ADMINISTRATION OF EGYPT During the time of Hadrat Umar there was no full pledged governor in Egypt. The powers of the governor were divided. HadratAmr bin alAs was the Commander-in-Chief of the forces and HadratAbdullah bin Sarah (R.A.) was in charge of Revenue. But HadratAmr (R.A.) had more say in the matters of administration. There arose a dispute between HadratAmr and Hadrat Sarah in the year 27 A.H. Hadrat Uthman investigated the case and found that Hadrat Amr was not right; so he recalled him to Madinah and Hadrat Abdullah bin Sarah was appointed as governor of Egypt. Hadrat Amr was not pleased with the decision. During the time of Hadrat Amr (R.A.) the annual amount of taxes was two million dinars. HadratAbdullah raised it to four million dinars annually. CONQUEST OF ANTALYA AND CYPRUS Constan 11, the Byzantine Emperor tried to take over Syria and ordered his army to march on the Muslims. Seeing the Roman invasion, Hadrat Amir Muawiya (R.A.) led an army to Asia Minor where the Romans were gathered. He defeated the Romans and took over the city of Amuria. Within a short period of time he conquered a vast part of Asia Minor. Following these victories Hadrat Amir Muawiyah (R.A.) turned his attention to Mediterranean. The island of Cyprus was very important from the defence point of view. He sought Uthmans (R.A.) permission for sea-fighting. The Khalifah approved his plan. For the first time in the history of Islam, a naval force was built and in the year 28 A.H. Hadrat Muawiya sent a fleet of 500 ships under the command of HadratAbdullah bin Qais Harthi. After some fighting, the island of Cyprus was occupied and the inhabitants of the island agreed to pay the same tribute to Muslims as they did to the Romans. Later on in the year 33 A.H. (653 A.C.). Hadrat Amir Muawiya also conquered the great fort of Antalya (also known as Anatolia). He also attacked Constantinople (now Istanbul), the capital of Byzantium in the year 34 A.H. (654 A.C.) but was not successful in conquering it. (It was really in the lot of Sultan Muhammad Fatih who conquered it on 20 Jumadiul Awwal 857 A.H. i.e. 29 May 1453 A.C.). ADMINISTRATION OF IRAQ During the time of Hadrat Umar (R.A.) Iraq was governed by the governor at Kufa. Hadrat Sad was the governor whom Hadrat Umar (R.A.) recalled to Madinah on some minor complaints. But at his death bed HadratUmar desired reinstatement of Hadrat Sad (R.A.). Hadrat Uthman fulfilled his desire and appointed Hadrat Sad as the governor of Iraq. In the year 26 A.H., there arose a dispute between Hadrat Sad and Ibn Masud (R.A.) who was the Treasury officer of Kufa. Ibn Masud complained to the Khalifah. Hadrat Uthman enquired into the matter and found that Hadrat Sad was not right, therefore Hadrat Sad was again deprived of the governorship and Hadrat Walid bin Uqbah was appointed as the new governor. In 30 A.H. Hadrat Walid bin Uqbah was accused of drinking liquor for which he was not only dismissed but was also whipped in accordance with Islamic law. According to some historians Hadrat Walid bin Uqbah was wrongly accused by some conspirators but Hadrat Uthman had to punish him because of the evidence given against him. Then Hadrat Uthman appointed Hadrat Sad bin al-As as the governor of Kufa. Again rowdy elements of Kufa plotted against their governor in the year 34 A.H. When Hadrat Uthman received a number of complaints against Sad bin al-As he replaced him by Hadrat Abu Musa Ashari (R.A.). REBELLION OF AZERBAIJAN AND ARMENIA Azerbaijan and Armenia were conquered during Hadrat Umars time. There arose a rebellion against Islamic Government after his death. Hadrat Uthman ordered Hadrat Walid bin Uqbah (who was the governor of Kufa at that time) to crush the rebellion. He sent Islamic forces and regained the territory taken over by the rebels. This happened in the year 26 A.H. During the same period, Hadrat Amir Muawiyah(R.A.) sent an army to Armenia to face the Romans. The Islamic army was under the command of Habib bin Muslimah. He occupied some of the forts but Constans II sent a huge army of 80,000 men to face the Muslims. Seeing the situation, Amir Muawiya (R.A.) wrote to Hadrat Uthman for reinforcement. He ordered Walid Bin Uqbah. He received Khalifahs order when he was returning from Azerbaijan after taking it over from the rebels. He immediately sent an army of eight thousand men under the command of Salman bin Rabiah to Armenia. The two armies conquered the whole region of Armenia after defeating the Roman forces. They also conquered some more parts of Asia Minor including Aran and Garjastan. Thus by the end of the 26 A.H. the territory up to Caucasus Mountains (now in the U.S.S.R.) came under the sway of Islam. ADMINISTRATION OF IRAN AND CONQUEST OF AFGHANISTAN Iran was under the administrative control of the governor of Basrah. Hadrat Abu Musa Ashari (R.A.) was the governor of Basrah when Hadrat Umar (R.A.) died. The People of Basrah complained against him and wrongly accused him of partiality for the Quraish. At last Hadrat Uthman (R.A.) recalled him to Madinah and appointed Hadrat Abdullah bin Amir (R.A.) as the governor of Basrah. As stated before whole of the Persian Empire was conquered during the time of Hadrat Umar (R.A.) and the Persian Emperor, Yedzgird had ultimately fled to Balkh (a place in Afghanistan). After the death of Hadrat Umar(R.A.), the exiled Emperor tried to instigate a rebellion in the frontier region of the Empire against the Islamic rule. To crush this rebellion Hadrat Uthman (R.A.) appointed HadratUbaidullah bin Mamar but he was not successful and was martyred in a battle. Then Hadrat Uthman asked Abdullah bin Amir, the newly appointed governor to deal with the rebels. He crushed the rebellion and conquered some more parts viz. Hisraf, Gazna, Herat and Kabul. He also took over Balkh, thus the whole of Afghanistan was conquered. Then he took over Samarkand, Tashkent, Sajestan, Arghiyan and Turkmennistan (all these places are now part of the U.S.S.R.). CONQUEST OF KHURASAN AND TABRASTAN In the year 30 A.H. Hadrat Sad binAs, newly appointed governor of Kufa, marched towards Khurasan with an army in which some prominent figures like Hadrat Hasan, Husain, Abdullah bin Abbas,Abdullah binUmar etc. (Rid. A.) were also included who had returned from North African expedition. At the same time HadratAbdullah binAmir (the governor of Basrah) also marched there. Before Hadrat Abdullah bin Amir reached, Sad bin As conquered a number of places including Tabrastan and Jarjan. In the year 31 A.H. HadratAbdullah binAmir again marched there after hearing the news of rebellion. Then he conquered the remaining part of Khurasan. In the meantime, Yedzgird, the exiled Persian Emperor reached the north in Turkmennistan and tried to collect an army but was again defeated by the Muslims at Sistan and fled. Thereupon one of the Turk chiefs and Naizak Khan invited him. While he was going to meet him he stayed in a village. There some body killed him while he was asleep for his precious garments and cash. In this way the last Emperor of the vast Persian Empire passed away CONQUEST OF NORTH AFRICA For the defence of Egypt it was necessary to drive away the Byzantines from North Africa. Tripoli (now the capital of Libya) was a stronghold of Byzantium. When Hadrai Abdullah bin Sarah was appointed as a full-rank governor of Egypt, he took permission from the Khalifah to advance into the northern territory. During Hadrat Umars time. Amr bin al-As (R.A.) had penetrated into the coastal part of North Africa for some distance. After his appointment as a governor of Egypt. Hadrat Abdullah bin Sarah (R.A.) received permission from the Khalifah to penetrate deep into North Africa. In 27 A.H. he went with an army to conquer Tripoli, the main Byzantine fort of North Africa at that time. Hadrat Uthman (R.A.)also sent a reinforcement from Madinah which included men like Hadrat Hasan, Husain,Abdullah binUmar,Abdullah bin Zubair,Abdullah bin Amr bin al-As, and Abdur Rahman bin Abi Bakr etc. (Ridwanullah-i-Alaihim). After some fight the inhabitants of Tripoli agreed to enter into a settlement and promised to pay Jizya (Indemnity) equal to 2/2 million Dinars annually. After the conquest of Tripoli, Hadrat Abdullah bin Sarah spread his armies around Tripoli. Near a city named Yaquba he faced a huge Byzantine army, under the command of a famous Byzantine general named Jarjir. The battle began and the Byzantine commander announced a reward of one hundred thousand Dinars (gold coins) and the hand of his beautiful daughter, to the person who struck off the head of Hadrat Abdullah bin Sarah, the Muslim Commander. Hearing this HadratAbdullah bin Zubair requested Hadrat Abdullah bin Sarah to announce a reward of one hundred dinars and the hand of Byzantine Commanders daughter (the princess) for the person who brought the commanders head. The reward was announced and the same day the commander was slain but nobody claimed the reward. However the princess recognised the man who had slain her father. He was no other than Abdullah bin Zubair (R.A.). The princess was married with him and he also got the reward of one hundred thousand dinars. This victory cleared the way for advance of Muslims in North Africa and soon they captured Tunisia and Morocco and a part of Algeria. SECOND INVASION OF ALEXANDRIA BY ROMANS In the year 31 A.H. (651 A.C.) Constantine sent a fleet of 500 ships to invade Alexandria. The Muslims got ready to beat back the enemy. Hadrat Muawiya (R.A.) the governor of Syria, also ordered his fleet to sail from there to face the Romans. HadratAbdullah bin Sarah advanced with his fleet and faced the Romans in the mid sea. That was the first big naval battle in the history of Islam. Though the Muslims were not experienced in naval battles, yet they did not find it difficult to beat back the enemy. The retreating Romans took refuge in the island of Sicily and the Muslims returned victorious. INVASION OF SPAIN After the conquest of North Africa, Hadrat Uthman gave orders for the invasion of Spain. He appointed Abdullah bin Nafai as the Commander of Muslim army under the chief command of Abdullah bin Sarah, the governor of Egypt. Abdullah bin Nafai