277 – ʿAbd al-Raḥmān ibn ʿAbd Allāh, the nephew of al-Aṣmaʿī, narrated to us. He said: My uncle told me, on the authority of Ibn Abī al-Zinād, that ʿUthmān ibn ʿAffān used to say:

What creature is there that does not cherish its offspring?
Even the houbara bustard flutters protectively over its chick.

He added, “I asked my uncle about the word ‘its chick (ʿabdihi).’ He replied, ‘She does that to shield it from a passing danger.’”