(part 1 of 2): Generous and pious
Uthman ibn Affan was the third successor to the Prophet Muhammad. He was known as the leader of the faithful and ruled for about twelve years. The first six years were periods when things were pretty calm and peaceful; the last years of his rule were marked by internal conflicts and rebels tried to cause the Khalifat to mischief. Uthman is described as a pious, gentle and kind man who was known for his decency and restraint and was admired for his generosity. He ruled with impartial justice and mild, humane measures based on his obedience to God and his love for the Prophet Muhammad and the Muslim community.
Uthman, may God be pleased with him, was born seven years after the Prophet Muhammad, God’s blessings and peace be upon him, and he belonged to the Umayyid branch of the Quraish tribe. The Umayyids were the most influential clan of the Quraish, they were the strongest and richest, and Uthman was their „golden child“, their favorite because of his good manners and restraint. Like his predecessor ´Umar ibn Al Khattab, Uthman could read and write. This was an unusual skill in pre-Islamic Arabia and Uthman became a successful fabric trader and merchant. Throughout his life he was known as a kind, generous man and even before he converted to Islam, he freely gave money to the needy.
It was his close friend Abu Bakr who introduced Uthman to Islam and at the age of 34 he adopted the new religion. This was in the very early days of Islam, when the Meccan men systematically abused and tortured all converts. Nevertheless, Uthman did not give up his Islam and when Uthman was married to Ruqayya, the Prophet’s daughter, this strengthened his relationship with the Prophet.
The abuse and torture continued and Uthman’s wealthy family and his position as a merchant did not protect him. He was even mistreated by members of his own family, his uncle handcuffed his hands and feet and locked him up in a dark, closed room.
The continued mistreatment by his own family made Uthman and his wife take part in the first emigration to Abyssinia. Prophet Muhammad praised his exemplary character and said: „After Lot, Uthman is the first man to give up the comfort of his home for the cause of God.“ After a while, Uthman and Ruqayya returned to Mecca to be with the fighting Muslims and their beloved father and prophet.
Uthman had a very close relationship with the Prophet Muhammad and he gained complex knowledge about the religion of Islam. He transmitted 146 traditions directly from the Prophet Muhammad himself, and he was one of the few people who were able to write the Quran. Uthman also became a point of reference for those who tried to learn worship rituals. He understood and was able to instruct others in the rituals of prayer washing, prayer and other Islamic obligations. Uthman also took part in the emigration to Medina, where he assisted the Prophet in building the Muslim community. The Prophet Muhammad even called him his assistant.
In Medina, water was scarce and control over the springs was in the hands of several men. Because he was a skilled trader and mediator, Uthman tried to get a well for the benefit of the Muslims. He negotiated a price for half a well; he should be in control for one day and the other owner the next day. However, Uthman gave the Muslims his water for free, so no one wanted to pay for the water on the other days. The original owner of the fountain had no choice but to sell the second half of the fountain to Uthman, who still paid a reasonable price for it. Uthman continued to allow the water to be used free of charge, and he never reminded people of his charity. He was humble and humble.
Uthman released his wealth to please God and His Messenger Muhammad. Historical Islamic stories mention that Uthman bought slaves every Friday to release them, and although he was wealthy, he was often without servants because of this habit. When the Prophet Muhammad and the Muslim army were to fight the Byzantines near Tabuk, he asked the wealthier people to support and equip the soldiers with their possessions and wealth. Uthman provided 200 saddled camels and 200 ounces of gold. He also gave 1,000 dinars. The Prophet Muhammad continued to ask for donations in the hope of inspiring others as freely as Uthman. However, it was Uthman who surpassed them all and gave a total of 900 camels equipped. [1]
The portrait that we can draw from Uthman is that of a generous, humble and friendly man. He was known for his humility, modesty and piety. Uthman often spent the night in prayer and, he was known for fasting often, sometimes on different days.
Despite his wealth, he lived simply, often only sleeping in a sheet on the sand floor of the mosque. Uthman was elected the third leader of the Muslims after the Prophet Muhammad through a council of six men. He continued the humane and just rule of the Prophet Muhammad, Abu Bakrs and Umars. He cared for the Muslims and expanded the Muslim Khalifat to Morocco,
Afghanistan and Azerbaijan. He ruled in peace and quiet for six years, but the wind of change blew across the empire.
Uthman ibn Affan, like his predecessors, was a man of the people. He was humble, reserved and humble, but his later rule was marred by internal struggles and rebellion. God had chosen Uthman as the third leader, but the people of discord made plans to remove him from this noble position. The Prophet Muhammad had predicted that Uthman would face a very difficult situation when he said, “Maybe God, Uthman, will put a shirt on you and if people want you to take it off, don’t pull it for them out.“
Uthman did not take off his shirt, his love for God and His messengers kept him strong and humble in the face of age and extraordinary difficulties.
Footnotes:
[1] The Sealed Nectar. Safi Ur Rahman Al Mubarakpuri.
(part 2 of 2): The owner of two lights
Uthman ibn Affan [1] was a man who was so popular with the Prophet that God’s blessings and peace were upon him that he was called the owner of two lights. Uthman was married to Ruqayya, the daughter of Prophet Muhammad, and when she passed away, he married Muhammad’s other daughter Umm Kulthum, so he owned the two lights.
