Al-Walid bin ʿAbdul Malik said to me, "Have you heard that ʿAli' was one of those who slandered ʿAisha?" I replied, "No, but two men from your people (named) Abu Salama bin ʿAbdur-Rahman and Abu Bakr bin ʿAbdur-Rahman bin Al-Harith have informed me that Aisha told them that ʿAli remained silent about her case."
أَنَّ عَلِيًّا كَانَ فِيمَنْ قَذَفَ عَائِشَةَ قُلْتُ لاَ وَلَكِنْ قَدْ أَخْبَرَنِي رَجُلاَنِ مِنْ قَوْمِكِ أَبُو سَلَمَةَ بْنُ عَبْدِ الرَّحْمَنِ وَأَبُو بَكْرِ بْنُ عَبْدِ الرَّحْمَنِ بْنِ الْحَارِثِ أَنَّ عَائِشَةَ ؓ قَالَتْ لَهُمَا كَانَ عَلِيٌّ مُسَلِّمًا فِي شَأْنِهَا فَرَاجَعُوهُ فَلَمْ يَرْجِعْ وَقَالَ مُسَلِّمًا بِلَا شَكٍّ فِيهِ وَعَلَيْهِ كَانَ فِي أَصْلِ الْعَتِيقِ كَذَلِكَ