and said, “We pledge allegiance to you upon the Sunnah of the Messenger of Allah and the Sunnah of the two caliphs after him.” ʿAbd al-Raḥmān ibn ʿAwf then gave him the pledge, followed by the Emigrants and the Helpers.

Anas reported: ʿUmar sent for Abū Ṭalḥah al-Anṣārī and said, “Take fifty men of the Anṣār and stay with these men of the consultative council. I think they will gather in a house; stand with your men at that door. Let no one enter upon them, and do not allow the third day to pass until they have appointed one of themselves. O Allah, You are my successor over them.”

In the supplementary material to the Musnad of Aḥmad, in a narration of Abū Wāʾil, he said: I asked ʿAbd al-Raḥmān ibn ʿAwf, “How did you pledge allegiance to ʿUthmān and leave ʿAlī?” He replied, “What blame is on me? I began with ʿAlī and said, ‘Will you pledge that you will rule by the Book of Allah, the Sunnah of His Messenger, and the conduct of Abū Bakr and ʿUmar?’ He answered, ‘So far as I am able.’ I then put the same to ʿUthmān, and he said, ‘Yes.’”

Al-Wāqidī said: They settled on ʿUthmān on the night before the end of Dhū al-Ḥijjah.

It is related that ʿAbd al-Raḥmān said privately to ʿUthmān, “If I do not pledge allegiance to you, whom do you advise me to choose?” He replied, “ʿAlī.” He then spoke privately to ʿAlī: “If I do not pledge allegiance to you, whom do you advise me to choose?” He said, “ʿUthmān.” ʿAbd al-Raḥmān next summoned al-Zubayr and asked, “If I do not pledge allegiance to you, whom do you advise me to choose?” He answered, “ʿAlī or ʿUthmān.” Then he called Saʿd and said, “Whom do you advise me to choose? For neither you nor I desire it.” He replied, “ʿUthmān.” ʿAbd al-Raḥmān consulted the leading men and found that most of them inclined toward ʿUthmān. Then the call was raised, “The prayer is gathering!” and ʿAbd al-Raḥmān came out wearing the turban that had been tied for him.