Aswad bin Hilal narrates from a man of his tribe that during the caliphate of Sayyiduna Umar bin Khattab (may Allah be pleased with him), he used to say that Sayyiduna Uthman bin Affan (may Allah be pleased with him) would not die until he attained the caliphate. We asked: How do you know this? He said: I heard the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) say this. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: Last night I saw in a dream as if the weights of my three companions (may Allah be pleased with them) were measured. First, Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) was weighed, and he was found heavy. Then Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) was weighed, and he too was found heavy. After that, Sayyiduna Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him) was weighed, and he was a little lighter, but in any case, he is also a righteous man.

It is narrated from Sayyida Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her), she says: I was present with the Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), and he said: "Aisha! If only there were someone with us to talk to." I said: "O Messenger of Allah! Shall I send for Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him)?" The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) remained silent. After a while, he again said: "If only there were someone with us to talk to." I said: "Shall I send for Umar (may Allah be pleased with him)?" But this time too, he remained silent. After a while, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) called for a servant and spoke to him confidentially; the servant left. Only a short time had passed when Sayyiduna Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him) sought permission to enter. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) granted him permission, and he entered. The Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) conversed with him in whispers for quite some time. Then the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Uthman! Allah, the Exalted, will clothe you with a shirt. If the hypocrites demand that you remove this shirt, do not remove it at their request, for there will be no honor in removing it." The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said this two or three times.

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Nu'man bin Bashir (may Allah be pleased with him) that Sayyidah Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) states that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) sent a message to Sayyiduna Uthman bin Affan (may Allah be pleased with him). When he came, the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) turned towards him. When we saw the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) in this state, we went aside and gathered together so that he could converse freely. The conversation continued, and finally the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) placed his hand on his shoulder and said: "Uthman! It is hoped that soon Allah the Exalted will clothe you with a shirt. If the hypocrites demand that you remove this shirt, then do not remove it until you meet me." The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said this three times. Sayyiduna Nu'man (may Allah be pleased with him) says: I said, "Where has this hadith been until now?" Sayyidah Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) said: "I had forgotten it. By Allah! I did not remember it." Sayyiduna Nu'man (may Allah be pleased with him) says: I informed Sayyiduna Muawiyah bin Abi Sufyan (may Allah be pleased with him) of this hadith, but he was not satisfied with my report, until he wrote to Sayyidah Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) asking her to write and send this hadith. So she sent him a written document in which this hadith was written.

It is narrated from Sayyidah Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her), she says: Only once did I try to listen to the words of the Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) without his knowledge, and I heard them. The details are that Sayyiduna Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him) came to the service of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) at noon. I thought that perhaps some command regarding the wives of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) had been revealed to him. Thus, my jealousy prompted me to listen closely, and I heard the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) saying: Allah Almighty will clothe you with a shirt, and the people of my Ummah will demand that you take off that shirt, but you must not take it off. When I saw that Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him) was fulfilling every request of the people, except that he was not relinquishing the caliphate, then I realized that this was the very matter and covenant that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) had made with him.