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. (Using translation from Abū Dāʾūd 4420)   

كُنْتُ فِيمَنْ رَجَمَهُ فَلَمَّا وَجَدَ مَسَّ الْحِجَارَةِ جَزِعَ جَزَعًا شَدِيدًا فَذَكَرْنَا ذَلِكَ لِرَسُولِ اللهِ ﷺ قَالَ «فَهَلَّا تَرَكْتُمُوهُ؟» قَالَ مُحَمَّدٌ فَذَكَرْتُ ذَلِكَ مِنْ حَدِيثِهِ حِينَ سَمِعْتُهُ «أَلَا تَرَكْتُمُوهُ؟» لِعَاصِمِ بْنِ عُمَرَ بْنِ قَتَادَةَ فَقَالَ لِي حَدَّثَنِي حُسْنُ بْنُ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ عَلِيِّ بْنِ أَبِي طَالِبٍ قَالَ حَدَّثَنِي ذَلِكَ مِنْ قَوْلِ رَسُولِ اللهِ ﷺ أَلَا تَرَكْتُمُوهُ؟ لِمَاعِزِ بْنِ مَالِكٍ مَنْ شِئْتَ مِنْ رِجَالِ أَسْلَمَ مِمَّنْ لَا أَتَّهِمُ وَلَمْ أَعْرِفْ وَجْهَ الْحَدِيثِ فَجِئْتُ جَابِرَ بْنَ عَبْدِ اللهِ فَقُلْتُ إِنَّ رِجَالَ أَسْلَمَ يُحَدِّثُونِي أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللهِ ﷺ قَالَ لَهُمْ حِينَ ذَكَرُوا جَزَعَ مَاعِزٍ مِنَ الْحِجَارَةِ حِينَ أَصَابَتْهُ «فَهَلَّا تَرَكْتُمُوهُ؟» وَمَا أَتَّهِمُ الْقَوْمَ 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 قَوْمُ رُدُّونِي إِلَى رَسُولِ اللهِ ﷺ فَإِنَّ قَوْمِي قَتَلُونِي وَغَرُّونِي مِنْ نَفْسِي وَأَخْبَرُونِي أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللهِ ﷺ غَيْرُ قَاتِلٍ فَلَمْ نَنْزِعْ عَنْهُ حَتَّى قَتَلْنَاهُ فَلَمَّا رَجَعْنَا إِلَى رَسُولِ اللهِ ﷺ قَالَ «فَهَلَّا تَرَكْتُمُ الرَّجُلَ؟ وَجِئْتُمُونِي بِهِ» لِيَتَثَبَّتَ رَسُولُ اللهِ ﷺ فِيهِ فَأَمَّا تَرْكُ حَدٍّ فَلَا قَالَ أَبُو عَبْدِ الرَّحْمَنِ هَذَا الْإِسْنَادُ خَيْرٌ مِنَ الَّذِي قَبْلَهُ