3512 - Al-Zubayr. He said: Yes. He said: By the One in Who's my soul in His Hand, he was the best of them, as far as I know, فلعلهم قالوا الزبير، قال: نعم، قال: أما والذي نفسي بيده، إنه لخيرهم ما علمت

3512 – حدثنا خالد بن مخلد: حدثنا عل بن مسهر، عن هشام بن عروة، عن أبيه قال: أخبرني مروان بن الحكم قال:أصاب عثمان بن عفان رعاف شديد سنة الرعاف، حتى حبسه عن الحج، وأوصى، فدخل عليه رجل من قريش قال: استخلف، قال: وقالوه؟ قال: نعم، قال: ومن؟ فسكت، فدخل عليه رجل آخر – أحسبه الحارث – فقال: استخلف، فقال عثمان: وقالوا؟ فقال: نعم، قال: ومن هو؟ فسكت، قال: فلعلهم قالوا الزبير، قال: نعم، قال: أما والذي نفسي بيده، إنه لخيرهم ما علمت، وإن كان لأحبهم إلى رسول الله ﷺ .

3512 - Khalid bin Mukhallad narrated: Ali bin Masaher narrated on the authority of Hisham bin Urwah, on the authority of his father, who said: Marwan bin Al-Hakam told me: Uthman bin Affan suffered from a severe nosebleed during the year of nosebleeds, to the point that he was prevented from performing Hajj. He made a will, and a man from Quraysh came to him and said: Appoint a successor. He said: And they said so? He said: Yes. He said: Who is he? He remained silent. Then another man came to him - I think he was Al-Harith - and said: Appoint a successor. Uthman said: And they said so? He said: Yes. He said: Who is he? He remained silent. He said: Perhaps they said Al-Zubayr. He said: Yes. He said: By the One in Who's my soul in His Hand , he was the best of them, as far as I know, although he was the most beloved of them to the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace.