Humran says: Sayyiduna Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him) used to perform ghusl every day after accepting Islam. One day, I prepared water for him to perform wudu for prayer. When he performed wudu, he said: I intended to narrate to you a hadith I heard from the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), but then I thought that I would not narrate it to you. Hakam bin As said: O Commander of the Faithful! If it contains goodness, we will act upon it, and if it specifies any evil, we will avoid it. Upon hearing this, Sayyiduna Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him) said: Alright, I will narrate it to you. The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) performed wudu in this manner and then said: Whoever performs wudu in accordance with this wudu and performs it well, then stands for prayer and completes the bowing and prostration, then this prayer will be an expiation for the sins committed between it and the previous prayer, as long as one avoids the destructive (i.e., major) sins.