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Early Life
"May Allah be the guardian of the couple! After Lot, Othman is
the first man who, with his wife, has given up the comfort of
his home for the cause of Allah."
Thus said the Holy Prophet when his son-in-law, Othman, left
Mecca for Abyssinia, to excape persecution at the hands of the
Meccans.
Othman was born some six years after the birth of the Holy
Prophet. His father's name was Affan. Arwa was the name of his
mother. His grandaughter, Baiza, was a daughter of Abdul
Muttalib and therefore an aunt of the Holy Prophet. Othman
belonged to the Omayya branch of the Quraish. Banu Omayya were
thought to be the equals of Banu Hashim. The national flag of
the Quraish was in their keeping.
When Othman grew up, he became a cloth merchant. His business
grew rapidly and he came to be looked upon as a top business man
of the city. He often visited Syria in connection with his
business. Flourishing business brought him both wealth and
position.
However, Othman was an extremely kindhearted man. He looked upon
wealth as a means of helping others. If money could remove
suffering, Othman was always ready to help.
Acceptance of Islam
It was Abu Bakr who won Othman for Islam. He and Othman were
great friends. The Holy Prophet belonged to Banu Hashim and
Othman belonged to Banu Omayya. There was old rivalry between
the two tribes. This did not keep back Othman from accepting the
truth. As soon as he heard the message of Islam, he accepted it.
He was one of the first Muslims. The Holy Prophet gave to him
his daughter, Ruaqayya in marriage.
By becoming a Muslim, Othman drew upon himself the anger of his
relatives. His uncle, Hakam, tied his hand and foot. He then
shut him up in a dark room. Othman gladly underwent all kinds of
torture, but refused to give up Islam.
The Quraish who once loved Othman now became his enemies. His
own relatives would have nothing to do with him. This made
Othman feel miserable. He went to the Holy Prophet and asked
permission to go to Abyssinia. The permission was given. Othman
was the first Muslim to leave for Abyssinia. He and his wife
crossed the Red Sea and sought refuge in Abyssinia. They were
the first to give up their home and all they had for the cause
of Allah.
When migration from Mecca began, Othman and his wife Ruqayya
also went to Medina and settled there.
Closeness to the Prophet
Othman was among those who were very close to the Holy Prophet.
He fought by the side of the Prophet in all battles except Badr.
He could not go to Badr because his wife, Ruqayya, was very ill.
The Prophet himself told Othman to stay back at Medina and
attend to his ailing wife. Ruaqayya died of this illness.
Othman took the death of Ruqayya very much to heart. He was all
the more sad because he no longer enjoyed the honor of being the
son-in-law of the Prophet. The Holy Prophet saw this. So he
married to Othman his second daughter, Umm Kulthum. This was a
rare honor. It earned for Othman the title of "Zun-Noorain," or
"the possesor of two lights."
In the sixth year of Hijra was signed the treaty of Hudaibiya.
Othman played an important part in the peace talks. It was he
who was sent by the Holy Prophet to contact the Quraish. The
Quraish said they had no objection if Othman alone visited the
Kaaba, but they were unwilling to let the Messenger of Allah
enter Mecca. To this Othman replied: "It is unthinkable that I
take preference over the Prophet. If he can't visit the House of
Allah, I too, will not visit it." Othman's firm stand at last
forced the Quraish to yield ground.
In the meantime, a rumor got afoot. It was given out that Othman
had been killed by the Quraish. The report shocked the Prophet.
He determined to avenge the death of Othman. He stood under a
tree and took a pledge from his followers. He struck his hand on
each man's hand and the man said, "I will fight unto death for
the sake of Othman."
Such was the regard in which Othman was held by the Prophet!
However, the rumor proved to be untrue. Othman came back safe
and sound.
When the Muslim refugees first came to Medina, they had great
difficulty in getting drinking water. There was just one well
but it was owned by a Jew. The Jew would not allow the refuges
to get water from it. So the holy Prophet said, "who is there
that will buy this well for the Muslims? Allah will reward him a
fountain in Paradise." Othman at once responded. He brought the
well for twenty thousand dirhams and gave it away for the free
use of Muslims.
When the Muslims grew in numbers, the Prophet's Mosque became
too small for them. The holy Prophet said, "Who will spend money
for the extension of the mosque?" Othman again came forward. He
bought the adjoining piece of land for the extension.
In the ninth year of Hijra, reports reached the Holy Prophet
that the Emperor of Byzantium was preparing a march on Medina.
These reports disturbed the Muslims. The Holy Prophet began to
counter preparations. He appealed to people to give whatever
they could. Othman gave one thousand camels, fifty horses and
one thousand pieces of gold. The holy Prophet looked at the heap
of gold and declared, "Whatever Othman does, from this day on,
will do him no harm."
Othman was one of the scribes of the Prophet. He was one of the
men who wrote portions of the Qur'an as they were revealed. He
was also one of the ten Companions whom the holy Prophet gave
the good news of the kingdom of Heaven.
Closeness to the Prophet won Othman a high place among the
Companions. He was one of the advisors of Abu Bakr and Omar
during their Caliphate.
Othman's Election
Omar had nominated a six-man council to choose a Caliph from
among its members. These members were: Ali, Othman, Abdur Rehman
bin Auf, Saad bin Abi Waqaas, Zubair bin Awwam and Talha bin
Obaidullah. The electors were to meet and finish their task
within three days of Omar's death. Such was the will of the late
Calpih.
The electors met. Talha had been out of Medina for some days, so
he could not attend the meeting.
The council of electors had a long sitting. It could not come to
an agreed decision. There was an impasse. So Abdur Rehman bin
Auf said, "If any man is willing to withdraw his name, he will
have the right to nominate the Caliph. Who will withdraw?" All
kept silent. Then Abdur Rehman said, "I withdraw my name."
All except Ali said they were ready to accept Abdur Rehman's
decision. Abdur Rehman asked Ali what he had to say. He replied,
"Promise to be just. Promise not to be partial on account of
kinship. Promise to be led by the welfare of the people alone.
If you promise these things, I agree to abide by your decision."
Abdur Rehman promised all these things. The election of the
Caliph now rested with Abdur Rehman bin Auf.
Abdur Rehman was fully alive to the heavy responsibility he had
placed upon himself. The news of Omar's death had drawn to
Medina the leaders of public opinion from all over the empire.
Abdur Rehman went to each one of them and held long talks. The
Banu Hashim were for Ali. All others favored Othman. Other
candidates were out of the picture.
Abdur Rehman now talked to the two likely candidates.
