Attire & Appearance
With regards to the attire and appearance of Hazrat Uthman (ra), it is related by Mahmud bin Labid that he saw Hazrat Uthman bin Affan (ra) riding a mule and his body was covered with two yellow garments.
Hakam bin Salt relates, “My father told me that he saw Hazrat Uthman (ra) delivering a sermon. He was wearing a black garment and his hair had been dyed with henna.”
Sulaym Abu Amir relates that he saw Hazrat Uthman bin Affan (ra) wearing a Yemeni cloak, which cost 100 dirham. Muhammad bin Umar relates, “I asked Amr bin Abdillah, Urwah bin Khalid and Abdur Rahman bin Abu Zinad with regards to the appearance of Hazrat Uthman (ra). All of them unanimously said that he was neither very tall, nor very short. He had a beautiful countenance, soft skin and a thick and long beard. He was of a wheat complexion, had a strong build, broad shoulders and had thick hair. He would dye his beard yellow.”
Waqid bin Abi Yasir relates that Hazrat Uthman (ra) had his teeth bound with a golden wire. Musa bin Talha relates, “I observed that when Hazrat Uthman (ra) left his home on a Friday, he would be covered with two yellow garments. He would then take a seat on the pulpit and the muazzin [person giving the call to prayer] would call the Azan. When the muazzin would finish, he would stand up with the support of the handle of a staff and would deliver the sermon whilst holding on to it. Following this, he would come down from the pulpit and the muazzin would give the iqamah [pronounced immediately before the prayer begins].”
Hassan relates, “I saw Hazrat Uthman (ra) sleeping in the mosque, using his garment as a pillow.”
(Ibn Saad, Al-Tabaqat al-Kubra, Vol. 3, Dhikr Libas Uthman (ra) bin Affan [Beirut, Lebanon: Dar Ihya al-Turath al-Arabi, 1996], pp. 32-34)
Musa bin Talha relates that on Friday, Hazrat Uthman (ra) was standing with the support of a staff. He was more handsome than everyone else. He would be clothed in two yellow garments; one for the upper body and one for the lower body. He would then ascend the pulpit and take a seat.
(Majma al-Zawa‘id wa Manba al-Fawa‘id, Kitab-ul-Manaqib, Bab Sifatuh, Hadith 14493, Vol. 9, p. 75, Dar al-Kutub al-Ilmiyyah, Beirut, 2001)