Musnad Ahmad

Abu Awn Ansari says that once Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him) requested Abdullah ibn Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him) to refrain from mentioning the things he had come to know about him. Abdullah ibn Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him) presented some excuses before him. Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him) said: Alas! I have both heard and memorized this matter, even if you have not heard it, that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: A ruler will be killed and those who spread evil will hasten in this matter. Beware! I am that ruler who is to be killed. This does not refer to Umar (may Allah be pleased with him), because he was martyred by only one man, whereas in my case, all of them will attack together.

Ubaidullah bin Adi bin Al-Khiyar says that Sayyiduna Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him) said to him, "Nephew! Did you meet the Prophet (peace be upon him)?" I replied, "No! But I do have pure information about him and such certainty as a virgin girl has in her veil." Upon this, Sayyiduna Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him), after praising Allah and bearing witness to the two testimonies, said: "Allah Almighty sent Muhammad (peace be upon him) with the truth. I was among those who responded to the call of Allah and His Messenger, and I was also among those who believed in the Shariah of the Prophet (peace be upon him). Then I migrated to Abyssinia both times. I also had the honor of being the son-in-law of the Prophet (peace be upon him), and I pledged allegiance at the blessed hand of the Prophet (peace be upon him). By Allah! I never disobeyed him nor deceived him, until Allah called him to Himself."

Sayyiduna Mughirah bin Shu’bah (may Allah be pleased with him) once came to Sayyiduna Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him) when the rebels had besieged him, and he said, “You are the general ruler of the Muslims, and the troubles that are coming upon you are also before our eyes. I present three requests before you; please choose one of them: Either you go out and fight these rebels—you have people, you have strength, and you are upon the truth, while they are upon falsehood; or, leave the door where they are standing, break through the wall of your house and make another door, mount your ride and go to Makkah Mukarramah—when you are there, they will not be able to harm you; or, you go to Shaam, because there, besides the people of Shaam, Sayyiduna Amir Mu’awiyah (may Allah be pleased with him) is also present.” Sayyiduna Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him) replied, “As for going out and fighting these rebels, I will never be the first person after the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) to shed blood in the Ummah. As for going to Makkah Mukarramah so that they cannot harm me, I heard the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) say that a man from Quraysh will spread heresy in Makkah Mukarramah, and he will be given half the punishment that will befall the people of the world. I do not want to be that man. And as for going to Shaam, where besides the people of Shaam, Amir Mu’awiyah (may Allah be pleased with him) is also present, I can never leave the abode of migration and the neighborhood of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) under any circumstances.”

The previous hadith is also narrated through this second chain of transmission.

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Whoever performs ablution thoroughly and sets out for the obligatory prayer and offers it, Allah Almighty will forgive all his previous sins."

Humran reports that when Sayyiduna Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him) accepted Islam, it became his habit to bathe every day. One day, I prepared water for him to perform ablution for prayer. When he had completed his ablution, he said, "I wanted to narrate a hadith to you, but then I thought not to narrate it." Upon hearing this, Hakam bin Abi Al-As said, "O Commander of the Faithful! Please narrate it. If it is something good, we will also act upon it, and if it points out something evil, we will also avoid it." He said, "I was about to narrate to you that once the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) performed ablution in this manner and said: 'Whoever performs ablution like this and does it thoroughly, then stands for prayer and completes the bowing and prostration well, then this ablution will be an expiation for his sins until the next prayer, provided he does not commit a major sin.'"

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him) that I heard the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) say: "Allah Almighty will surely admit to Paradise the person who is gentle, whether he is a buyer or a seller, a payer or a demander."

Once, when the muezzin gave the call to Asr prayer, Sayyiduna Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him) asked for water for ablution, performed ablution, and said: I heard the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) say that whoever performs ablution according to Allah’s command, it becomes an expiation for all his sins. After that, he took testimony on this from four companions (may Allah be pleased with them), and all four testified that indeed the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) had said this.

Busr bin Sa'id says that Sayyiduna Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him) came and sat near the benches, asked for water for ablution, rinsed his mouth, put water in his nose, then washed his face three times and washed his hands three times each, then wiped his head and feet three times each, then said: "I saw the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) performing ablution in this manner." And to some of the companions (may Allah be pleased with them) who were present there, he said: "Is it so?" They confirmed it.

Busr bin Saeed says that Sayyiduna Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him) came and sat near the benches, asked for water for ablution, and washed all his limbs three times each. Then he said to some of the companions (may Allah be pleased with them) who were present there: "Is it like this?" They confirmed it.

