وَعَنْ عُبَيْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ عَدِيِّ بْنِ الْخِيَارِ: أَنَّهُ دَخَلَ عَلَى عُثْمَانَ وَهُوَ مَحْصُورٌ فَقَالَ: إِنَّكَ إِمَامُ عَامَّةٍ وَنَزَلَ بِكَ مَا تَرَى وَيُصلي لنا إِمَام فتْنَة وننحرج. فَقَالَ: الصَّلَاة أحسن مَا يعْمل النَّاس فَإِذا أحسن النَّاس فَأحْسن مَعَهم وَإِذا أساؤوا فاجتنب إساءتهم. رَوَاهُ البُخَارِيّ
‘Ubaidallah b. ‘Adi b. al-Khiyar told how he visited ‘Uthman when he was besieged and said, “You are a leader who has been accepted generally, yet what you see has happened to you, and a rebel leader conducts our prayer and we abstain.” He replied, “Prayer is the best thing people do; so when people do good, do good along with them, but when they do evil turn aside from their evil-doing.” Bukhari transmitted it.
Reported by Al-Bukhari (No. 695). Cited in Mishkat al-Masabih (No. 623).