When the matter of Uthman bin Mazun arose concerning his abandoning of women, the Messenger of Allah ﷺ sent for him and said, "Uthman, I have not been commanded to adopt monasticism. Have you turned away from my way?"Uthman replied, "No, Messenger of Allah."He said, "Part of my way is that I pray and I sleep, I fast and I eat, and I marry and I divorce. Whoever turns away from my way is not from me. Uthman, your family has a right over you, and your own self has a right over you."Saad said, "By Allah, some men from among the Muslims had resolved that if the Messenger of Allah ﷺ approved of Uthman in what he was doing, we would castrate ourselves and devote ourselves entirely to worship."
لما كان من أمر عثمان بن مظعون الذي كان من ترك النساء بعث إليه رسول الله ﷺ فقال: يا عثمان، إني لم أومر بالرهبانية، أرغبت عن سنتي؟ قال: لا، يا رسول الله. قال: إن من سنتي أن أصلي وأنام، وأصوم وأطعم، وأنكح وأطلق، فمن رغب عن سنتي فليس مني، يا عثمان، إن لأهلك عليك حقا، ولنفسك عليك حقا قال سعد: فوالله لقد كان أجمع رجال من المسلمين على أن رسول الله ﷺ إن هو أقر عثمان على ما هو عليه أن نختصي فنتبتل.
Darimi (2215) narrated it from Muhammad bin Yazid Hazami, who said, Yunus bin Bukayr narrated to us, who said, Ibn Ishaq narrated to me, who said, Zuhri narrated to me, from Saeed bin Musayab, from Saad bin Abu Waqqas, who said, then he mentioned it.Its chain is hasan because of Ibn Ishaq, for his hadith is hasan when he states clearly that he heard it directly.