Hadith 686: ʿAbd Allah narrated to us; my father narrated to me; Muhammad ibn Bakr narrated to us; ʿAli ibn Masʿadah narrated, saying: I heard ʿAbd Allah al-Rumi say, “It has reached me that ʿUthman—may Allah be pleased with him—said: ‘If I were placed between Paradise and Hell, not knowing to which of the two I would be ordered, I would choose to become ashes before learning where my fate lies.’”