The
Third Caliph of Islam
Sayyiduna Uthman (R.A.) elected as the third Khalifah (Caliph)
Before his death, Sayyiduna ‘Umar (R.A.) appointed a panel of
six men to select a "Khalifah" from amongst themselves and then
sought his approval through Bai'at (Pledge of loyalty) by Muslim Public. He
also instructed them to make the nomination within three days. The panel included:
·
Hazrat Uthman (RA),'
·
Hazrat Ali (RA),
·
Hazrat Sa'd bin Abi
Waqqas (RA),
·
Hazrat Talha (RA),
·
Hazrat Zubayr (RA)
and
·
Hazrat 'Abdur
Rahman bin 'Auf (RA).
The panel could not arrive at any
decision even after long meetings. Then, Hadrat 'Abdur Rahman bin 'Auf proposed
somebody to withdraw his name in order to decide the matter. When he got no
response, he withdrew his own name. The remaining members agreed that he could
take a decision. He consulted each member individually except Hadrat Talha
(R.A.) who was not present at Medina. It so happened that Hadrat Uthman
proposed 'Hazrat Ali's name and Hadrat 'Ali proposed Uthman's name for the post
of Khalifah. But Zubayr and Sa'd (R.A.) were more in favour of Hadrat Uthman
than Hadrat ‘Ali. After more consultations with other companions and thinking
over the problem during the third night, Hadrat ‘Abdur Rahman bin ‘Auf (R.A.)
gave his decision in the morning of the fourth day in favour of Hadrat Uthman
(R.A.).
First of all Hadrat ‘Abdur Rahman bin
‘Auf (R.A.) took Bai'at at the hands of Hadrat Uthman and then all the Muslims
present in the Mosque followed suit and took Bai'at (pledge of loyalty) at the
hands of Hadrat Uthman(R.A.). In this way, Hadrat Uthman (R.A.) was declared to
be the third Khalifah. When Hadrat Talha (R.A.) returned to Medina, Uthman
(R.A.) requested him either to accept the post of "Khalifah" (as he
was among the persons proposed by Hadrat ‘Umar for the post) or to acknowledge
him as Khalifah by taking Bai'at. Hadrat Talha declined to be the Khalifah and
took pledge of loyalty at his hand, saying "How can I object to your being
the Khalifah when all the Muslims have agreed upon you."
Early Life
Sayyiduna
'Uthman (R.A.) belonged to "Ummayyad" a noble ,well reputed
and honourable family of Quraish in Mecca. His ancestral pedigree joins with
that of the Holy Prophet (SAW) in the fifth generation.. In the famous battle
of "Fajjar" the Commander-in-Chief of the Quraish army, Harb bin Ummayyad
was from the same family. The descendants of this family are known as
"Banu Ummayyad" or "Umawwin".
Acceptance of Islam
Sayyiduna Uthman (R.A.)
accepted Islam at the invitation of Sayyiduna Abu Bakr (R.A.).
He was one of those Muslims who accepted Islam in its very early days. Though
"Banu Hashim" (the Holy Prophet's family) was rival to "Banu Ummayyad"
(Sayyiduna Uthman's family), and the latter was
in power at that time, yet Sayyiduna Uthman (R.A.) did
not hesitate to acknowledge the prophet hood of Hadrat Muhammad (SAW) which
meant authority and supremacy over "Banu Hashim". This was one of the
reasons why Quraish leaders, belonging to Banu Ummayyad (like Abu Sufyan) were
opposing the Holy Prophet (SAW). Thus acceptance of Islam in such a position
shows the clear-mindedness of Hadrat Uthman (R.A.). One of the daughters of the
Holy Prophet (SAW), Hadrat Ruqayyah (R.A.) was married to one of the sons of
Abu Lahb (an arch-enemy of Islam). When the Holy Prophet (SAW) started to
preach Islam, Abu Lahb asked his son ‘Utbah to divorce her. Then the Holy
Prophet married her to Sayyiduna Uthman (R.A.)
Migration to Abyssinia
When Sayyiduna Uthman (R.A.)
accepted Islam, the Quraish who once loved Hazrat Uthman (RA) became his
enemies. Even his relatives like Hakam (one of his uncles) began to rebuke him
and chastised him severely.
When life in Mecca
became hard for the Muslims, he went to the Holy Prophet (SAW) and sought
permission to take refuge in Abyssinia along with other Muslims. The permission
was granted. Sayyiduna Uthman (R.A.) and his wife Hadrat
Ruqayyah (R.A.) crossed the Red Sea with other Muslims and migrated to
Abyssinia. At the time of his migration the Holy Prophet (SAW) remarked:
"Uthman is the first man of my Ummah to migrate (for sake of Allah) with
his family." He stayed there for a couple of months and came back to Mecca
when he was wrongly informed by somebody that the Quraish had accepted Islam.
Sayyiduna Uthman (R.A.) gets
the title of "zun-nurain"
Sayyiduna Uthman (R.A.)
migrated second time with other Muslims to Medina. He could not participate in
the first battle of Islam against non-believers of Mecca at Badr, because his
wife was very ill. She died before the Muslims returned from Badr after the
victory. The Holy Prophet (SAW) gave him glad tidings that he would get the
same reward as though he had participated in the battle. After the death of
Hadrat Ruqayyah (R.A.), the Holy Prophet (SAW) married his next daughter,
"Umm-e- Kulthum" with him and he was given the title of "
zun-nurain " i.e., the man with two lights.
