Blessed with the Companionship of the Holy Prophet (sa) in Paradise
With regard to Hazrat Uthman (ra) being blessed with the companionship of the Holy Prophet (sa) in Paradise, Hazrat Talha (ra) bin Ubaidillah narrates that the Holy Prophet (sa) stated, “Every prophet has a friend, and my friend is Uthman”, i.e. who will be with him in Paradise.
(Jami‘ al-Tirmidhi, Abwab al-Manaqib, Bab wa Rafiqi fi Jannah Uthman, Hadith 3698)
Hazrat Jabir (ra) narrates, “On one occasion we were in a house with the Holy Prophet (sa) and a group of the Muhajireen companions. Among those present were Abu Bakr, Umar, Uthman, Ali, Talha, Zubair, Abdur Rahman bin Auf and Saad bin Abi Waqas. The Holy Prophet (sa) stated, ‘Everyone of you stand next to their companion.’ The Holy Prophet (sa) then stood next to Hazrat Uthman (ra) and embracing him, the Holy Prophet (sa) said to him:
اَنْتَ وَلِيِّ فِي الدُّنْيَا وَ وَلِيِّ فِي الْاٰخِرَةِ
“‘You are my friend in this life and in the Hereafter.’”
(Majma al-Zawa‘id wa Manba al-Fawa‘id, Kitab al-Manaqib, Bab Mawalatuh, Hadith 14528, Vol. 9, p. 66, Dar al-Kutub al-Ilmiyyah, Beirut, 2001)
Abu Sahla, the freed slave of Hazrat Uthman (ra), narrates:
“On Yaum al-Dar”, i.e. the day on which the rebels besieged Hazrat Uthman (ra) and martyred him, “I said to Hazrat Uthman, ‘O Leader of the Faithful! Fight against these people who are causing disorder.’ Hazrat Abdullah (ra) also said, ‘O Leader of the Faithful! Fight against these people who are causing disorder.’ Hazrat Uthman (ra) said, ‘By Allah! I shall not fight them. The Holy Prophet (sa) had made a promise to me and I wish for that to be fulfilled.’”
(Ali Ibn al-Athir, Usd al-Ghabah fi Ma‘rifat al-Sahabah, Vol. 3, Uthman (ra) bin Affan [Beirut, Lebanon: Dar al-Kutub al-Fikr, 2003], p. 483)