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"Every Prophet has an assistant, and my assistant will be Uthman."(Hadeeth)
When 'Umar fell under the assassin's dagger, before he died the people
asked him to nominate his successor. 'Umar appointed a committee consisting
of six of the ten companions of the Prophet (peace be on him) about whom
the Prophet had said, "They are the people of Heaven" - Ali,
Uthman, Abdul Rahman, Sa'ad, Al-Zubayr and Talha - to select the next
Caliph from among themselves. He also outlined the procedure to be followed
if any differences of opinion should arise. Abdul Rahman withdrew his
name. He was then authorized by the committee to nominate the Caliph.
After two days of discussion among the candidates and after the opinions
of the Muslims in Medina had been ascertained, the choice was finally
limited to Uthman and Ali. Abdul Rahman came to the mosque together with
other Muslims, and after a brief speech and questioning of the two men,
swore allegiance to Uthman. All those present did the same, and Uthman
became the third Caliph of Islam in the month of Muharram, 24 A.H.
Uthman bin Affan was born seven years after the Holy Prophet (peace be
on him). He belonged to the Omayyad branch of the Quraish tribe. He learned
to read and write at an early age, and as a young man became a successful
merchant. Even before Islam Uthman had been noted for his truthfulness
and integrity. He and Abu Bakr were close friends, and it was Abu Bakr
who brought him to Islam when he was thirty-four years of age. Some years
later he married the Prophet's second daughter, Ruqayya. In spite of his
wealth and position, his relatives subjected him to torture because he
had embraced Islam, and he was forced to emigrate to Abyssinia. Some time
later he returned to Mecca but soon migrated to Medina with the other
Muslims. In Medina his business again began to flourish and he regained
his former prosperity. Uthman's generosity had no limits. On various occasions
he spent a great portion of his wealth for the welfare of the Muslims,
for charity and for equipping the Muslim armies. That is why he came to
be known as 'Ghani' meaning 'Generous.'
Uthman's wife, Ruqayya was seriously ill just before the Battle of Badr
and he was excused by the Prophet (peace be on him) from participating
in the battle. The illness Ruqayya proved fatal, leaving Uthman deeply
grieved. The Prophet was moved and offered Uthman the hand of another
of his daughters, Kulthum. Because he had the high privilege of having
two daughters of the Prophet as wives Uthman was known as 'The Possessor
of the Two Lights. '
Uthman participated in the Battles of Uhud and the Trench. After the
encounter of the Trench, the Prophet (peace be on him) determined to perform
Hajj and sent Uthman as his emissary to the Quraish in Mecca, who detained
him. The episode ended in a treaty with the Meccans known as the Treaty
of Hudaibiya.
The portrait we have of Uthman is of an unassuming, honest, mild, generous
and very kindly man, noted especially for his modesty and his piety. He
often spent part of the night in prayer, fasted every second or third
day, performed hajj every year, and looked after the needy of the whole
community. In spite of his wealth, he lived very simply and slept on bare
sand in the courtyard of the Prophet's mosque. Uthman knew the Qur'an
from memory and had an intimate knowledge of the context and circumstances
relating to each verse.
During Uthman's rule the characteristics of Abu Bakr's and Umar's caliphates
- impartial justice for all, mild and humane policies, striving in the
path of God, and the expansion of Islam - continued. Uthman's realm extended
in the west to Morocco, in the east to Afghanistan, and in the north to
Armenia and Azerbaijan. During his caliphate a navy was organized, administrative
divisions of the state were revised, and many public projects were expanded
and completed. Uthman sent prominent Companions of the Prophet (peace
be on him) as his personal deputies to various provinces to scrutinize
the conduct of officials and the condition of the people.
Uthman's most notable contribution to the religion of God was the compilation
of a complete and authoritative text of the Qur'an. A large number of
copies of this text were made and distributed all over the Muslim world.
Uthman ruled for twelve years. The first six years were marked by internal
peace and tranquility, but during the second half of his caliphate a rebellion
arose. The Jews and the Magians, taking advantage of dissatisfaction among
the people, began conspiring against Uthman, and by publicly airing their
complaints and grievances, gained so much sympathy that it became difficult
to distinguish friend from foe.
It may seem surprising that a ruler of such vast territories, whose armies
were matchless, was unable to deal with these rebels. If Uthman had wished,
the rebellion could have been crushed at the very moment it began. But
he was reluctant to be the first to shed the blood of Muslims, however
rebellious they might be. He preferred to reason with them, to persuade
them with kindness and generosity. He well remembered hearing the Prophet
(peace be on him) say, "Once the sword is unsheathed among my followers,
it will not be sheathed until the Last Day."
The rebels demanded that he abdicate and some of the Companions advised
him to do so. He would gladly have followed this course of action, but
again he was bound by a solemn pledge he had given to the Prophet. "Perhaps
God will clothe you with a shirt, Uthman" the Prophet had told him
once, "and if the people want you to take it off, do not take it
off for them." Uthman said to a well-wisher on a day when his house
was surrounded by the rebels, "God's Messenger made a covenant with
me and I shall show endurance in adhering to it."
After a long siege, the rebels broke into Uthman's house and murdered
him. When the first assassin's sword struck Uthman, he was reciting the
verse,
"Verily, God sufficeth thee; He is the All-Hearing, the All-Knowing"
[2:137]
Uthman breathed his last on the afternoon of Friday, 17 Dhul Hijja, 35
A.H. (June. (656 A.C.). He was eighty-four years old. The power of tHe
rebels was so great that Uthman's body lay unburied until Saturday night
when he was buried in his blood-stained clothes, the shroud which befits
all martyrs in the cause of God.
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