Official manuscript of the Holy Qur'an
One of the
magnificent services to Islam done by Hadrat Uthman (R.A.) was to safeguard any
possible change in the codex of the Holy Qur'an. After the conquests by the
Muslims hundreds of thousands of non-Arabs, whose mother tongue was not Arabic,
accepted Islam because of its teachings. Hadrat Hudhayfah (R.A.), one of the
prominent Companions of the Holy Prophet (SAW), went for "Jihad"
(Holy War) during that time and noticed many differences in the manner of
recitation (Qira't) of the Holy Qur'an. The Syrians recited in a way different
from that of Kufis while the Kufis differed from Basris and so on. As a matter
of fact these differences were due to the differences in the way of writing
Arabic. Seeing this condition Hadrat Hudhayfah reported the matter to the
Khalifah on his return from the "Jihad" and suggested that the
Medinese codex should be regarded as authentic, i.e. the Holy Qur'an, which was
written and compiled in Book form during the time of Hadrat Abu Bakr (R.A.) and
was kept with Ummul-muminin Hadrat Hafsah (R.A.). Hadrat Uthman (R.A.) took
that Book from Hadrat Hafsah (R.A.) and canonized the Medinese codex. He asked
Hadrat Zaid bin Thabit (R.A.), the person who wrote it during the time of
Hadrat Abu Bakr, to make copies of the same with the help of some other
Companions like Abdullah bin Zubayr and Sa'd bin 'As etc. Then he ordered all
other copies, beside the Medinese codex, to be burnt and destroyed throughout
the State. Those people who earned their living in the provinces as the
receptacles and expositors of the sacred text were not pleased with this act.
It has been discussed before that such persons criticized Uthman for burning
unauthentic texts. However for this great service Sayyiduna Uthman (R.A.) is
famous as the "Jami'ul-Qur'an" (The compiler of the Qur'an).
Bai'at al-Ridwan" (the Pledge of Ridwan)
He was a very
prominent Muslim to serve Islam by all means. He participated in almost all the
battles with the non-believers in which the Holy Prophet (SAW) had also taken
part, except "Badr". At the time of the "Treaty of
Hudaibiya" he was sent to Mecca to negotiate with the non-believers. Then
the Muslims were wrongly informed about his murder by the non-believers of
Mecca. It is for this reason that the Holy Prophet (SAW) sought a pledge by the
Muslims to fight with the non-believers in revenge of his murder. That pledge
is known as "Bai'at al-Ridwan" (the Pledge of Ridwan). For Uthman’s
pledge, the Holy Prophet (SAW) put his left hand (representing Uthman's hand)
on his right hand.
Bought a well named "bi’r-i-Rumah” and spare for all the
Mslims
When the Muhajirin (Emigrants) from
Mecca came to Medina, they had great difficulty in getting drinking water. Sayyiduna Uthman (R.A.) bought a well named
"bi’r-i-Rumah” from a Jew for twenty thousand dirhams for free use of
Muslims. That was the first trust ever made in the history of Islam. The Holy
Prophet (SAW) gave him the glad tidings of Paradise for this act.
When the number of Muslims increased,
the Prophet's mosque became too small to accommodate the increasing population,
it was Uthman (R.A.) who responded to the Prophet's call and bought land for
its extension. When the Holy Prophet (SAW) went to the expedition of Tabuk,
Hadrat Uthman bore the expenses for one third Islamic army (i.e., about 10,000
men). He also gave one thousand camels, fifty horses and one thousand Dinars
(gold coins) to support the rest of the army. The Holy Prophet (SAW) remarked
on this, "Nothing will do any harm to Uthman from this day, whatever he
does."
Transcribers of the “Revelation"“
Sayyiduna Uthman (R.A.) was one of the scribes
of the Revelation and also used to write other documents like letters and messages etc. of the Holy
Prophet (SAW).
Member of the Shura
At the time of the election of Sayyiduna Abu Bakr (R.A.) Sayyiduna Uthman (R.A.) was present in the
Assembly Hall of Medina. During the caliphate of Abu Bakr and 'Umar (R.A.), he
was a member of the "Shura" (Advisory Council). He occupied a
prominent position in the affairs of the Islamic State during that time.
A brief review of the conquests during Hadrat Uthman’s caliphate
We see that during the caliphate of
Hadrat Uthman (R.A.) the Muslims conquered a number of new areas. They took
over Antalya and Asia Minor in the west including Cyprus, Afghanistan,
Samarkand, Tashkent, Trukmennistan, Khurasan and Tabrastan in the East and
North East; and Libya, Algeria, Tunisia and Morocco in North Africa. In this
way Muslims were ruling over a vast part of Asia and Africa viz. Afghanistan,
Turkmennistan, Uzbekistan, Persia or Iran, Iraq, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Turkey,
Cyprus, Syria, Palestine, Jordan, Egypt, Libya, Algeria, Tunisia, Morocco, and
of course Arabia (now Saudi Arabia) and Yemen including the Gulf states. All
these countries and places were under one flag, and the Islamic state was far
bigger than any one of the past mighty Byzantine or Persian Empires. Islam as a
religion was also prevailing in Abyssinia (now Ethiopia) and in some parts of
East and Central Africa though these places were not under the direct control
of the Caliphate.
Internal Disorder: Introductory Note
The first half of Hadrat Uthman's
caliphate was very peaceful. During this time the Muslims gained many victories
as described above, and the caliphate extended to a vast area of the then known
world. But the later part of Hadrat Uthman's caliphate was marred by a terrible
civil war which ultimately led to the murder of the caliph himself. Hadrat
Uthman (R.A.) was a very gentle and soft-hearted person. The people who wanted to
create chaos among the Muslims took advantage of his soft nature. Hadrat
'Umar's stern hand had kept away the undemocratic and non-Islamic customs, and
the practices that prevailed in the courts of Persian and Byzantine Empires.
But HadrAt Uthman (R.A.) sometimes overlooked the faults of the governors and
other officers in various provinces, though he himself totally and completely
followed the ways of the Holy Prophet (SAW) and the first two caliphs. His
compassionate nature made the provincial governors bold as a result of which
unrest in the provincial capitals grew and ultimately it engulfed the whole
Islamic State.
The enemies of Islam were in search
of a suitable occasion to work against Islam and the Muslims. They got the
desired opportunity for this and sent out their men to disturb the peace and to
spread false news. Only the main events that happened during that time would be
discussed in the following lines.
