679. ʿAbd Allah narrated to us; Muhammad ibn Sudran Abu Jaʿfar told me; Yunus ibn Qays al-Tahi also narrated to us, together with ʿAbd al-Rahman al-Hannat, the client of Qays, from al-Muʿtamir al-Qutaʿi, from Hind ibn Bilal—or Humayd ibn Hilal—from Abu Hurayrah (may Allah have mercy on him), who said:

“ʿUthman ibn ʿAffan was besieged in his house for forty nights. He said to me, ‘Wake me tonight at the time of sahar (the last part of the night).’ I went to him, and when that pre-dawn time arrived I said, ‘Commander of the Believers, the suhur—may Allah have mercy on you.’ He gestured like this and wiped his forehead, then said, ‘Glory be to Allah, O Abu Hurayrah! You have cut short a vision I was in. I saw the Prophet of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, and he said to me, “You will break your fast with us tomorrow.”’ And he was killed—may Allah have mercy on him.”