The Prophet (peace be upon him and his family): Abd al-Rahman ibn Awf al-Zuhri and Uthman ibn Affan came to the Prophet (peace be upon him and his family), and Abd al-Rahman said to him: "O Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family)! Will you perform the marriage contract of your daughter Fatimah (peace be upon her) for me? As her dowry I will give one hundred black she-camels with blue eyes, all of them loaded with white cloths of Egyptian linen, and ten thousand dinars [as well]." Among the companions of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family), there was no one wealthier or richer than Abd al-Rahman and Uthman. Uthman said: "I will give that amount, and I embraced Islam earlier than Abd al-Rahman." The Prophet (peace be upon him and his family) became angry at the words of these two, and he took a handful of pebbles and threw them toward Abd al-Rahman and said: "Are you trying to overawe me with your wealth?!" The pebbles turned into large pearls, and one pearl from those pearls was appraised, and suddenly [they saw] that this [pearl] was equal to everything that Abd al-Rahman owned. And Jibra'il descended at that moment and said: "O Ahmad (peace be upon him and his family)! Allah sends salutations to you and says: 'Arise and go to Ali ibn Abi Talib (peace be upon him), for indeed his likeness is the likeness of the Ka'bah — people go to it [for Hajj], and it does not go to anyone. Allah has commanded me to command Ridwan, the treasurer of Paradise, to adorn the four gardens of Paradise, and He commanded the Tuba tree and Sidrat al-Muntaha to bear ornaments and new garments, and He commanded the hur al-'in (large-eyed maidens of Paradise) to adorn themselves and stand beneath the Tuba tree and Sidrat al-Muntaha. And He commanded an angel from among the angels, called Rahil — and among the angels there is none more eloquent in tongue, sweeter in speech, or more beautiful in face than him — to present himself beside the leg of the Throne. When all the angels had gathered, He commanded me to erect a pulpit of light, and He commanded Rahil to ascend it; [so he ascended] and delivered an eloquent sermon from among the marriage sermons, and he performed the marriage contract of Fatimah (peace be upon her) for Ali (peace be upon him), with [this dowry being] that one-fifth of the world until the Day of Judgement be for her and her children. And I and Mika'il were the witnesses, and Allah the Exalted was the guardian of Fatimah (peace be upon her). And He commanded the Tuba tree and Sidrat al-Muntaha to scatter the ornaments, new garments and perfume that were on them, and He commanded the houris to gather them and to take pride in them until the Day of Judgement. And Allah has commanded you to perform the marriage contract of Fatimah (peace be upon her) for him on earth, and to say to Uthman: Have you not heard my word in the Quran: مَرَجَ الْبَحْرَيْنِ يَلْتَقِيَانِ بَيْنَهُمَا بَرْزَخٌ لَا يَبْغِيَانِ [He has made the two seas to flow freely so that they meet together, between them is a barrier which they do not transgress]? And have you not heard my word in it: He is the One who created a human being from water, then made for him lineage and marriage-relation [and extended his progeny through these two paths]. (Furqan/54) When the Prophet (peace be upon him and his family) heard the words of Jibra'il (peace be upon him), he sent for Ammar ibn Yasir (may Allah have mercy on him), Salman (may Allah have mercy on him), and Abbas, and summoned them. Then he said to Ali (peace be upon him): "Indeed Allah the Exalted has commanded me to perform the marriage contract for you."