Conspiracy of 'Abdullah bin Saba
'Abdullah bin Saba,
a clever Yemenite Jew who had accepted Islam only for self-interest and to
destroy peace of the Islamic state, took the leading part in the agitation
against Hadrat Uthman (R.A.). He was having a number of followers who had
accepted Islam only to create disharmony among the Muslims.
He invented quite a
few beliefs and started to preach them. He based his beliefs upon the love of
the Holy Prophet (SAW) and his family (Ahli-Bait). Some of the beliefs invented
by Abdullah bin Saba were
(1) Every prophet left a
"Wasi" (administrator) behind him, and the "Wasi" was his
relative. For example Prophet Musa (Moses) made Harun his "Wasi"
(administrator). Consequently the Holy Prophet (SAW) must have a
"Wasi", and his "Wasi" was Hadrat 'Ali (R.A.) Being the
"Wasi", Hadrat 'Ali (R.A.) was the only rightful man to be the
"Khalifah". He went to the extent of declaration that the
"Khilafat" (caliphate) of Hadrat Abu Bakr,'Umar and Uthman (R.A.) was
unlawful. The only way to redress matters was to remove the then Caliph, Hadrat
Uthman (R.A.).
(2) He said that it was strange for
the Muslims to believe that Jesus ('Alaihis Salam) would descend from the
heaven to follow Islam and to fight for Muslims against non-believers,
(3) He started to give wrong commentaries of
various verses of the Holy Qur'an and twisted their meaning in favour of his
beliefs.
He preached his false self-coined
beliefs secretly and selected the main headquarters of Muslim military power,
Kufa, Basrah, Syria and Egypt as centres of his activities. He picked up a
number of newly converted Muslims who lent an easy ear to what he said. Some
simple Muslims who were having certain complaints against various governors
also joined him. It was the real cause of all the troubles.
First of all he visited Medina to
note the internal conditions of the capital. He pretended to be a very pious
Muslim but could not get much followers over there. Then he came to Basrah and
started to preach his beliefs and incite the public against Muslim officers. At
that time Hadrat'Abdullah bin 'Amir was the Governor. Hearing about his
activities, he called him and made certain enquiries because of which he was
frightened and left Basrah leaving his followers and workers over there under
the supervision of Hakim bin Hublah, one of the opponents of the governor.
From Basrah 'Abdullah bin Saba moved
to Kufa and found it more suitable for his destructive activities. He pretended
to be a very pious Muslim and because of his show of piety, a number of simple
Muslims started to respect him. Then he preached his beliefs. Soon the governor
of Kufa, Hadrat Sa'd bin al-'As was informed about him. He called him and
warned him against his false beliefs and the damage he wanted to cause to the
Muslim community. For this reason he left Kufa as well but made Ashtar as his
deputy with instructions that the mission should be carried on secretly. From
there he also went to Damascus but was not successful because of the strict
control of Amir Mu'awiya (R.A.).
At last he selected Egypt and went
there. The governor of Egypt, Hadrat' Abdullah bin Sarah was busy in the
battles against Byzantine forces in North Africa and could not pay much
attention to Ibn Saba's activities. He continued correspondence with his
followers in Basrah, Kufa and other places from Egypt, and gave them directions
for creating disorder and rivalry among the Muslims.
His followers, most of whom were
pretending to be Muslims, used various techniques to increase their strength.
They made a great show of piety and posed to be very pious worshippers. They incited
people to forge complaints against the governors, various officers and the
Khalifah as well. A new campaign against most of the officers was started by
calling them irreligious, non-practical and bad Muslims. They sent forged
letters from place to place which talked of injustice and unrest in the place
from where they were posted. Such letters were usually sent to Sabaites (the
followers of ‘Abdullah bin Saba) who read them out to as many people as
possible. These forged letters also showed that Hadrat' Ali, Talha, and Zubayr
(Rid. A.) had full sympathy with them and with their mission and they disliked
the "Khalifah", Hadrat Uthman (R.A.). These were the three leading
Companions in Medina at that time. Thus the people of various places began to
believe that there was a widespread unrest and that the leading Companions
wanted to remove the "Khalifah".
The Sabaites also worked throughout
the state against various governors. They were the real cause of their removal
from time to time. Sabaites were the main figures behind the removal of Hadrat
Abu Musa Ash'ari from the governorship of Basrah at the time when their mission
was not so popular. They spread rumours against Hadrat Walid bin 'Uqbah,
governor of Kufa, and wrongly accused him of drinking liquor, and provided
false witnesses against him because of which the "Khalifah" punished
him. When he was punished they accused the "Khalifah" of punishing
innocent Muslims. When Hadrat 'Abdullah bin'Amir (R.A.) was appointed as the
governor of Basrah to replace Hadrat Abu Musa Ash'ari they incited the public
against him and against the Khalifah that he was related to the Khalifah
because of which he was given the governorship in his young age.
On one side they incited the people
against the governors and on the other they accused the Khalifah. On the basis
of complaints when Hadrat Uthman (R.A.) removed the governors they criticised
him to be unduly kind to his relatives by appointing them to big posts.
Allegations against Hadrat Uthman (RA)
(1) Hadrat Uthman belonged to the
family Banu Ummayyad of Quraish. Before Islam there was rivalry between Banu Ummayyad
and Banu Hashim, the family of the Quraish to which the Holy Prophet (SAW) and
Hadrat 'Ali (RA) belonged. In Medina the Sabaites incited Banu Hashim against
Banu Ummayyad, actually against Hadrat Uthman, by saying that he was removing
Hashmites from the big offices in order to support Ummayyad and that he was
unduly considerate to his family.
