Humran reports that when Sayyiduna Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him) accepted Islam, it became his habit to bathe every day. One day, I prepared water for him to perform ablution for prayer. When he had completed his ablution, he said, "I wanted to narrate a hadith to you, but then I thought not to narrate it." Upon hearing this, Hakam bin Abi Al-As said, "O Commander of the Faithful! Please narrate it. If it is something good, we will also act upon it, and if it points out something evil, we will also avoid it." He said, "I was about to narrate to you that once the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) performed ablution in this manner and said: 'Whoever performs ablution like this and does it thoroughly, then stands for prayer and completes the bowing and prostration well, then this ablution will be an expiation for his sins until the next prayer, provided he does not commit a major sin.'"