حَدَّثَنِي مَالِكٌ، عَنْ زُرَيْقِ بْنِ حَكِيمٍ الأَيْلِيِّ، أَنَّ رَجُلاً، يُقَالُ لَهُ مِصْبَاحٌ اسْتَعَانَ ابْنًا لَهُ فَكَأَنَّهُ اسْتَبْطَأَهُ فَلَمَّا جَاءَهُ قَالَ لَهُ يَا زَانٍ . قَالَ زُرَيْقٌ فَاسْتَعْدَانِي عَلَيْهِ فَلَمَّا أَرَدْتُ أَنْ أَجْلِدَهُ قَالَ ابْنُهُ وَاللَّهِ لَئِنْ جَلَدْتَهُ لأَبُوأَنَّ عَلَى نَفْسِي بِالزِّنَا . فَلَمَّا قَالَ ذَلِكَ أَشْكَلَ عَلَىَّ أَمْرُهُ فَكَتَبْتُ فِيهِ إِلَى عُمَرَ بْنِ عَبْدِ الْعَزِيزِ - وَهُوَ الْوَالِي يَوْمَئِذٍ - أَذْكُرُ لَهُ ذَلِكَ فَكَتَبَ إِلَىَّ عُمَرُ أَنْ أَجِزْ عَفْوَهُ . قَالَ زُرَيْقٌ وَكَتَبْتُ إِلَى عُمَرَ بْنِ عَبْدِ الْعَزِيزِ أَيْضًا أَرَأَيْتَ رَجُلاً افْتُرِيَ عَلَيْهِ أَوْ عَلَى أَبَوَيْهِ وَقَدْ هَلَكَا أَوْ أَحَدُهُمَا . قَالَ فَكَتَبَ إِلَىَّ عُمَرُ إِنْ عَفَا فَأَجِزْ عَفْوَهُ فِي نَفْسِهِ وَإِنِ افْتُرِيَ عَلَى أَبَوَيْهِ وَقَدْ هَلَكَا أَوْ أَحَدُهُمَا فَخُذْ لَهُ بِكِتَابِ اللَّهِ إِلاَّ أَنْ يُرِيدَ سِتْرًا . قَالَ يَحْيَى سَمِعْتُ مَالِكًا يَقُولُ وَذَلِكَ أَنْ يَكُونَ الرَّجُلُ الْمُفْتَرَى عَلَيْهِ يَخَافُ إِنْ كُشِفَ ذَلِكَ مِنْهُ أَنْ تَقُومَ عَلَيْهِ بَيِّنَةٌ فَإِذَا كَانَ عَلَى مَا وَصَفْتُ فَعَفَا جَازَ عَفْوُهُ .
Malik related to me from Zurayq ibn Hakim al-Ayli that a mancalled Misbah asked his son for help and he thought him unnecessarilyslow. When the son came, his father said to him, "O fornicator."Zurayq said, "So the son asked me to help him against the father. WhenI wanted to flog him, his son said, 'By Allah, if you flog him, I willacknowledge that I have committed fornication.' When he said that, thesituation was confused for me, so I wrote about it to Umar ibn Abd al-Aziz who was the governor at that time, and I mentioned it to him.Umar wrote me to permit his pardon." Zurayq said, "I wrote toUmar ibn Abd al-Aziz also, 'What do you think about a man who isslandered or his parents are slandered and both or only one of themare dead?' He said, Umar wrote to me, 'If he forgives, his pardon ispermitted for himself. If his parents are slandered and one or both ofthem are dead, take the judgement of the Book of Allah for it unlesshe wants to veil it.' " Yahya said, "I heard Malik say, 'Thatis because the slandered man might fear that if that is unveiled abouthim, a clear proof might be established. If it is according to what wehave described, his pardon is permitted." Translation Not Available
Book Ref: Muwatta Imam Malik Book 41 Hadith 1520
Web Ref: Muwatta Imam Malik Book 41 Hadith 18