by Amatullah Abdullah, Staff Writer
 In the sixth year after the emigration to Madinah, the Prophet decided to perform the `Umrah, so he set out with 1,400 Muslims in pilgrim's dress,heading towards Makkah, but the Quraish did not allow them to enter the city. The Muslims halted at a place called Hudaibiyah. From there, the
Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) sent a messenger to the
Makkans to tell them that the Muslims were there only to perform `Umrah and had not the slightest intention to fight. But the Makkans humiliated the messenger,and he returned without success.
The Prophet then wanted to send someone highly respected by the
Quraish, so he chose `Uthman, who was from one of the most powerful
families in Makkah, the Umayyah family. The Makkans detained
him for three days and a rumor reached the Muslim camp that
`Uthman was killed. This outraged the Muslims and,
without exception, all of the 1,400 Muslims present pledged
that they would stand firm together to avenge `Uthman's
murder. After everybody had taken the pledge, the Prophet
placed his own right hand on his left hand and took the pledge on
behalf of `Uthman.
`Uthman thus secured the unique honor that the Prophet himself took the
pledge on his behalf. The Muslims' pledge pleased Allah and it was
revealed
in the Qur'an:
[Surely, Allah was pleased with the believers when
they took the pledge
under the tree. Allah knew what was in their hearts. He sent down
tranquility upon them, and rewarded them with near victory.]
(Al-Fath 48:18)
Soon they learned that the rumor of `Uthman's death was false.
`Uthman returned from Makkah in the company of an emissary
from the
Quraish. When `Uthman came to know about the pledge the Muslims in the
camp
had taken in his absence, and that the Prophet had taken the pledge on
his
behalf, he immediately took the pledge in person.
The Treaty of Hudaibiyah
After considerable discussion, an agreement was arrived at, which came
to be
known as the Treaty of Hudaibiyah. According to the pact, there was to
be a
truce between the Quraish and the Muslims for a period of 10 years. Each
party was free to make its own alliances, but they were not to resort to
war. Any person who deserted the Muslims and sought refuge with the
Quraish
was not to be returned, but any person who escaped from the Quraish to
the
Muslims was to be returned to the Quraish. It was stipulated that the
Muslims were to return to Madinah that year without performing the
`Umrah,
but they could come to Makkah for three days the following year to
perform
it, during which time the Quraish would vacate the city for them.
After the pact had been signed, the Muslims sacrificed the
animals they had
brought with them, broke camp, and started on the return journey to
Madinah.
On the face of it, the Treaty of Hudaibiyah appeared to be loaded in
favor
of the Quraish. Some of the Muslims, particularly `Umar, felt
dissatisfied
with the terms of the pact and expressed their dissatisfaction. `Uthman,
however, felt satisfied with the terms of the agreement. He was
confident
that the pact, though apparently in favor of the Quraish, would
ultimately
turn out to be against them. He said that the Quraish were fast losing
their
will to resist Islam, and in pursuance of the pact the Muslims and the
Quraish would come into contact, and most of the Quraish were likely to
accept Islam. While on the way to Madinah, Allah revealed to the Prophet
that the Hudaibiyah pact was indeed a victory for the Muslims, as it
would
work to their advantage and the disadvantage of the Quraish. When the
Prophet told of these tidings to `Umar and his other Companions, all of
them
felt happy.
The assessment of `Uthman also proved correct, for in the period
following
the Hudaibiyah pact, many Quraish including such stalwarts as Khalid ibn
Al-Walid and `Amr ibn Al-`Aas accepted Islam.
`Uthman's Generosity
`Uthman's generosity was boundless. Even before he became caliph, he was
always ready to spend in the cause of Islam and to help the needy with
his
wealth. On two special occasions he proved to be one of the most
generous
men of his time.
In AH 9 the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) got the
news that the
Romans were plotting to destroy the newly emerging Islamic state, so he
wanted the Muslims to equip themselves and prepare for the attack. That
seemed impossible because in that year the Muslims suffered from reduced
crops and limited resources, as they had faced an extremely hot summer.
They
did not have enough resources to meet such a powerful army, and most of
the
Muslims were poor. This situation did not stop the Prophet (peace and
blessings be upon him). He urged his Companions to prepare for the
battle.
Every Companion tried his or her best to strengthen the army. The women
sold
the few jewels they had to help the men prepare for the battle.
Though hundreds of Companions were ready to enter the
battlefield, they
were short of many things that were required for the battle, such as
horses,
camels, even swords and spears. The Prophet told them that this was a
matter
of life or death for the new Islamic state. The Prophet made a loud and
clear announcement: "Anyone who provides outfits for the soldiers will
have
all his sins forgiven by Allah."
The moment `Uthman heard this, he outfitted two hundred saddled camels
that
were to travel to Ash-Sham, and presented them all with 200 ounces of
gold
as charity. He also fetched 1,000 dinars and cast them into the lap of
the
Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). Again and again `Uthman gave
till
his charity topped 900 camels and 100 horses, besides the money he paid.
Seeing `Uthman's generosity, the Prophet made the following statement:
"From
this day on, nothing will harm `Uthman regardless of what he does."
