Book of Tribulations (may Allah protect us from them)

Sayyiduna Jabir (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates: The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) mentioned a trial. Sayyiduna Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) asked: "Will I live to see it?" The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "No." Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) asked: "Will I see it?" The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "No." Sayyiduna Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him) asked: "O Messenger of Allah, will I see it?" The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Through you they will be put to the test."
Al-Bazzar recorded it; its chain contains a narrator, Ma'iz al-Tamimi, whom Ibn Abi Hatim mentioned, and no one has criticised him; the remaining narrators of this report are thiqat (trustworthy).

Sayyiduna Uthman al-Ghani (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "After me you will be put to trial, so do not fight under any circumstances."
Abu Ya'la recorded it in al-Kabir from his teacher, whose lineage is not stated, and I do not know him; the remaining narrators of this report are thiqat (trustworthy).

Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Hawalah (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates: I came to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) while he was seated in the shade of a "dawmah" (a kind of tree), and with him was a scribe to whom he was dictating. He asked: "O Ibn Hawalah, shall I not have something written for you?" I said: "I do not know; whatever Allah and His Messenger choose for me (will be right)." So the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) turned away from me. Here the narrator named Isma'il once reported these words: The first time he (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "O Ibn Hawalah, shall we write you (that is, write something for you)?" I said: "I do not know, O Messenger of Allah, what it should be." Then the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) turned away from me. Then he (peace and blessings be upon him) turned to his scribe and began dictating to him. Then he (peace and blessings be upon him) asked: "O Ibn Hawalah, shall we not write for you?" I said: "I do not know; whatever Allah Almighty and His Messenger choose for me (will be appropriate)." The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) turned away from me; then he (peace and blessings be upon him) turned to the scribe and continued dictating to him. The narrator says: I looked, and in that writing Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) was mentioned, and from this I realised that Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) could only be mentioned in connection with something good. Then the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "O Ibn Hawalah, shall we not have something written for you?" I said: "Yes." Then the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "O Ibn Hawalah, what will you do in the time of trials, when those trials emerge from the sides of the earth like the horns of cattle?" I said: "I do not know; whatever Allah and His Messenger choose for me (will be right)." The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Then what will you do when, after the first trial, a second trial comes, compared to which the first trial is like the leap of a rabbit?" I said: "I do not know; whatever Allah and His Messenger choose for me (will be right)." The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Follow this man!" (The narrator says:) At that time a man was passing by there with his face covered. I went, running, and I put my hand on his shoulder, turned him towards the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) and asked: "This one?" The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Yes." (The narrator says:) And he was Sayyiduna Uthman al-Ghani (may Allah be pleased with him).

In a narration reported from him, the words are: "We were travelling with the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). The people halted at a place, and the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) halted in the shade of a dawmah (a kind of tree). He saw me coming while I was going about some need of mine, and at that time there was no one there except the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) and his scribe." In this narration he also stated that at the beginning of the writing were the names of Sayyiduna Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) and Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him). In this narration he also stated: I said: "O Messenger of Allah, what should I do?" The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "You must go to Syria (al-Sham)." In this narration he also stated: "I do not know what he said about the last one; if I knew what he said about the last one, it would be dearer to me than such and such."
Ahmad recorded it, and al-Tabarani recorded something similar, and the narrators of both are the narrators of the Sahih.

Shaqiq narrates: Sayyiduna Abd al-Rahman bin Awf (may Allah be pleased with him) met al-Walid bin Uqbah, and al-Walid said to him: "Why is it that I see you have treated the Commander of the Believers, Sayyiduna Uthman al-Ghani (may Allah be pleased with him), unfairly?" Sayyiduna Abd al-Rahman bin Awf (may Allah be pleased with him) said: "Convey this message to him from me: that I did not flee on the day of Aynayn" (the narrator named Asim says: this means the day of the Battle of Uhud) (he also said:) "and I did not stay behind from taking part in the Battle of Badr, and I did not abandon the Sunnah of Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him)." The narrator says: Al-Walid went and informed Sayyiduna Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him) of this. Sayyiduna Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him) said: "As for his saying that he did not flee on the day of Aynayn, how can he reproach me for a sin that Allah Almighty has pardoned, saying: 'Indeed, those of you who turned back on the day the two armies met, it was only Satan who caused them to slip because of some of what they had earned, and Allah has certainly pardoned them.' As for his saying that I stayed behind on the day of Badr, I was nursing Sayyidah Ruqayyah (may Allah be pleased with her), the daughter of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), until she passed away. That is why the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) assigned me a share, and whoever the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) assigned a share to is as if he took part (in that battle). As for his saying that I did not abandon the way of Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him), neither I nor he has the strength for that. Go to him and tell him this."
Ahmad and Abu Ya'la recorded it, al-Tabarani recorded it in abridged form, and al-Bazzar recorded it at length in a similar way; its chain contains a narrator, Asim bin Abi al-Najud, who is hasan al-hadith (good in hadith); the remaining narrators of this report are thiqat (trustworthy).

