Saad reported, "I passed by Uthman bin Affan in the mosque and greeted him with salaam. He fixed his eyes on me but did not return my greeting."So I went to the Commander of the Faithful, Umar bin Khattab, and said, "Commander of the Faithful, has something happened in Islam?" I asked twice.Umar replied, "No. Why do you ask?"I said, "Nothing, except that I just passed by Uthman in the mosque and greeted him. He fixed his eyes on me but did not return my greeting."Umar then sent for Uthman and called him over, and said to him, "What prevented you from returning your brother's greeting?"Uthman answered, "I did not do that."Saad said, I replied, "Yes, you did."He kept denying until he swore an oath and I swore an oath as well. Then Uthman remembered and said, "Yes, indeed. I seek Allah's forgiveness and turn to Him in repentance. You did pass by me just now, but I was repeating to myself words I had heard from the Messenger of Allah ﷺ. By Allah, I never recall them without a veil falling over my sight and my heart."Saad said, "Then let me tell you what those words are. The Messenger of Allah ﷺ mentioned to us a certain supplication. Then an Arabi came and occupied him until the Messenger of Allah ﷺ stood up. I followed him, and when I feared he would reach his home before me, I struck the ground with my foot. The Messenger of Allah ﷺ turned to me and said, 'Who is this? Abu Ishaq?'I said, 'Yes, Messenger of Allah.'He asked, 'What is it?'I said, 'Nothing, except that you mentioned to us a certain supplication, then this Arabi came and distracted you.'He said, 'Yes, it is the supplication of Dhun-Nun when he was in the belly of the whale, "There is no god but You, glory be to You. Indeed, I have been among the wrongdoers" [Anbiya 21:87]. No Muslim ever calls upon his Lord with it concerning anything without his prayer being answered.'"
مررت بعثمان بن عفان في المسجد، فسلمت عليه، فملأ عينيه مني، ثم لم يرد علي السلام، فأتيت أمير المؤمنين عمر بن الخطاب فقلت: يا أمير المؤمنين، هل حدث في الإسلام شيء؟ مرتين. قال: لا. وما ذاك؟ قال: قلت: لا. إلا أني مررت بعثمان آنفا في المسجد، فسلمت عليه، فملأ عينيه مني، ثم لم يرد علي السلام. قال: فأرسل عمر إلى عثمان فدعاه، فقال: ما منعك أن لا تكون رددت على أخيك السلام؟ قال عثمان: ما فعلت، قال سعد: قلت: بلى. قال: حتى حلف وحلفت، قال: ثم إن عثمان ذكر، فقال: بلى، وأستغفر الله وأتوب إليه، إنك مررت بي آنفا، وأنا أحدث نفسي بكلمة سمعتها من رسول الله ﷺ، لا، والله ما ذكرتها قط إلا تغشى بصري وقلبي غشاوة. قال: قال سعد: فأنا أنبئك بها: إن رسول الله ﷺ ذكر لنا أول دعوة، ثم جاء أعرابي، فشغله حتى قام رسول الله ﷺ فاتبعته، فلما أشفقت أن يسبقني إلى منزله، ضربت بقدمي الأرض، فالتفت إلي رسول الله ﷺ: فقال: من هذا؟ أبو إسحاق قال: قلت: نعم، يا رسول الله! قال: فمه. قال: قلت: لا والله، إلا أنك ذكرت لنا أول دعوة، ثم جاء هذا الأعرابي، فشغلك، قال: نعم، دعوة ذي النون، إذ هو في بطن الحوت: {لا إله إلا أنت سبحنك إني كنت من الظالمين} فإنه لم يدع بهامسلم ربه في شيء قط إلا استجاب له.
Narrated by Tirmidhi (3505), Ahmad (1463) - and this is his wording -, Nasai in Amal al-Yawm wal-Layla (656), and Hakim (2/1382-383), all of them through the route of Yunus bin Abu Ishaq Hamdani, from Ibrahim bin Muhammad bin Saad, from his father, from Saad bin Abu Waqqas, who related it.Hakim said, "This is a hadith sahih in isnad."I say, its isnad is hasan because of Yunus bin Abu Ishaq, for his hadith is hasan.