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HAZRAT USMAN(R.A.

)
Seven years after Muhammad(PBUH), Caliphate under
Usman was born in Ta‘if to the Uthman(RA)
wealthy Umayyad clan of
the Quraish tribe of Mecca. Usman's
father, Affan, died at a young age
while travelling abroad, however,
Usman was left with a large
inheritance. Usman became a
merchant, like his father. His business
flourished, making him one of the
richest men among the Quraish tribe.

On returning from a business trip to Syria in 611, Uthman found out that Muhammad
had declared his mission. After a discussion with his friend Abu Bakr, Uthman decided
to convert to Islam, and Abu Bakr took him to Muhammad to declare his faith.
Uthman thus became one of the earliest converts to Islam, following Ali, Zayd, Abu
Bakr and a few others. His conversion gave the Muslims great strength, and angered
the Quraish immensely.
Umar, on his deathbed formed a committee of six people to choose the next
caliph from amongst themselves in 3 days. This committee was: Ali bin Abu
Talib,Usman ibn Affan, Abdur Rahman bin Awf, Sa`d ibn Abi Waqqas, Al-
Zubayr and Talha.

Talha was not in Madinah at that time and Abdur Rahman refused the
position. Therefore, the remaining 4 had to choose amongst themselves. Saad
supported Usman, Zubair supported Uthman and Ali, Uthman voted for Ali,
Ali voted for Uthman and Abdur Rahman supported Uthman.

Henceforth, Hazrat Uthman was chosen as Khalifa. Abdur Rahman was first
to take the ‘Bayat’ or pledge to the new Khalifa followed by Ali and other
companions, there was also a general ‘Bayat’ for the public. Officially, Hazrat
Uthman was declared Khalifa on 4 Muharram 24 AH.
The province of Fars in Persia was
conquered by the Muslims during
the Caliphate of Umar. In Usman’s
reign, like other provinces of Persia,
Fars also broke into revolt. Uthman
directed Abdullah ibn Aamir, the
Governor of Basra, to take
immediate steps to retrieve the
situation. Accordingly, he marched
with a large force to Persepolis.The
city surrendered and agreed to pay
tribute.
Thereafter the Muslim force advanced to Jor. The Persians gave battle but they were
defeated and the city was captured by the Muslims. Peace was made with the usual
terms and with the payment of Jizya. While the army was still in Jor, Persepolis again
broke into revolt.
Abdullah ibn Aamir then took his forces to Persepolis and laid siege to
the city. After a violent battle the Muslims were able to regain control of
the city once again.
With the death of Umar and the
disposal of Amr ibn al-As from the
governorship of Egypt,
the Byzantines seized Alexandria,
thinking it to be the right time to
take action. Usman again sent Amr
ibn al-As to defend Egypt and made
him governor and commander-in-
chief of Egypt.

Amr defeated the Byzantine forces in the Battle of Nikiou, a few


hundred miles from Fustat. After the defeat of the Byzantine army at
Naqyus the Rashidun army laid siege to Alexandria, which fell
Hazrat Uthman continued following
the administrative arrangements
made by Hazrat Umar. He was
however, less strict than Hazrat Umar
in certain matters. The Majlis-e-
Shura/Council of Consultation was
maintained, through which all affairs
of state were settled. After each
Jummah, he would listen to public
complaints and suggestions.
Other administrative steps included:
 He would hold periodic conferences of district authorities in order to keep himself informed
about the conditions of his Empire
 He allowed Arabs to acquire agricultural lands in conquered territories.
 He made extensions to Masjid-e-Nabwi, and also constructed numerous mosques across the
Empire.
 He raised the salaries of offices/soldiers, and increased allowance paid to people by 25%.
 He built a dam across Madinah, to protect it from floods.
 He raised a fleet of 500 ships to fight the Greeks.
 He constructed inns and border posts across the Empire.
1) The Jews had first been expelled from Madinah, and then from Khyber
due to their Mischief. Still, however, they continued plotting against the
Muslims. Their enmity increased when Hazrat Uthman expelled more Jews
from Kufa and Basra. The leader of the conspiracies was Abdullah bin
Saba, a Yemeni Jew. He acted as Muslim, but behind the scenes instigated
the Muslims into two groups. One group under Hazrat Ali and another
under Uthman. This propaganda created a rift between the Muslims, and
began to cause serious trouble.
2) Rivalry and jealousy amongst
the Quraish grew, especially
between the Hashmites and
Ummayads. This wrecked the
sense of Islamic brotherhood
amongst them, and weakened
the power of the Khilafa. His
gentle nature further encouraged
evil doers.
There were three main charges and allegations against Hazrat Uthman, which also
led to a group of rebels against him to form.
1)He appointed his inefficient relatives as governors of certain provinces in the Islamic Empire.
There were 12 provinces in the Empire, 4 of which were under the command of his relatives.
He did this not because he wanted to bestow high offices to his family, but because these
Provinces were of immense importance and needed someone who the Khalifa could trust
and were of exceptional ability. Hence, all the people he appointed were of great calibre.
Muawiya, Abdullah bin Saad, Waleed bin Uqba and Abdullah bin Amir were appointed to
Syria, Egypt, Kufa and Basra respectively. All proved to be successful.
2)It is also alleged he was weak and didn’t exercise control on the governors of each province.
Indeed it is true he wasn’t strict like Hazrat Umar, but he had full confidence in each of his
and didn’t deem it necessary to apply such restrictions. Therefore, he gave his governors great
liberty and control.
3)The greatest allegation against him was the burning of the Quran. He
ordered all unauthentic copies of the Quran to be burnt. This suggestion was
greeted with great admiration from everyone, but later the rebels used this
against Hazrat Uthman.
After the charges alleged against him, a
group of rebels formed opposing the Khilafat
of Hazrat Uthman. The companions of the
Holy Prophet PBUH were all satisfied with
the explanation he gave against the charges
and allegations, but the rebels weren’t.
Large numbers of rebels came from Egypt, Kufa and Basra, and encamped outside Madinah.
Hazrat Ali argued with them and succeeded in persuading them to leave as long as Hazrat
Uthman agreed to remove the governor of Egypt and appoint Muhammad bin Abu Bakr
instead. Four days later, the rebels returned to Madinah shouting for revenge. They claimed
that they had intercepted a message from the Khalifa to the Governor of Egypt ordering him
to kill Muhammad bin Abu Bakr and his followers. They insisted Hazrat Uthman be abdicated
or deposed. He refused both, and strongly refuted the allegations against him. Therefore, the
rebels besieged Hazrat Usman in his house. They didn’t allow food or water to reach him.
Hazrat Ali sent Hassan and Hussain, while Zubair sent his son Abdullah to protect him. Hazrat
Usman didn’t want to fight the rebels because he didn’t want to shed Muslim blood.
After a siege of 50 days, the rebels entered his home and mercilessly killed
him. This tragic event took place on Friday ,18 Zil Hajj, 35 A.H. He was
buried in Jannat Ul Baqi in Madinah.
Haris Husnain Asad Jibreel

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