The return of the nation as it was to the leadership of mankind


rests on following the teachings of the Prophet (prayers and


peace be upon him) and the Rightly Guided Caliphs. Besides,


awareness of caliphate era and the prophet-hood method are


required steps to attain the goals pursued by the nation to be


achieve in this life. As Prophet Mohammad (prayers and peace


be upon him) said : "Do follow my Method (Sunnah) and the


!Method of the Rightly Guided Caliphs after me ". The history of the era of the Rightly Guided Caliphs is full of


lessons and examples which are scattered in books, sources, and


references. If this history is well presented, it will feeds the soul,


enlightens hearts, builds minds, sharpens resolve, offers lessons,


mature ideas, demonstrates the features and qualities of its


leaders, system of government, morals of the generation,


prosperity factors, and the reasons for its demise. One can make


use of that in the preparation of a Muslim generation who grow


up on the method of prophecy and the jurisprudence of


caliphate, and to identify the era which God said about it:


[And the foremost to embrace Islam of the Immigrants and


Supporters, and also those who followed them exactly (in faith).


Allah is well-pleased with them as they are well-pleased with


Him. He has prepared for them Gardens under which rivers flow


(Paradise), to dwell therein forever. That is the supreme success]


(Al-Tawbah: 100).

- 􀀁3 -

The Companions have applied the provisions of Islam and made


it known in the East and West of the world. Their era is the best,


and their history is a treasure that saved the nation's savings in


thought, culture, science and the movement of the Jihad (sacred


fight) and conquests, and dealing with the people and nations. !In this booklet we present a biography of the third caliph


Uthman ibn Affan Thu-Nourain , to extract lessons and examples


from the sides of this unique character. !!!!!


- 􀀁4 -

Uthman ibn Affan: Ancestry and Attributes


Uthman ibn Affan bin Al-Aas bin Umayyah bin Abdul Shams bin


Abd Manaf. He was born in the sixth year of the Year of the


Elephant. He became Muslim early and participated in the two


Migrations: first to Abyssinia (Ethiopia) and the second to


Madinah. !He married Ruqayyah, the daughter of the Prophet (prayers and


peace be upon him), and she died on the night of Badr. The


Prophet (prayers and peace be upon him) then married her sister


Umm Kulthum, to him. !The scholars say: "No one is known to have married two


daughters of a Prophet except him." For this reason, he was


nicknamed 'Dhun-Nurain' (bearer of two lights). He was one of


the ten given the tiding of Paradise and one of the Companions


who compiled the Qur'an. !He had a long beard and was good looking. It is said that he was


the most handsome of the people. !!


- 􀀁5 -

Uthman ibn Affan in the Pre-Islamic Society


In the pre-Islamic society, Uthman (may Allah be pleased with


him) was among the best of his people. He was of high status,


very wealthy, extremely modest, and eloquent in speech. His


people loved him dearly and respected him. He never prostrated


to any idol during the Jahiliyyah and he never committed any


immoral action. He did not drink alcohol before Islam. !He was well versed in the knowledge that was available to the


Arabs during the pre-Islamic era, including lineages, proverbs,


and the history of important-events. He travelled to Syria and


Ethiopia, and mixed with non-Arab people, learning things


about their lives and customs that no one else knew. He took


care of the business that he had inherited from his father, and his


wealth grew. He was regarded as one of the men of Banu


Umayyah who were held in high esteem by all of Quraysh. Thus,


Uthman was regarded as being of high status among his people,


and he was loved dearly. !!


