Hani bin Mu'awiyah al-Sadafi (may Allah have mercy on him) said: We performed Hajj in the time of Sayyiduna Uthman bin Affan (may Allah be pleased with him), and I sat in a gathering in the Prophet's Mosque, where a man was narrating hadith to the people. He said: One day we were with the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) when a man came and began praying facing this pillar; then he hurried, without completing his prayer, and left. So the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "If he were to die in this state, he would not die upon the religion; a man may shorten the prayer, but he must complete it." I asked about this man and was told: This is Sayyiduna Uthman bin Hunayf al-Ansari (may Allah be pleased with him).
Sayyiduna Abu Umamah bin Sahl bin Hunayf narrates from his paternal uncle Sayyiduna Uthman bin Hunayf (may Allah be pleased with him) that a man used to go back and forth to Sayyiduna Uthman bin Affan (may Allah be pleased with him) regarding some need of his, but Sayyiduna Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him) would not pay attention to him nor consider his need. The man met Ibn Hunayf (may Allah be pleased with him) and complained to him about this, so Sayyiduna Uthman bin Hunayf (may Allah be pleased with him) said to him: Go to the place of ablution and perform ablution, then go to the mosque and pray two rak'ahs in it, then make this supplication: "O Allah! I ask You and turn to You by means of our Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him), the Prophet of mercy. O Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him)! I turn by means of you to my Lord so that He may fulfil my need," and mention your need. Then come (to me) so that I may go with you. So the man went and did just as he had been told, then he came to the door of Sayyiduna Uthman bin Affan (may Allah be pleased with him). The doorkeeper came, took him by the hand and brought him in to Sayyiduna Uthman bin Affan (may Allah be pleased with him), who seated him beside himself on the carpet and said: What is your need? He stated his need, and he fulfilled it for him. Then he said: I had not remembered your need until now; and he said: Whenever you have any need, tell me. Then the man left him and met Sayyiduna Uthman bin Hunayf (may Allah be pleased with him) and said: May Allah reward you with good; he (Uthman bin Affan) would neither attend to my need nor look towards me until you spoke to him about me. Sayyiduna Uthman bin Hunayf (may Allah be pleased with him) said: By Allah, I did not speak to him at all; rather, I was present with the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) when a blind man came to him (peace and blessings be upon him) and complained of the loss of his sight. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said to him: "Be patient." He said: O Messenger of Allah, I have no guide, and it has become very hard for me. So the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Go to the place of ablution, perform ablution, then pray two rak'ahs, then make these very supplications." Ibn Hunayf said: By Allah, we had not yet parted from there, nor had our conversation grown long, when that man came to us as though he had never had any affliction. Likewise, the same is narrated from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) through another chain as well.
Hadith Referenceالمعجم الكبير للطبراني / باب العين / 8279
Sayyiduna Uthman bin Sahl bin Hunayf (may Allah be pleased with him) said: Before the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) came (to Madinah) from Makkah, he used to invite people to believe in Allah, which was merely a verbal affirmation without deeds, and the qiblah was towards Bayt al-Maqdis. Then when he (peace and blessings be upon him) emigrated to us, the obligations were revealed; Madinah abrogated Makkah and the (mere) word there, and al-Bayt al-Haram abrogated Bayt al-Maqdis, so faith became both word and deed.
Hadith Referenceالمعجم الكبير للطبراني / باب العين / 8280