Humran narrates that once Sayyiduna Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him) was sitting at the door of the mosque. I saw that he asked for water, first washed his hands, then washed his face three times, rinsed his mouth and put water into his nose, washed his arms including the elbows three times, then wiped his head and passed both hands over the outer surface of his ears, then passed his hands over his beard, and washed his feet including the ankles three times. Then he stood up and prayed two rak‘ahs and said: I have shown you how the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) performed ablution, just as I saw him do it, and I have also shown you how he prayed two rak‘ahs, just as he did. And after completing these two rak‘ahs, the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: Whoever performs ablution like this of mine and then prays two rak‘ahs in such a way that he does not let any thoughts or distractions enter his heart, Allah Almighty will forgive all his past sins.

Shaqiq (may Allah have mercy on him) says that once Walid bin Uqbah met Sayyiduna Abdur Rahman bin Awf (may Allah be pleased with him). Walid said: "What is the matter, you are not being just with the Commander of the Faithful, Sayyiduna Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him)?" He replied: "Convey this message from me to him: I did not flee on the day of the Battle of Uhud, I was not absent from the Battle of Badr, nor did I abandon the Sunnah of Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him)." Walid went and conveyed all this to Sayyiduna Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him). He said: "As for what Abdur Rahman (may Allah be pleased with him) said, that I did not flee from the Battle of Uhud, how can he reproach me for a slip which Allah Himself has forgiven? Thus, the command of Allah, the Exalted, is: 'Those of you who turned their backs on the day the two armies met, it was Satan who caused them to slip because of some of what they had earned.' And as for the reproach that I was absent from the Battle of Badr, the real matter is that I was occupied in caring for the daughter of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) and my wife, Sayyida Ruqayyah (may Allah be pleased with her), until she passed away during that time. Meanwhile, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) included my share in the spoils of Badr with the participants, and it was considered that whoever the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) allotted a share to, was counted among the participants of Badr. As for his statement that I did not abandon the Sunnah of Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him), the truth is that neither I nor he have the strength for that. Go and convey these things to him."

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: Whoever performs the ‘Isha prayer in congregation, it is as if he has stood in prayer for half the night, and whoever also performs the Fajr prayer in congregation, it is as if he has stood in prayer for the entire night.

Nabiyah bin Wahb says that Ibn Muammar planned to marry his son to the daughter of Shaibah bin Jubair during Hajj, and he sent me to Aban bin Uthman, may Allah have mercy on him, who was the Amir of Hajj. I went to him and said, "Your brother wants to marry his son and wishes for you to participate in it." He said, "I did not consider him to be an Iraqi villager. Remember! A person in the state of Ihram cannot marry nor arrange the marriage of anyone else." Then he narrated a hadith on this subject from Sayyiduna Uthman, may Allah be pleased with him.

Humran reports that Sayyiduna Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him) sat on a bench and performed ablution, washing each limb three times, and said: I heard the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) say: "Whoever performs ablution like mine, then offers prayer, his sins fall away from his face, hands, feet, and head."

Nabiyah bin Wahb says that when Umar bin Ubaidullah’s eyes started hurting, he asked Aban bin Uthman about this issue—what should he do? He replied by sending word that he could apply antimony (surma) of aloe (sabr), (he should be patient and not apply surma until he comes out of ihram), because I heard Sayyiduna Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him) narrate such a hadith from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him).

Aban bin Uthman, may Allah have mercy on him, saw a funeral and stood up, and said that once Sayyiduna Uthman, may Allah be pleased with him, saw a funeral and he also stood up, and he said that once the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, saw a funeral and he also stood up.

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "A person in the state of ihram should neither marry himself nor send a marriage proposal to anyone."

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said regarding the Muhrim: If his eyes begin to ache, he should apply antimony of sabr.

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Whoever dies in such a state that he is certain that there is no deity except Allah, he will enter Paradise."

Sayyiduna Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) narrates that once I asked Sayyiduna Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him), "What compelled you to combine Surah Anfal, which is from the Mathani, with Surah Bara’ah, which is from the Mi’in, and not write even a line of «بسم الله» between them, and you counted both among the 'Seven Long Surahs'? Why did you do so?" Sayyiduna Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him) replied, "When revelation was being sent down to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), sometimes several surahs would be revealed together, and it was the blessed habit of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) that whenever any revelation was sent down, he would call one of his scribes and have it written, and would say, 'Place this in such-and-such surah at such-and-such place.' Sometimes several verses would be revealed, and on that occasion, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) would indicate that these verses should be placed in such-and-such surah, and sometimes only a single verse would be revealed, but even then the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) would specify its place." Surah Anfal was revealed in the early period of Madinah, while Surah Bara’ah, in terms of revelation, is from the last part of the Noble Qur’an, and the events and rulings of both are extremely similar to each other. Meanwhile, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) departed from this world, and he did not clarify to us whether it is a part of it or not. I assumed that Surah Bara’ah is a part of Surah Anfal, so I combined both, and did not write the line of «بسم الله» between them, and counted it among the 'Seven Long Surahs.'