"Who do you think is the fittest person after you?" he asked
Ali.
"Othman," was the reply.
He put Othman the same question and he named Ali.
At last the third night came. In the morning Abdur Rehman was to
announce his decision. He sat up whole night, holding long talks
with the other four members of the council. He made a last
effort to get a unanimous decision. But he failed in this
effort. The differences between Banu Hashim and Banu Omiyyah
could not be patched up. At last the call to the morning prayer
brought these talks to an end.
When the prayer was over, people in the mosque were all ears to
hear what Abdur Rehman had to say.
Abdur Rehman stood up. For some minutes he prayed to Allah to
guide his thoughts. Then he said, "O people," I have given my
best thought to the matter. I have talked to different people
and got their opinion. I hope you will not differ with my
decision."
Then Abdur Rehman called Othman and said, "Promise that you will
act according to the commandments of the Qur'an and the example
set by the Holy Prophet and his two Caliphs."
"I promise to do that to the best of my knowledge and ability,"
declared Othman.
Thereupon Abdur Rehman bin Auf pledged loyalty to Othman. His
example was followed by all present. Ali also pledged loyalt to
the new Caliph. Othman became the third Caliph of Islam.
First Address
When the pledge was over, Othman rose to address the gathering.
All were eager to hear what the new Caliph had to say. But the
weight of the new responsibility made Othman's body shake. All
he could say was, "O people, it is not easy to manage a new
horse. There will be several occasions to speak to you. If I
live, I will address you some other day. But you know, I am not
very good at speech-making."
The First Case
The first case that came up before Othman was the case of
Obaidullah the second son of Omar. Obaidullah had slain to
Persians, Hurmuzan and Jafina. That was because he believed them
to be co-plotters with Abu Lolo. Abu Lolo was the murderer of
his father.
The evening before Omar was mortally wounded, Abdur Rehman son
of Abu Bakr had seen Abu Lolo standing with Hurmuzan and Jafina.
The three were whispering to one another. As Abdur Rehman passed
by, the three got startled. A double edge dagger had falled on
the ground. After his father's death, Obaidullah examined the
dagger of the asassin. It answered exactly to the description
given by Abdur Rehman. Obaidullah felt sure that Abu Lolo alone
was not responsible for killing his father. He flew into a rage
and killed the other two partners in the plot.
The case came up before Othman. He put the matter before the
leading Companions. Ali said that the evidence of one man was
not enough to prove Huramuzan and Jafina guilty. The other
Companions differed with this view. Othman found a way out of
the difficulty. He himself laid the bloodmoney for the two
Persians. As they had no relatives, the Caliph had the legal
right to act in their behalf. The decision of Othman was liked
by all.
Expansion of the Empire
The First Directive
The new Caliph issued a directive to all civil and military
officers. It said that they should be just in their dealings,
honest in money matters and tolerant towards non-Muslims.
Further, the officers were told to keep their word, even with
the enemy. They were reminded that they were no more than the
servants and guardians of the people not their masters and
rulers.
Saad bin Waqqas was the Governor of Kufa. He took a loan from
the public treasury and foiled to return it in time. The
Treasury Officer, Abdullah bin Masud, reported the matter to the
Caliph. Othman dismissed Saad bin Waqqas. This was in the year
26 A.H.
A Woman Warrior
Azarbaijan and Armenia were conquered during Omar's time. But
these provinces were afterwards lost. Both provinces were under
the Governor of Kufa. When Saad bin Waqqas was removed from
governorship, Azarbaijan rebelled. Othman ordered military
action against it and the province was once again under the
Muslim flag.
Othman deputed Salmab bin Rabia and Habib bin Muslima to
reconqure Armeina. In this campaign Habib's wife also went with
him. On day Habib came to know that the commander of the
Armenian army was preparing to strike. Habib did not have enough
troops, so he decided to carry out a night raid, before the
enemy could strike.
Habib's wife saw him put on armour one evening. She asked him
what made him buckle on armor at a such late hour. "My goal
tonight is the ten of the Armenian commander of the Garden of
Paradise," replied the husband. A suddent thought struck the
lady. "When should not I share the honor with my husband?" she
said to herself. As soon as her husband was gone, she dressed
like a soldier and rushed off to the enemy camp.
At the dead of the night Habib carried out his raid. The enemy
was taken by complete surprise. Killing the Armenian guard,
Habib reached the commander's tent. He was amazed to find his
wife already waiting for him at the tent door. She was dressed
like a soldier and was fully armed. Together the couple fell on
the enemy commander and killed him.
Cypress Occupied
Muawia was the Governor of Syria under Othman. Anatolia was
still under Byzantium. Skirmishes with the Byzantine troops were
common. In the year 26 A.H., Muawia led an army into Anatolia
and took the city of Amuria. He wanted to advance, but troop
movement by land seemed difficult. So he had to stop short.
Muawia now turned his attention to the Mediterranean. He saw the
importance of the islands in this sea and made plans to occupy
them.
Muawia had a strong liking for the sea. He foresaw the Islam
could not be strong without a powerful navy. During Omar's
caliphate he put this plan before the Calpih, but Omar was
opposed to sea fighting. He did not think it was wise to risk
the lives of Muslims in sea-battles. So he did not approve of
Muawia's plan. When Othman became Caliph, Muawia again took up
the question of the navy with the Caliph. Othman agreed to
Muawia's plan, on condition that no one was to be forced against
his will to take part in the naval campaign.
In 28 A.H., Muawia prepared a fleet of ships. The Governor of
Egypt joined him with his own fleet. The two fleets jointly
invaded Cypress. The people of the island fought bravely but had
to give in at last. They made peace with the Muslims. The
victors undertook to defend the island. In return they got the
right to use the island as a military base.
Occupation of North Africa
Amr bin As was the first Muslim Governor of Egypt. For some time
he continued to be the Governor under Othman. He was replaced by
Abdullah bin Sarah, in 25 A.H. Soon there was a rising in
Alexandria. Byzantium was at the back of this rising. Othman
again sent Amr bin As to Egypt, who put down the rising. After
this, Abdulah bin Sarah again took over as Governor of Egypt.
In 26 A.H., the Governor of Egypt got order from the Caliph to
advance into North Africa. In Omar's time, Amr bin As had
occupied Tripoli. Abdullah bin Sarah was now to march into
Tunisia. The Caliph also sent an army from Medina to help his
Egyptian governor. This army men included men like Ibn Abbas,
Ibn Omar, Ibn Jaafar, Ibn Zubair, Hasan and Hussain. The Caliph
wanted to make sure that the North Africa campaign succeeded
well. So he went some of the best men to Medina to help Ibn
Sarah.