Sa'id bin al-Musayyib narrates: Sayyiduna Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him) had a particular doorkeeper who used to go out ahead of him to the prayer. One day he went out to pray, with the doorkeeper ahead of him. Then he came back, and the doorkeeper sat down in a corner. He folded his cloak, placed it under his head and lay down, and placed his whip in front of him. Meanwhile Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) came, wearing a lower garment and an upper cloak, with a staff in his hand. When the doorkeeper saw him from afar, he said: "There is Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) coming." Sayyiduna Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him) sat up and wrapped his cloak around himself. Then Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) came and stood at his head and said: "Have you bought the land of the family of so-and-so, when the endowment of the Messenger of Allah has a right in its water? I know that no one but you could buy it." Sayyiduna Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him) stood up, and words passed between the two of them that I will not narrate until I appear before Allah Almighty. Meanwhile Sayyiduna al-Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him) came and intervened between them. Sayyiduna Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him) had raised the whip against Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him), and Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) had raised the staff against Sayyiduna Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him). Sayyiduna al-Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him) kept trying to calm them both, saying to Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him): "He is the Commander of the Believers," and saying to Sayyiduna Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him): "He is your cousin." He kept doing so until both of them fell silent. (The narrator says:) The next day I saw the two of them, each holding the other's hand, and they were talking with each other.
Al-Tabarani recorded it in al-Mu'jam al-Awsat; the chain of this report contains a group of narrators whom I do not know.

Abu Awn al-Ansari narrates: Sayyiduna Uthman al-Ghani (may Allah be pleased with him) said to Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him): "Will you not desist from what has reached me about you?" Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him) offered him some excuse. Sayyiduna Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him) said: "Woe to you! I too remember (the saying of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him)) and I heard it, and it is not as you heard it. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: 'Soon a ruler will be killed, and those who rush towards evil will rush towards it.' I am the one who will be killed, not Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him), for Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) was killed by a single man, whereas a crowd will gather against me."
Ahmad recorded it, and its narrators are thiqat (trustworthy).

Salim bin Abi al-Ja'd narrates: Sayyiduna Uthman al-Ghani (may Allah be pleased with him) summoned some people from among the Companions of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), among whom was Sayyiduna Ammar bin Yasir (may Allah be pleased with him). Sayyiduna Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him) said: "I am going to ask you something, and I would like you to tell me the truth. I ask you by Allah: do you know that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) used to give Quraysh preference over all other people, and give Banu Hashim preference over the rest of Quraysh?" The people remained silent. Sayyiduna Uthman al-Ghani (may Allah be pleased with him) said: "If the keys of Paradise were in my hand, I would give them to Banu Umayyah, until every last one of them entered Paradise." Then Sayyiduna Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him) sent for Sayyiduna Talhah (may Allah be pleased with him) and Sayyiduna al-Zubayr (may Allah be pleased with him), and Sayyiduna Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him) said: "Shall I not narrate to you both a hadith about him?" (Sayyiduna Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him) meant Sayyiduna Ammar bin Yasir (may Allah be pleased with him).) "Once I was coming along with the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), and the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) was holding my hand. Walking through the open valley, we came upon his father, his mother and him, who were being tormented. Ammar's father said: 'O Messenger of Allah, will it always be like this?' The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said to him: 'Be patient!' Then he (peace and blessings be upon him) said: 'O Allah, forgive the family of Yasir, and You have done so.'" (Or the meaning is that Allah Almighty said: "I have done so.")
Ahmad recorded it, and its narrators are the narrators of the Sahih; however, this report is munqati' (broken).