Uthman ibn Affan was determined through a process of careful consultation and reflection on the Khalif (leader of the Muslim nation). On his deathbed, Umar ibn al-Khattab appointed a council of six men to appoint a new leader. It was a time of confusion and confusion for the Muslims, small discrepancies became obstacles. Some people wanted Ali ibn Abu Talib to be the Khalif because he was from the Prophet’s family, others wanted Uthman because he was from one of the largest tribes in Mecca. Ibn Kathir, the respected Islamic scholar of the 14th century, suspected that the leader of the council, Abdurrahman ibn Awf, interviewed both men and then selected Uthman.
Abdurrahman asked Ali: „Do you swear to rule according to the holy book of God (Quran) and according to the Sunnah (tradition) of His Messenger?“ To which he replied: „I hope that I will act to the best of my knowledge and ability.“ When Abdurrahman Uthman asked the same question, he simply replied, „I will.“ It would be too simple to think that the decision was made solely because of the answer to this question, rather it was part of a process of deliberation and consideration. Both men were different who had been best placed to lead the Muslim nation. Uthman was a man known for being pious, generous, and humble, perhaps his short answer reflected his personality.
A shy man
Immediately after he was elected, Uthman addressed the people from the minbar previously used by Prophet Muhammad. He looked at the Muslims and praised God, wished the Prophet Muhammad blessings and reminded people that this world is full of delusions. He advised people to avoid living in luxury and to strive for a place in the hereafter that will be full of joy and peace.
“And shape the parable of earthly life for them: It is like the (rain) water that we send down from heaven, with which the plants of the earth are saturated, and which then (later) become dry chaff that the wind blows away. And God has power over all things.
Real estate and children are jewelry of earthly life. The good works that remain (the five obligatory prayers, acts of obedience to God, good and kind speech, remembrance of God with praise and gratitude, etc.) are more rewarding with your Lord and more hopeful. ” (Quran 18: 45-46)
Uthman was a pious man who loved and trusted God completely, so his first act as a leader was to assure people that he would lead them in the same way that the Prophet and Khalifa Abu Bakr and ´Umar ibn did al-Khattab had done. Uthman turned 70 when he became the leader of the Muslims and for many years he had abstained from the joys of this life in order to seek God’s closeness. After striking a tone of piety and concern for the Muslims who would become his government’s trademark, Uthman turned his attention to the direction of the governors and the Muslim armies.
Towards the governors, Uthman expressed his desire to serve people and never exploit them. He sent famous companions of the Prophet Muhammad to the provinces as his personal representatives to investigate the behavior of officials and the condition of the population. Uthman reminded the armies to follow the clear guidelines established by Umar ibn al-Khattab and asked them never to forget that they were defending the faithful. Extensive conquests have been recorded during the Uthman government, including parts of Spain, Morocco and Afghanistan. Uthman was also the first Khalif to establish naval power. He reorganized the administrative areas of the Muslim Khalifat, expanded and initiated numerous public projects.
The Uthmani Qur’an
After the death of the Prophet Muhammad and during the time of the Khalifs, hundreds of thousands of non-Arabs converted to Islam. As a result, the Qur’an began to be recited in numerous dialects and written down with many scripts. One of the companions of the Prophet Muhammad and friend Uthman, Hudhaifah, noticed on a trip that there were many different recitations of the Quran in the Muslim empire. Hudhaifah suggested that Uthman write an official version in the style used in Medina.
Uthman knew the Qur’an by heart and had a thorough understanding of the context and circumstances of each verse. The Quran was collected in the time of Abu Bakr and was in the custody of the wife of the Prophet Muhammad, Hafsa. Uthman took the originals and ordered that the most trusted companions should make careful transcripts. Then he ordered that all unofficial copies should be burned or otherwise destroyed. Five official transcripts were sent to the largest cities in the Muslim Khalifat. Original copies still exist in Tashkent, Uzbekistan and the Topkapi Palace in Istanbul, Turkey.
A tragic end
The last six years of Uthman’s reign were marked by turmoil. Some of the governors, who had been named during Uthman’s reign, were awkward and sometimes unjust. In this way, the seeds of discord spread and many of the people began to love the luxurious life that Uthman had warned them of. Conspiracies arose and it was difficult for Uthman to distinguish friend from enemy. He was reluctant to spill the blood of any Muslim, no matter how rebellious he was. Uthman preferred to convince with kindness and generosity, because he always remembered the Prophet Muhammad’s words: „As soon as the sword is pulled out of its sheath among my followers, it will not be put back in until the Last Day.“
The rebels urged Uthman to resign, and in fact numerous companions advised him to do so. Uthman, now over 80 years old, heard the words of his beloved prophet ring in his ears and refused to give up his position. „Maybe God will put a shirt on you, Uthman, and if people want you to take it off, don’t take it off for them.“ Uthman remained true to his pact, but after a long siege, the rebels entered his house and murdered him. When the murderer’s sword struck him, Uthman was reciting the following verse:
„But Allah will be enough against you, and He is the All-Hearing, the All-Knowing.“ (Quran 2: 137)
So the tragic end was one of the most pious, kind and selfless men in Islam.
Footnotes:
[1] Based on the work of Imam Ibn Kathir: ‚The Rightly Guided Caliphs´.
Source: https://www.islamland.com/deu/articles/uthman-ibn-affanbnnb