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "The best and most virtuous among you is the one who learns the Qur'an and teaches it."

Abu Sahla says that on the day when Sayyiduna Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him) was besieged, which became famous as "Yawm al-Dar," he said that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) took a covenant from me, and I am steadfast and firm upon it.

Rabah says that my master married me to his Roman slave girl. I went to her, and a dark-skinned boy like me was born to her. I named him Abdullah. When the opportunity arose again, another dark-skinned boy was born, and I named him Ubaidullah. Coincidentally, my wife became the object of affection for my master's Roman slave, whose name was Yuhannas. He won her over in his own language. So this time, the child that was born resembled the complexion of the Romans. I asked my wife, "What is this?" She said, "This is Yuhannas's child." We presented this matter before Sayyiduna Uthman, may Allah be pleased with him. He said, "Are you satisfied that I judge between you as the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) judged?" The decision of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) is that the child belongs to the owner of the bed. And, it seems, he also had both of them flogged.

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Whoever performs ablution properly and completely according to the command of Allah, then the obligatory prayers will become an expiation for the sins committed between them."

Ubad bin Zahir says that I once heard Sayyiduna Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him) saying during a sermon, "By Allah! We used to enjoy the companionship of the Prophet (peace be upon him) in both travel and residence. The Prophet (peace be upon him) would visit our sick, attend our funerals, participate with us in jihad, and show sympathy to us in times of scarcity and abundance. And now, some people come to teach me who perhaps have never even seen the Prophet (peace be upon him)."

Saeed bin Musayyib (may Allah have mercy on him) says that once I saw Sayyiduna Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him) sitting on benches, he had food cooked on fire brought and began to eat, then stood up in the same state and performed prayer without making fresh ablution, and said: I sat as the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) sat, I ate what the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) ate, and I performed prayer just as the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) performed prayer.

Mahmood bin Labeed says that when Sayyiduna Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him) intended to expand the Prophet’s Mosque, instead of expressing happiness, the people preferred to keep it in its original form. But Sayyiduna Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him) said: I heard the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) say that whoever participates in the construction of a mosque for the sake of Allah’s pleasure, Allah builds for him a similar house in Paradise.

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Whoever deliberately attributes a false statement to me, let him prepare his abode in the Hellfire."

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Allah Almighty will surely admit to Paradise the person who is gentle, whether he is a buyer or a seller, one who pays or one who demands payment."

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Abu Umamah bin Sahl (may Allah be pleased with him) that during the days when Sayyiduna Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him) was besieged in his house, we were with him. He said, "For what crime will these people kill me? When I have heard the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) say that it is not lawful to shed the blood of a Muslim except in one of three cases: a man who becomes an apostate after accepting Islam, or a married person who commits adultery, or a murderer who is killed in retaliation for the one he killed."

Abu Ubaid (may Allah have mercy on him) says that on both occasions of Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha, I had the opportunity to be with Sayyiduna Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him) and Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him). Both of them would first lead the prayer, and after finishing the prayer, they would advise the people. I heard both of them say that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) forbade fasting on these two days. And I also heard Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) say that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) forbade eating the meat of the sacrifice after three days.

Ahnaf bin Qais says that once we set out with the intention of performing Hajj. We passed through Madinah Munawwarah. While we were still at our encampment, a person came and said that the people in Masjid Nabawi appear to be very anxious. I, along with my companion, reached there and saw that people had gathered around a few individuals present in the mosque. I made my way through them and stood there, and saw that Sayyiduna Ali, Sayyiduna Zubair, Sayyiduna Talha, and Sayyiduna Sa’d bin Abi Waqqas (may Allah be pleased with them) were standing there. Not much time had passed when Sayyiduna Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him) also arrived, walking slowly. He came and asked, “Is Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) here?” The people said, “Yes!” Then, one by one, he mentioned the names of the aforementioned companions (may Allah be pleased with them) and asked about their presence, and the people replied in the affirmative. After that, he said, “I ask you by Allah, besides whom there is no deity, do you know that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) once said: ‘Whoever buys the enclosure of camels for such-and-such tribe, Allah will forgive his sins.’ I bought it and went to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) and informed him of the purchase. He (peace and blessings be upon him) said, ‘Include it in our mosque, you will get its reward.’” The people affirmed this. Then he said, “I ask you by Allah, besides whom there is no deity, do you know that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: ‘Who will buy the well of Rumah?’ I bought it for a considerable sum, and went to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) and informed him that I had bought it. He (peace and blessings be upon him) said, ‘Dedicate it for the Muslims to drink from, you will get its reward.’” The people affirmed this as well. Then Sayyiduna Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him) said, “I ask you by Allah, besides whom there is no deity, do you know that on the occasion of Jais al-‘Usrah (the expedition of Tabuk), the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), looking at the faces of the people, said: ‘Whoever arranges the equipment for these people for jihad, Allah will forgive him.’ I provided so much equipment for them that not even a bridle or a rope was lacking?” The people affirmed this as well, and Sayyiduna Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him) said three times, “O Allah, bear witness!” Saying this, he went back.

