THE NEWS OF MARTYRDOM The news of Hadrat Uthmans cruel assassination shocked everybody. HadratAli (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 Madinah. 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 Hadrat Uthman (R.A.) was unparalled in Islamic history and it had far reaching effects. Hadrat Hudhaifah (Rad.A) the secret keeper of Holy Prophets 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 Muawiyah the most suitable person to punish the assassins while the Basrites wanted the Khalifah from any of these two Talha or Zubair, as they were included in the panel appointed by Hadrat Umar to select the Khalifah. (ii) Shian-i-Ali: These people did not think Hadrat Uthman (RA) 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 Shias. We want to keep aloof from their differences. (iv) Ahl-i-Sunnah wal Jamaah: These were the bulk of the Companions and the Muslims of various parts of the Islamic state including Makkah, Madinah 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 Quran 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 jamaah (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. Shias and Ahli Sunnah wal Jamaah or Sunnis took the shape of permanent theological groups and still exist. Hearing the news of Hadrat Uthmans assassination Hadrat Abdullah bin Abbas (R.A.), a prominent commentator of the Holy Quran remarked Allah might have stoned us as He stoned the people of Lot if majority of the Muslims supported the assassinations of Hadrat Uthman. 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 (RA), well versed in the past scriptures, said: By Allah, the power of the Arabs has finished now. Hadrat Aisha (RA), 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 Muawiyah (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 Uthmans death the political unity of Islam came to an end. Soon Islams 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 centralised government initiated by Hadrat Umar and developed by Hadrat Uthman was shattered and a number of internal movements started of which the Kharijites movement was the most serious. VICTORIES Hadrat Uthmans reign constituted a glorious period in the history of Islam. The territories of Islamic state (caliphate) were immensely extended. Though the conquests during his time were not so much in number as during the time of Umar, 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 Hadrat Uthmans 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 Hadrat Uthman. OFFICIAL MANUSCRIPT OF THE HOLY QURAN 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 Quran. 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 Hudhaifah (R.A.), one of the prominent Companions of the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa Sallam), went for Jihad (Holy War) during that time and noticed many differences in the manner of recitation (Qirat) of the Holy Quran. 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 Hudhaifah 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 Quran, which was written and compiled in Book form during the time of Hadrat Abu Bakr (R.A.) and was kept with Ummul-mumminin Hadrat Hafsah (R.A.). Hadrat Uthman (R.A.) took that Book from Hadrat Hafsah(R.A.) and canonised 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 Zubair and Sad 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 criticised Uthman for burning unauthentic texts. However for this great service Hadrat Uthman (R.A.) is famous as the Jamiul-Quran (The compiler of the Quran). EXTENSION OF THE MOSQUE OF THE HOLY PROPHET The mosque of the Holy Prophet was too small for the increasing Muslim population. He bought a big plot of land in the neighbourhood of the mosque, but some of the persons living in the nearby houses did not want to leave their places even for reasonable compensation. For four years no new construction was built. One day he gave an effective lecture after Friday Salat and the people agreed to donate their places. Then the mosque was extended in the year 29 A.H. PREACHING Hadrat Uthman (R.A) spent a lot of his time in preaching to the prisoners of war. Many of them accepted Islam because of his efforts. He also taught Islamic law to the Muslims. Once he himself demonstrated the correct method of making wudu before a large gathering of Muslims. He took special care to send missionaries to various places and appointed teachers to teach Islamic law, the Holy Quran and Hadith. Persons were appointed to make the rows (Saffs) of worshippers straight during a congregational Salat specially on Fridays when the congregation was quite large. CONSTRUCTION OF BUILDINGS, BRIDGES, ROADS AND EMBANKMENTS A number of new buildings were constructed for offices at various places. Rest houses were constructed on various high ways, and guest houses were built in various cities like Kufa. For the welfare of the general public new bridges and roads were constructed, and general condition of various roads was improved. The roads leading to Madinah were given special attention. He got tanks made, and wells dug up along many roads to supply water to the travellers. Madinah was not safe