The rising in Alexandria had under lined the need of occupying
North Africa. Byzantine bases in North Africa were an
ever-present threat to Safety of Egypt. The Caliph decided to
remove this threat.
A Romantic Story
Abdullah bin Sarah spread his armies in Tripoli. From these
military bases he was to strike at the Byzantine forces.
Near the city of Yaquba, Abdullah found his way blocked by a hug
Byzantine army. It numbered more than one hundred and twenty
thousand. The Muslim army was far smaller.
The battle began. It went on for some days without a clear gain
to either side. The Berbers formed the bulk of the Byzantine
army. They were fearless fighters. For several days the outcome
of the battle seemd to hang in the balance. Seeing this, the
Byzantine commander thought of a clever plan. He announced a fat
reward for the man who would strike off Abdullah's head. The
reward consisted of a hundred thousand pieces of gold and the
hand of his beautiful daughter. By killing the Muslim commander,
the clever Byzantine general hoped to dampen the spirit of the
Muslim troops and win the battle.
This announcement put Abdullah bin Sarah on his guard. He stayed
most of the time in his tent. Abdullah bin Zubair noticed this.
So he made a counter announcement in the Muslim army. Anyone who
would cut off the Byzantine commander's head was to get a
hundred thousand pieces of gold and the hand of the beautiful
Byzantine princess. Shortly after the announcement the Byzantine
commander was slain. His army fled and the Muslims won a
complete victory.
Seach now began for the man who had slain the Byzantine
commander. However no man came out to claim the reward. At last
the beautiful daughter of the Byzantine commander herself
identified the man who had slain her father. The hero was none
other than Abdullah bin Zubair. The princes was married to him.
The victory cleared the way for the Muslims to advance in North
Africa. Muslim troops now spread out in Tunisia and Morocco and
occupied important points.
The North African Campaign went on for full fourteen months.
During this short period, Muslim armies were able to overrun the
whole of North Africa and make it a part of the Arab world.
The First Naval Battle
In the year 31 A.H., the Arabs fought their first naval battle.
Constantine was now the emperor of Byzantium. He made a daring
bid to take back Alexandria. A fleet of 500 ships sailed off to
Egypt.
The Muslims got ready to beat back the attack. Muawia's fleet
set sail from Syria. Abdullah bin Sarah, the Governor of Egypt,
also advanced with the fleet. The two fleets met in mid-sea.
Together they sailed on until the enemy fleet was sighted.
A terrible naval battle took place. It was the first experience
of sea-fighting for the Arabs. But they found no difficulty in
proving their superiority. The sea around was soon cultured with
the dead bodies of the Byzantine troops. So much blood flowed
that the sea-water became red all around. The Byzantine fleet
was crippled. Enemy ships that remained took refuge in the
island of Sicily. The Muslim fleet came back victorious.
This fateful sea battle laid the foundation of Muslim sea power.
It was to give the Arabs the unchallenged mastery of the seas
for long centuries to come. It was not until the beginning of
the sixteenth century that the Arabs lost their hold on the
seas. And with it the decline of the Muslim world began.
Persia and Tabristan
In the years 26 A.H., there was a rising in Persia. The Muslim
governor of Basra marched against the rebels. They were defeated
and punished. Once again peace and order returned to Persia.
In 30 A.H., the Governor of Kufa lead a huge army to Tabristan.
Tabristan was conquered. In the following year there was a
rising in Khurusan. It was soon put down.
In 31 A.H., Yezdgird, the former king of Iran, was also killed.
He had lost his empire but had not lost hope. He wandered from
place to place and created unrest in the frontier districts. It
was he who had been the cause of most of the risings in Iran.
His last exploit was a raid on Sistan. With the help of some
chiefs of Turkistan, he fell upon Sistan. He was utterly
defeated and fled for life. Wandering alone, he sought refuge in
a water-mill. The miller did not know him but was tempted by his
jewels and rich clothes. So he killed the wretched king and
threw his body in the river. Thus ended the wandering career of
the last emperor of Iran. With the death of Yezdgird also ended
the constant trouble in Iran.
The Civil War
Othman's caliphate was marred by a terrible civil war. It led to
the murder of the Caliph himself. Othman was a very gentle and
soft-hearted man. He often overlooked the faults of others. This
made the provincial governors and other officers overbold.
Omar's stern hand had stopped his officers from adopting the
undemocratic customs and practices of the courts of Iran and
Byzantium. Othman's hand proved too weak to do the job. The
result was unrest in the provincial capitals. It grew until it
engulfed the whole of Islam.
Moreover, Othman was an old man when he took over. Clever people
took advantage of his weakening grip on state affairs.
Abdullah bin Saba
Abdullah bin Saba, a clever Jew or Yemen, played a leading role
in this drama. During Othman's calpihate, he came to Medina, and
made a show of becoming a devout Muslim, but he had his own
plans. He stayed for some months in Medina and studied things.
He saw that Banu Hashim regarded the Caliphate their natural
right. They thought that Ali, and not Othman, should have been
the Caliph. Abdullah bin Saba determined to make capital out of
this.
With great cunning, he set about his task. He made "love of the
Holy Prophet and his relatives" his starting-point. Out of this,
he spun a clever story. Every Prophet, he said, left behind a
"Wasi." The Wasi must be a near relative of the Prophet. Aaron
was the Wasi of Moses. In the same way, the Holy Prophet must
also have a Wasi, to carry on his mission. Muhammad (peace be
upon him) was the last of the Prophets. So, his Wasi, Ali, was
the last of the Wasis. Being the Wasi, Ali was the only rightful
man to be the Caliph. Othman, therefore had to be removed from
the caliphate.
Abdullah bin Saba began to preach his views secretly. He visited
important cities in the Muslim empire. In each city, he set up a
secret society. He picked up men who lent an easy ear to what he
said. These were generally the men who had some real or
imaginary complaint against the officers. It was easy to tell
these men that the Caliph was the real cause of all trouble.
When the network of secret societies was complete, Abdullah bin
Saba set up his headquarters in Egypt. The secret societies
rapidly increased their strength. For this they used the
following method:
Their members made a great show of piety. They posed as the real
well wishers of the people.
They invented complaints against Othman and his officers. Some
of the complaints were no doubt real. Under cover of these, they
also said things that did not exist.
A regular campaign was started against all officers. They were
described as irreligions and inefficient.
