It is narrated from Humran, the freed slave of Sayyiduna Uthman ibn Affan (may Allah be pleased with him), that Sayyiduna Uthman ibn Affan (may Allah be pleased with him) was sitting on an elevated seat when the muezzin came and informed him of the Asr prayer. Then he asked for water and performed ablution, then said: By Allah! I will tell you a hadith; if it were not for an ayah from the Book of Allah, I would never have told it to you. I heard the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) say: Whoever performs ablution well, then offers prayer, the sins committed between that prayer and the next are forgiven. Imam Malik said: I think this is the ayah meant: «وَأَقِمِ الصَّلَاةَ طَرَفَيِ النَّهَارِ وَزُلَفًا مِنَ اللَّيْلِ إِنَّ الْحَسَنَاتِ يُذْهِبْنَ السَّيِّئَاتِ ذَلِكَ ذِكْرَى لِلذَّاكِرِينَ» [11-هود: 114] "And establish prayer at the two ends of the day and at the approach of the night. Indeed, good deeds do away with misdeeds. That is a reminder for those who remember."