That he was in the company of the Prophet ﷺ in one of the gardens of Medina and in the hand of the Prophet there was a stick, and he was striking (slowly) the water and the mud with it. A man came (at the gate of the garden) and asked permission to enter. The Prophet ﷺ said, "Open the gate for him and give him the glad tidings of entering Paradise. "I went, and behold! It was Abu Bakr. So I opened the gate for him and informed him of the glad tidings of entering Paradise. Then another man came and asked permission to enter. The Prophet ﷺ said, "Open the gate for him and give him the glad tidings of entering Paradise." Behold! It was ʿUmar. So I opened the gate for him and gave him the glad tidings of entering Paradise. Then another man came and asked permission to enter. The Prophet ﷺ was sitting in a leaning posture, so he sat up and said, "Open the gate for him and give him the glad tidings of entering Paradise with a calamity which will befall him or which will take place." I went, and behold ! It was ʿUthman. So I opened the gate for him and gave him the glad tidings of entering Paradise and also informed him of what the Prophet ﷺ had said (about a calamity). ʿUthman said, "Allah Alone Whose Help I seek (against that calamity).
أَنَّهُ كَانَ مَعَ النَّبِيِّ ﷺ فِي حَائِطٍ مِنْ حِيطَانِ الْمَدِينَةِ وَفِي يَدِ النَّبِيِّ ﷺ عُودٌ يَضْرِبُ بِهِ بَيْنَ الْمَاءِ وَالطِّينِ فَجَاءَ رَجُلٌ يَسْتَفْتِحُ فَقَالَ النَّبِيُّ ﷺ افْتَحْ لَهُ وَبَشِّرْهُ بِالْجَنَّةِ فَذَهَبْتُ فَإِذَا أَبُو بَكْرٍ فَفَتَحْتُ لَهُ وَبَشَّرْتُهُ بِالْجَنَّةِ ثُمَّ اسْتَفْتَحَ رَجُلٌ آخَرُ فَقَالَ افْتَحْ لَهُ وَبَشِّرْهُ بِالْجَنَّةِ فَإِذَا عُمَرُ فَفَتَحْتُ لَهُ وَبَشَّرْتُهُ بِالْجَنَّةِ ثُمَّ اسْتَفْتَحَ رَجُلٌ آخَرُ وَكَانَ مُتَّكِئًا فَجَلَسَ فَقَالَ افْتَحْ {لَهُ} وَبَشِّرْهُ بِالْجَنَّةِ عَلَى بَلْوَى تُصِيبُهُ أَوْ تَكُونُ فَذَهَبْتُ فَإِذَا عُثْمَانُ فَفَتَحْتُ لَهُ وَبَشَّرْتُهُ بِالْجَنَّةِ فَأَخْبَرْتُهُ بِالَّذِي قَالَ قَالَ اللَّهُ الْمُسْتَعَانُ