Musnad Ahmad ibn Hanbal: Book 4, Hadith 48
It was narrated from Abu Dharr that he came and asked permission to enter upon `Uthman bin ‘Affan (رضي الله عنه) He gave him permission and he had a stick in his hand ‘Uthman (رضي الله عنه) said. O Ka`b, `Abdur-Rahman has died and left behind wealth. What do you think of him? He said: `Uthman (رضي الله عنه) used to stand by a grave and weep until his beard became wet. It was said to him: You remember Paradise and Hell and you do not weep, but you weep for this? He said: The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: `The grave is the first stage of the hereafter. If one is saved from it (i.e., its torments), then what comes after it is easier than it. But if one is not saved from it {i.e. its torments), then what comes after it is worse.` And the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: By Allah, I have never seen any frightening scene but the grave is more frightening than it.`
حَدَّثَنَا حَسَنُ بْنُ مُوسَى، حَدَّثَنَا عَبْدُ اللَّهِ بْنُ لَهِيعَةَ، حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو قَبِيلٍ، قَالَ سَمِعْتُ مَالِكَ بْنَ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ الْبَرْدَادِيَّ، يُحَدِّثُ عَنْ أَبِي ذَرٍّ، أَنَّهُ جَاءَ يَسْتَأْذِنُ عَلَى عُثْمَانَ بْنِ عَفَّانَ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ فَأَذِنَ لَهُ وَبِيَدِهِ عَصَاهُ فَقَالَ عُثْمَانُ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ يَا كَعْبُ إِنَّ عَبْدَ الرَّحْمَنِ تُوُفِّيَ وَتَرَكَ مَالًا فَمَا تَرَى فِيهِ فَقَالَ إِنْ كَانَ يَصِلُ فِيهِ حَقَّ اللَّهِ فَلَا بَأْسَ عَلَيْهِ فَرَفَعَ أَبُو ذَرٍّ عَصَاهُ فَضَرَبَ كَعْبًا وَقَالَ سَمِعْتُ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ يَقُولُ مَا أُحِبُّ لَوْ أَنَّ لِي هَذَا الْجَبَلَ ذَهَبًا أُنْفِقُهُ وَيُتَقَبَّلُ مِنِّي أَذَرُ خَلْفِي مِنْهُ سِتَّ أَوَاقٍ أَنْشُدُكَ اللَّهَ يَا عُثْمَانُ أَسَمِعْتَهُ ثَلَاثَ مَرَّاتٍ قَالَ نَعَمْ.
Musnad Ahmad ibn Hanbal: Book 4, Hadith 48
The above hadith is from the Musnad Ahmad ibn Hanbal collection of hadiths. The Musnad of Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal is a foundational work in Islamic hadith literature, highly valued for its comprehensive nature. Its most defining feature is its organizational method; it categorizes hadiths based on the companion of the Prophet who first reported them, with a dedicated section for each. This structure provides a unique window into the practices and sayings of the Prophet as witnessed and related by his diverse companions. Although the Musnad is held in extremely high regard and contains many authentic narrations, it is important to note that, due to its encyclopedic aim of collecting available reports, it also contains some hadiths with weaker chains of transmission that are subject to scholarly scrutiny.
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For more Hadith in Book 4: Musnad Uthman ibn Affan