Majma al-Zawaid — Hadith 14103

Suwayd bin Zayd narrates: I saw Sayyiduna Abu Dharr al-Ghifari (may Allah be pleased with him) sitting alone in the mosque, and I considered it an opportunity. I came and sat with him, and I mentioned Sayyiduna Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him) to him. He said: I will always speak well of Sayyiduna Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him); the reason for this is something I saw with the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). I used to wait for the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) to be alone so that I could learn something from him. One day I went, and the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) had gone out of the house, so I followed him. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) came and sat down at a place, and I sat with him. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) asked: "O Abu Dharr! For what purpose have you come?" I said: "For Allah and His Messenger." The narrator says: Then Sayyiduna Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) came, greeted with salam, and sat on the right side of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) asked: "O Abu Bakr! Why have you come?" He said: "For Allah and His Messenger." The narrator says: Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) came and sat on the right side of Sayyiduna Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him). The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) asked: "O Umar! Why have you come?" He said: "For Allah and His Messenger." Then Sayyiduna Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him) came and sat on the right side of Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him). The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) asked: "O Uthman! Why have you come?" He said: "For Allah and His Messenger." The narrator says: Then the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) picked up seven, (the narrator is unsure; perhaps the words are:) nine pebbles. Those pebbles glorified Allah in his hand until I heard their sound, like the humming of bees. Then he put them down and they fell silent. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) placed them in the hand of Sayyiduna Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him), and they glorified Allah in the hand of Sayyiduna Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) until I heard their sound, like the humming of bees. Then he put them down and they fell silent. Then the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) picked them up and placed them in the hand of Sayyiduna Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him), and those pebbles glorified Allah in the hands of Sayyiduna Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him) until I heard their sound, like the humming of bees. Then Sayyiduna Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him) put them down and they fell silent. Al-Bazzar recorded it with two chains; the narrators of one of them are thiqat (trustworthy), and there is weakness in some of its narrators. (Allamah al-Haythami says:) I say: Before this, in the chapter on the caliphate, a route of it from Sayyiduna Abu Dharr al-Ghifari (may Allah be pleased with him) has already passed, and al-Zuhri said in it: This refers to the caliphate.
Al-Tabarani recorded it in al-Mu'jam al-Awsat, and in one of its two chains he recorded these words: "Every person in the circle heard their glorification." And the narrator says: "Then the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) gave them to us, but they did not glorify Allah with any of us."