Ibrahim bin Abd al-Rahman bin Awf narrates: Sayyiduna Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him) said: "If you find in the Book of Allah Almighty that fetters should be placed on my feet, then do so."
Abdullah bin Ahmad recorded it, and its narrators are the narrators of the Sahih.

Aslam, the freed slave of Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him), narrates: I was present with Sayyiduna Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him) on the day he was besieged, at the place of funerals, and there were so many people there that if a stone had been thrown it would have landed on someone's head. I saw Sayyiduna Uthman al-Ghani (may Allah be pleased with him) look out from the small window next to the Station of Jibril and say: "O people, is Talhah among you?" The people remained silent. Then he said: "O people, is Talhah among you?" So Sayyiduna Talhah bin Ubaydullah (may Allah be pleased with him) stood up. Sayyiduna Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him) said to him: "Do I not see you here? I did not think that you would be among a group of people who hear my call and yet you do not answer me. O Talhah, I ask you by Allah: do you remember the day when you and I were with the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) at such-and-such a place, and none of his Companions was with him (peace and blessings be upon him) except you and me?" Sayyiduna Talhah (may Allah be pleased with him) replied: "Yes." Sayyiduna Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him) said: "The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said to you: 'O Talhah, every prophet has a companion from among his Companions, who belongs to that (prophet's) Ummah, and that companion will be with him in Paradise, and Uthman bin Affan will be my companion in Paradise.'" Sayyiduna Talhah (may Allah be pleased with him) replied: "Allah knows, yes!" Then Sayyiduna Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him) went back. (Allamah al-Haythami says:) I say: Imam al-Nasa'i (may Allah have mercy on him) recorded part of it with a munqati' (broken) chain.
Abdullah recorded it; its chain contains a narrator, Abu Ubadah al-Zuraqi, who is matruk (abandoned). Abu Ya'la recorded it in al-Kabir, and he dropped Abu Ubadah from the chain.

Ubadah bin Azhar Abu Rawwa' narrates: I heard Sayyiduna Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him) delivering a sermon, and he said: "By Allah, we accompanied the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) on journeys and at home. He (peace and blessings be upon him) used to visit our sick, and he (peace and blessings be upon him) used to attend our funerals, take part in battle with us, and treat us kindly in matters both small and large. And some people are telling me about him (peace and blessings be upon him), when they have perhaps never even seen him (peace and blessings be upon him)."
Ahmad recorded it, and Abu Ya'la recorded it in al-Kabir, adding these words: "A'yan, the son of al-Farazdaq's wife, said to him: 'O Na'thal, you have made changes!' He asked: 'Who is this?' They said: 'This is A'yan.' He said: 'Rather, you are the slave!' The narrator says: The people leapt towards A'yan. The narrator says: A man from Banu Layth began pushing the people back, until he got A'yan into his house." The narrators of both are the narrators of the Sahih, except Abbad bin Zahir, and he is thiqah (trustworthy).

