When 'Uthman finished his prayers and turned towards the Prophet...

When 'Uthman finished his prayers and turned towards the Prophet, the latter said, "O 'Uthman! Allah did not send me for monasticism, rather He sent me with a simple and straight [shari'ah] . I fast, pray and also have intimate relations with my wife. So whosoever likes my tradition, then he should follow it; and marriage is one of my traditions.[^12] Since 'Uthman was already married, the word "marriage" in this hadith can only be applied to sexual relations. In another incident,