Explanation of the Book of the Adhan-07b

The reciter: Abu 'Abdullah said, and Muhammad ibn Yusuf said to us, "Al-Awza'i narrated to us, and al-Zuhri narrated to us from Humaid ibn 'Abd al-Rahman from 'Ubayd Allah ibn 'Adi ibn Khiyar that he entered upon 'Uthman ibn 'Affan (may Allah be pleased with him) while he was besieged. He said, 'You are the imam of the general public, and what we see has befallen you. We have an imam of fitnah (trial/discord) to lead us in prayer, and we are hesitant.' He said, 'Prayer is the best of what people do. If people do well, do well with them, and if they do ill, avoid their ill-doing.' And al-Zubaydi said, al-Zuhri said, 'We do not think it is permissible to pray behind a eunuch except out of a dire necessity that cannot be avoided.'"