Imam Malik (may Allah have mercy on him) says that the meaning of the Quranic verse «نرفع درجات من نشاء» is that through knowledge, We raise the ranks of whomever We wish. I asked, "Who explained this meaning to you?" He replied, "Zaid bin Aslam did."

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him) that a man came to the service of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) and said, "O Messenger of Allah! I was performing prayer, and I could not tell whether I had prayed an even or odd number of rak‘ahs." The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Protect yourself from letting Satan play with you during prayer. If any of you is praying and cannot tell whether it was an even or odd number, then he should perform two prostrations of forgetfulness (sujood as-sahw), for with these two, the prayer is completed."

Maseerah bin Ma’bad says that once Yazid bin Abi Kabshah led us in the Asr prayer. After the prayer, he turned to us and sat down, and said: I prayed with Marwan bin Hakam, and he also performed two prostrations in the same way and turned to us and informed us that he had prayed with Sayyiduna Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him), and he narrated this hadith from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him).

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Ibn Umar (may Allah be pleased with them both) that during the days when Sayyiduna Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him) was besieged in his house, he looked out at the people and said: "For what crime do you intend to kill me? For I heard the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) say that it is not lawful to shed the blood of a Muslim except in one of three cases: a man who becomes an apostate after accepting Islam, or a married person who commits adultery, or a murderer who is killed in retaliation for the one he killed. By Allah! Since Allah has guided me, I have never become an apostate. As for adultery, not only in Islam, even in the days of ignorance I never committed it, nor have I killed anyone for whom retribution should be taken from me."

It is narrated from Malik bin Abdullah, may Allah have mercy on him, that once Sayyiduna Abu Dharr Ghifari, may Allah be pleased with him, came to Sayyiduna Uthman, may Allah be pleased with him, seeking permission to enter. He granted him permission. Sayyiduna Abu Dharr, may Allah be pleased with him, had a staff in his hand. Sayyiduna Uthman, may Allah be pleased with him, asked Sayyiduna Ka'b, may Allah be pleased with him: O Ka'b! Abdur Rahman has passed away and left wealth in his inheritance. What is your opinion regarding this matter? He said: If he used to fulfill the rights of Allah through it, then there is no harm. Sayyiduna Abu Dharr Ghifari, may Allah be pleased with him, began to strike him with his staff and said: I heard the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, say: If I had gold equal to this mountain, I would not like to leave behind even six uqiyah of it; I would spend it so that it would be accepted. O Uthman! I ask you by Allah, did you also hear this statement? He replied: Yes.

Hani, who was the freed slave of Sayyiduna Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him), says that when Sayyiduna Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him) would stop at a grave, he would weep so much that his beard would become wet. Someone asked him, "When you mention Paradise and Hell, you do not weep, but at this you weep?" He replied that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "The grave is the first stage of the Hereafter; if one is saved there, then the subsequent stages will be easier, and if one is not saved there, then the subsequent stages will be more difficult." And the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) also said: "Of all the scenes I have seen, the scene of the grave is the most terrifying."

It is narrated from Marwan that during the "Year of Nosebleed," blood once flowed profusely from the nose of Sayyiduna Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him) (which is called a nosebleed), to the extent that he could not even go for Hajj and, having lost hope of life, he made his will. During this time, a man from the Quraysh came to him and said, "Appoint someone as your successor (caliph)." He asked, "Is this also the opinion of the people?" He replied, "Yes!" He asked, "Whose opinion is this among the people?" At this, he remained silent. After that, another man came and repeated the words of the first man, and Sayyiduna Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him) gave him the same answers. Sayyiduna Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him) asked him, "Whom do the people want to appoint as caliph?" He said, "Sayyiduna Zubair (may Allah be pleased with him)." He said, "Yes! By the One in Whose hand is my soul, to my knowledge, he was the best and the most beloved in the sight of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him)."

The previous narration is also reported through this second chain of transmission which has appeared in the text.

Aban bin Uthman (may Allah have mercy on him) saw a funeral and stood up, and said that once Sayyiduna Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him) saw a funeral and he also stood up, and he said that once the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) saw a funeral and he also stood up.

Sayyiduna Zaid bin Khalid al-Juhani (may Allah be pleased with him) once asked Sayyiduna Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him) that if a man has intercourse with his wife but does not ejaculate, what is the ruling? He replied that he should perform ablution as he does for prayer, and wash his private part, and said that he heard the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) say this. The narrator says that then I asked the same question to Sayyiduna Ali, Sayyiduna Zubair, Sayyiduna Talha, and Sayyiduna Ubayy bin Ka'b (may Allah be pleased with them), and they also gave the same answer.