(2) They alleged that Hadrat Uthman
(R.A.) was extravagant and gave away money to his relatives, thus squandered
the "Baitul Mal". The allegation was absolutely false. Hadrat Uthman
(R.A.) was one of the wealthiest merchants in Arabia due to which people called
him "Ghani" (The Richman). His liberal contributions towards the
cause of Islam during the life of the Holy Prophet (SAW) have been mentioned in
the preceding pages. His generosity continued in the same way during his
caliphate. He spent his own money to help the poor, and also his relatives but
never took anything wrongfully from the "Baitul Mal". Not only this
he did not accept any allowance from the "Baitul Mal" for his
services as Caliph. Through his addresses and speeches he clarified his
position several times and gave satisfactorily explanations to the false
accusations against him. Once he promised to give one fifth of the booty of
Tripoli, the state share, to Hadrat'Abdullah bin Sarah, the then Governor of
Egypt, for his invaluable services and the bravery he showed in the battles
that took place between the Muslims and the Byzantine forces in North African
territories. But the general public disapproved his view and he asked ‘Abdullah
to return that share.
(3) One of the allegations, levelled
by Sabaites against Hadrat Uthman was that he had burnt some copies of the Holy
Qur'an. The fact was that Hadrat Uthman (R.A.) sent copies of the Holy Qur'an,
written by Hadrat Zaid bin Thabit by the order of Hadrat Abu Bakr during his
caliphate, to various places of the state and asked the governors and other
officers to burn all those copies of the Holy Qur'an which were incomplete and
were not in accordance with the Holy Qur'an compiled by Hadrat Zaid bin Thabit.
This was done in order to avoid confusion between the Muslims because there
were some copies of the Holy Qur'an at that time in which the order of the
Surahs (Chapters) was not like that which was proposed by the Holy Prophet (SAW)
in accordance to Hadrat Gabriel instructions as commanded by Allah. Moreover,
some of the copies existing at that time at various places other than Medina
were lacking in some chapters, and were incomplete. For this reason Hadrat
Uthman (R.A.) got copies made from the standard Book compiled during the time
of Abu Bakr (R.A.) and sent them to various places. Differences had also arisen
due to differences in handwritings so he also standardized the way of writing
the Holy Qur'an. This has been considered as one of the greatest services of
Hadrat Uthman (R.A.) rendered to Islam for which he has been given the title of
"Jami'ul-Qur'an" (The Compiler of the Qur'an) although the Holy
Qur'an was compiled in a book form by Hadrat Abu Bakr (R.A.) on the insistence
of Hadrat 'Umar (R.A.).
(4) At this place I would like to
mention something about Hadrat Abu Dharr Ghifari (R.A.) because this allegation
is concerned with him. He was a well-known and pious Companion of the Holy
Prophet (SAW) who always kept aloof from the world and its riches. He was not
in favour of accumulation of money and saving it. As regards the "Baitul
Mal"(Public Treasury), he held the view that all the money should be spent
for the welfare of Muslims as soon as it came through taxes etc. In Syria he
started to publicize his opinion and a number of people followed him. Seeing
this Hadrat Amir Mu'awiya wrote to Hadrat Uthman who recalled Hadrat Abu Dharr
to Medina and then he retired to a village named Rabdhah near Medina.'Abdullah
bin Saba tried to gain favour of Hadrat Abu Dharr(R.A.) when he was in Syria
but he rebuked Ibn Saba and told him that the beliefs she was preaching were
foreign to Islam and that his aim was to create chaos among the Muslims.
When Hadrat Abu Dhar (R.A.) had
retired they started accusing Hadrat Uthman that he forced him to live in a
village. Not only this but they also accused him of ill treatment of other recognized
Companions like Hadrat 'Ammar bin Yasir and Hadrat 'Abdullah bin Mas'ud (R.A.)
But all of these accusations were false.
(5) One of the allegations against
Hadrat Uthman was that he called Hakam bin'As to Medina who was exiled by the
Holy Prophet (SAW). However this step of Hadrat Uthman was not too wise. Not
only this but he also appointed Hakam's son Marwan as his chief secretary which
was not liked by some prominent Companions and also by the Muslim Public.
The forthcoming discussion on this
point would reveal that Marwan became the main cause of insurgents' existent
who ultimately assassinated the Khalifah. It is alleged that he wrote to
Egypt's governor Hadrat 'Abdullah to kill Muhammad bin Abi Bakr whom Hadrat
Uthman had appointed the governor of Egypt in place of Muhammad bin Abi Bakr
when the insurgents pressed Hadrat Uthman to do so but this, too, was false.
The letter was sheer forgery.
There are some other false
allegations which were levelled by Sabaites to defame the Khalifah. Since most
of them are purely theological in nature and not political, they are not been
mentioned here.
Talks of the Governors
When the unrest caused by Sabaites
went on growing in all parts of the State, the news began to pour in Medina.
The leading Companions asked Hadrat Uthman to take steps against them. So he
called a conference of the governors in Medina in the year 34 A.H., just after
the Hajj. All the governors attended the meeting. Hadrat Uthman (R.A.) enquired
from them about the growing unrest in the State. They told him that it was due
to some mischief-mongers who wanted to overthrow the government. They suggested
that such persons must be punished and those who were the leaders must be put
to sword. But Hadrat Uthman disliked the suggestion and told them that without
just cause he would never shed even a single drop of Muslim blood. Hadrat
Uthman (R.A.) was not willing to take stern action against such persons because
he did not want that hundreds of men should be massacred for his interest.
Instead, he sent a mission of four persons: Muhammad bin Muslimah, Usamah bin
Zaid, 'Ammar bin Yasir and 'Abdullah bin 'Umar (R A)to tour the provinces.
After the governors' conference was
over Hadrat Amir Mu’awiya (R.A.) suggested that he should leave Medina and
should pass some time in Damascus but he said, "I would not leave Medina
even though people kill me." Then Amir Mu'awiya (R.A.) requested Hadrat
Uthman (R.A.) to allow him to send an army to Medina for his protection but
Hadrat Uthman did not agree to even that.
Sending of Peace Mission
The mission sent by Hadrat Uthman
toured various places and talked with the people. Three of them returned to
Medina and reported to Hadrat Uthman that the conditions were normal. The
fourth member of the mission Hadrat 'Ammar bin Yasir (R.A.) did not return. He
was sent to Egypt where 'Abdullah bin Saba and his followers trapped him and he
started to live with them instead of returning to Medina.