Abu Sa'id, the freed slave of Sayyiduna Abu Usayd (may Allah be pleased with him), narrates: "News reached Sayyiduna Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him) that a delegation of the people of Egypt had come. Sayyiduna Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him) met them in a village outside Madinah; he disliked that the people should come in to him, or however he put it. When those people learned where Sayyiduna Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him) was, they came to Sayyiduna Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him) and said: 'Have the Mushaf brought for us.' Sayyiduna Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him) had it brought. They said: 'Open it.' He began to read it until he reached this passage: 'Say: What is your view about the provision that Allah Almighty has sent down for you, some of which you have made unlawful or lawful (on your own)? Say: Has Allah Almighty given you permission (to do this), or do you attribute a lie to Allah Almighty?' Those people said: 'Have you been given permission by Allah Almighty concerning the pasture, or are you attributing a lie to Allah Almighty?' He said: 'Carry on! This was revealed concerning such-and-such a situation. As for the pasture, Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) designated it as a reserved pasture, set aside for the camels of charity. When I became the ruler, I did the same as he had done, and I added nothing to what he had done.' The narrator says: I think that he said: 'At that time I was so many years old.' The narrator says: Then those people asked Sayyiduna Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him) about certain matters, concerning which he kept saying: 'Carry on with it! This was revealed concerning such-and-such a thing.' Then those people asked Sayyiduna Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him) about certain matters which he recognised and for which he had no answer, so he said: 'I seek forgiveness from Allah Almighty.' Then he said: 'What do you want?' They said: 'We want the people of Madinah not to receive the state stipends, for this wealth should go to the one who took part in the fighting, and to these elders among the Companions of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him).' The narrator says: Sayyiduna Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him) agreed to this, and they too agreed to it. The narrator says: They took a pledge from him on this and took a written document about it, and a pledge was also taken that they would not break the staff (of unity) and would not separate from the community. The narrator says: Sayyiduna Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him) agreed, and they too agreed. The narrator narrates: Then they came with Sayyiduna Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him) to Madinah. Sayyiduna Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him), after praising and glorifying Allah Almighty, said: 'By Allah! I have not seen any delegation better than this delegation. Whoever has crops, let him attend to his crops; whoever has livestock, let him milk them; for we no longer have wealth to give you. This wealth will now go to the one who took part in the fighting, and to the elders among the Companions of Sayyiduna Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him).' The narrator says: The people became angry and said: 'This is a trick coming from Banu Umayyah.' The members of the delegation went back satisfied. When they reached a certain point on the road, a rider appeared in front of them; then the rider left them, then came back to them and began to revile them. They seized him and asked: 'What is your business? You seem to have some particular business.' He said: 'I am the messenger of the Commander of the Faithful, going to his governor in Egypt.' They searched him, and he had with him a letter from Sayyiduna Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him), bearing his seal, stating that these people should be crucified, or their necks struck, or their hands and feet cut off. The narrator says: They came back and said: 'He has broken the covenant, so Allah Almighty has made his blood lawful.' They came to Madinah; they went to Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) and said: 'Have you not seen the enemy of Allah? He has had such-and-such written about us. Rise and come with us to him.' Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) said: 'By Allah! I will not rise and go with you.' They said: 'Then why did he write to us?' Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) said: 'By Allah! He has never written any letter to you.' Then they began to look at one another, and one of them said: 'Is it for his sake that you want to fight? Is it for his sake that you are angry?' Then Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) left and stayed in a village outside Madinah. They went to Sayyiduna Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him) and said: 'Have you written such-and-such a letter about us?' Sayyiduna Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him) said: 'There are two options: either you produce two witnesses, or I swear an oath by the name of Allah that I neither wrote it, nor dictated it, nor had any knowledge of it. And you know that a person can write anything on behalf of another, and a copy of a ring's engraving can also be made.' The narrator narrates: Then they besieged Sayyiduna Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him). One day Sayyiduna Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him) looked down at them and said: 'Peace be upon you!' The narrator says: I did not hear anyone return his greeting, though if someone replied in his heart, that is another matter. Sayyiduna Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him) said: 'I ask you by Allah: do you know that I bought the well of Rumah with my own wealth so that sweet water could be obtained from it, and I made my bucket in that well like the bucket of any one of the Muslims?' He was answered: 'Yes!' Sayyiduna Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him) said: 'Then why are you preventing me from drinking the water of that very well? I have had to break my fast with brackish water.' Then Sayyiduna Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him) said: 'I ask you by Allah: do you know that I extended the mosque in return for such-and-such an amount from my own wealth?' The people replied: 'Yes!' Sayyiduna Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him) said: 'Do you know of anyone before me who was prevented from praying in this mosque?' Then he mentioned some other matters which the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) had said to him. The narrator says: I think he mentioned that he had written the Mufassal surahs with his own hand. The narrator says: Then the news spread, and it was said: 'Hold back from the Commander of the Faithful!'" (Allamah al-Haythami says:) I say: Al-Tirmidhi recorded part of this narration.
Al-Bazzar recorded it, and its narrators are the narrators of the Sahih, except Abu Sa'id, the freed slave of Sayyiduna Abu Usayd (may Allah be pleased with him), and he is thiqah (trustworthy).