In another incident, during Abu Bakr's caliphate, people faced great
hardships. The land became arid and very few people could find
something to
eat. The people of Madinah came to Abu Bakr and asked him to provide
them
with something that they could survive with.
However, the caliph could not do anything to help them. The treasury was
empty and there were no other means to feed the hungry people. At that
time,
`Uthman received a huge caravan from Damascus carrying food and other
goods.
All the merchants gathered at his house asking him to sell them some of
the
items he received so that they could sell them to the people. `Uthman
asked
them to offer him a good price. Though the merchants offered a high
price,
he kept asking them for a higher price. They offered him the highest
price
they could and told him that no merchant would be able to pay more than
what
they had offered. But `Uthman told them that he would sell the goods to
the
One Who would pay him 10 times what the merchants had offered, that is,
Allah Almighty. `Uthman then gave away the whole of caravan to the
starving
people of Madinah and did not charge them anything.
Election of `Uthman
`Umar ibn Al-Khattab, the second caliph of Islam, was stabbed by a
Persian
slave Abu Lu' lu' a Al-Majussi while performing Fajr Prayer. As `Umar
was
lying on his death bed, the people around him asked him to appoint a
successor. `Umar constituted a committee of six people to choose the
next
caliph from among themselves.
This committee comprised `Ali ibn Abi Talib, `Uthman ibn `Affan,
`Abdur-Rahman ibn `Awf, Sa`d ibn Abi Waqqas, Az-Zubayr ibn Al-`Awam, and
Talhah ibn `Ubayd Allah, who were among the most eminent Companions of
the
Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) and who had received in their
lifetime the tidings of Paradise.
The instructions of `Umar were that the Selection Committee should
choose
the successor within three days, and he should assume office on the
fourth
day. As two days passed by without a decision, the members felt anxious
that
the time was running out fast, and still no solution to the problem
appeared
to be in sight. `Abdur-Rahman ibn `Awf offered to forgo his own claim if
others agreed to abide by his decision. All agreed to let `Abdur-Rahman
choose the new caliph. He interviewed each nominee and went about
Madinah
asking the people for their choice. He finally selected `Uthman as the
new
caliph, as the majority of the people chose him.
Reign of `Uthman ibn `Affan (644–656 CE)
During the reign of Caliph `Umar (634-644 CE), the Islamic state
expanded
beyond the borders of the Arab Peninsula into Egypt, Syria, and Iraq.
In the
subsequent reign of Caliph `Uthman, the expansion continued on into
Persia,
India, Russia, China, Turkey, and across North Africa. The Islamic state
became rich and powerful, and many people of these regions accepted
Islam
and learned the recitation of the Qur'an from the early Muslims.
His Life as a Caliph
`Uthman led a simple life, even after becoming the leader of the Islamic
state. It would have been easy for a successful businessman such as him
to
lead a luxurious life, but he never aimed at leading such in this
world. His
only aim was to taste the pleasure of the hereafter, as he knew that
this
world is a test and temporary. `Uthman's generosity continued after he
became caliph.
The caliphs were paid for their services from bait al-mal
(the treasury), but
`Uthman never took any salary for his service to Islam. Not only this,
he
also developed a custom to free slaves every Friday, look after widows
and
orphans, and give unlimited charity. His patience and endurance were
among
the characteristics that made him a successful leader.
His great love and trust in Allah was steadfast. Whatever happened, he
never lost trust in Allah and resigned himself completely to the decree
of
Allah. He was always mindful of Allah, and that guided his actions.
`Uthman's love for the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) was
evident from the way he lived his life. He followed the teachings of the
Prophet and took them as his source for guidance. As a way of taking
care of
the Prophet's wives, he doubled their allowances.
Opposition and the End
During his caliphate, `Uthman faced a lot of hostility. His rivals
started
accusing him of not following the Prophet and the preceding caliphs.
However, the Companions who were true defended him. These accusations
never
changed him. He remained persistent to be a merciful governor. Even
during
the time when his foes attacked him, he did not use the treasury funds
to
shield his house or himself. As envisaged by Prophet Muhammad, `Uthman's
enemies relentlessly made his governing difficult by constantly
opposing and
accusing him. His opponents finally plotted against him, surrounded his
house, and encouraged people to kill him.
Many of his advisors asked him to stop the assault but he did not,
until he
was killed while reciting the Qur'an exactly as the Prophet had
predicted.
`Uthman died as a martyr.
Anas ibn Malik narrated the following hadith:
The Prophet once climbed the mountain of Uhud with Abu Bakr, `Umar, and
`Uthman. The mountain shook with them. The Prophet said (to the
mountain),
"Be firm, O Uhud! For on you there is a Prophet, a Siddiq, and two
martyrs."
(Sahih Al-Bukhari, Vol. 5, Book 57, Number 24)
Sources:
Ahmad, Abdul Basit. `Uthman bin `Affan, the Third Caliph of
Islam.
(Riyadh: Dar-us-Salam Publications, 2000).
Al-Mubarakphuri, Safi-ur-Rahman. Ar-Raheeq Al-Makhtum
(The Sealed Nectar).
(Riyadh: Dar-us-Salam Publications, 1996).
"Khalifa
Uthman bin Ghani." Witness Pioneer
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