'Abdullah bin Saba catches
friends
'Abdullah bin Saba was in search of
some important men who were having some influence over the Muslims. At last he won
over three important figures. One among them was Hadrat 'Ammar bin Yasir,
described above. The other two joined Ibn Saba before Hadrat 'Ammar. They were
Muhammad bin Abi Hudhayfah and Muhammad bin Abi Bakr. Muhammad bin Abi Hudhayfah
was an orphan and was brought up by Hadrat Uthman along with some other
orphans. When he grew up he desired some big post. Hadrat Uthman (R.A.) did not
consider him fit for that. So he left Medina and went to Egypt and ultimately
joined Ibn Saba. Muhammad bin Abi Bakr (R.A.) was in debt. The creditor
complained to the "Khalifah" who decided the case impartially in
favour of the creditor as a result of which Muhammad bin Abi Bakr left Medina
and came to Egypt and ultimately joined Ibn Saba.
Plan of the Sabaites
The Sabaites were planning to cause a
general rising when the Governors were away to attend the conference. However
the plot could not be carried out.
Kufa was the main centre of the
Sabaites besides their headquarters in Egypt. The criminals of Kufa tried to
carry out the plan and did not allow the governor to enter the city when he
returned from the conference. They demanded that Hadrat Musa Ash'ari should be
appointed as the governor in place of Sa'd bin'As. Their request was granted
and Hadrat Uthman (R.A.) sent Hadrat Musa Ash'ari to Kufa.
Then they chalked out another plan
and decided that their ring leaders should meet at Medina. This plan had to
serve double purpose. On the one hand they wanted to study the situation for
future course of action, and on the other hand they wanted to show to the
public that they put their grievances before the "Khalifah" but he
did not pay any attention to them.
According to the plan three
delegations came, one from Egypt, the second from Kufa and the third from
Basrah. Hadrat Uthman was informed about their plan but he accepted it quietly.
When these Sabaites entered Medina some Companions suggested to Hazrat Uthman
(R.A.) to kill them but he told that without sufficient legal grounds no man
can be executed, and that he would try to remove the misunderstandings. He told
them, "I would be kind to them and if kindness failed to work I would
rather sacrifice myself for Allah's Will."
Sayyiduna Uthman (R.A.) listened to them and
gave a long address in which he replied to all the charges which were put
against him. Some parts of his historical address are quoted here
"I have been accused of loving
my kinsmen and to be unduly kind to them. It is not a sin to love one's
relatives but I have never been unjust to other people because of my love of my
relatives. Whatever I give them that is from my own pocket. I never spent
anything on my relatives and kinsmen from public funds ......"
"It has been said that I have
appointed comparatively young men as officers. I did it only because I found them
abler for the cause of Islam. Nobody could deny their honesty and the work they
rendered for the cause of Islam and the Muslims. The appointment of Usamah as
the commander of the army by the Holy Prophet is proof that youth is no
disqualification."
".... It has been alleged that I
gave the whole booty of North Africa as reward to the governor of Egypt. It is
true but when I learnt the public objection to it, I took back the money from
the governor and deposited it in the "Baitul Mal"....."
"It is said that I have reserved
the public pastures for my personal use. I swear by Allah that I never did it.
In public pastures only those animals graze which is the property of the
"Baitul Mal" (Public Treasury). All of you know that when I was
entrusted with this office (i.e. caliphate) I had more animals than any one in
the whole of Arabia but now I have only two camels that are to serve me at the
time of Hajj. How could I reserve the public pastures for my personal
use?......"
"People accuse me of sending
copies of the Holy Qur'an. The Holy Qur'an is Allah's book sent down to His
Prophet. The Companions who wrote it under the direct supervision of the Holy
Prophet are still alive. I have sent only that copy of the Holy Qur'an which
was compiled by those Companions.."
"It is said that I called Hakam
to Medina who was exiled by the Holy Prophet. Actually the Holy Prophet exiled
him from Mecca to Taif. Then the Holy Prophet had allowed him to live at Medina
on my request. I only put into force the permission granted by the Holy Prophet
himself...."
In this way Hadrat Uthman gave
satisfactory explanation to all the allegations put against him by the
Sabaites. In the end of his address he asked the audience
"Tell me if all what I have said
is not correct."
But the aim of these ring leaders was
to create mischief. They returned to their places and instead of telling the
truth told them that the "Khalifah" was not ready to set things
right. Then they planned to send strong contingents from places like Basrah,
Kufa and Egypt for the forthcoming Hajj. The parties were to leave their places
pretending to perform Hajj but there aim was to go to Medina and decide the
matter with the sword i.e. to change the "Khalifah" by force. Though
the "Khalifah" knew about this plan from before hand but he did not
want to use force. He was determined to win over his enemies with love and
compassion.
Martyrdom: Insurgents (Sabaites) enter Medina
As the time of Hajj in the year 35
A.H. (656 A.C.) came near they started to put their plans into action. In the
month of Shawwal 35 A.H. they started coming in small groups from various
places. In all about three thousand Sabaites came, one thousand from each place
viz. Basrah, Kufa and Egypt. The groups from Basrah stayed at DhiKhashab, and
those from Kufa stayed at A'was while the Egyptians stayed at Dhi-Murwah. All
the three places are near Medina. All of them wanted Sayyiduna Uthman to step down but there was
some difference of opinion regarding the next "Khalifah". Because of
Ibn Saba, the Egyptians wanted Hadrat 'Ali (R.A.), but Kufites preferred Hadrat
Zubair while Basrites were in favour of Hadrat Talha. The Egyptians came to
Hadrat 'Ali and requested him to accept the "Khilafat". Hadrat 'Ali
replied, "The Holy Prophet (SAW) has told us that the parties of
Dhi-Khashab, Dhi-Murwah and A'was are cursed. Every pious Muslim knows about
it. I can't co-operate with you. Go back to your places." The insurgents
from Kufa made the same request to Hadrat Zubair who also gave the same reply.
