I heard Hudhaifa saying, "While we were sitting with ʿUmar, he said, 'Who among you remembers the statement of the Prophet ﷺ about the afflictions?' Hudhaifa said, "The affliction of a man in his family, his property, his children and his neighbors are expiated by his prayers, Zakat (and alms) and enjoining good and forbidding evil." ʿUmar said, "I do not ask you about these afflictions, but about those afflictions which will move like the waves of the sea." Hudhaifa said, "Don't worry about it, O chief of the believers, for there is a closed door between you and them." ʿUmar said, "Will that door be broken or opened?" I said, "No. it will be broken." ʿUmar said, "Then it will never be closed," I said, "Yes." We asked Hudhaifa, "Did ʿUmar know what that door meant?" He replied, "Yes, as I know that there will be night before tomorrow morning, that is because I narrated to him a true narration free from errors." We dared not ask Hudhaifa as to whom the door represented so we ordered Masruq to ask him what does the door stand for? He replied, "ʿUmar."

سَمِعْتُ حُذَيْفَةَ يَقُولُ بَيْنَا نَحْنُ جُلُوسٌ عِنْدَ عُمَرَ قَالَ أَيُّكُمْ يَحْفَظُ قَوْلَ النَّبِيِّ ﷺ فِي الْفِتْنَةِ قَالَ فِتْنَةُ الرَّجُلِ فِي أَهْلِهِ وَمَالِهِ وَوَلَدِهِ وَجَارِهِ تُكَفِّرُهَا الصَّلاَةُ وَالصَّدَقَةُ وَالأَمْرُ بِالْمَعْرُوفِ وَالنَّهْىُ عَنِ الْمُنْكَرِ قَالَ لَيْسَ عَنْ هَذَا أَسْأَلُكَ وَلَكِنِ الَّتِي تَمُوجُ كَمَوْجِ الْبَحْرِ قَالَ لَيْسَ عَلَيْكَ مِنْهَا بَأْسٌ يَا أَمِيرَ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ إِنَّ بَيْنَكَ وَبَيْنَهَا بَابًا مُغْلَقًا قَالَ عُمَرُ أَيُكْسَرُ الْبَابُ أَمْ يُفْتَحُ قَالَ بَلْ يُكْسَرُ قَالَ عُمَرُ إِذًا لاَ يُغْلَقَ أَبَدًا قُلْتُ أَجَلْ قُلْنَا لِحُذَيْفَةَ أَكَانَ عُمَرُ يَعْلَمُ الْبَابَ قَالَ نَعَمْ كَمَا أَعْلَمُ أَنَّ دُونَ غَدٍ لَيْلَةً وَذَلِكَ أَنِّي حَدَّثْتُهُ حَدِيثًا لَيْسَ بِالأَغَالِيطِ فَهِبْنَا أَنْ نَسْأَلَهُ مَنِ الْبَابُ فَأَمَرْنَا مَسْرُوقًا فَسَأَلَهُ فَقَالَ مَنِ الْبَابُ قَالَ عُمَرُ

The Prophet ﷺ went out to one of the gardens of Medina for some business and I went out to follow him. When he entered the garden, I sat at its gate and said to myself, "To day I will be the gatekeeper of the Prophet though he has not ordered me." The Prophet ﷺ went and finished his need and went to sit on the constructed edge of the well and uncovered his legs and hung them in the well. In the meantime Abu Bakr came and asked permission to enter. I said (to him), "Wait till I get you permission." Abu Bakr waited outside and I went to the Prophet ﷺ and said, "O Allah's Prophet! Abu Bakr asks your permission to enter." He said, "Admit him, and give him the glad tidings of entering Paradise." So Abu Bakr entered and sat on the right side of the Prophet ﷺ and uncovered his legs and hung them in the well. Then ʿUmar came and I said (to him), "Wait till I get you permission." The Prophet ﷺ said, "Admit him and give him the glad tidings of entering Paradise." So ʿUmar entered and sat on the left side of the Prophet and uncovered his legs and hung them in the well so that one side of the well became fully occupied and there remained no place for any-one to sit. Then ʿUthman came and I said (to him), "Wait till I get permission for you." The Prophet ﷺ said, "Admit him and give him the glad tidings of entering Paradise with a calamity which will befall him." When he entered, he could not find any place to sit with them so he went to the other edge of the well opposite them and uncovered his legs and hung them in the well. I wished that a brother of mine would come, so I invoked Allah for his coming. (Ibn Al-Musaiyab said, "I interpreted that (narration) as indicating their graves. The first three are together and the grave of ʿUthman is separate from theirs.")