- 􀀁6 -

His Acceptance of Islam


Uthman was thirty four years old when Abu Bakr al-Siddiq


called him to Islam, and he did not hesitate at all, rather he


responded immediately to the call of Abu Bakr. Thus he was one


of the earliest Muslims. The first person to become Muslim after


Abu Bakr, ‘Ali and Zayd ibn Harithah was Uthman. Thus, he was


the fourth man to embrace Islam. !His coming to Islam so early was, perhaps, the result of what


happened to him when he was returning from Syria. He told the


Messenger of Allah (prayers and peace be upon him) about that


when he entered upon him along with Talhah ibn ‘Ubayd-Allah


and he presented Islam to them and recited Qur’an to them, and


told them of the duties of Islam and promised them that they


would be honored by Allah. They believed him, and Uthman


said: O Messenger of Allah, I have come recently from Syria,


and when we were between Ma’an and al-Zarqa’, I was about to


sleep when I heard a voice calling: O sleepers, get up, for


Ahmad has emerged in Makkah. Then we came here and heard


about you. !!


- 􀀁7 -

Undoubtedly this incident had a positive effect on Uthman and


he could not forget it when he could see all the facts before him


with his own eyes. He thought about this new call calmly, as


was his way in all things, and he found that it was a call to


virtue, a call to shun immorality, a call to worship one God


(Allah) and a warning against polytheism, a call to worship Allah


and a warning against heedlessness, a call to good morals and a


warning against bad morals. So he became Muslim in respond to


the call of Abu Bakr as-Siddiq, and he persisted in his faith,


calling others to Islam in a friendly and patient manner; he was


content, forgiving, kind, charitable, compassionate and


generous, helping the weak and oppressed until Islam became


strong. !!


- 􀀁8 -

His Persecution and Migration to Ethiopia


Allah’s decree that all are to be tested is applied constantly to


individuals, communities, peoples and nations. This applied to


the Companions too, and they underwent trials and tribulations


that would shake the foundation of lofty mountains. They spent


their wealth and shed their blood for the sake of Allah, and this


suffering became as severe as Allah willed that it should. The


prominent Muslims were not spared these trials. Uthman was


persecuted and tortured for the sake of Allah at the


hands of his paternal uncle al-Hakam ibn Abi’l-‘Aas.


The persecution intensified and affected all the Muslims, the


Prophet (prayers and peace be upon him) was deeply grieved,


and wondered where could the Muslims go? Then the Messenger


of Allah (prayers and peace be upon him) thought of Abyssinia


(Ethiopia) and said to the Muslims: “Why don’t you go to


Abyssinia, for in (that land) there is a righteous king in whose


land no one is wronged.” Among those who migrated during the


first and second migration to Abyssinia was Uthman ibn Affan,


and on both occasions he was accompanied by his wife


Ruqayyah, the daughter of the Messenger of Allah (prayers and


peace be upon him). They arrived in Abyssinia in Rajab in the


fifth year after the Prophet’s mission began, and they found


safety, security and freedom of worship. !The Qur’an speaks of the migration of the early Muslims to


Abyssinia, as Allah says:


“And as for those who emigrated for the Cause of Allah, after


they had been wronged, We shall certainly give them goodly


residence in this world, but indeed the reward of the Hereafter


will be greater; if they but knew!”(Al-Nahl 16:41).


- 􀀁9 -

Al-Qurtubi (may Allah have mercy on him) quoted Qatadah as


saying: What is referred to here is the Companions of


Muhammad (prayers and peace be upon him), who were


oppressed by the nonbelievers in Makkah and expelled, until a


group of them migrated to


Abyssinia, then Allah granted them a place to which to migrate


(i.e. Madinah) and granted them supporters from among the


believers. !Uthman and the Holy Qur’an


The method by means of which Uthman ibn Affan (may Allah be


pleased with him) and all the noble Companions were educated


was the Holy Qur’an which was revealed from the Lord of the


Worlds. It was the only source of guidance to be accepted. The


Prophet (prayers and peace be upon him) was keen to ensure


that the Muslims acquired their concepts from one source only.


The Holy Qur’an alone was to be the methodology and focal


point on which the Muslim individual, family and society were


to be raised. The verses which Uthman heard directly from the


Messenger of Allah (prayers and peace be upon him), played a


role in the formation of his Islamic personality. They purified his


heart and soul and influenced him, and he became a new man,


with new values, emotions, aims, behavior and aspirations.


Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him) was deeply attached to


the Holy Qur’an. Abu ‘Abd al-Rahman al-Sulami narrated how


he learned it from the Messenger of Allah (prayers and peace be


upon him) and his words indicate how greatly he loved to live


with the Book of Allah. !


- 􀀁10 -

It was narrated that ‘Abu ‘Abd al-Rahman al-Sulami said: Those


who taught the Qur’an – such as Uthman ibn Affan, Abd-Allah


ibn Mas’ood and others – told us that when they learned ten


verses from the Prophet (prayers and peace be upon him) they


would not go beyond them until they had learned the


knowledge contained in them and how to apply it in deed. They


said: So we learned the Qur’an and knowledge and its


application together. Hence they would spend a while to


memorize a soorah. !History has recorded for us some of the things that ‘Uthman


(may Allah be pleased with him) said about the Holy Qur’an. He


said:


“If our hearts were pure, we would never have our fill of the


words of Allah, may He be glorified and exalted.”


“I would not like the day to come when I do not look in the


Covenant of Allah (i.e. the Mushaf).”


“There are four things which are outwardly virtues, but in reality


are obligations: mixing with righteous people is a virtue, and


following their example is a duty; reading Qur’an is a virtue and


acting upon it is a duty; visiting the graves is a virtue and


preparing for death is a duty; and visiting the sick person is a


virtue and asking him to make a will is a duty.”


“Ten things are the greatest waste of time: a scholar whom no


one asks about; knowledge that is not acted upon; sound advice


that is not accepted; a weapon that is not used; a Mosque that is


not prayed in; a Mus-haf (Qur'an) that is not read from; wealth


from which nothing is spent (in charity); a horse that is not


ridden; knowledge of asceticism in the heart of one who is


seeking worldly gain; and a long life in which no preparation is


made for the journey (into the Hereafter).” !


- 􀀁11 -

His Staying Close to the Prophet in Madinah


(prayers and peace be upon him) !The strongest factor that shaped Uthman’s Character, brought out


his talents and potentials and purified his soul was keeping


company with the Messenger of Allah (prayers and peace be


upon him) and seeking knowledge from him. Uthman (may


Allah be pleased with him) stayed close to the Messenger


(prayers and peace be upon him) in Makkah after he became


Muslim, and he stayed close to him in Madinah after he


migrated there. Uthman devoted himself to studying various


branches of knowledge at the hands of the teacher and guide of


mankind who had been taught by his Lord in the best manner.


He was eager to learn the Holy Qur’an and the Sunnah from the


leader of all of mankind. !Uthman tells us how he stayed close to the Messenger of Allah


(prayers and peace be upon him), as he said: "Allah, may He be


glorified and exalted, sent Muhammad with the truth and


revealed the Book to him, and I was one of those who


responded to Allah and His Messenger and believed. I made the


two early migrations and I became the son in-law of the


Messenger of Allah (prayers and peace be upon him) and I


received guidance directly from him". !Bay’at al-Radwan


When the Messenger of Allah (prayers and peace be upon him)


halted at al-Hudaybiyah, he deemed it essential to send a


representative to Quraysh, to tell them of his peaceful intentions


and that he had no desire to fight, and he wanted to respect the


holy places; he wanted to perform Umrah and then return to


Madinah.


- 􀀁12 -

The man chosen to be the representative of the Messenger of


Allah (prayers and peace be upon him) was Umar ibn al-Khattab


(may Allah be pleased with him). But ‘Umar apologized to the


Messenger of Allah (prayers and peace be upon him) and said


that he preferred not to go, and he suggested to the Messenger of


Allah (prayers and peace be upon him) that he send ‘Uthman


instead of him. He clearly explained the reason for that, which is


that it is essential for anyone who mixes with the enemy to have


protection. As no such protection was available to Umar, he


suggested to the Prophet (prayers and peace be upon him) that


he send Uthman, because he had a tribe who could protect him


from the harm of the nonbelievers until he had conveyed the


message of the Messenger of Allah. Umar said: “I fear for myself


with regard to Quraysh, for they know how hostile I am towards


them, and there is no one there from my tribe Banu Udayy who


could protect me. But if you want, O Messenger of Allah, I will


go and meet them.” !The Messenger of Allah (prayers and peace be upon him) did not


