Musnad Ahmad 20
It was narrated that az-Zuhri said:
A man among the Ansar who was a man of knowledge told me that he heard 'Uthman bin 'Affan (may Allah have mercy on him) narrate that some of the Companions of the Prophet (ﷺ), when the Prophet (ﷺ) died, grieved so much that some of thern were almost unaware of what was going on around them. 'Uthman said: I was one of them. Whilst I was sitting in the shade of a small fort, ‘Umar passed by me and greeted me, and I did not realise that he had passed me or greeted me, ‘Umar went to Abu Bakr and said to him: Do you think it is right that I passed by ‘Uthman and greeted him and he did not return my greeting? He and Abu Bakr came, when Abu Bakr had been appointed caliph and they both greeted me. Then Abu Bakr said: Your brother ‘Umar came to me and told me that he passed by you and greeted you but you did not return his greeting; what made you do that? I said: I did not do that. 'Umar said: Yes, by Allah, you did that, but you have too much pride, O Banu Umayyah. I said: By Allah, I did not realise that you had passed me or greeted me. Abu Bakr said: 'Uthman is telling the truth; is something bothering you? I said: Yes. He said: What is it? 'Uthman said: Allah, may He be glorifică and exalted, has caused His Prophet (ﷺ) to die before we could ask him how we can save ourselves, Abu Bakr said: I asked him about that. ('Uthman] said: I went to him and said: May my father and mother be sacrificed for you, you were more deserving to ask it. Abu Bakr said: I said:O Messenger of Allah, what is salvation? The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: “Whoever accepts this word from me that I asked my uncle to say but he rejected it, it is salvation for him.`
حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو الْيَمَانِ، قَالَ أَخْبَرَنَا شُعَيْبٌ، عَنِ الزُّهْرِيِّ، قَالَ أَخْبَرَنِي رَجُلٌ، مِنْ الْأَنْصَارِ مِنْ أَهْلِ الْفِقْهِ أَنَّهُ سَمِعَ عُثْمَانَ بْنَ عَفَّانَ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ يُحَدِّثُ أَنَّ رِجَالًا مِنْ أَصْحَابِ النَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ حِينَ تُوُفِّيَ النَّبِيُّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ حَزِنُوا عَلَيْهِ حَتَّى كَادَ بَعْضُهُمْ يُوَسْوِسُ قَالَ عُثْمَانُ وَكُنْتُ مِنْهُمْ فَبَيْنَا أَنَا جَالِسٌ فِي ظِلِّ أُطُمٍ مِنْ الْآطَامِ مَرَّ عَلَيَّ عُمَرُ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ فَسَلَّمَ عَلَيَّ فَلَمْ أَشْعُرْ أَنَّهُ مَرَّ وَلَا سَلَّمَ فَانْطَلَقَ عُمَرُ حَتَّى دَخَلَ عَلَى أَبِي بَكْرٍ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ فَقَالَ لَهُ مَا يُعْجِبُكَ أَنِّي مَرَرْتُ عَلَى عُثْمَانَ فَسَلَّمْتُ عَلَيْهِ فَلَمْ يَرُدَّ عَلَيَّ السَّلَامَ وَأَقْبَلَ هُوَ وَأَبُو بَكْرٍ فِي وِلَايَةِ أَبِي بَكْرٍ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ حَتَّى سَلَّمَا عَلَيَّ جَمِيعًا ثُمَّ قَالَ أَبُو بَكْرٍ جَاءَنِي أَخُوكَ عُمَرُ فَذَكَرَ أَنَّهُ مَرَّ عَلَيْكَ فَسَلَّمَ فَلَمْ تَرُدَّ عَلَيْهِ السَّلَامَ فَمَا الَّذِي حَمَلَكَ عَلَى ذَلِكَ قَالَ قُلْتُ مَا فَعَلْتُ فَقَالَ عُمَرُ بَلَى وَاللَّهِ لَقَدْ فَعَلْتَ وَلَكِنَّهَا عُبِّيَّتُكُمْ يَا بَنِي أُمَيَّةَ قَالَ قُلْتُ وَاللَّهِ مَا شَعَرْتُ أَنَّكَ مَرَرْتَ وَلَا سَلَّمْتَ قَالَ أَبُو بَكْرٍ صَدَقَ عُثْمَانُ وَقَدْ شَغَلَكَ عَنْ ذَلِكَ أَمْرٌ فَقُلْتُ أَجَلْ قَالَ مَا هُوَ فَقَالَ عُثْمَانُ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ تَوَفَّى اللَّهُ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ نَبِيَّهُ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ قَبْلَ أَنْ نَسْأَلَهُ عَنْ نَجَاةِ هَذَا الْأَمْرِ قَالَ أَبُو بَكْرٍ قَدْ سَأَلْتُهُ عَنْ ذَلِكَ قَالَ فَقُمْتُ إِلَيْهِ فَقُلْتُ لَهُ بِأَبِي أَنْتَ وَأُمِّي أَنْتَ أَحَقُّ بِهَا قَالَ أَبُو بَكْرٍ قُلْتُ يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ مَا نَجَاةُ هَذَا الْأَمْرِ فَقَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ مَنْ قَبِلَ مِنِّي الْكَلِمَةَ الَّتِي عَرَضْتُ عَلَى عَمِّي فَرَدَّهَا عَلَيَّ فَهِيَ لَهُ نَجَاةٌ‏.‏