The Basrites approached Hadrat Talha who also refused.
When Sayyiduna Uthman heard about
the insurgents he sent some of the leading Companions including Hadrat 'Ali to
them. Hadrat 'Ali assured the insurgents that their complaints would be
listened to. They put certain demands including the dismissal of the governor
of Egypt and appointment of Muhammad bin Abi Bakr as the new governor. Sayyiduna Uthman (RA) acceded to their demand
without any question. Then he gave a short address, in which he said, "By
Allah, for the cause of truth, 1 am ready to obey even a slave. I promise to
fulfil your demands." Saying this tears rolled down the eyes of Hadrat
Uthman, and the audience also wept.
Hadrat 'Ali (R.A.) then again assured
the insurgents and they seemed to be satisfied and started to go back. All the
Muslims at Medina thought that the trouble had ended.
The siege of Khalifah's house
A few days later the Medinites were
surprised to hear shouts of "Revenge", "Revenge" in the
streets of Medina. Hearing the shouts Hadrat ’Ali came out to enquire about the
matter. The insurgents showed a letter to him under the seal of
"Khalifah" and signed by Marwan bin Hakm, the chief secretary of
Hadrat Uthman (R.A.). The letter was being carried to the Governor of Egypt by
a special messenger whom they intercepted on the way. The letter said; "Uqtul
Muhammad bin Abu Bakr" (i.e. Kill Muhammad bin Abu Bakr) instead of
"lqbil Muhammad bin Abu Bakr" (i.e. Accept Muhammad bin Abu Bakr as
governor).
It seems that the "Nuqtab "(dot) of
Arabic letter "Ba" was wrongly placed at the top
giving it a letter similar to another letter "Ta" due to which the
meaning was totally changed. But according to most of the
historians the letter was intentionally written by Marwan about which Hadrat
Uthman did not know. While some others say that was a plot of insurgents and
they produced a forget letter. For the reason given in the Glorious Caliphate
by Athar Husain the letter was a clean forgery.
Hadrat' Ali (RA) tried to calm them down
but they did not listen to him and went straight to Hazrat Uthman (RA), saying:
“We do not want Uthman (R.A.) to be the Khalifah. Allah has made his blood
lawful for us. You should also help us." Hadrat 'Ali said, "By Allah,
I have nothing to do with you. It seems that you have hated a plot and are
trying to carry it out."
When the insurgents went to Hadrat
Uthman (R.A.) he took a solemn oath that he knew nothing about the letter. But
they did not believe him and said, "Whether you wrote it or not, you are
unfit to be the Khalifah and you must resign." They threatened to kill him
on which Sayyiduna Uthman (R.A.) replied, "I do
not fear death, but I do not want to shed Muslim blood."
When Hadrat'Ali saw that the
insurgents were not in control and Sayyiduna Uthman did not
want to use force against them, he left for Ahjar, a place few miles away from
Medina, because his position was becoming difficult as the insurgents wanted to
drag him in the dispute.
Afterwards the insurgents demanded
Hadrat Uthman (R.A.) to give up the "Khilafat". He rejected their
demand and said, "I can't take off the robe of honour with my own hands
that Allah has bestowed upon me." Consequently the insurgents laid a siege
to his house and did not allow him to come out except for offering prayer in
the Masjid. But later on they did not allow him to come out even for the prayer.
The siege went on for forty days. During the last few days they also stopped
supply of water. Some brave Muslim youths like Hadrat Hasan, Husain, Muhammad
bin Talha, 'Abdullah bin Zubair (R.A.) were guarding the gate of the house so
that nobody among the insurgents could enter the house. Beside Hadrat Uthman
and his wife, Nailah, Marwan bin Hakam was also in the house. He did not allow
any person to fight with the insurgents although a fight took place between
Hadrat Hasan, Husain and Marwan and the insurgents when they did not allow
Umm-ul-mu'minin Hadrat Habibah (R.A.) to supply meals to Hadrat Uthman. Hadrat
Hasan received minor injuries but Marwan was seriously hurt. However the
insurgents did not fight with Hadrat Hasan and Husain because of the fear of
Hashmites. During the siege Hadrat Uthman sent Abdullah bin ’Abbas to Mecca to
lead the Hajj and also to inform people about the insurgents. He also sent
messengers to provincial governors.
When hardship grew, some eminent
Companions like Hadrat Mughirah bin Shu'bah requested the "Khalifah"
to take action against the insurgents and said that all the people of Medina
were ready to fight for him but he did not agree to shed the blood of Muslims.
Then they proposed that he should leave the house through the back door and
either go to Mecca or to Damascus where he would be safer but he accepted
neither of the proposals. The things got worse day by day, and at last the
crisis arrived.
Martyrdom of Hadrat Uthman (R.A.)
The only weapon with Hadrat Uthman
was his kindness and soft nature. He addressed several times the insurgents
from the roof of his house and reminded them about his family relations with
the Holy Prophet (SAW), and the services he had rendered to Islam but they
never listened to him.
The insurgents were afraid that the
Hajj was coming to an end and after the Hajj a number of supporters of the
"Khalifah" would come to Medina. They decided therefore to
assassinate him without delay. As stated before, they did not want to fight
with Hashmites like Hadrat Hasan, Husain and 'Abdullah bin Zubair who were
standing guard at the main gate of Hadrat Uthman's big residence. The reason
not to fight with Hashmites was that they had incited a number of people
against Banu Umayyah (Hadrat Uthman’s family) in favour of Banu Hashim
(Hashmites). So the insurgents climbed the back walls of the house and entered
the room where Hadrat Uthman (R.A.) was reciting the Holy Qur'an.
On seeing Hadrat Uthman, one of the
insurgents hit his head with an axe while the next struck him with a sword. His
wife, Nailah tried to shield her husband but she also got several wounds and
her fingers were chopped off. Histories record that Muhammad bin Abu Bakr was
the leader of the assassins. He got hold of Hadrat Uthman’s beard and pulled
it. On this Hadrat Uthman remarked, "0 my dear nephew if your father (Abu
Bakr) were alive you would not have done this." The remarks of Hadrat
Uthman cut him to the quick and he turned back and did not take part in the
assassination.
