Ibn Hawala reported,

Ibn Hawala said, I came to the Messenger of Allah ﷺ while he was sitting in the shade of a lote tree, with a scribe beside him taking down his dictation.He said, "Shall I enroll you, Ibn Hawala?"I replied, "I do not know what Allah and His Messenger have chosen for me."So he turned away from me. (Ismail once said in the first instance, "Shall we enroll you, Ibn Hawala?")I said, "I do not know. For what purpose, Messenger of Allah?"He turned away from me and bent over his scribe, dictating to him. Then he said, "Shall we enroll you, Ibn Hawala?"I replied, "I do not know what Allah and His Messenger have chosen for me."He turned away from me again and bent over his scribe, dictating to him. I looked and saw that Umar's name was in the document, so I said to myself, "Umar is only enrolled in something good."Then he said, "Shall we enroll you, Ibn Hawala?"I said, "Yes."He said, "Ibn Hawala, what will you do in the face of a tribulation that will erupt at the ends of the earth as though it were the horns of cattle?"I said, "I do not know what Allah and His Messenger have chosen for me."He said, "And what will you do in the face of another that will follow it, making the first seem no more than the puff of a rabbit's tail?"I said, "I do not know what Allah and His Messenger have chosen for me."He said, "Follow this man," gesturing to a man who at that moment had his back turned and was walking away.I set off running, caught hold of the man's shoulders, and turned his face toward the Messenger of Allah ﷺ. I asked, "This one?"He said, "Yes."It turned out to be Uthman bin Affan, may Allah be pleased with him.

عن ابن حوالة قال

أتيت رسول الله ﷺ، وهو جالس في ظل دومة، وعنده كاتب له يملي عليه، فقال: ألا أكتبك يا ابن حوالة، قلت: لا أدري، ما خار الله لي ورسوله، فأعرض عني، وقال إسماعيل مرة في الأولى: نكتبك يا ابن حوالة، قلت: لا أدري، فيم يا رسول الله؟ فأعرض عني، فأكب على كاتبه يملي عليه، ثم قال: أنكتبك يا ابن حوالة، قلت: لا أدري ما خار الله لي ورسوله، فأعرض عني، فأكب على كاتبه يملي عليه، قال: فنظرت فإذا في الكتاب عمر، فقلت: إن عمر لا يكتب إلا في خير، ثم قال: أنكتبك يا ابن حوالة، قلت: نعم فقال: يا ابن حوالة، كيف تفعل في فتنة تخرج في أطراف الأرض كأنها صياصي بقر؟ قلت: لا أدري، ما خار الله لي ورسوله، قال: وكيف تفعل في أخرى تخرج بعدها كأن الأولى فيها انتفاجة أرنب، قلت: لا أدري، ما خار الله لي ورسوله، قال: اتبعوا هذا، قال: ورجل مقفي حينئذ قال: فانطلقت فسعيت، وأخذت بمنكبيه، فأقبلت بوجهه إلى رسول الله ﷺ، فقلت هذا، قال: نعم، قال: وإذا هو عثمان بن عفان رضي الله تعالى عنه.