It was narrated that Al-Ahnaf bin Qais said:
We set out for Hajj, and came to Al-Madinah intending to perform Hajj. While we were in our camping place unloading our mounts, someone came to us and said: 'The people have gathered in the Masjid and there is panic.' So we set out and found the people gathered around a group in the middle of the Masjid, among whom were 'Ali, Az-Zubair, Talhah and Sa'd bin Abi Waqqas. While we were like that, 'Uthman came, wearing a yellowish cloak with which he had covered his head. He said: Is 'Ali here? Is Talhah here? Is Az-Zubair here? Is Sa'd here? They said: Yes. He said: I adjure you by Allah, beside Whom there is none worthy of worship, are you aware that the Messenger of Allah said: Whoever buys the Mirbad of Banu so and so, Allah will forgive him, and I bought it for twenty or twenty-five thousand, then I came to the Messenger of Allah and told him, and he said: Add it to our Masjid and the reward for it will be yours? They said: By Allah, yes. He said: 'I adjure you by Allah, beside Whom there is none worthy of worship, are you aware that the Messenger of Allah said: Whoever buys the well of Rumah, Allah will forgive him, so I bought it for such and such an amount, then I came to the Messenger of Allah and told him, and he said: Give it to provide water for the Muslims, and the reward for it will be yours?' They said: By Allah, yes. He said: 'I adjure you by Allah, beside Whom there is none worthy of worship, are you aware that the Messenger of Allah said: Whoever equips these (men), Allah will forgive him, -meaning the army of Al-'Usrah (i.e. Tabuk)- so I equipped them until they were not lacking even a rope or a bridle?' They said: By Allah, yes. He said: O Allah, bear witness, O Allah, bear witness.