After giving severe injuries to
Hadrat Uthman, one of insurgents, an Egyptian named 'Amr bin Hamq cut off
Khalifah's head.
Sayyiduna Uthman (RA) was assassinated on
Friday, the 17th Dhul-Hijjah, 35 A.H. (the 17th July, 656 A.D.).
A great Martyr
Sayyiduna Uthman was a great martyr as
predicted in the following Hadith quoted by Bukhari and others
Hadrat Anas (R.A.) narrated that the
Holy Prophet (RA), Hazrat Abu Bakr, Hazrat Umar (RA), and Hazrat Uthman went up
Uhud (the mountain near Medina) and when it quivered because of them the Holy
Prophet (SAW) kicked it with his foot and said, "Keep steady, 0 Uhud, for
there are a prophet, a Siddique and two martyrs on you."
In the above Hadith, Hadrat Abu Bakr
had been said as the Siddique (friend) while Hazrat 'Umar and Hazrat Uthman
(R.A.) had been prophesied as the martyrs.
The news of martyrdom
The news of Hadrat Uthman's cruel
assassination shocked everybody. Hadrat'Ali (R.A.) received the news when he
was returning from Ahjar to see Hadrat Uthman. He was stunned on hearing the
assassination of Hadrat Uthman and exclaimed, "0 Allah, You know it, I am
free from any blame." He rebuked his sons Hasan and Husain (R.A.) and
others who had stood guard at the gate for not being more alert.
After assassinating the Khalifah, the
insurgents virtually took over charge of Medina. They also looted the
"Baitul Mal". Medinites were afraid of them and did not come out of
their houses. The corpse of the "Khalifah" could not be buried for
two days. At last some Muslims in succeeded getting into the house and carried
out the burial service. There were only 17 Muslims who participated in the
'Burial Prayers". Hadrat Uthman (R.A.) was 82 years old at the time of his
assassination and remained in the office of "Khilafas" for about 12
years. His words "I do not want to spill Muslim blood to save my own
neck", will be remembered for ever in the history of Islam. He sacrificed
his life to save Muslim blood.
Consequences of assassination
The assassination of Sayyiduna Uthman (R.A.) was unparalled in
Islamic history and it had far reaching effects. Hadrat Hudhaifah (RA) the
secret keeper of Holy Prophet's prophecies remarked on hearing the
assassination of Hadrat Uthman, "Ah, the assassination of Uthman has
divided the Muslims till resurrection; they would never be united again."
It proved to be true because just after the assassination civil war started and
continued up to the tragedy of Karbala. At that time the Muslim community was
divided into four groups
(i) Uthmanis: The Syrians and
Basrites were in favour of capital punishment of the assassins. Syrians thought
Hadrat Mu'awiyah the most suitable person to punish the assassins while the
Basrites wanted the Khalifah from any of these two Talha or Zubayr, as they were
included in the panel appointed by Hadrat Umar to select the Khalifah.
(ii) Shi'an-i-'Ali: These people did
not think Hadrat Uthman (R.A.) fit for "Khilafat" and called
themselves as the "Shi ‘an-i-'Ali" i.e., the friends of ‘Ali. Kufans
and some Egyptians were in this group.
According to Sunni historians, the assassins were from amongst this group.
(iii) Murhibah: These were those
people who were busy in "Jihad" (Holy Wars) at the time when Hadrat
Uthman was assassinated. They said: "Neither we are with Uthmanis nor with
Shi'as. We want to keep aloof from their differences."
(iv) Ahl-i-Sunnah wal Jama'ah: These
were the bulk of the Companions and the Muslims of various parts of the Islamic
state including Mecca, Medina and other parts of Arabia. They said, "We
love both Uthman and 'Ali and consider them as righteous and pious Companions.
We do not curse any of the Companions and the righteous Muslims. If any of the
Companions committed a mistake it was due to his "Ijtihad" (his
disciplined verdict based upon the Holy Qur'an and Sunnah of the Holy Prophet)
and he would not be questioned for it. We follow the Sunnah (ways) of the Holy
Prophet and the Sunnah (ways) of his righteous jama'ah (i.e. the group of ail
the Companions).
The first and the third viz. Uthmanis
and Murhibah proved to be temporary political groups but the other two viz.
"Shi'as" and "Ahli Sunnah wal Jama'ah" or Sunnis took the
shape of permanent theological groups and still exist.
Hearing the news of Hadrat Uthman's
assassination Hadrat 'Abdullah bin 'Abbas (R.A.), a prominent commentator of
the Holy Qur'an remarked "Allah might have stoned us as He stoned the
people of Lot if majority of the Muslims supported the assassinations of Hadrat
Uthman."
Hazrat Thamamah bin 'Adi (R.A.) the governor
of Yemen started to cry and weep hearing the news of the assassination of
Hadrat Uthman. Hadrat 'Abdullah bin Salam (R.A.), well versed in the past
scriptures, said: "By Allah, the power of the Arabs has finished
now." Hadrat 'Aisha (R.A.), the most beloved wife of the Holy Prophet,
said, "Ah, Uthman has been assassinated most cruelly. His record of deeds
is shining like a well washed cloth."
Hearing the news of the assassination
Hadrat Abu Hurairah and Hadrat Zaid bin Thabit (R.A.) started to weep
continuously and their tears did not stop for a long time.
The shirt of Hadrat Uthman, which was
spotted with his blood, and the cut fingers of his wife, Nailah, were carried
to Hadrat Amir Mu'awiyah (R.A.), the Governor of Syria, in Damascus. When they
were shown to the Muslim public the whole gathering started to cry and shouted,
"Revenge", "Revenge".
Mr. Joseph Hell, a Western historian
says: "The assassination of Uthman was a signal for civil war." Mr.
