The wife of Uthman bin Mazun, whose name was Khawla bint Hakeem, came in to visit Ayesha looking neglected and unkempt. Ayesha asked her, "What is the matter with you?"She replied, "My husband stands in prayer all night and fasts all day."Then the Prophet ﷺ came in, and Ayesha mentioned this to him. He met Uthman and said, "Uthman, monasticism has not been prescribed for us. Do you not have an example in me? By Allah, the one among you most fearful of Allah and most mindful of His limits is me."
دخلت امرأة عثمان بن مظعون واسمها خولة بنت حكيم على عائشة وهي بادة الهيئة، فسألتها ما شأنك؟ فقالت: زوجي يقوم الليل، ويصوم النهار فدخل النبي ﷺ فذكرت ذلك له عائشة. فلقي النبي ﷺ فقال: يا عثمان! إن الرهبانية لم تكتب علينا، أما لك في أسوة؟ فو الله إن أخشاكم الله، وأحفظكم لحدوده لأنا.
Abdul-Razzaq (10375) narrated it from Maamar, from Zuhri, from Urwa and Amra, from Ayesha, who said, then she mentioned it.Bazzar narrated it through this same route, in Kashf Astar (1458), as did Ibn Hibban (9), but from Urwa alone.Imam Ahmad (25893) narrated it from Abdul-Razzaq, who said, Maamar related to us, from Zuhri, from Urwa, who said, the wife of Uthman came in, and he mentioned it as a mursal narration.Haythami pointed to this in al-Majmu (4/301), saying, "The men in Ahmad's chains of transmission are trustworthy, except that the route of 'the most fearful of you among you' was narrated by Ahmad as mursal, while Bazzar connected it with trustworthy men."