Sayyiduna Ya'la bin Umayyah (may Allah be pleased with him) says that once I performed Tawaf with Sayyiduna Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him). He performed Istilam of the Hajar Aswad. When I reached the Rukn Yamani, I took hold of Sayyiduna Uthman’s (may Allah be pleased with him) hand so that he might perform Istilam. Sayyiduna Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him) said: What is the matter with you? I said: Will you not perform Istilam? He said: Have you never performed Tawaf with the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him)? I said: Why not! He said: Did you see the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) perform Istilam of this? I said: No! He said: Is there not for you in the person of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) a good example? I said: Why not! He said: Then leave it.

Harith, who was the freed slave of Sayyiduna Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him), says that one day Sayyiduna Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him) was sitting, and we were also sitting. In the meantime, the muezzin came, and he (Uthman) asked for water in a vessel. I think there was about one mudd of water in it. He performed ablution and said: "I saw the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) performing ablution in this way." And the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) also said: "Whoever performs ablution like this of mine and stands to pray the Zuhr prayer, the sins committed between Fajr and Zuhr will be forgiven. Then, upon praying Asr, the sins between Zuhr and Asr will be forgiven. Then, upon praying Maghrib, the sins between Asr and Maghrib will be forgiven. Then, upon praying Isha, the sins between Maghrib and Isha will be forgiven. Then, it may be that he turns about all night, and then stands and performs ablution and prays the Fajr prayer, so the sins between Isha and Fajr will be forgiven. And these are the good deeds that erase sins." The people asked, "O Hazrat! These are the good deeds, but what are the 'Baqiyat' (the everlasting good deeds) that are also mentioned in the Qur'an?" He replied, "They are these words: «لا اله الا الله و سبحان الله والحمدلله والله اكبر ولا حول ولا قوة الا بالله»."

It is narrated from Sayyidah Aisha Siddiqa (may Allah be pleased with her) and Sayyiduna Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him) that once Sayyiduna Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) sought permission to visit the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). At that time, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) was lying on the bed and had covered himself with the sheet of Sayyidah Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her). The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) granted him permission and remained lying in the same manner. Sayyiduna Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) finished his business and left. After a short while, Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) came and sought permission; the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) also granted him permission but remained in the same state. He too finished his business and left. Sayyiduna Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him) says that after a short while, I came and sought permission, so the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) sat up and said to Sayyidah Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her), "Gather your clothes." After a short while, I too finished my business and left. Sayyidah Aisha Siddiqa (may Allah be pleased with her) asked, "O Messenger of Allah! The attention you gave when Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him) came, you did not give when Abu Bakr and Umar (may Allah be pleased with them) came. What was the reason for this?" The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) replied, "Uthman possesses a great deal of modesty and shyness. I feared that if I called him in as I was and remained in my state, he would not be able to fulfill the purpose for which he came." And according to some narrations, he said, "Should I not show modesty before the one before whom even the angels show modesty?"

The previous hadith is also narrated through another chain of transmission which is mentioned in the text.

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Whoever performs ablution thoroughly and sets out for the obligatory prayer and offers it, Allah Almighty will forgive all his previous sins."

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him) that Sayyiduna Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him) went to Makkah Mukarramah for Hajj. His honorable wife went to her close relative Muhammad bin Ja'far. Muhammad spent the night with her. In the morning, the fragrance of perfume was emanating from Muhammad's body and a safflower-dyed blanket was over him. Even before departure, various thoughts began to arise in people's minds. When Sayyiduna Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him) saw him in this state, he scolded him and spoke harshly: and said, "Even though the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) forbade it, you have worn a safflower-dyed garment?" Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) also heard and said, "The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) neither forbade it to him nor to you, nor did he forbid it to me."

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him) that I heard the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) saying: Tell me, if there were a river flowing in the courtyard of your house and you bathed in it five times a day, would any dirt remain on your body? The people said: Absolutely not! He said: "The five prayers remove sins just as water removes dirt."