conquered some part of Spain but soon returned and was not successful in his mission. (Spain was, as a matter of fact, in the lot of Tariq bin Ziyad who conquered it in the year 92 A.H. i.e. 711 A.C.). A BRIEF REVIEW OF THE CONQUESTS DURING HADRAT UTHMANS CALIPHATE Thus 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 Uthmans 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 Uthmans 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 Umars 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 (Sallallahu alaihi wa Sallam) 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 (Sallallahu alaihi wa Sallam) 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 (Sallallahu alaihi wa Sallam) 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, and not to believe that the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa Sallam) would not come back. So he believed that the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa Sallam) being superior to Jesus as the Last Prophet and the Leader of all prophets, would also come back. (3) He started to give wrong commentaries of various verses of the Holy Quran 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 Madinah 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 HadratAbdullah 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 Sad 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 Muawiya (R.A.). At last he selected Egypt and went there. The governor of Egypt, HadratAbdullah bin Sarah was busy in the battles against Byzantine forces in North Africa and could not pay much attention to Ibn Sabas 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 HadratAli, Talha, and Zubair (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 Madinah 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 Ashari 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 binAmir (R.A.) was appointed as the governor of Basrah to replace Hadrat Abu Musa Ashari 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 (1) Hadrat Uthman belonged to the family Banu Umayyah of Quraish. Before Islam there was rivalry between Banu Umayyah and Banu Hashim, the family of the Quraish to which the Holy Prophet (Sallallahualaihi wa Sallam) and Hadrat Ali (Allah be pleased with him) belonged. In Madinah the Sabaites incited Banu Hashim against Banu Umayyah, actually against Hadrat Uthman, by saying that he was removing Hashmites from the big offices in order to support Umayyads 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 (Sallallahualaihi wa Sallam) 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 HadratAbdullah 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 Quran. The fact was that Hadrat Uthman (R.A.) sent copies of the Holy Quran, 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 Quran which were incomplete and were not in accordance with the Holy Quran 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 Quran at that time in which the order of the Surahs (Chapters) was not like that which was proposed by the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa Sallam) in accordance to Hadrat Gabriel instructions as commanded by Allah. Moreover, some of the copies existing at that time at various places other than Madinah 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 standardised the way of writing the Holy Quran. 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 Jamiul-Quran (The Compiler of the Quran) although the Holy Quran 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 (Sallallahu alaihi wa Sallam) 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 publicise his opinion and a number of people followed him. Seeing this Hadrat Amir Muawiya wrote to Hadrat Uthman who recalled Hadrat Abu Dharr to Madinah and then he retired to a village named Rabdhah near Madinah.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 recognised Companions like Hadrat Ammar bin Yasir and Hadrat Abdullah bin Masud (R.A.) But all of these accusations were false. (5) One of the allegations against Hadrat Uthman was that he called Hakam binAs to Madinah who was exiled by the Holy Prophet (Sallallahualaihi wa Sallam). However this step of Hadrat Uthman was not too wise. Not only this but he also appointed Hakams 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 Egypts 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. CONFERENCE OF THE GOVERNORS When the unrest caused by Sabaites went on growing in all parts of the State, the news began to pour in Madinah. The leading Companions asked Hadrat Uthman to take steps against them. So he called a conference of the governors in Madinah 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(Rad. A .)to tour the provinces. After the governors conference was over Hadrat Amir Muawiya (R.A.) suggested that he should leave Madinah and should pass some time in Damascus but he said, I would not leave Madinah even though people kill me. Then Amir Muawiya (R.A.) requested Hadrat Uthman (R.A.) to allow him to send an army to Madinah for his protection but Hadrat Uthman did not agree to even that. TOUR OF THE MISSION