Yahya related to me from Malik from Muhammad ibn Abi Bakr ibn Muhammad ibn Amribn Hazm that Abdar-Rahman ibn Hanthala az-Zurqi was informed by a mawla of Quraysh,who used to be known as Ibn Mursi, that he was sitting with Umar ibn al-Khattab, and when they had prayed dhuhr, he said, "Yarfa! Bring that letter! (a letter which he had written about the paternal aunt.) We asked about her and asked for information about her." Yarfa brought it to him. He called for a small vessel or a drinking-bowl in which there was water. He erased the letter in it. Then he said, "Had Allah approved of you as an heir, we would have confirmed you. Had Allah approved of you, we would have confirmed you."  

أَنَّهُ أَخْبَرَهُ عَنْ مَوْلًى لِقُرَيْشٍ كَانَ قَدِيمًا يُقَالُ لَهُ ابْنُ مِرْسَى أَنَّهُ قَالَ كُنْتُ جَالِسًا عِنْدَ عُمَرَ بْنِ الْخَطَّابِ فَلَمَّا صَلَّى الظُّهْرَ قَالَ يَا يَرْفَا هَلُمَّ ذَلِكَ الْكِتَابَ لِكِتَابٍ كَتَبَهُ فِي شَأْنِ الْعَمَّةِ فَنَسْأَلَ عَنْهَا وَنَسْتَخْبِرَ فِيهَا فَأَتَاهُ بِهِ يَرْفَا فَدَعَا بِتَوْرٍ أَوْ قَدَحٍ فِيهِ مَاءٌ فَمَحَا ذَلِكَ الْكِتَابَ فِيهِ ثُمَّ قَالَ لَوْ رَضِيَكِ اللَّهُ وَارِثَةً أَقَرَّكِ لَوْ رَضِيَكِ اللَّهُ أَقَرَّكِ