[Machine] That Uthman appointed Abu Musa Al-Ash'ari, but when the dawn prayer was performed, a man from Murad came and said, "This is the place of refuge for the repentant. I am so-and-so, the son of so-and-so, one of those who fought against Allah and His Messenger. I have come to repent before you are able to impose punishment upon me." Abu Musa said, "He has come as a repentant before you were able to impose punishment upon him. He should only be responded to with good." And he mentioned the narration.  

أَنَّ عُثْمَانَ اسْتَخْلَفَ أَبَا مُوسَى الْأَشْعَرِيَّ ؓ فَلَمَّا صَلَّى الْفَجْرَ جَاءَ رَجُلٌ مِنْ مُرَادٍ فَقَالَ هَذَا مَقَامُ الْعَائِذِ التَّائِبِ أَنَا فُلَانٌ ابْنُ فُلَانٍ مِمَّنْ حَارَبَ اللهَ وَرَسُولَهُ جِئْتُ تَائِبًا مِنْ قَبْلِ أَنْ تَقْدِرُوا عَلَيَّ فَقَالَ أَبُو مُوسَى جَاءَ تَائِبًا مِنْ قَبْلِ أَنْ تَقْدِرُوا عَلَيْهِ فَلَا يُعْرَضُ إِلَّا بِخَيْرٍ وَذَكَرَ الْحَدِيثَ  

[Machine] A man fell upon a woman in the darkness of the morning while she was heading to the mosque. She cried out for help to a passing man, and her companion fled. Then a group of people with weapons passed by, and she called out to them for help. They caught the man she was calling to and the others arrived afterwards. They brought him to her, and he claimed to be the one she was calling to for help, and the other man had already left. They brought him to the Messenger of Allah ﷺ , and she informed him that the man had assaulted her, and the companions informed him that they caught the man. The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, "You did not do it, so there is no punishment for you. As for the one who responded to her, his statement is good." Umar said, "Should I stone the one who confessed to adultery?" The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, "No, because he has repented to Allah. If it was the people of Madinah or people of Yathrib who had confessed, their repentance would have been accepted from them." Isra'il narrated it from Simak, and he mentioned in it that they brought him to the Prophet ﷺ . When he ordered him to be punished, her companion who fell upon her stood up and mentioned the story. Based on this narration, it is possible that he ordered his punishment and it is possible that they testified against him regarding adultery, and they erred in that until her companion stood up and confessed to adultery. Similar confessions have been found from Ma'iz, the Juhaniyyah, and the Ghameediyyah, and their punishments were not dropped. Their narrations are more numerous and well-known, and Allah knows best.  

أَنَّ امْرَأَةً وَقَعَ عَلَيْهَا رَجُلٌ فِي سَوَادِ الصُّبْحِ وَهِيَ تَعْمَدُ إِلَى الْمَسْجِدِ فَاسْتَغَاثَتْ بِرَجُلٍ مَرَّ عَلَيْهَا وَفَرَّ صَاحِبُهَا ثُمَّ مَرَّ عَلَيْهَا قَوْمٌ ذَوُو عِدَّةٍ فَاسْتَغَاثَتْ بِهِمْ فَأَدْرَكُوا الَّذِي اسْتَغَاثَتْ بِهِ وَسَبَقَهُمُ الْآخَرُ فَذَهَبَ فَجَاءُوا بِهِ يَقُودُونَهُ إِلَيْهَا فَقَالَ إِنَّمَا أَنَا الَّذِي أَغَثْتُكِ وَقَدْ ذَهَبَ الْآخَرُ فَأَتَوْا بِهِ رَسُولَ اللهِ ﷺ فَأَخْبَرَتْهُ أَنَّهُ وَقَعَ عَلَيْهَا وَأَخْبَرَهُ الْقَوْمُ أَنَّهُمْ أَدْرَكُوهُ يَشْتَدُّ فَقَالَ إِنَّمَا كُنْتُ أَغِيثُهَا عَلَى صَاحِبِهَا فَأَدْرَكُونِي هَؤُلَاءِ فَأَخَذُونِي قَالَتْ كَذَبَ هُوَ الَّذِي وَقَعَ عَلَيَّ فَقَالَ رَسُولُ اللهِ ﷺ اذْهَبُوا بِهِ فَارْجُمُوهُ قَالَ فَقَامَ رَجُلٌ مِنَ النَّاسِ فَقَالَ لَا تَرْجُمُوهُ وَارْجُمُونِي أَنَا الَّذِي فَعَلْتُ بِهَا الْفِعْلَ فَاعْتَرَفَ فَاجْتَمَعَ ثَلَاثَةٌ عِنْدَ رَسُولِ اللهِ ﷺ الَّذِي وَقَعَ عَلَيْهَا وَالَّذِي أَجَابَهَا وَالْمَرْأَةُ فَقَالَ أَمَّا أَنْتِ فَقَدْ غَفَرَ اللهُ لَكِ وَقَالَ لِلَّذِي أَجَابَهَا قَوْلًا حَسَنًا فَقَالَ عُمَرُ ؓ أَرْجُمُ الَّذِي اعْتَرَفَ بِالزِّنَا؟ قَالَ رَسُولُ اللهِ ﷺ لَا؛ لِأَنَّهُ قَدْ تَابَ إِلَى اللهِ أَحْسَبُهُ قَالَ تَوْبَةً لَوْ تَابَهَا أَهْلُ الْمَدِينَةِ أَوْ أَهْلُ يَثْرِبَ لَقُبِلَ مِنْهُمْ فَأَرْسَلَهُمْ وَرَوَاهُ إِسْرَائِيلُ عَنْ سِمَاكٍ وَقَالَ فِيهِ فَأَتَوْا بِهِ النَّبِيَّ ﷺ فَلَمَّا أَمَرَ بِهِ قَامَ صَاحِبُهَا الَّذِي وَقَعَ عَلَيْهَا فَذَكَرَ الْحَدِيثَ فَعَلَى هَذِهِ الرِّوَايَةِ يُحْتَمَلُ أَنَّهُ إِنَّمَا أَمَرَ بِتَعْزِيرِهِ وَيُحْتَمَلُ أَنَّهُمْ شَهِدُوا عَلَيْهِ بِالزِّنَا وَأَخْطئُوا فِي ذَلِكَ حَتَّى قَامَ صَاحِبُهَا فَاعْتَرَفَ بِالزِّنَا وَقَدْ وُجِدَ مِثْلُ اعْتِرَافِهِ مِنْ مَاعِزٍ وَالْجُهَنِيَّةِ وَالْغَامِدِيَّةِ وَلَمْ يُسْقِطْ حُدُودَهُمْ وَأَحَادِيثُهُمْ أَكْثَرُ وَأَشْهَرُ وَاللهُ أَعْلَمُ