It is reported about Sayyiduna Mughirah bin Shu'bah (may Allah be pleased with him) that he came to Sayyiduna Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him) when he had been besieged, and he said: You are the ruler, and you see the situation that has befallen you. I put three proposals before you; choose one of them. Either you go out and fight these people, for you have numbers and strength (of men) with you, and you are upon the truth while these people (i.e. the rebels) are upon falsehood; or you have another door made, other than the door in front of which these people are, and mount your riding animal and go to Makkah, for while you are in Makkah these (rebels) will not be able to harm you; or you go to Syria, for the people of Syria are there and Sayyiduna Mu'awiyah (may Allah be pleased with him) is also among them. Sayyiduna Uthman al-Ghani (may Allah be pleased with him) said: "If I go out and fight them, I would not want to be the first person who began shedding blood in the Ummah of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) after him. As for my going out to Makkah, on the ground that these people will not harm me there, I heard the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) say: 'A man from Quraysh will commit ilhad (desecration) in Makkah, and upon him will be half the punishment of the whole world.' So I do not want to be that person. As for my going to Syria, where the people of Syria are and Mu'awiyah is among them, I do not want to part from the abode of my emigration and the neighbourhood of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him)."
Ahmad recorded it, and its narrators are thiqat (trustworthy), except Muhammad bin Abd al-Malik bin Marwan: I have not found that he heard from Sayyiduna Mughirah (may Allah be pleased with him). (Allamah al-Haythami says:) I say: This hadith has various chains, which have passed in the Book of Hajj, in the chapter on the virtue of Makkah.

Sayyiduna Nu'man bin Bashir (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates: A man from among us died, whose name was Kharijah bin Zayd. We covered him with a cloth, and I stood up to pray. Meanwhile I perceived a noise, so I finished the prayer. When I came to the body of Kharijah bin Zayd, it was moving. He said: The strongest of the people was the one in the middle (i.e. the one who was just), and he is the servant of Allah, Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him), who was the Commander of the Faithful, strong in his body and strong in the affair of Allah Almighty. And Sayyiduna Uthman al-Ghani (may Allah be pleased with him) is the Commander of the Faithful; he is chaste and has adopted chastity, and he has overlooked many things. Two nights have passed and four remain. There is disagreement among the people; they have no order. O people! Turn towards your Imam, and listen and obey. Here are the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) and Sayyiduna Ibn Rawahah (may Allah be pleased with him) coming. Then he said: What happened to Zayd bin Kharijah? (meaning his father). Then he said: I took the well of Aris unjustly. After that his voice died down.
Al-Tabarani recorded it, and its narrators are the narrators of the Sahih. Its chains have passed earlier in the Book of the Caliphate.

Abdullah bin Rafi' narrates the statement of his mother: "Sa'bah bint al-Hadrami came out, and we heard this lady saying to her father, Sayyiduna Talhah bin Ubaydullah (may Allah be pleased with him): 'The siege of Sayyiduna Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him) has become severe; it would be appropriate if you spoke about this so that it is brought to an end.' The narrator says: At that time Sayyiduna Talhah (may Allah be pleased with him) had washed one of the two sides of his head; he gave the lady no answer. So the lady put both her hands into her sleeve, brought out her breasts and said: 'I bore you and I suckled you; by that I ask you to do this.' So Sayyiduna Talhah bin Ubaydullah (may Allah be pleased with him) stood up, twisted the washed hair on one side of his head and tied it in a knot. Then he went out and came to Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him), who was sitting at the side of his house. Sayyiduna Talhah (may Allah be pleased with him) was there; his mother was with him, and with them was the mother of Abdullah bin Rafi' (i.e. the woman narrator). Sayyiduna Talhah (may Allah be pleased with him) said: 'It would be appropriate if you removed the people from this man, for the siege on him has become severe.' Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) tapped the cup in his hand three times with his finger, then raised his head and said: 'By Allah! I do not like anything concerning this man that he himself dislikes.'"
Al-Tabarani recorded it; its chain contains narrators whom I do not know. It appears that this narration is da'if (weak), because when Sayyiduna Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him) was besieged, Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) was not present in Madinah, nor was he present at the time of his martyrdom.