Forged letters were sent from city to city. These letters talked
of injustice and unrest in the city of origin. The Sabaites read
out the letters to as many people as possible. Letters were also
forged to show that Ali, Talha, Zubair and other noted
Companions had full sympathy with the movement. This led people
to think that there was widespread unrest and that the leading
Companions wanted to remove the Caliph.
Unrest in Provinces
Abu Musa Fired
Abdullah bin Saba's plan worked well. Basra was the capital of
one of the provinces. Abu Musa Ashari was its governor. One day
Abu Musa gave an address. In it he told the people how, in the
early years of Islam, Muslims walked on foot all the way to the
field of battle. He went on to explain what great reward such
people had found from Allah.
After some days, Abu Musa had to goto a battle-front. He rode on
a horse. This produced an uproar against him.
"Look at the Governor!" went round the story, "he says one thing
and does another. Why does he go to the battlefield riding on a
horse? Why does he not earn a greater reward from Allah by
walking on foot?"
The agents of Ibn Saba played with the feelings of people. So
much so, that the people get really angry with Abu Musa. A
deputation marched to Medina. The Caliph foundh his hands forced
to dismiss Abu Musa.
Abdullah bin Amir became the new governor of Basra. The Sabaites
started a campaign against him too.
"He is a raw yougn man," they said, "moreover, he is a relative
of the Caliph. Othman is filling all key-posts with his
kinsmen."
Kufa in the Grip of Hooligans
Kufa was the capital of another province. Saad bin Waqqas was
its governor. He was the conquerer of Iran. He took a loan out
of public funds and could not return it in time. The complaint
reached the Caliph and Othman dismissed him.
Saad was replaced by Wali bin Uqba. Walid was a strong man. He
took quick action against mischief-mongers. Some of them one
night broke into the house of a man. They took away all his
money and killed him also. They were all arrested and put to
death.
The death of this gang made Sabaites angry. A strong man like
Walid bin Uqba was a real danger to them. So they brought a
false complaint against him. They said that he was given to
drinking. A deputation set off to Medina. Two men bore witness
before the Caliph and his advisory council that they had seen
their Governor drinking wine. Ali gave the ruling that the man
was guilty. So Othman dismissed the Governor.
Walid was replaced by Saad bin As. The new governor received
people at his house each night. He sat among them and discussed
things with them. Everyone was free to drop in. The Sabaites
came to these meetings in large numbers. Gradually, the started
creating trouble. One night they came down upon a man and beat
him in the presence of the Governor.
The Governor felt humbled. But he also felt helpless. The
mischief-mongers were all-powerful. He could not lay hands on
them. Things became so unbearable that the people wrote to the
Caliph. They begged him to rid the city of the hooligans.
Othman wrote to the governor to send this gang to Muawia, in
Syria. He hoped that Muawia would set them right. The Caliph's
order was carried out. Muawia treated these people well. He
tried to win them over with kindness. They began to be rude to
Muawia. So Muawia wrote to the Caliph, telling him that he could
do nothing to reform such bad men.
Othman next sent them to Abdur Rehman bin Khalid, the governor
of Hims. Abdur Rehman was a stern man. He was really hard on
these fellows. This brought them to senses. They repented for
what they had done and promised to behave well in the future.
Abdur Rehman informed the Caliph about it. Othman wrote back to
him, telling him to send the men back to Kufa, if they really
meant what they said. But once in Kufa they were as active in
mischief-making as ever.
The Central Command
Abdullah bin Saba chose Egypt to be the center of his party. He
did this for a number of reasons. In the first place, Egypt lay
in the middle of the eastern and western wings of the empire.
Secondly, Amr bin As, the former governor of Egypt, had been a
popular governor. His successor, Abdullah bin Sarah, could not
be equally popular. Amr bin As had been removed by Othman. This
gave Saba ready ground to whip up discontent among the people.
Thirdly, the North African campaign kept the new governor away
from Egypt for more than a year. This gave Saba a free hand to
work out his plans.
In Egypt Saba also had two powerful allies in Muhammad bin
Hudhifa and Muhammad bin Abu Bakr. Both of them were against
Othman. The former had been left an orphan and was brought up by
Othman. When he grew up, he asked the Caliph to make him the
Governor of some province. Othman did not see him fit for so
high an office and turned down the request. This made Muhammad
bin Hudhifa angry with the Caliph. He came over to Egypt and
became active against Othman.
Muhammad bin Abu Bakr was also angry with the Caliph on personal
grounds. He had been brought up by Ali. His mother, the widow of
Abu Bakr, had married Ali, after the first Caliph's death.
Muhammad bin Abu Bakr owed a debt to a certain creditor. He
failed to pay back the money in time. The creditor complained to
the Caliph. Othman was very impartial in his ruling. This
offended Muhammad bin Abu Bakr. So he also came to Egypt and
joined hands with the enemies of the Caliph.
Abdullah bin Saba took full advantage of these factors. The
central command of the Sabaites in Egypt sent forth a flood of
propoganda against Othman. Letters poured into each city,
telling stories of the terrible plight of people in other
places. Local Sabaite agents gave full publicity to these
letters. Before long the people of each city came to think that
theirs was the happinest lot. They came to believe that life was
unbearable in other parts of the Mulsim empire. And they held
the Caliph responsible for this all.
The means of communication being difficult in those days, people
had no way of knowing the real truth about life in provinces
other than their own. The Sabaites took full advantage of this
situation.
The Socialist Companion
Since Omar's day, Muawia had been the governor of Syria. Muawia
was a very wise and tactful ruler. He knew how to keep the
situation in hand. So the Sabaite agents had no success in
Syria.
Abu Dhar Ghiffari, a well-known Companion of the Holy Prophet,
lived in Syria. He always kept aloof from the affairs of the
world and its riches. He held that public income should be spent
on the poor the moment it was received. He was against hoarding
any money in the public treasury. "Public money is people's
money," he said, "and should be spent on people the moment it
comes in." Muawia was of a different view. He thought that
public income could be kept in the treasury to meet unforseen
public needs of the future. He called public money "Allah's
money." He said that the ruler, as the agent of Allah, had a
right to spend public money as he thought fit. Abu Dhar thought
otherwise.
In Syria Saba tried to take advantage of the difference of
opinion between the Governor and Abu Dhar, the noted Companion.
He went to Abu Dhar and said, "It is strange that Muawia calls
public money, 'the money of Allah.' He means there by that
people should have no say about the way public money is spent."
Abu Dhar easily fell into the Sabaite trap. He went straight to
Muawia and said, "How is it that you call public money the
'money of Allah'?"
