Messenger of Allah ﷺ we informed him of it. He said: Why did you not leave him alone and bring him to me? and he said this so that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ might ascertain it from him. But he did not say this to abandon the prescribed punishment. He said: I then understood the intent of the tradition.
حَدَّثَنِي ذَلِكَ مِنْ قَوْلِ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ ﷺ فَهَلاَّ تَرَكْتُمُوهُ مَنْ شِئْتُمْ مِنْ رِجَالِ أَسْلَمَ مِمَّنْ لاَ أَتَّهِمُ قَالَ وَلَمْ أَعْرِفْ هَذَا الْحَدِيثَ قَالَ فَجِئْتُ جَابِرَ بْنَ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ فَقُلْتُ إِنَّ رِجَالاً مِنْ أَسْلَمَ يُحَدِّثُونَ أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ ﷺ قَالَ لَهُمْ حِينَ ذَكَرُوا لَهُ جَزَعَ مَاعِزٍ مِنَ الْحِجَارَةِ حِينَ أَصَابَتْهُ أَلاَّ تَرَكْتُمُوهُ وَمَا أَعْرِفُ الْحَدِيثَ قَالَ يَا ابْنَ أَخِي أَنَا أَعْلَمُ النَّاسِ بِهَذَا الْحَدِيثِ كُنْتُ فِيمَنْ رَجَمَ الرَّجُلَ إِنَّا لَمَّا خَرَجْنَا بِهِ فَرَجَمْنَاهُ فَوَجَدَ مَسَّ الْحِجَارَةِ صَرَخَ بِنَا يَا قَوْمِ رُدُّونِي إِلَى رَسُولِ اللَّهِ ﷺ فَإِنَّ قَوْمِي قَتَلُونِي وَغَرُّونِي مِنْ نَفْسِي وَأَخْبَرُونِي أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ ﷺ غَيْرُ قَاتِلِي فَلَمْ نَنْزِعْ عَنْهُ حَتَّى قَتَلْنَاهُ فَلَمَّا رَجَعْنَا إِلَى رَسُولِ اللَّهِ ﷺ وَأَخْبَرْنَاهُ قَالَ فَهَلاَّ تَرَكْتُمُوهُ وَجِئْتُمُونِي بِهِ لِيَسْتَثْبِتَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ مِنْهُ فَأَمَّا لِتَرْكِ حَدٍّ فَلاَ قَالَ فَعَرَفْتُ وَجْهَ الْحَدِيثِ