It is narrated from Abdullah bin Adi bin Khiyar that Sayyiduna Uthman bin Affan (may Allah be pleased with him) said to him: Nephew! Did you meet the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him)? I said: No, but the knowledge and certainty from him (peace and blessings be upon him) has reached me with such clarity as if something reaches a veiled woman even while she is behind her veil. Then he delivered a sermon, testified to the two declarations of faith, and then said: As for what follows! Surely Allah Almighty sent Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) with the truth, and I was among those who accepted the word of Allah and His Messenger, and I believed in the religion with which Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) was sent. Then I performed two migrations (one migration to Abyssinia and the second migration to Madinah), and I also had the honor of being the son-in-law of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), and I pledged allegiance to the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him). By Allah! I never disobeyed the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), nor did I ever betray him, until Allah Almighty caused him to pass away.

It is narrated from Abu Abdullah Jasri, who says: I went to Lady Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her), and Lady Hafsa bint Umar (may Allah be pleased with her) was also present there. Lady Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) informed me that this is the wife of the Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), Lady Hafsa (may Allah be pleased with her). Then she turned to her and said: I ask you by Allah, if I speak a lie, do not affirm me, and if I speak the truth, do not deny me. Do you know that I and you were present with the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) when he fell into a swoon and unconsciousness overtook him? I said to you: What do you think, has the soul of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) departed? You said: I have no knowledge about this. After a while, the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) regained consciousness, and he said: Open the door for him. Then unconsciousness overtook him again. I said to you: See, has his soul departed? You said: I do not understand. Then the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) regained consciousness, and again he said: Open the door for him. I said to you: Does he mean my father or your father? You said: I do not know. Then we opened the door, and what did we see but that it was Sayyiduna Uthman bin Affan (may Allah be pleased with him). When the Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) saw him, he said: Come near. Sayyiduna Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him) leaned over him, then the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) spoke to him confidentially, and neither I nor you knew what that matter was. Then Sayyiduna Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him) raised his head, and the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: Have you understood what I have said to you? He said: Yes. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said again: Then come near. Sayyiduna Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him) again leaned over the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) in the same manner as before, then the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) again spoke to him quietly about something, regarding which we did not know what it was. Then Sayyiduna Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him) raised his head, and the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: Have you understood well what I have said to you? He said: Yes. The Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said for the third time: Come closer to me. Sayyiduna Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him) leaned even closer than before, and the Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) again spoke to him confidentially and quietly, after which he raised his head, and the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: Have you fully understood what I have said to you? He said: Yes, my ears have heard and my heart has understood. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: Go out. Upon hearing all this, Lady Hafsa (may Allah be pleased with her) said: Yes, all of this is true.

It is narrated from Sayyida Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) said: Call one of my companions. I said: Sayyiduna Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him)? The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) said: No. I said: Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him)? The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) said: No. I said: Your cousin Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him)? The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) said: No. I said: Sayyiduna Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him)? The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) said: Yes. When he came, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) said to me: Move aside a little. Then the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) began to speak privately with Sayyiduna Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him), and the color of Sayyiduna Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him) began to change. Then, when Sayyiduna Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him) was besieged in his house, we said: O Commander of the Faithful! Why do you not fight these rebels? He (may Allah be pleased with him) said: No, I will not fight. The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) took a covenant from me regarding this, and I am determined to remain patient in these circumstances.

Abu Jamee’ narrates from Salim, he says: Hasan mentioned Sayyiduna Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him) and his intense modesty, and said: He would be at home with the door closed, yet even then he would not remove his clothes to pour water over himself, and due to his modesty he could not straighten his back.

It is narrated from Abdullah bin Abi Awfa (may Allah be pleased with him) that a girl was playing the duff in the presence of the Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). Meanwhile, Sayyiduna Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) sought permission to enter, and he entered. After him, Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) sought permission to enter, and he also entered. After them, Sayyiduna Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him) sought permission to enter, so the girl stopped playing the duff. Seeing this, the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Uthman is a modest man."

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Saeed bin Abi Al-Aas (may Allah be pleased with him), he says: Sayyidah Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) and Sayyiduna Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him) told me that Sayyiduna Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) sought permission to enter upon the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). At that time, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) was lying on his bed, covered with the sheet of Sayyidah Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her), and in that state, he allowed Sayyiduna Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) to enter and fulfilled his need. After he left, Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) sought permission to enter; he was granted permission while the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) remained in the same state, fulfilled his need, and he left. Then Sayyiduna Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him) came and sought permission to enter. This time, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) sat up straight and said to Sayyidah Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her): "You too, gather your clothes properly around yourself." Sayyiduna Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him) says: The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) fulfilled my need and I left. Seeing this difference, Sayyidah Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) said: "O Messenger of Allah! What is the reason that you did not make such an arrangement upon the arrival of Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) and Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) as you did upon the arrival of Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him)?" The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him) is a man of great modesty and shyness. If I had allowed him to enter in that state, I feared that he would not be able to state the purpose of his visit." The narrator of the hadith, Laith, says: A group of scholars have narrated that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said to Sayyidah Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her): "Should I not show modesty before a man before whom even the angels of Allah show modesty?"

It is narrated from Sayyidah Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) was sitting and his thigh was uncovered. In the meantime, Sayyiduna Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) sought permission to enter. He was granted permission and the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) remained seated in the same manner. After him, Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) sought permission to enter. He too was granted permission and the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) remained seated in the same manner. After them, when Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him) sought permission to enter, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) covered himself with his garment. When all the people had left, I said: O Messenger of Allah! Sayyiduna Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) and Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) sought permission to be present before you and you allowed them to enter while you remained in the same state, but when Sayyiduna Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him) sought permission to enter, you covered yourself with your garment. What is the reason for this difference? The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: Aisha! Should I not show modesty before a man, by Allah! before whom even the angels show modesty.

It is narrated from Sayyida Hafsa bint Umar (may Allah be pleased with her), she says: The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) came to me one day and placed his garment between his thighs. Sayyiduna Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) arrived and sought permission to enter; the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) granted him permission and remained seated in the same state. After him, Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) came and sought permission to enter; the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) also granted him permission and remained seated in the same state. Then Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) arrived and sought permission to enter; he too was granted permission, and the Messenger of Allah remained seated in the same state. Then some other companions of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) came and sought permission to enter; the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) granted them permission as well, while he remained in the same state. After them, when Sayyiduna Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him) arrived and sought permission to enter, the Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) arranged and adjusted his clothes and then granted Sayyiduna Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him) permission to enter. They conversed for a while, and after they got up and left, I (Aisha) said: O Messenger of Allah! Sayyiduna Abu Bakr, Sayyiduna Umar, Sayyiduna Ali, and other companions came to you, but you did not move and remained seated in the same state. But when Sayyiduna Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him) came, you arranged and adjusted your clothes. What is the reason for this difference? The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: Should I not show modesty to a person before whom even the angels feel shy?

It is narrated from Hasan bin Abi Hasan, he says: I entered the mosque and saw that Sayyiduna Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him) was sitting, leaning on his cloak. Meanwhile, two men who used to serve water to the people came to him to resolve a dispute between them. He decided between them. After that, I came to him and looked at him attentively. What I saw was that he was a man with a beautiful face, there were some marks of smallpox on his cheeks, and his hair covered his arms.

It is narrated from Umm Musa, she says that Sayyiduna Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him) was a very handsome man among the people.