[Another ḥadith]
Abu Dawud al-Tayalisi (1) said: Hammad ibn Salamah and Hammad ibn Zayd narrated to us, from al-Jurayri, from ʿAbd Allah ibn Shaqiq (2), from ʿAbd Allah ibn Hawalah. He said: The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:
“You will come upon a man who is muʿtajir (3)—having wrapped his head with a burdah (striped mantle)—one of the people of Paradise, while he is receiving the people’s pledge of allegiance.”
He continued: “So we did come upon ʿUthman ibn ʿAffan and found him muʿtajir, taking the people’s pledge.”
[Section]
Mention of aspects of his biography that testify to his virtue
Ibn Masʿud (4) said: “When ʿUmar passed away, we pledged allegiance to the best of us and did not fall short.” In another wording: “Pledge allegiance to the best of you and do not fall short.”
Al-Asmaʿi (5) related—from Abu al-Zinad, from his father, from ʿAmr ibn ʿUthman ibn ʿAffan—that the inscription on ʿUthman’s signet ring read: “I have believed in Him Who created and proportioned.”
Muhammad ibn al-Mubarak (6) said: It has reached me that the engraving on ʿUthman’s ring was: “ʿUthman has believed in Allah, the Magnificent.”
Al-Bukhari said in al-Tarikh (7): Musa ibn Ismaʿil narrated to us; Mubarak ibn Fadala narrated to us. He said: I heard al-Hasan say, “I lived through the period for which they criticized ʿUthman. Hardly a day passed without the people sharing in some bounty. They would be told: ‘O assembly of Muslims, come in the morning for your stipends,’ and they would take them in full measure. Then it would be announced: ‘Come for your rations,’ and they would take them in full measure. Then it would be said: ‘Come for the butter and the honey.’ Stipends were flowing, provisions abundant, the enemy repelled (8), relations harmonious, goodness plentiful, and no believer feared another believer (9); whoever met him regarded him as his brother in closeness, sincere counsel, and affection. They had been instructed that favoritism would later appear (10); when it came, be patient.”
Al-Hasan added: “Had they but shown patience when they saw it, what they enjoyed of stipends, provision, and abundant good would have sufficed them, but they said, ‘No, by Allah…’”