Compiled by Imam Yahya ibn Sharaf al-Nawawi
وعن عبد الله بن عمر رضي الله عنهما أن عمر رضي الله عنه حين تأيمت بنته حفصة قال: لقيت عثمان بن عفان رضي الله عنه ، فعرضت عليه حفصة فقلت: إن شئت أنكحتك حفصة بنت عمر؟ قال: سأنظر في أمري. فلبثت ليالي، ثم لقيني فقال : قد بدا لي أن لا أتزوج يومي هذا. فلقيت أبا بكر الصديق رضي الله عنه، فلم يرجع إلى شيئاً! فكنت عليه أوجد مني على عثمان، فلبثت ليالي، ثم خطبها النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم، فأنكحتها إياه. فلقيني أبو بكر فقال: لعلك وجدت حين عرضت على حفصة فلم أرجع إليك شيئاً؟ فقلت: نعم. قال: فإنه لم يمنعني أن أرجع إليك فيما عرضت على إلا أني كنت علمت أن النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم ذكرها، فلم أكن لأفشي سر رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم، ولوتركها النبى صلى الله عليه وسلم لقبلتها . ((رواه البخارى)).
My father 'Umar (May Allah be pleased with him) said: When (his daughter) Hafsah (May Allah be pleased with her) became a widow, I met 'Uthman bin 'Affan (May Allah be pleased with him) and offered Hafsah for marriage to him. 'Uthman said: "I shall think over the matter." I waited for a few days and then 'Uthman met me and said: "It occurred to me that I should not marry at present." Then I met Abu Bakr (May Allah be pleased with him) and said to him: "If you are willing, I shall marry my daughter Hafsah to you." Abu Bakr (May Allah be pleased with him) remained silent and did not utter any word to me in reply. I grew more angry with him than with 'Uthman. I had waited for only a few days when Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) asked for her hand in marriage and I married her to him. Thereafter, I met Abu Bakr (May Allah be pleased with him) who said, "Perhaps you were angry with me when you offered Hafsah to me and I said nothing in reply." I said, "Yes, that is so." He said, "Nothing stopped me to respond to your offer except that I knew that Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) had mentioned her and I could not disclose the secret of Messenger of Allah (ﷺ). Had Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) left her, I would have accepted her."[Al-Bukhari].