Humran reports: Sayyiduna Uthman Ghani (may Allah be pleased with him) was sitting in the courtyard when the muezzin came to inform him. He asked for water, performed ablution, and then said: "I am going to narrate to you a hadith. If there were not a verse in the Book of Allah, I would not narrate this hadith. I heard the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) say: 'Whoever performs ablution well and then offers prayer, Allah forgives the sins committed between that prayer and the next prayer, as long as he does not commit a major sin.' Imam Malik narrates: I think Sayyiduna Uthman Ghani (may Allah be pleased with him) was referring to this verse: 'Establish prayer at the two ends of the day and at some hours of the night. Indeed, good deeds remove bad deeds. That is a reminder for those who remember.'"