"Oh Abu Dhar?" replied Muawia mildly, "we are all the servants
of Allah. So all our money is Allah's money."
The reply did not satisfy Abu Dhar.
"All right," siad Muawia, "in future I will call this money
public money."
Now Abu Dhar raised another point. He preached that the rich had
no right to amass wealth. Whatever was over and above their
immediate needs, he said, should be given away to the poor. In
support of this, he cited the following words of the Qur'an:
"They who hoard up gold and silver and spend it not in the way
of Allah, tell them of a painful doom on the day when it will
all be heated in the fire of hell. Then their foreheads, their
flanks and their backs will be branded therwith. Here is what
you hoarded for yourselves. Now taste of what you used to
hoard."
Here again Muawia differed with Abu Dhar. He held that after a
man had paid the poor-rate of two and a half percent, he was
free to own health.
Abu Dhar's views made a great appeal to the masses. The great
majority of people were poor. They wanted to share the comforts
of the rich. Abu Dhar's movement began to gain ground rather
rapidly.
Muawia wrote about this to Othman. The Caliph wrote back that
Abu Dhar be sent to Medina, with all the honor due to him.
In Medina, Abu Dhar started the same movement. Othman called him
and said, "O Abu Dhar, I will force people to pay whatever they
owe to Allah and His Apostle. In return, I will grant them the
rights they have over me. But I can force no one to give up the
world."
"Well, then send me out of Medina," said Abu Dhar, "The Prophet
of Allah told me to leave Medina when it had expanded up to
Salah."
So Othman sent Abu Dhar to a small village away from Medina. He
gave him some camels and also two servants to look after him.
Other Factors
It is true that Abdullah bin Saba and his men did much to stir
up discontent against Othman. But it is equally true that under
Othman several things did go wrong. Things were very smooth when
Othman took over. In the years that followed, disturbing factors
slowly crept in.
Omar did not allow his officers to own property outside their
native city. One of his Governors once asked permission to build
ahouse in the provincial capital.
"No," replied Omar, "you have a house of your own in Medina. You
do not need another as long as this one is there."
This policy of Omar kept the leading families of Islam in the
national capital. Othman gave up this policy and allowed people
to settle and own property wherever they liked. The result was
that the leading families of the Quraish spread out in different
cities. There they built up power. This naturally lead to a race
for supreme power. Each family tried to outshine all others.
Banu Umayya and Banu Hashim were old rivals. The first two
Caliphs, Abu Bakr and Omar, belonged to Banu Umayya. He gave his
kinsmen high offices in the State. This offended Banu Hashim and
their supporters. In later years, Othman came to depend to much
on one of his kinsment. Marwan, who was a very clever man and
was disliked by the people.
During Othman's calpihate, the expansion of the Muslim empire
almost came to an end. Man who had been kept busy by military
campaigns now began to take interest in politics.
Kufa, Basra, Egypt and Syria were important military bases.
These bases were mostly in the hands of men who had spent no
time in the company of the Holy Prophet. The ultra-democratic
spirit of Islam was a thing unknown to them. As soon as Omar's
strong hand was gone, these officers went back to old ways of
dealing with people. They tried to be the rulers of people,
rather than their servants. They tried to have for themselves
the same comforts and luxuries as the old rulers of Iran and
Byzantium enjoyed.
This created a distance between the rulers and the ruled. There
free spirit of Islam got a set-back. Naturally people who knew
what equality was felt bitter. And the common man who had tasted
of it in full measure during Omar's regime, put the whole blame
on the new Calpih.
Things take a Serious Turn
Conference in Medina
Discontent and unrest went on growing in parts of the empire. At
last its effects began to be felt in Medina. All leading
Companions pressed the Caliph to do something in the matter.
Othman agreed. He wrote to all his Governors to meet him when
they came for the Haj of 34 A.H.
The Calpih and the governors met in a conference.
"What is the real cause of unrest?" asked Othman.
"It is the doing of the mischief-mongers," they replied. "They
throw mud at the Caliph and his officers. They want to overthrow
the government."
"How do we put a stop to this?" demanded the Caliph.
Different remedies were suggested. But all agreed on one thing.
They said that the Calpih should adopt a stern policy towards
those who created trouble. To this Othman did not agree. In a
spirited speech, he said, addressing his Governors.
"I have heard your opinions. I fear this is the evil foretold by
the Prophet of Allah. If so, I will do what I can, with all the
kindness and forgiveness at my command, to keep its gates shut.
I will prove by my deeds that I was not slack in doing good to
the people. I will not allow any blame to rest on me when I face
Allah tomorrow. I feel sure that the evil time is sure to come.
Yet blessed will be Othman if he lays down his life but does not
bring the curse nearer."
The conference ended. Othman allowed the Governors to leave.
Muawia said, "O Commander of the Faithful! I do not think Medina
is a safe place for you to live. You better go with me to
Syria."
"Even if my head is cut off," replied Othman, "I will not leave
Medina. No price can take away from the neighborhood of the
Prophet."
"Then allow me to send some troops from Syria," said Muawia, "to
serve as your guards."
"No," was the reply. "I do not want that people living in the
neighborhood of the Prophet should be put to any trouble on my
account."
Then the Caliph sent four men to tour the provincess and report
on things. Three of them came back with the report that
conditions were normal. Ammar bin Yasir, however, who was sent
to Egypt, did not come back. The Governor of Egypt informed the
Caliph that Ammar had gone over to the Sabaites.
Trouble Begins
The plan of the Caliph's enemies was to cause a general rising
when the Governors were away for the conference at Medina. But
the plot could not be carried out The hooligans of Kufa,
however, did not allow their Governor to enter the city when he
came back from the conference. They wanted Abu Musa Ashari to be
their Governor. The Calpih granted their request and made Abu
Musa the Governor of Kufa.
The hooligans now made another plot. Their ring-leaders, from
each province, decided to meet in Medina. They were to study
things in the capital and decide upon the future course of
action.
Accordingly, the ring-leaders from all provinces met outside
Medina. The Calpih came to know of their coming. He sent of them
two men whom they trusted. The men came back with an alarming
plot. They said the ring-leaders were bent on mischief. Their
plan was to go back and tell the people that the Caliph had
refused to listen to their complaints. In the following year,
they intended to march on Medina at the head of large parties
and to kill the Caliph. The Caliph heard the report calmly but
did nothing in the matter.
