Mishkat al-Masabih #578
Prayer
The Arabic includes the chain of narration (sanad) and the collector's commentary; the English translation shows the Prophet's words only.
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.
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About Mishkat al-Masabih
This hadith is #578 from Mishkat al-Masabih, in the Book of Prayer.