حَدَّثَنَا مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ عَوْفٍ الطَّائِيُّ، حَدَّثَنَا الرَّبِيعُ بْنُ رَوْحِ بْنِ خُلَيْدٍ، حَدَّثَنَا مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ خَالِدٍ، - يَعْنِي الْوَهْبِيَّ - حَدَّثَنَا الْفَضْلُ بْنُ دَلْهَمٍ، عَنِ الْحَسَنِ، عَنْ سَلَمَةَ بْنِ الْمُحَبَّقِ، عَنْ عُبَادَةَ بْنِ الصَّامِتِ، عَنِ النَّبِيِّ صلى الله عليه وسلم بِهَذَا الْحَدِيثِ فَقَالَ نَاسٌ لِسَعْدِ بْنِ عُبَادَةَ يَا أَبَا ثَابِتٍ قَدْ نَزَلَتِ الْحُدُودُ لَوْ أَنَّكَ وَجَدْتَ مَعَ امْرَأَتِكَ رَجُلاً كَيْفَ كُنْتَ صَانِعًا قَالَ كُنْتُ ضَارِبَهُمَا بِالسَّيْفِ حَتَّى يَسْكُتَا أَفَأَنَا أَذْهَبُ فَأَجْمَعُ أَرْبَعَةَ شُهَدَاءَ فَإِلَى ذَلِكَ قَدْ قَضَى الْحَاجَةَ ‏.‏ فَانْطَلَقُوا فَاجْتَمَعُوا عِنْدَ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم فَقَالُوا يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ أَلَمْ تَرَ إِلَى أَبِي ثَابِتٍ قَالَ كَذَا وَكَذَا فَقَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم ‏"‏ كَفَى بِالسَّيْفِ شَاهِدًا ‏"‏ ‏.‏ ثُمَّ قَالَ ‏"‏ لاَ لاَ أَخَافُ أَنْ يَتَتَايَعَ فِيهَا السَّكْرَانُ وَالْغَيْرَانُ ‏"‏ ‏.‏ قَالَ أَبُو دَاوُدَ رَوَى وَكِيعٌ أَوَّلَ هَذَا الْحَدِيثِ عَنِ الْفَضْلِ بْنِ دَلْهَمٍ عَنِ الْحَسَنِ عَنْ قَبِيصَةَ بْنِ حُرَيْثٍ عَنْ سَلَمَةَ بْنِ الْمُحَبَّقِ عَنِ النَّبِيِّ صلى الله عليه وسلم ‏.‏ وَإِنَّمَا هَذَا إِسْنَادُ حَدِيثِ ابْنِ الْمُحَبَّقِ أَنَّ رَجُلاً وَقَعَ عَلَى جَارِيَةِ امْرَأَتِهِ ‏.‏ قَالَ أَبُو دَاوُدَ الْفَضْلُ بْنُ دَلْهَمٍ لَيْسَ بِالْحَافِظِ كَانَ قَصَّابًا بِوَاسِطَ ‏.‏

The tradition mentioned above (No. 4401) has also been transmitted by Ubadah ibn as-Samit through a different chain of narrators. This version has: The people said to Sa'd ibn Ubadah: AbuThabit, the prescribed punishments have been revealed: if you find a man with your wife, what will you do? He said: I shall strike them with a sword so much that they become silent (i.e. die). Should I go and gather four witnesses? Until that (time) the need would be fulfilled. So they went away and gathered with the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) and said: Messenger of Allah! did you not see AbuThabit. He said so-and-so. The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: The sword is a sufficient witness. He then said: No, no, a furious and a jealous man may follow this course. Abu Dawud said: This tradition has been transmitted by Waki' from al-Fadl b. Dilham from al-Hasan, from Qabisah b. Huraith, from Salamah b. al-Muhabbaq, from the Prophet (ﷺ). And this is the chain of the tradition narrated by Ibn al-Muhabbaq to the effect that a man had sexual intercourse with a slave girl of his wife. Abu Dawud said: Al-Fadl b. Dilham was not the memoriser of traditions. He was a butcher in Wasit.