The mission sent by Hadrat Uthman toured various places and talked with the people. Three of them returned to Madinah 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 coaxed him and he started to live with them instead of returning to Madinah. SABA GETS 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 Hudhaifah and Muhammad bin Abi Bakr. Muhammad bin Abi Hudhaifah 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 Madinah 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 Madinah 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 hooligans 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 Ashari should be appointed as the governor in place of Sad binAs. Their request was granted and Hadrat Uthman (R.A.) sent Hadrat Musa Ashari to Kufa. Then they chalked out another plan and decided that their ring leaders should meet at Madinah. 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 Madinah some Companions suggested to 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 Allahs Will. Hadrat 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 ones 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 are 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 Quran. The Holy Quran is Allahs 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 Quran which was compiled by those Companions.. It is said that I called Hakam to Madinah who was exiled by the Holy Prophet. Actually the Holy Prophet exiled him from Makkah to Taif. Then the Holy Prophet had allowed him to live at Madinah 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 Madinah 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 Madinah 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 Awas while the Egyptians stayed at Dhi-Murwah. All the three places are near Madinah. All of them wanted Hadrat 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 (Sallallahu alaihi wa Sallam) has told us that the parties of Dhi-Khashab, Dhi-Murwah and Awas are cursed. Every pious Muslim knows about it. I cant 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 Hadrat 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. Hadrat Uthman 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 Madinah thought that the trouble had ended. THE SIEGE OF KHALIFAHS HOUSE A few days later the Medinites were surprised to hear shouts of Revenge, Revenge in the streets of Madinah. 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). Note: 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. HadratAli tried to pacify them but they did not listen to him and went straight to Uthman, 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 abdicate. They threatened to kill him on which Hadrat Uthman (R.A.) replied, I do not fear death, but I do not want to shed Muslim blood. When HadratAli saw that the insurgents were not in control and Hadrat Uthman did not want to use force against them, he left for Ahjar, a place few miles away from Madinah, 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 cant 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 Salats in the Masjid. But later on they did not allow him to come out even for the Salats. 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-muminin 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 Makkah 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 Shubah requested the Khalifah to take action against the insurgents and said that all the people of Madinah were ready to fight for him but he did not agree to shedding of blood of Muslims. Then they proposed that he should leave the house through the back door and either go to Makkah 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 (Sallallahu alaihi wa Sallam), 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 Madinah. 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 Uthmans big residence. The reason not to fight with Hashmites was that they had incited a number of people against Banu Umayyah (Hadrat Uthmans 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 Quran. 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. Chronicles record that Muhammad bin Abu Bakr was the leader of the assassins. He got hold of Hadrat Uthmans 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 af insurgents, an Egyptian named Amr bin Hamq cut off Khalifahs head. Hadrat Uthman (Radiallahu Anhu) was assassinated on Friday, the 17th Dhul-Hijjah, 35 A.H. (the 17th July, 656 A.D.). A GREAT MARTYR Hadrat Uthman was a great martyr as prophesied in the following Hadith quoted by Bukhari and others Hadrat Anas (R.A.) narrated that the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa Sallam), Abu Bakr,Umar, and Uthman went up Uhud (the mountain near Madinah) and when it quivered because of them the Holy Prophet kicked it with his foot and said, Keep steady, 0 Uhud, for there are a prophet, a Siddiq and two martyrs on you. In the above Hadith, Hadrat Abu Bakr had been said as the Siddiq (friend) while Umar and Uthman (R.A.) had been prophesied as the martyrs.
Posted on: Thu, 24 Oct 2013 10:58:03 +0000
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