Muhammad bin Sirin narrates: Muhammad bin Abi Hudhayfah bin Utbah bin Rabi'ah and Ka'b were both travelling on a boat at sea. Muhammad bin Abi Hudhayfah said: O Ka'b! Do you find mention of this boat of ours in the Torah, of how it sails? He replied: No! But I find in the Torah mention of a man who will belong to Quraysh and will be the most wretched of young men, and he will leap into the fitnah (tribulation) the way a donkey leaps. Try to guard against it, lest that man be you. Ibn Sirin says: People say that this very man turned out to be that person.
Al-Tabarani recorded it, and its narrators are the narrators of the Sahih.

Sayyidah Fatimah bint Ali (may Allah be pleased with them both) and Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Ja'far (may Allah be pleased with him) narrate: Sayyiduna Ali bin Abi Talib (may Allah be pleased with him) came to Sayyiduna Ammar bin Yasir (may Allah be pleased with him), and Sayyiduna Ammar (may Allah be pleased with him) was holding Sayyiduna Hasan bin Ali (may Allah be pleased with them both) by the collar. Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) asked him: What is the matter between you and your nephew? Sayyiduna Ammar (may Allah be pleased with him) said: He says that Sayyiduna Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him) did not commit disbelief. Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) said to him: Do you believe in something that Sayyiduna Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him) rejected, and could you reject something in which Sayyiduna Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him) believed? Sayyiduna Ammar (may Allah be pleased with him) replied: No! Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) said: Then let your nephew go! When Sayyiduna Hasan (may Allah be pleased with him) had gone, Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) said to Sayyiduna Ammar (may Allah be pleased with him): O Ammar! Do you not know that Sayyiduna Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him) believed in Allah Almighty and rejected al-Lat and al-Uzza? Sayyiduna Ammar (may Allah be pleased with him) replied: Yes! (i.e. I know this).
Al-Tabarani recorded it; its chain contains a narrator, al-Miswar bin al-Salt, and he is matruk (abandoned).

Wathab narrates (he was one of those whom Sayyiduna Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him) had set free, and he used to stand in front of Sayyiduna Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him)); he narrates: Sayyiduna Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him) sent me, and I called al-Ashtar for him. The narrator Ibn Awn says: I think the narration contains these words: I placed a cushion for him and a cushion for the Commander of the Faithful. The Commander of the Faithful said: O Ashtar! What do these people want from me? He replied: There are three things; it will be necessary for you to choose one of them. Sayyiduna Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him) asked: What are they? He said: The people are giving you the option that, if you wish, you leave their affair to them and say: 'Here is your government; choose for it whomever you wish'; or else that you give retaliation (qisas) from yourself. If you refuse this, the people will kill you. Sayyiduna Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him) asked: Is there no escape from choosing one of them? Al-Ashtar replied: There is no escape from choosing one of them. Sayyiduna Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him) said: As for my stepping down from the government for them, I will never take off a garment with which I have been clothed. The narrator says: Here the narrator al-Hasan transmitted these words: Sayyiduna Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him) said: By Allah! To be brought forward and have my neck struck is more beloved to me than that I should abandon the government of the Ummah of Sayyiduna Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) and then they leap upon one another. The narrator says: These words more closely resemble the speech of Sayyiduna Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him). (Sayyiduna Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him) said:) As for my giving retaliation from my own person, by Allah! I know that my two companions (my predecessors) used to impose punishments, and my body is not fit for retaliation (i.e. retaliation is not due upon me). As for their killing me, by Allah! If you kill me, after me you will never love one another, and after me you will never fight an enemy together. Then al-Ashtar got up and left. We stayed, and we said: Perhaps the people will desist. Meanwhile a man came who seemed like a wolf; he peeped in through the door, then went back. Then Muhammad bin Abi Bakr came with thirteen men and reached Sayyiduna Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him). He seized the beard of Sayyiduna Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him) and began to strike him, until I heard the sound of his molars breaking. Muhammad bin Abi Bakr said: Of what use was Mu'awiyah to you? Of what use was Ibn Amir to you? Of what use were your letters to you? Sayyiduna Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him) said: O my nephew! Let go of my beard! O my nephew! Let go of my beard! The narrator says: Then I saw him call a man from among those present, and he got up and came to him with an arrowhead and thrust it into his head. The narrator says: I asked: Then what happened? He told me: They helped one another, by Allah, until they martyred Sayyiduna Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him) (together).
Al-Tabarani recorded it, and its narrators are the narrators of the Sahih except Wathab; Ibn Abi Hatim mentioned him, and no one has criticised him.

