It is narrated from Sayyiduna Anas bin Malik (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) was in the garden of a man of the Ansar when a man came and asked for the gate to be opened. The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "O Anas! Get up, open the gate for him and give him the glad tidings of Paradise, and also tell him that he will be in charge (as caliph) of my Ummah after me." I got up and opened the gate for him, and it was Sayyiduna Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him). I gave him the glad tidings of Paradise; he praised Allah and then came in.
Then another man came and knocked on the gate, and the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "O Anas! Get up, open the gate for him and give him the glad tidings of Paradise, and tell him that he will be in charge of my Ummah after Sayyiduna Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him)." I opened the gate for him, and it was Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him). I gave him the glad tidings; he praised Allah and then came in.
Then another man came and knocked on the gate, and the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "O Anas! Get up, open the gate for him and give him the glad tidings of Paradise, and tell him that he will be in charge of my Ummah after Sayyiduna Abu Bakr and Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with them both), and that he will face severe hardship from the subjects, until in that matter they shed his blood; I command him at that time to hold back his hand (from fighting)." I opened the gate for him, and it was Sayyiduna Uthman bin Affan (may Allah be pleased with him). I gave him the glad tidings of Paradise and he praised Allah; then I told him of his rule and that the people would shed his blood in that matter. He said 'Inna lillahi wa inna ilayhi raji'un (We belong to Allah and to Him we return)' and then came in.
Imam al-Tabarani (may Allah have mercy on him) said: "No one narrated this hadith from Abu Rawq (may Allah have mercy on him) except Utbah (may Allah have mercy on him), and Muhammad bin al-Hasan (may Allah have mercy on him) is alone in narrating it."
Hadith Referenceالمعجم الأوسط / باب الميم / 7288
Hadith Gradingمحدثین:إسناده ضعيف، فيه عتبة أبو عمرو
Hadith Takhrij«قال الهيثمي: في إسناد البزار عتبة أبو عمرو ضعفه النسائي وغيره ووثقه ابن حبان وبقية رجاله ثقات ورواه الطبراني في الأوسط بإسنادين رجال أحدهما رجال البزار «مجمع الزوائد ومنبع الفوائد، ج 5، ص 177»» «أخرجه أبو يعلى فى «مسنده» برقم: 3958، والبزار فى «مسنده» برقم: 7498، 7501، 7502، وابن حجر فى «المطالب العالية» برقم: 3819، والطحاوي فى «شرح مشكل الآثار» برقم: 1696، والطبراني فى «الأوسط» برقم: 5172»