The ring-leaders then entered Medina. The Caliph had been told
about their future plans. Some people suggested that they should
all be killed. That would dry up the source of mischief, they
suggested. But the Caliph replied, "I cannot kill any man
without sufficient legal reasons. These people have some
misunderstandings. I will try to remove these. I will be kind
and forgiving to them and try to bring them to the right path.
If kindness fails to work, I shall give myself up to Allah's
will.
Othman Rebuts Charges
The Caliph then called together the leading men of Medina as
well as the ring-leaders who had come from the provinces. He
addressed that gathering thus:
"It is said I have reserved some pastures for public use. By
Allah, I have not reserved any pasture which was not so reserved
before me. In these pastures graze the animals that are public
property. Moreover, the pastures are open to everybody. Only
those were disallowed their use who offered bribes to get more
than what was their due. As for my use of these pastures, I have
no more than two camels. These camels serve me at the time of
Hajj. You all know that before I became Caliph, no one in Arabia
had more animals than I.
I have sent authorized copies of the Qur'an in all parts of the
empire. There are people who object to this. You all know that
the Qur'an is only one book sent down by Allah. The Companions
who wrote down this book, under the eyes of the Holy Prophet,
are still alive. It is they who compiled the copy which I have
sent everywhere.
It is said I have appointed young men as officers. The fact is
that it is not age but ability and character that guides my
choice. Here are men from the provinces. They cannot deny the
ability and honesty of my officers. Young age is no
disqualification. The Holy Prophet gave Usama the command of an
army, although he was younger than all the men I have appointed.
It is said I gave to the Governor of Egypt the whole booty of
North Africa as a reward. The fact is that he was given only
one-fifth of the fifth part due to the State. There are examples
of such rewards before my time. Anyhow, when I came to know that
people objected to it, I took back the money from the Governor.
It is said I love my kinsmen and bestow rewards on them. It is
no sin to love one's kinsmen. But this love has never made me
unjust to other people. As for rewards, I have never given a
kinsmen any thing out of public funds except what was his due.
But I do make gifts to my kinsmen out of my own pocket. I spent
on them before I became Caliph. Now that I am old and do not
hope to live long, I do not wish to keep anything with me. I do
not think it right to spend anything on my kinsmen out of public
funds. In fact, I do not get anything out of these funds for my
own expenses either. The revenue of each province is spent on
the people of that province. The public treasury at Medina
receives nothing but the fifth part of booty. This money is
spent by the people themselves in times of need.
It is said I have given lands to my friends. This is not true.
Many people from Medina went with the conquering armies. Some of
them settled in the conquered lands. There they acquired pieces
of land. Afterward, some of them came back to sell their lands
in distant parts of the empire and give them the price therof."
The Caliph asked his hearers if these facts were true. All said
they were!
It became clear to all present that the charges heaped on the
Caliph were false. However, no one suggested a way to clear him
in the eyes of the common man of these false charges.
Rioters March on Medina
The ring-leaders went back to their provinces. They told people
that the Caliph was not willing to set things light. They waited
for the next Haj. As the time for Haj came near, they decided to
send strong parties from Basra, Kufa and Egypt, seemingly for
Haj. From Mecca, these parties were to march on Medina and
decided things with the sword.
The Caliph had known about this plot of the mischief-mongers
long before. But he did not want to use force against his
enemies. He was determined to win them with love or to perish in
the attempt.
In the month of Shawwal 35 A.H., rioters set off from Basra,
Kufa and Egypt. They left in small parties. They numbered about
one thousand from each province. They marched on Medina and
encamped some miles away from the city, at three different
places. Some of the Egyptians came to Ali and requested him to
accept their leadership. He refused. Some men from Basra went to
Talha with a similar request and got the same answer. The
rioters of Kufa made the same request to Zubair. He too refused
to be a party to their evil plans.
Ali Sends Rioters Away
Othman came to know what the rioters had in mind. He went to Ali
and requested him to use his influence with the mischief-mongers
and to sent them away.
"Did I not tell you so often," said Ali, "not to be led by your
kinsmen? But you listned to Marwan, Muawia, Ibn Amr, Ibn Abi
Sarah, and Saeed bin As. How can I sent back these men now?"
Othman assured Ali that in the future he would be guided by his
advice and would not listen to his kinsmen.
"You better say this thing publicly in the mosque," said Ali.
"That would make the change in State policy known to everyone.
The rioters then will have no excuse to create trouble."
Accordingly, Othman went to the mosque and said in his address:
"If I have made any mistakes, I beg Allah's forgiveness. I
request all men of insight among you to give me the right
advice. By Allah, for the cause of truth, I am ready to obey
even a slave. I promise to be led by your wishes. No longer will
I listen to Marwan and his men."
Tears flowed down the Caliph's cheeks as he finished the
address. The hearers also began to weep.
Ali now went to the Egyptians. He assured them that all their
complaints would be removed. They seemed to be satisfied and set
off on the road to Egypt. Rioters from Basra and Kufa also
marched off to their cities. The storm seemed to have blown
over.
The Mysterious Letter
Everybody in Medina thought that the trouble had ended.
Presently, the streets of the city began to ring with the shouts
of the rioters. They trooped aroung the Caliph's house and
ringed in on all sides. Loud shouts of "Revenge! Revenge!"
rented the air of Medina.
Ali came to the Egyptians and asked why the had come back.
"You assured us," they said, "that our complaints would be
removed, but we saw a messenger hurry past ut. We stopped him
and searched his person. We found him carrying a letter from the
Caliph, ordering the Governor to kill us as soon as we were
back. Here is the letter It bears the Caliph's seal. This is a
clear breach of faith. The Caliph must suffer for it."
"And what has brought you back?" Ali asked the rioters from Kufa
nd Basra.
"We had to help our Egyptian brothers," they said.
"But your roads were so apart. How did you come to know of the
letter, after having gone several miles on your roads?"
To this there was no reply.
"It is clear," said Ali, "that you have made a plot. You seem to
be bent on putting it through."
"Say what you will," replied the rioters, "we do not want Othman
to be the Caliph. Allah had made his blood lawful to us. You
too, should help our cause."
"By Allah," replied Ali, "I will have nothing to do with you."
"Then why did you write letters to us?" they demanded.
"What letters?" said Ali in amazement. "By Allah, I never wrote
to you anything."
Ali saw that things were beyond his control. The rioters seemed
bent on dragging him in as well. Ali saw that his position was
becoming difficult. So he left for Ahjaruzzet, a place some
miles from Medina.
The rioters showed the letter to the Caliph and said, "Did you
pass this death sentence on us?"
"I swear by Allah," replied Othman, "I know nothing about this
letter."