from floods. Sometimes the building of the Prophets mosque was in danger. Hadrat Uthman constructed a strong embankment along that side of the city which used to get flooded. This was known as the Embarkment of Mahroz. UTHMAN (R.A.) AS A GREAT SCHOLAR Hadrat Uthman had a beautiful handwriting because of which the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu Alaihi wa Sallam) appointed him as one of the scribes of the Wahy (Revelation). His style of writing was well recognised among the Companions. Arabic knowing persons can recognise the fluency of his writings specially 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. Hadrat Uthman was a great scholar of the Holy Quran and was a Hafiz(i.e. the one who commits the whole Holy Book to memory). He was well versed in Shan-i-Nuzuli.e. the chronology of revelation of various verses and the chapters of the Holy Quran, 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 Quran. 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 Umar (R.A.) asked Uthman about that during his time. CHARACTER AND PIETY Hadrat 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 (Sallallahu Alaihi wa Sallam) 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 Hadrat Uthman (R.A.). The Holy Prophet (SallallahuAlaihi wa Sallam) 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 (Sallallahu Alaihi wa Sallam). 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 (Sallallahu Alaihi wa Sallam). He used to fear Allah very much. Tears used to roll down his face because of Allahs 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. Hadrat 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 Jumua Salat, a person shouted during the Sermon: O Uthman, repent for Allahs 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. Examples of his generosity have already been given. He was the most generous among all the wealthy Companions and never hesitated to spend his money for the cause of Islam and Muslims. His house was one of the biggest in Madinah which he built near the mosque of the Holy Prophet. He established a library in the back of his house for the education of the Muslims. WIVES AND CHILDREN Hadrat Uthman was first married to the Holy Prophets daughter, Hadrat Ruqayyah (R.A.) who died in Madinah while the Holy Prophet was away on the expedition of Badr. 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: Fakhtah bint Walid; Umm-i-Amr bint Jundah; Fatimah bint Shaibah; Umm-i-Banin bintUwainah; Ramlah bint Shaibah; Aishah; Umm-i-Aban; and 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 Umayyads. He had six or seven daughters. ADMINISTRATION OF HADRAT UTHMAN (R.A) Hadrat Uthman observed the same principles in his government as were laid down by Hadrat Umar (R.A.). In the following lines some of the main features of his government would be described in brief. SHURA (COUNSEL OF ADVISERS) He maintained the Council of Advisers Shura in the same way as was maintained by the first two caliphs. The main members of his Shura were Hadrat Ali, Zubair and Talha. General councils for consultations were also called from time to time. All the prominent Companions, governors and prominent officers were present in the general council (conference) held in the year 34 A.H. to consider the internal condition of the state. ADMINISTRATION OF THE PROVINCES Hadrat Uthman (R. A.) divided the state into various provinces according to a new plan. Before him, there were three provinces in the region of Syria viz. Syria, Palestine and Jordan. Hadrat Uthman combined all the three provinces into one -- Syria and put it under the control of a single Governor -- Muawiyah (R.A.). This was necessary and important from the point of view of defence. Hadrat Muawiya (R.A. ) was a good and intelligent administrator and was able to control the whole region in a better way. He also separated the post of Governor from that of the commander of the armed forces in various provinces. Separate officers were appointed for both the posts who were under the direct control of the Khalifah. However, in some cases this rule was not observed due to lack of suitable persons. Though Hadrat Uthman was a soft natured gentleman, yet he did not condone the mistakes of his officers including the Governors. The details have already been mentioned in the preceding pages. On various occasions he sent commissions of enquiry. On Fridays he used to come to the mosque long before the Khutbah Adhan to listen to the complaints of Muslims and to remove their difficulties. On the occasion of every Hajj he used to listen to the public about their difficulties and complaints against officers. Following were the Officers (civil) at the time when Hadrat Uthman (R.A.) was assassinated in 36 A.H. 1. Makkah -- Abdullah bin Hadrami 2. Taif -- Qasim bin Rabiah Thaqafi 3. Yemen (with Sana as its capital) -- Yala bin Munabbah 4. Syria -- Hadrat Amir Muawiyah. Following places were under the direct control of the governor of Syria. Each place was under the charge of an administrator (a) Jordan -- Abul Awar al-Salimi (b) Hims (Homs) -- Abdur Rahman bin Khalid bin Walid, who was also the administrator of Jazirah (Mesopotamia). (c) Palestine -- Alqamah bin Hakim. 