Caution: Translations of Quran and Ḥadīth may lead to possible misapplications and misinterpretations. This site is intended for students of sacred knowledge that are proficient in comprehending classical Arabic and have a strong foundation in Islamic sciences. Also note that religious injunctions rely on several aspects beyond what one may glean through reading individual aḥādīth.
ahmad-zuhd:686ʿAbdullāh > Bī > Muḥammad b. Bakr > ʿAlī b. Masʿadah > ʿAbdullāh al-Rūmī > Balaghanī > ʿUthmān

[Machine] "If I were between heaven and hell, I would not know to which one I am commanded, so I chose to be ashes before I know which one I will become."  

الزهد لأحمد:٦٨٦حَدَّثَنَا عَبْدُ اللَّهِ حَدَّثَنِي أبِي حَدَّثَنَا مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ بَكْرٍ حَدَّثَنَا عَلِيُّ بْنُ مَسْعَدَةَ قَالَ سَمِعْتُ عَبْدَ اللَّهِ الرُّومِيَّ قَالَ بَلَغَنِي أَنَّ عُثْمَانَ ؓ قَالَ

«لَوْ أَنِّي بَيْنَ الْجَنَّةِ وَالنَّارِ لَا أَدْرِي إِلَى أَيِّهِمَا يُؤْمَرُ بِي لَاخْتَرْتُ أَنْ أَكُونَ رَمَادًا قَبْلَ أَنْ أَعْلَمَ إِلَى أَيِّهِمَا أَصِيرُ»  


See similar narrations below:

Collected by Suyūṭī