"Well, then you are not fit to continue as Calpih," roared the
rioters. "If you wrote the letter, then you are clearly unfit to
be the Caliph. But if someone else wrote it and you know it not,
even then you are equally unfit. If such important orders can be
sent out without your knowledge, you should not continue as head
of the State. We demand that you give up the Caliphate."
Othman rejected the demand. "I will not take off with my own
hands," he delcared, "the robe of honor which Allah made me put
on."
The Siege
Seeing that Othman would not part with the Caliphate, the
rioters laid siege to his house. For forty days the siege went
on. As days went by, the blockade became more tight. Rioters
disallowed even the supply of water to reach the aged Caliph.
There were other men inside the house besides the Caliph and his
family. Among them were Hasan, Husain, Muhammad bin Talha,
Abdullah bin Zubair, Abu Huraira, Marwan and others. These men
served as the guards of the Caliph. They had some encounters
with the rioters. In these encounters Hasan and Marwan got
wounded. Marwan's wounds were serious. But the rioters avoided a
pitched battle. They knew that because of Hasan and Husain, men
of Banu Hashim would join the fight against them.
It was during the siege that Othman sent Abdullah bin Abbas to
Mecca. He was to lead the Haj as the Caliph's deputy. The Caliph
also sent messengers to provincial Governors to tell them of the
siege.
When the hardship of the siege grew, Mughira bin Shaaba
requested the Caliph to do something about it. He put three
proposals before him. "Come out of the house," he proposed, "and
fight the rioters. You have men with you. The people of Medina
will also fight at your side. Moreover, you are in the right
truth and must win. Or, leave by the back-door and reach Mecca.
The rioters cannot lay hands on you in the holy city. Or, go to
Syria. There you will be safe with Muawia to protect you."
To this Othman replied, "I do not agree to the first proposal
because I do not want to be the first Caliph to shed the blood
of Muslims. I do not accept the second proposal either. This is
because I do not want to become a danger to the holy city of
Mecca. The third proposal is also unnacceptable. At no price
will I give up the neighborhood of the Prophet."
Things were getting worse every day, but Othman was bent upon
fighting evil with love, even though it cost him his life.
Othman Murdered
Othman made use of only one weapon. It was his kind and soft
words. He went to the roof of his house several times and spoke
to the rioters. He told them how close he had been to the Holy
Prophet. He reminded them what services he had rendered to
Islam. But his words fell on deaf ears. Nothing could stop the
rioters from mischief.
As the day of Haj grew near, the rioters' anxiety grew. In a few
days hundreds of men would be back from Haj, they knew. Help
from provinces might also arrive. They had to put through their
plot without delay or it would be too late. They had to act
quickly.
Othman's house was very big. Hasan, Husain, Muhammad bin Talha
and Abdullah bin Zubair stood guard at the main gate. The
rioters had no wish to cross swords with these men. That would
draw the kinsmen of these men into the fight. To avoid this, a
part of rioters stealthily jumped over the backwall of the
house, and rushed towards where the aged Caliph was. The guards
at the main gate knew nothing about what was going on inside.
Othman was sitting with the Holy Book open before him. He was
reciting the Qur'an. Muhammad bin Abu Bakr was leading the party
of assassins. He got hold of the Caliph's beard and pulled it.
"My dear nephew," said Othman, looking into Muhammad's eyes, "if
your father had been alive, he would not have liked this conduct
of yours."
The young man was cut to the quick and turned back.
Then another another man hit the Caliph on the head with an axe.
The third struck him with a sword. Naila, the faithful wife of
Othman, had her fingers cut off in trying to shield her husband.
Then all the rioters fell upon the aged Caliph. They inflicted
several wounds on his body. One of them, Amr bin Hamq by name,
cut off his head.
The news of Othman's cruel murder came as a rude shock to
everybody. Ali was stunned when he heard of it. He rushed to
Medina.
"Where were you?" he rebuked his sons, Hasan and Husain, "when
the Commander of the Faithful was murdered?"
Similarly, he was angry with Abdullah bin Zubair and others who
stood guard at the gate.
Othman was murdered on Friday, the 17th of Dhul Hijja, 35 A.H.
After killing the Caliph, the rioters plundered his house. Then
they rushed to the public treasury and looted it.
Horror-stricken people looked on the orgy from behind closed
doors. No one dared to call a halt to it. Medina seemed to be at
the mercy of the rioters. For three days, Othman's dead body lay
unburied. Rioters would not allow anyone to bury it. At last
some people went to Ali and spoke to him about the matter. At
Ali's request, the rioters allowed the burial. Late in the
evening, seventeen men carried the dead body to the graveyard of
Medina and buried it there.
Such was the end of Othman, the apostle of love and peace. He
wanted to prevent blood-shed at all costs. He did his utmost to
counter trickery and violence with love and kindness. The
attempt failed. Othman had to pay with his own life for this
failure.
Twelve Years of Othman's Caliphate
Othman was Caliph for about twelve years. Compared with the
caliphate of Omar, this period looks desolate. The end of the
period saw the forces of lawlessness get the upper hand. But
Othman was not much to blame for this.
Omar's period was a period of conquests. In the wake of
conquests came a flood of riches. Omar himself once wept when he
saw a heap of riches lying in the Prophet's Mosque. Asked why he
wept, he had said that riches always brought with them jealosy
and malice and these were the real seeds of disunity. Omar was
perfectly right. His fears came true in the years that followed
his death.
The holy Prophet, too, had foretold a period of great unrest.
This period was to accompany the prosperity of his people. He
awoke one night greatly disturbed. He looked agitated and said,
"Glory be to Allah! What great treasures He has given my people!
And what an unrest has come down upon the people in the wake of
the treasures!"
From the beginning of the unrest, Othman felt sure that the
terrible unrest foretold by the Prophet was at hand. The
calamity he thought, was inevitable and must come down. He could
delay it, but could not stop it. Firm and strong action, he
believed, would bring it nearer. So he tried to delay the onset
of unrest with kindness and forgiveness. These were the weapons
on which he relied. If they did not work, the fault was not
Othman's. It was the fault of men who could not see right from
wrong.
Othman also had another prophecy of the Prophet constantly in
mind. It said, "When the sword is once out among my followers,
it will be three till the Last Day."
There had been two Caliphs before Othman. Their swords fought
the enemies of Islam. They never led an army against the
Muslims. Here were Muslims up in arms against Othman. Should he
draw his sword against them? He could easily do this. The
rioters were no more than three thousand in number. Medina had
beaten back much larger armies. If only Othman had drawn his
sword, there must have been hundreds of swords to fight for him.