5. Egypt---- Abdullah bin Sad, who was also in charge of North African territories each of which was having its own administrative officer, under the governor of Egypt, Tripoli, Algeria and Morocco etc. 6. Basrah -- Abdullah bin Amir, who was also in charge of all the territories in Eastern Persia, each of which was having its own administrative officer, under the governor of Basrah: Balkh, Kabul, Herat, Samarkand, Sajistan, Arghiyan, and Turkmennistan etc. 7. Kufa -- Abu Musa Ashari, who was also in charge of all the territories in Western Persia, each of which was having its own administrative officer under the governor of Kufa: Khurasan, Tabrastan, Azerbaijan (with Ashath bin Qais as the Administrative officer), Isfahan (with Saib bin Aqray as the administrative officer), Hamdan (with Nasir as the administrative officer). 8. Qansirin (Asia Minor) -- Habib bin Muslimah Fahri, who was also in charge of Armenia, and Antalya etc. Hadrat Zaid bin Thabit was the Qadi of Madinah and Hadrat Uqbah bin Amir was the Treasury officer in Madinah. ADMINISTRATION OF THE ARMED FORCES Hadrat Uthman (R.A.) kept the armed forces on the same pattern as was laid down by his predecessor. During his time there was a notable increase in the number of armed forces. Not only he increased the military power of the Islamic State (Caliphate) but also connected various military units with each other. For example when Hadrat Muawiyah (R.A.) needed reinforcement to face the Romans, the armies in Iran and Armenia were immediately moved to Syria. Hadrat Uthman established a number of new cantonments at Tripoli, Cyprus, Armenia and Tabrastan. Besides the central cantonments there were a number of small cantonments as well in various districts. He had made arrangements for breeding and raising of horses and camels. Large pastures were reserved for the animals used for military purposes. The pasture at Rabdhah, near Madinah was ten miles long and about nine miles wide. Another pasture near Madinah at Darbah was six miles long. He built ponds near the pastures and houses for the caretakers. Number of camels and horses had immensely increased to meet the needs of the armed forces. There was 40,000 camels in one pasture alone at Darbah. The number of animals kept all over the vast Islamic State was stupendous. He took special care of military personnel and increased their allowances. The civil departments were separated from the military departments. One of the remarkable features in the development of military power during the period of Hadrat Uthman was the establishment of naval force. The Muslim navy was expanded and very well equipped. Amir Muawiyah (R.A.) played a very important role in this respect. He is the man who worked for the development of Islamic Naval force. Under his command the first naval battle took place in the history of Islam. ADMINISTRATION OF PUBLIC TREASURY AND REVENUE During the time of Hadrat Uthman the revenue of the State was greatly increased. The Kharaj of Egypt alone was two million Dinars annually during the time of Hadrat Umar but it increased to four millions annually during Uthmans period. Hadrat Uthman (R.A.) used the entire public funds for the general welfare of the public. He increased the allowances given to various people and the poor. Not only this he also arranged for free distribution of food stuffs and cooked meals to the poor and disabled persons, during the month of Ramadan. He used a major part of the revenue in construction of bridges, roads, barrages, and mosques etc. He also fixed salaries for the Muadh-dhins (i.e. the persons who call Adhan) which had not been done by Hadrat Umar (R.A). NO USE OF FORCE AGAINST CIVILIANS Hadrat Uthman (R.A.) showed an exemplary tolerance against the insurgents. By not using force against the civil public, he set the first example of the highest democratic rule in human civilisation. If studied from this point of view, it would be noted that Uthman (R.A.) was at the peak of modern democratic principles. It is unfortunate that the masses at that time were not trained for that highest form of democracy. They have had experienced in the past of the tyranny of Persian and Roman Emperors and their officers. However the base elements took advantage of the Islamic democratic principles and incited some of the Muslim population against the Khalifah. Hadrat Uthman used all the democratic principles, now prevailing in the modern society, to satisfy the insurgents. He gave before the public, full explanation of all the allegations brought against him, and the public was fully satisfied with his explanation. He acceded to the demands of the insurgents by appointing Muhammad bin Abi Bakr as the Governor of Egypt. But he did not resign because the majority of the Muslims were in his favour and only a few were the mischief-mongers. His words: I do not want to spill Muslim blood to save my own neck would be remembered for ever. Courtesy everymuslim
Posted on: Thu, 24 Oct 2013 10:59:11 +0000
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