Wellhausen, a German historian says, "The murder of Uthman was more epoch-making than,
almost any other event of Islamic
history." Philip Hitti has remarked: "With Uthman's death the
political unity of Islam came to an end. Soon Islam's religious unity was
divided. Islamic society entered upon a period punctuated with schism and civil
strife that has not yet ended." A Muslim historian, Prof. K. Ali, writes,
"Unity of Islam which was maintained by the first two
"Khalifahs" was lost and serious dissensions arose among the Muslims."
.
The assassination of Hadrat Uthman
was followed by great civil wars and battles between the Muslims, the details
of which would come later. The system of centralized government initiated by
Hadrat ‘Umar and developed by Hadrat Uthman was shattered and a number of
internal movements started of which the Kharijite's movement was the most
serious.
Victories
Sayyiduna Uthman’s reign constituted a
glorious period in the history of Islam. The territories of Islamic state were
immensely extended. Though the conquests during his time were not so much in
number as during the time of Hazrat ‘Umar, (RA) nevertheless they were not few.
He ruled over a vast part of the then known world, right from Kabul
(Afghanistan) to Morocco. He put down the rebellions with an iron hand.
During Sayyiduna Uthman’s period Muslim naval force
was developed and Muslims started naval victories. The victory over the huge
naval force of Byzantine Empire comprising 500 ships has been termed as the
Grand Victory.
After the capture of North African
territories by Muslims and gaining full control over Mediterranean, the mighty
power of Byzantine and Roman Empire had collapsed. Actually Islam was at the zenith
of its glory during the period of Sayyiduna Uthman (RA).
Hazrat Uthman (R.A.) as a great Scholar
Sayyiduna Uthman had a beautiful handwriting
because of which the Holy Prophet (SAW) appointed him as one of the scribes of
the "Wahy" (Revelation).
His style of writing was well recognized
among the Companions. Arabic knowing persons can recognize the fluency of his
writings especially of the letters and the orders he sent to various officers
during his Khilafat. Though he was not an orator but his way of lecturing was
very effective. His addresses and lectures can be seen in history books.
Sayyiduna Uthman was a great scholar of the
Holy Qur'an and was a "Hafiz"(i.e. the one who commits the whole Holy
Book to memory). He was well versed in "Shan-i-Nuzul"i.e. the
chronology of revelation of various verses and the chapters of the Holy Qur'an,
and was considered an authority in this respect. He was one of the few
Companions who excelled in deriving laws from the verses of the Holy Qur'an.
Although he was not a great jurist
like ‘Umar and 'Ali (R.A.) nevertheless he was well qualified in this respect. His
verdicts and judgements have been mentioned in books. He was considered an
authority on the laws of Hajj. Even Hazrat ‘Umar (R.A.) asked Hazrat Uthman
about that during his time.
Character and Piety
Sayyiduna Uthman (R.A.) was a very pious
Companion and a man of high character. He was the most modest of all the
Companions. Once the Holy Prophet (SAW) was sitting with some of his Companions
and the shin of this leg was not covered. In the meantime somebody informed him
about the arrival of Sayyiduna Uthman (R.A.). The Holy Prophet (SAW)
immediately covered it and remarked: "Even the angels have regard for the
modesty of Uthman"
He was a strict follower of the
Sunnah of the Holy Prophet (SAW). Somebody asked him the reason for smiling
after wudu. He replied he had seen the Holy Prophet smiling after making wudu,
so he smiled to follow him. Once he demonstrated to Muslims the correct way of
making wudu according to the sunnah of the Holy Prophet (SAW).
He used to fear Allah very much.
Tears used to roll down his face because of Allah's fear. Whenever the
consequences to be faced in the grave were described before him, he used to
weep so much that his beard could get wet with tears. Sometimes he wept and
cried seeing a corpse or a grave because of fear of Allah. He used to say,
"Grave is the first stage among all the stages of the Hereafter. If a
person is successful there, he would be successful on the Day of Judgement too.
If a person faces difficulty in the grave, other stages would also be difficult
for him."
He used to do household work although
he was one of the wealthiest persons in the whole of Arabia. He would not wake
his slave to take any help from him when he got up to perform
"Tahajjud" Salat.
Sayyiduna Uthman was very soft spoken. If any
person talked to him in a harsh tone he always replied gently. Once he was
delivering "Khutbah" of Jumu'a Salat, a person shouted during the
Sermon: "O Uthman, repent for Allah’s sake and keep away from going
wrong." He immediately turned his face towards the Qiblah and exclaimed,
"0 Allah, I am the first to repent before Thee and to turn towards
Thee."
He never took any allowance from the
"Bait ul-Mal" for his services as a Khalifah. Hadrat ‘Umar got 5,000
darhams annually as an allowance from the Public Treasury, thus Hadrat Uthman
contributed 60,000 Drahms after his 12 years service, towards the Public Fund.
Wives and Children
Sayyiduna Uthman was first married to the Holy
Prophet's daughter,
i.
Hadrat Ruqayyah
(R.A.): who died in Medina while the Holy Prophet was away on the expedition of
Badr.
ii.
Hadrat
Umm-i-Kulthum : Then he was married to the younger daughter of the Holy Prophet
whose name was Hadrat Umm-i-Kulthum. She also died in the year 9 A.H. His first
wife, Hadrat Ruqayyah bore him a son, Abdullah, who died at an early age. He
had no child from Umm-i-Kulthum (R.A.).After the death of his second wife
Hadrat Umm-i-Kulthum, he married, the following ladies from time to time:
iii.
Fakhtah bint Walid;
iv.
Umm-i-'Amr bint
Jundah;
v.
Fatimah bint
Shaibah;
vi.
Umm-i-Banin
bint'Uwainah;
vii.
Ramlah bint
Shaibah; 'Aishah;
viii.
Umm-i-Aban; and
ix.
Nailah bint
Farafsah, his last wife whose fingers were chopped by the insurgents.
Eleven sons were born to him from
different wives. Some of them died at an early age. One of his sons, Aban
became famous and held high positions during the Ummayyad. He had six or seven
daughters.
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