In fact, he could have obtained troops from Syria well in time
to crush any number of rioters. But nothing could induce Othman
to make use of the sword. That would have made him the first
Caliph of Islam to shed the blood of Muslims. The sword once out
would always be there. And Othman was the last person to let
loose a curse that would hanve over the Muslims for ever. It was
far easier for him to lay down his life. So he chose the easier
course. He gave his life so that his people might be saved the
terrible curse of the sword.
"Othman is the most modest of my Companions," once said the Holy
Prophet. His modesty did not leave Othman even after he was the
ruler of a big empire. He was generous and soft-hearted. He was
always inclined to overlook people's faults. High virtues
indeed! But as the head of a big State, Othman needed to be
something more. He needed to be strong, firm and prompt.
However, Othman's heart would not allow him to follow the course
of firmness. He knew full well where the path of love was going
to lead and gladly paid the price with his life.
Since Othman, was kind to all people, he was all the more kind
to his kinsmen. Some of them took undue advantage of this thing.
They made a bid to gather all power into their hands. Many of
the key-posts in the empire came to be filled by them of by
their friends. Marwan got such a hold on the old Caliph that he
sometimes acted in his name without telling him what he was
doing. The Caliph came in for criticism for the doings of
Marwan.
The courage and faith showed by Othman have few parallels in
history. He prized the neighborhood of the Prophet over all
things - even his life. Nothing could drive him away from
Medina, where the Prophet lay in eternal rest. Death started him
in the face but he welcomed the death that would send him to a
grave in Medina. This death was far more precious to Othman than
life elsewhere. That explains the courage with which he met his
death.
Despite internal troubles, Othman's Caliphate did see expansion
of the empire. North Africa was added to it. Risings in
different parts were quickly put down. Byzantium was not allowed
to take advantage of the internal troubles of Islam.
At bottom, Othman's murder was the result of political
differences. A party of men wanted to remove him from the
Caliphate. They wanted to see another man as the Caliph. But the
method they used to bring this about was unfortunate. HItherto
Caliphs had been chosen by the general vote of the people. The
Companions were the leaders of public opinion. It were they who
by a majority vote decided who should be the Caliph. The rioters
of Egypt, Kufa and Basra did away with this tradition. They made
the sword the deciding factor.
Their method of violence produced another unfortunate result.
Political parties soon hardened into religious groups. These
groups were further subdivided. This dealt a sever blow to the
unity of Muslims. The sects came to stay. That which the Prophet
had foretold did come to pass! The sword was out among his
followers and it had come to stay!
Othman did a great service to Islam by sending out standard
copies of the Qur'an to provincial capitals. The need arose from
a dispute about the way of reciting the Holy Qur'an. People of
Iraq recited it one way and the people of Syria in another way.
The matter came up before the Caliph in 30 A.H.
"We copy the way of Abu Musa Ashari," said the Iraqis.
"And we follow the way of Miqdad bin al-Aswad," declared the
Syrians.
Othman put the matter before the Companions. All agreed that the
copy prepared in Abu Bakr's time was the standard one. After Abu
Bakr, it had passed into the hands of Omar, and now it was with
his daughter, Hafsa. Othman got this copy. Zahid bin Thabit, the
trusted scribe of the revelation, was asked to prepare seven
copies from it. He was to be helped by three more men, who had
the Qur'an by heart.
Zaid himself had the whole Qur'an by heart. He was also one of
the scribes of the revelation. First, he wrote out the whole
book from memory. Then he read it out to a gathering of
Muhajirun and Ansar three times. Then he compared this copy with
the one that was with Hafsa. The two copies were exactly alike.
Seven more copies were then written out and sent to different
parts of the country.
A word here may be said about relations between Othman and Ali.
It is true that Ali disagreed with the aged Caliph on many
points. He particularly disliked the man who acted in his name.
All the same, Ali did nothing that might have harmed Othman. He
advised him to get rid of Marwan and other Omayyads. But he also
pleaded with the rioters to give up mischief. He flatly refused
to help their evil cause in any way.
When Ali came to know that the rioters had cut off the water
supply of the Caliph, he went to them and said, "O people. you
are doing an evil thing. Such an act does not befit Muslims.
Even non-Muslims do not do this. Why do you cut off the food and
water supply of Othman? When the Iranians and the Christians
take someone a prisoner, they give him food and water. What harm
had Othman done to you? Why have you beseiged him?? Why are you
sent on taking his life?"
These words had no effect on the rioters. Seeing this, Ali threw
his turbon in Othman's house. He wanted the Caliph to know that
he did come to plead with the rioters but could not succeed.
Othman knew that Ali was sincere. He never said a word of
complaint against Ali. All he said was that Ali should have been
more active in his support. But for this lukewarmness, Ali had
reasons. He believed that all trouble was due to Othman's
advisors. He wanted them to go. The rioters made the same
demand. Othman assured Ali that he would dismiss these men. He
said so publicly in the Mosque. This removed all
misunderstanding between the two sons in-law of the holy
Prophet. They were once again as close to each other as ever.
But nothing could have been more hateful to the rioters.
Throughout they had been using Ali's name to fan the fire of
discontent. How could they see him stand by the side of the
Caliph? So they forged the fateful letter. That letter put both
Othman and Ali in awkward positions. It gave the rioters a good
excuse to go ahead with their evil plans. They simply refused to
listen to Ali. Ali felt helpless. In the face of the mysterious
letter, he could do nothing. So he left the city. However, he
ordered his sons to stand guard at the gate of the Caliph.
The most remarkable thing about Othman is his faith. He had
heard the Prophet say that civil war, when once touched off,
would know no end. Othman did not want to be the man to touch it
off. He would allow no one to draw sword for his sake. On the
last day of his life, there was a fighting between the rioters
and the guards at the gate. The rioters wanted to force an entry
into the house. The sons of Ali, Zubaid and Talha put up a stiff
fight. Othman came to know of it.
"No," he exclaimed, "I do not want to spill the blood of
Muslims, to save my own neck."
Saying this, he sent them all home. If civil war could be
stopped at the cost of his life, Othman was most happy to pay
that price. He believed that by laying down his life he could
delay the advent of the cursed sword foretold by the Prophet
(peace be upon him). So he would neither use sword to hit back,
nor flee from the city of the Prophet. He willingly died that
Islam might live. For a great cause and a great conviction, he
made the greatest sacrifice a man can possibly make. Thus he
joined the ranks of the great martyrs of all time.
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