Our mother Aisha narrates:
“One day, Abu Bakr came and sought permission to visit the Messenger of God. At that time, our Master was lying in his bed and my quilt was on him. The Messenger of God let Abu Bakr in without changing his own position. They talked and when their discussion was over, Abu Bakr left.
After some time, Umar came and sought permission to visit the Messenger of God. Our Master also let Umar in without changing his own position. Some time after Umar’s departure, Uthman sought permission to visit the Messenger of God. This time, the Messenger of God got up, sat on his
bed, tidied himself up, and said to me:
‘Tidy up your clothes.’
After that, he let Uthman in. And after serving his purpose, Uthman too departed. Upon Uthman’s departure, I asked him:
‘O Messenger of God! While you stood idly by when Abu Bakr and Umar came, you made yourself presentable upon Uthman’s visit. What is the reason for this difference?’
‘Uthman is a very modest person. If I would have let him in while I was in my previous position and without tidying myself, I was afraid he would have left without sharing his thoughts with me,’ God’s Messenger replied.”
