The two Shaykhs narrated from cA’ishah, may Allah be pleased with her, that the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, gathered his garments around him when cUthman entered and said, ‘Should I not feel shy of a man of whom the angels are shy?’ Al-Bukhari narrated from Abu cAbd ar-Rahman as-Sulami that when cUthman was besieged, he looked out over them and said, ‘I adjure you by Allah, and I adjure none but the Companions of the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, do you not know that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, “Whoever equips the Army of Difficulty (ofTabuk) then there is the Garden for him”? And I equipped it. Do you not know that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, “Whoever has the well of Rumah dug, then the Garden is for him”? And I had it dug.’ They affirmed what he said.

At-Tirmidhi narrated that cAbd ar-Rahman ibn Khabbab said: I witnessed the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, urging (people to) support the Army of Difficulty, and then cUthman ibn cAffan said, ‘Messenger of Allah, I will be responsible for one hundred camels with their saddle blankets and their saddles, in the way of Allah.’ Then he further urged people to support the army and cUthman said, ‘Messenger of Allah, I will be responsible for two hundred camels with their saddle blankets and their saddles, in the way of Allah.’ Then he further urged people to support the army and cUthman said, ‘Messenger of Allah, I will be responsible for three hundred camels with their saddle blankets and their saddles, in the way of Allah.’ Then the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, came down (from the minbar) saying, ‘There will be nothing at all against cUthman whatever he does after this.’ At-Tirmidhi narrated that Anas said, and al-Hakim, who declared it sahih, narrated that cAbd ar-Rahman ibn Samurah said: cUthman came to the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, with one thousand dinars when he equipped the Army of Difficulty and poured them into his lap. The Messenger of Allah, began turning them over, saying, ‘Nothing cUthman does after this day will harm him,’ twice.

At-Tirmidhi narrated that Anas said: When the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, ordered the Pledge of Allegiance of Ridwan (at Hudaybiyyah) cUthman ibn cAffan was the messenger of the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and his family and grant them peace, to the people of Makkah. So people pledged allegiance. The Prophet, may Allah bless him and his family and grant them peace, said, ‘cUthman ibn cAffan is upon the business of Allah and the business of His Messenger,’ and he struck one of his two hands upon the other, so that the hand of the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, was better for cUthman than their hands were for them themselves.

At-Tirmidhi narrated that Ibn cUmar said: The Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, mentioned a fitnah (a trial or sedition) and said, ‘This one will be killed wrongfully in it,’ about cUthman.

At-Tirmidhi, al-Hakim, who declared it sahih, and Ibn Majah narrated that Murrah ibn Kacb said: I heard the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, mentioning a trial which he thought to be near. A man passed by, muffled up in his garment, and he (the Prophet) said, ‘This one on that day will be upon the guidance.’ I stood up and went to him and it was cUthman ibn cAffan. I turned, faced him (the Prophet) and said, ‘This one?’ He said, ‘Yes.’ At-Tirmidhi and al-Hakim narrated that cA’ishah, may Allah be pleased with her, related that the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, HJthman, perhaps Allah will robe you in a garment, so if the hypocrites wish to strip it off you, do not take it off until you meet me.’ At-Tirmidhi narrated that cUthman said, on the day of the house (the site of his siege), ‘The Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, made a covenant with me and I will • > be patient with it.

Al-Hakim narrated that Abu Hurayrah said: cUthman bought the Garden from the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, twice: when he had the well of Rumah dug and when he equipped the Army of Difficulty.

Ibn cAsakir narrated that Abu Hurayrah, may Allah be pleased with him, said that the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, <cUthman, of my companions, most resembles me in character.’ At-Tabarani narrated that cAsmah ibn Malik said: When the daughter of the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and his family and grant them peace, died under (the roof of) cUthman, the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, ‘Get cUthman married. Even if I had a third (daughter) I would have got him married, and I did not get him married except through revelation from Allah.’ Ibn cAsakir narrated that cAli, may Allah be pleased with him said:

I heard the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, say to cUthman, ‘Even if I had forty daughters I would marry them to you, one after another, until none of them remained.’ Ibn cAsakir narrated that Zaid ibn Thabit said: I heard the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, saying, HJthman passed by me while one of the angels was with me, and he said, “A martyr whose people will kill him. We are shy of him.’” Abu Yacla narrated from Ibn cUmar that the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, ‘The angels are shy of cUthman, just as they are shy of Allah and His Messenger.’ Ibn cAsakir narrated from al-Hasan that the modesty of cUthman was mentioned in his presence. He said, ‘If he were in the middle of the house — and the door locked - then he put off his clothes in order to pour water over himself, modesty would prevent him from raising (straightening) his backbone.’