Sayyidah Na'ilah bint al-Furafisah (may Allah be pleased with her) narrates (she was the wife of Sayyiduna Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him)); she narrates: The Commander of the Faithful, Sayyiduna Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him), became drowsy and fell asleep. Then he woke up and said: The people will certainly kill me. I said: Never! If Allah wills, such a situation will not arise. They are your subjects who are protesting before you. Sayyiduna Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him) said: "I have seen the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), Sayyiduna Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) and Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) in a dream. They said to me: Tonight you are to break your fast with us."
Abdullah recorded it; its chain contains narrators whom I do not know.

Kathir bin al-Salt narrates: On the day on which Sayyiduna Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him) was martyred, it so happened that Sayyiduna Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him) fell asleep; this was on a Friday. When he woke up, he said: Were it not for the fear that people would say that Sayyiduna Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him) is longing for death, I would have told you something. The narrator says: We said: Tell us, may Allah Almighty keep you well; we will not say as the people say. He said: I saw the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) in a dream, and he (peace and blessings be upon him) said: You are to join us for the Friday (prayer).
Abu Ya'la recorded it in al-Kabir; its chain contains a narrator, Abu Alqamah, the freed slave of Sayyiduna Abd al-Rahman bin Awf (may Allah be pleased with him); I do not know him, and the remaining narrators of this narration are thiqat (trustworthy).

Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Umar (may Allah be pleased with them both) narrates: Sayyiduna Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him), while talking with the people, said: I saw the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) in a dream, and he (peace and blessings be upon him) said: You are to break your fast with us. (The narrator narrates:) So that day he kept the fast, and on that very day he was martyred. May Allah Almighty be pleased with him and honour his face.
Abu Ya'la recorded it in al-Kabir, and al-Bazzar recorded it; its chain contains a narrator whom I do not know.

Muslim Abu Sa'id, the freed slave of Sayyiduna Uthman al-Ghani (may Allah be pleased with him), narrates: Sayyiduna Uthman al-Ghani (may Allah be pleased with him) set free twenty slaves. Then he called for trousers and put them on, although he had never worn them in the Jahiliyyah or in Islam. Then he said: Last night I saw the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), Sayyiduna Abu Bakr and Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with them both) in a dream. They said to me: Be patient, for tomorrow you are to break your fast with us. Then Sayyiduna Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him) called for the Qur'an and opened it before him, and when he was martyred, the Qur'an was lying before him.
Abdullah and Abu Ya'la (in al-Kabir) recorded it, and the narrators of both are thiqat (trustworthy).

Abdullah bin Muhammad bin Aqil narrates: Sayyiduna Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him) was martyred in 35 AH, and the fitnah (tribulation) lasted five years, of which four months were those of the caliphate of Sayyiduna Hasan (may Allah be pleased with him).
Abdullah recorded it, and al-Tabarani recorded it. The narrator Ibn Aqil did not live in the time of this incident, and there is a difference of opinion about him.

Abu al-Aliyah narrates: During the ten days of Eid al-Adha, we remained at the door of Sayyiduna Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him).
Ahmad recorded it, and its narrators are the narrators of the Sahih.

Abu Ma'shar narrates: Sayyiduna Uthman al-Ghani (may Allah be pleased with him) was martyred on Friday, the 18th of Dhu al-Hijjah, 35 AH, and his caliphate was twelve years less twelve days.
Ahmad recorded it, and its chain is munqati' (broken).

Abu Uthman al-Nahdi narrates: Sayyiduna Uthman al-Ghani (may Allah be pleased with him) was martyred on the middle day of the Days of Tashriq.
Abdullah recorded it, and its narrators are the narrators of the Sahih.

Abdullah bin Farrukh narrates: I was present when Sayyiduna Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him) was buried; he was buried in his bloodstained clothes, and he was not given the ritual bath (ghusl).
Abdullah recorded it.

Qatadah narrates: Sayyiduna Zubayr (may Allah be pleased with him) led the funeral prayer of Sayyiduna Uthman al-Ghani (may Allah be pleased with him), and it was he who buried him, because Sayyiduna Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him) had made a bequest concerning him.
Ahmad recorded it, and its narrators are the narrators of the Sahih, but the narrator Qatadah did not live in the time of this incident.