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
My father Umar (radiyallahu anhu) said: When (his daughter) Hafsah (radiyallahu anha) became a widow, I met Uthman ibn Affan (radiyallahu anhu) 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 (radiyallahu anhu) and said to him: “If you are willing, I shall marry my daughter Hafsah to you.” Abu Bakr (radiyallahu anhu) 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 (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) asked for her hand in marriage and I married her to him.
Thereafter, I met Abu Bakr (radiyallahu anhu) 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 (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) had mentioned her and I could not disclose the secret of Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam). Had Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) left her, I would have accepted her.”.