خَرَجَ النَّبِيُّ ﷺ إِلَى حَائِطٍ مِنْ حَوَائِطِ الْمَدِينَةِ لِحَاجَتِهِ وَخَرَجْتُ فِي إِثْرِهِ فَلَمَّا دَخَلَ الْحَائِطَ جَلَسْتُ عَلَى بَابِهِ وَقُلْتُ لأَكُونَنَّ الْيَوْمَ بَوَّابَ النَّبِيِّ ﷺ وَلَمْ يَأْمُرْنِي فَذَهَبَ النَّبِيُّ ﷺ وَقَضَى حَاجَتَهُ وَجَلَسَ عَلَى قُفِّ الْبِئْرِ فَكَشَفَ عَنْ سَاقَيْهِ وَدَلاَّهُمَا فِي الْبِئْرِ فَجَاءَ أَبُو بَكْرٍ يَسْتَأْذِنُ عَلَيْهِ لِيَدْخُلَ فَقُلْتُ كَمَا أَنْتَ حَتَّى أَسْتَأْذِنَ لَكَ فَوَقَفَ فَجِئْتُ إِلَى النَّبِيِّ ﷺ فَقُلْتُ يَا نَبِيَّ اللَّهِ أَبُو بَكْرٍ يَسْتَأْذِنُ عَلَيْكَ قَالَ ائْذَنْ لَهُ وَبَشِّرْهُ بِالْجَنَّةِ فَدَخَلَ فَجَاءَ عَنْ يَمِينِ النَّبِيِّ ﷺ فَكَشَفَ عَنْ سَاقَيْهِ وَدَلاَّهُمَا فِي الْبِئْرِ فَجَاءَ عُمَرُ فَقُلْتُ كَمَا أَنْتَ حَتَّى أَسْتَأْذِنَ لَكَ فَقَالَ النَّبِيُّ ﷺ ائْذَنْ لَهُ وَبَشِّرْهُ بِالْجَنَّةِ فَجَاءَ عَنْ يَسَارِ النَّبِيِّ ﷺ فَكَشَفَ عَنْ سَاقَيْهِ فَدَلاَّهُمَا فِي الْبِئْرِ فَامْتَلأَ الْقُفُّ فَلَمْ يَكُنْ فِيهِ مَجْلِسٌ ثُمَّ جَاءَ عُثْمَانُ فَقُلْتُ كَمَا أَنْتَ حَتَّى أَسْتَأْذِنَ لَكَ فَقَالَ النَّبِيُّ ﷺ ائْذَنْ لَهُ وَبَشِّرْهُ بِالْجَنَّةِ مَعَهَا بَلاَءٌ يُصِيبُهُ فَدَخَلَ فَلَمْ يَجِدْ مَعَهُمْ مَجْلِسًا فَتَحَوَّلَ حَتَّى جَاءَ مُقَابِلَهُمْ عَلَى شَفَةِ الْبِئْرِ فَكَشَفَ عَنْ سَاقَيْهِ ثُمَّ دَلاَّهُمَا فِي الْبِئْرِ فَجَعَلْتُ أَتَمَنَّى أَخًا لِي وَأَدْعُو اللَّهَ أَنْ يَأْتِيَ قَالَ ابْنُ الْمُسَيَّبِ فَتَأَوَّلْتُ ذَلِكَ قُبُورَهُمُ اجْتَمَعَتْ هَا هُنَا وَانْفَرَدَ عُثْمَانُ

Someone said to Usama, "Will you not talk to this (Uthman)?" Usama said, "I talked to him (secretly) without being the first man to open an evil door. I will never tell a ruler who rules over two men or more that he is good after I heard Messenger of Allah ﷺ saying, 'A man will be brought and put in Hell (Fire) and he will circumambulate (go around and round) in Hell (Fire) like a donkey of a (flour) grinding mill, and all the people of Hell (Fire) will gather around him and will say to him, O so-and-so! Didn't you use to order others for good and forbid them from evil?' That man will say, 'I used to order others to do good but I myself never used to do it, and I used to forbid others from evil while I myself used to do evil.' "

أَنْ أَفْتَحَ بَابًا أَكُونُ أَوَّلَ مَنْ يَفْتَحُهُ وَمَا أَنَا بِالَّذِي أَقُولُ لِرَجُلٍ بَعْدَ أَنْ يَكُونَ أَمِيرًا عَلَى رَجُلَيْنِ أَنْتَ خَيْرٌ بَعْدَ مَا سَمِعْتُ مِنْ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ ﷺ يَقُولُ يُجَاءُ بِرَجُلٍ فَيُطْرَحُ فِي النَّارِ فَيَطْحَنُ فِيهَا كَطَحْنِ الْحِمَارِ بِرَحَاهُ فَيُطِيفُ بِهِ أَهْلُ النَّارِ فَيَقُولُونَ أَىْ فُلاَنُ أَلَسْتَ كُنْتَ تَأْمُرُ بِالْمَعْرُوفِ وَتَنْهَى عَنِ الْمُنْكَرِ فَيَقُولُ إِنِّي كُنْتُ آمُرُ بِالْمَعْرُوفِ وَلاَ أَفْعَلُهُ وَأَنْهَى عَنِ الْمُنْكَرِ وَأَفْعَلُهُ