Al-Adab Al-Mufrad #1127
Letters
The Arabic includes the chain of narration (sanad) and the collector's commentary; the English translation shows the Prophet's words only.
حَدَّثَنَا قُتَيْبَةُ، قَالَ: حَدَّثَنَا يَحْيَى بْنُ زَكَرِيَّا، عَنِ ابْنِ عَوْنٍ، عَنْ نَافِعٍ قَالَ: كَانَتْ لِابْنِ عُمَرَ حَاجَةٌ إِلَى مُعَاوِيَةَ، فَأَرَادَ أَنْ يَكْتُبَ إِلَيْهِ، فَقَالُوا: ابْدَأْ بِهِ، فَلَمْ يَزَالُوا بِهِ حَتَّى كَتَبَ: بِسْمِ اللهِ الرَّحْمَنِ الرَّحِيمِ، إِلَى مُعَاوِيَةَ.
Nafi' said, "Ibn 'Umar needed something from Mu'awiya and he wanted
to write to him. People said, 'Begin with his name.' They kept on at him
until he wrote, 'In the Name of Allah, the All-Merciful, Most Merciful,
to Mu'awiya.'"
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About Al-Adab Al-Mufrad
This hadith is #1127 from Al-Adab Al-Mufrad, in the Book of Letters.