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Qurʾān Bukhārī Muslim Nasāʾī Abū Dāwūd Tirmidhī Ibn Mājah Mālik Aḥmad Dārimī Ḥākim Ibn Ḥibbān Ṭabarānī Nasāʾī's Kubrá Bayhaqī al-Luʾluʾ wa-al-Marjān Ibn Rajab's Fifty Riyāḍ al-Ṣāliḥīn Aḥmad's Zuhd Suyūṭī
muslim:817a – Zuhayr b. Ḥarb > Yaʿqūb b. Ibrāhīm from my father > Ibn Shihāb > ʿĀmir b. Wāthilah

Whom have you appointed as collector over the people of the valley? He said: Ibn Abza. He said: Who is Ibn Abza? He said: He is one of our freed slaves. He (Hadrat 'Umar) said: So you have appointed a freed slave over them. He said: He is well versed In the Book of Allah. the Exalted and Great, and he is well versed In the commandments and injunctions (of the Shari'ah). 'Umar said: So the Prophet ﷺ said: By this Book, Allah would exalt some peoples and degrade others.  

مسلم:٨١٧a – وَحَدَّثَنِي زُهَيْرُ بْنُ حَرْبٍ حَدَّثَنَا يَعْقُوبُ بْنُ إِبْرَاهِيمَ حَدَّثَنِي أَبِي عَنِ ابْنِ شِهَابٍ عَنْ عَامِرِ بْنِ وَاثِلَةَ أَنَّ نَافِعَ بْنَ عَبْدِ الْحَارِثِ لَقِيَ عُمَرَ بِعُسْفَانَ وَكَانَ عُمَرُ يَسْتَعْمِلُهُ عَلَى مَكَّةَ فَقَالَ مَنِ اسْتَعْمَلْتَ عَلَى أَهْلِ الْوَادِي فَقَالَ ابْنَ أَبْزَى قَالَ وَمَنِ ابْنُ أَبْزَى قَالَ مَوْلًى مِنْ مَوَالِينَا قَالَ فَاسْتَخْلَفْتَ عَلَيْهِمْ مَوْلًى قَالَ

إِنَّهُ قَارِئٌ لِكِتَابِ اللَّهِ ﷻ وَإِنَّهُ عَالِمٌ بِالْفَرَائِضِ قَالَ عُمَرُ أَمَا إِنَّ نَبِيَّكُمْ ﷺ قَدْ قَالَ إِنَّ اللَّهَ يَرْفَعُ بِهَذَا الْكِتَابِ أَقْوَامًا وَيَضَعُ بِهِ آخَرِينَ  

See similar narrations below:

Collected by Aḥmad
ahmad:232 – [Chain 1] Abū Kāmil > Ibrāhīm b. Saʿd > Ibn Shihāb [Chain 2] Maʿmar > al-Zuhrī al-Maʿná > Abū al-Ṭufayl ʿĀmir b.

Whom have you appointed as your deputy over the people of the valley? He said: I have appointed Ibn Abza over them, ‘Umar said: Who is Ibn Abza? Nafiʼ said: One of our freed slaves. ‘Umar said: Have you appointed a freed slave over them? Nafi’ said: He has great knowledge of the Book of Allah, is well versed in the rules of inheritance (al­-fara'id) and is a (good) qadi (judge). 'Umar said. Indeed your Prophet ﷺ said, “Allah raises some people (in status) by means of this Book and brings others low by means of it.”  

أحمد:٢٣٢ – حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو كَامِلٍ حَدَّثَنَا إِبْرَاهِيمُ بْنُ سَعْدٍ حَدَّثَنَا ابْنُ شِهَابٍ (ح) وحَدَّثَنَا عَبْدُ الرَّزَّاقِ أَخْبَرَنَا مَعْمَرٌ عَنِ الزُّهْرِيِّ الْمَعْنَى عَنْ أَبِي الطُّفَيْلِ عَامِرِ بْنِ وَاثِلَةَأَنَّ نَافِعَ بْنَ عَبْدِ الْحَارِثِ لَقِيَ عُمَرَ بْنَ الْخَطَّابِ بِعُسْفَانَ وَكَانَ عُمَرُ اسْتَعْمَلَهُ عَلَى مَكَّةَ فَقَالَ

لَهُ عُمَرُ مَنِ اسْتَخْلَفْتَ عَلَى أَهْلِ الْوَادِي؟ قَالَ اسْتَخْلَفْتُ عَلَيْهِمُ ابْنَ أَبْزَى فقَالَ وَمَا ابْنُ أَبْزَى؟ فَقَالَ رَجُلٌ مِنْ مَوَالِينَا فَقَالَ عُمَرُ اسْتَخْلَفْتَ عَلَيْهِمْ مَوْلًى! فَقَالَ إِنَّهُ قَارِئٌ لِكِتَابِ اللهِ عَالِمٌ بِالْفَرَائِضِ قَاضٍ فَقَالَ عُمَرُ أَمَا إِنَّ نَبِيَّكُمْ ﷺ قَدْ قَالَ إِنَّ اللهَ يَرْفَعُ بِهَذَا الْكِتَابِ أَقْوَامًا وَيَضَعُ بِهِ آخَرِينَ