Musnad Ahmad Hadith 17004

It is narrated from Ibn Hawalah (may Allah be pleased with him) that once I presented myself before the Prophet (ﷺ), at that time he (peace be upon him) was sitting in the shade of a tree and there was a scribe with him to whom he (peace be upon him) was dictating something. The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: "O Ibn Hawalah! Should we not write for you as well?" I replied that I do not know what Allah and His Messenger (peace be upon him) have chosen for me. So the Prophet (peace be upon him) turned away from me and again leaned towards the scribe to dictate. After a while, the same question and answer occurred again. After that, I saw that the name of Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) was written in that document. I thought in my heart that Umar's (may Allah be pleased with him) name could only be written for a good deed. Then, for the third time, when the Prophet (peace be upon him) asked, "O Ibn Hawalah! Should we not write for you as well?" I replied, "Yes!" The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: "Ibn Hawalah! When tribulations erupt in the corners of the earth like the horns of a cow, what will you do?" I replied that I do not know; Allah and His Messenger know best what they prefer for me. The Prophet (peace be upon him) asked the next question: "After that, when another tribulation immediately appears, what will you do then?" I gave the same answer as before. The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: "Follow that person." At that time, that man was walking away with his back turned. I ran and caught him by the shoulders and brought him to the Prophet (peace be upon him) and said, "Is this the person about whom you have just given this command?" The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: "Yes!" And that person was Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him).