say anything, and Umar said: “But I shall tell you, O Messenger


of Allah, of a man who is held in high esteem in Makkah and


who has more relatives and is better protected: Uthman ibn


Affan.” The Messenger of Allah (prayers and peace be upon him)


called Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him) and said: “Go


to Quraysh and tell them that we have not come to fight, rather


we have only come as visitors to this House, respecting its


sanctity. We have our sacrificial animals with us; we will


slaughter them and depart.” Uthman set out and came to


Makkah, he met Aban ibn Sa’eed ibn Al-‘Aas, who stood up and


welcomed him and offered him protection and said: I think you


will get what you want. !


- 􀀁13 -

Uthman entered Makkah and went to each leader in turn: Abu


Sufyan ibn Harb, and others. After receiving the massage, they


suggested to Uthman that he perform tawaf around the Ka’bah


but he refused, until the Prophet (prayers and peace be upon


him) will do. !There were rumors among the Muslims that Uthman had been


killed, then the Messenger of Allah (prayers and peace be upon


him) called his companions to swear allegiance to him, pledging


to fight the nonbelievers. The Companions responded, swearing


loyalty unto death.


The Prophet (prayers and peace be upon him) said of his right


hand, “This is the hand of Uthman”, and he put it on his other


hand. The number of Companions from whom the Messenger of


Allah (prayers and peace be upon him) accepted the oath of


allegiance beneath the tree was one thousand and four hundred. !!


- 􀀁14 -

His Economic Contribution to the Establishment of the


State


Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him) was one of the richest


of those on whom Allah had bestowed wealth. He engaged in


trade and was very wealthy, but he used this wealth in


obedience to Allah, seeking His pleasure and that which is with


Him. Thus, he was always first to do good and spend, and he did


not fear poverty. Among the many examples of his spending are


the following: !The Well of Roomah


When the Prophet (prayers and peace be upon him) came to


Madinah he found that there was very little fresh water there and


there was no source of fresh water in Madinah except the well of


Bi’r Roomah. The Messenger of Allah (prayers and peace be


upon him) said: “Who will buy Bi’r Roomah and share it with


the Muslims in return for reward in Paradise?” And he said:


“Who will dig the well of Bi’r Roomah and Paradise will be his?” !Before the arrival of the Prophet (prayers and peace be upon


him), no one could drink from Bi’r Roomah except in return for


payment. When the Immigrants came to Madinah, they did not


like the water:


A man from Banu Ghifar had a well called Roomah and he used


to sell water from it by the bucketful. The Prophet (prayers and


peace be upon him) said: “Will you sell it in return for a spring


in Paradise?” He said: O Messenger of Allah, my family and I do


not have anything else. News of that reached Uthman and he


bought it for thirty-five thousand dirhams, then he came to the


Prophet (prayers and peace be upon him) and he said: Will you


promise me in return for it the same as you promised him? He


said: “Yes.” He said: Then I give it to the Muslims.


- 􀀁15 -


 !Expansion of the Prophet’s Mosque


After the Messenger of Allah (prayers and peace be upon him)


built his mosque in Madinah, the Muslims would gather there to


offer the five daily prayers and to listen to the speeches of the


Prophet (prayers and peace be upon him) in which he would


issue commands and prohibitions, and they learned about their


religion in the mosque. Hence the mosque became too small for


the people, and the Prophet (prayers and peace be upon him)


asked some of the Companions to buy the land next to the


mosque so that the mosque could be expanded and made big


enough to accommodate all the people. He said: “Who will buy


the land of So and so add it to the mosque in return for


something good for him in Paradise?” !Uthman ibn Affan (may Allah be pleased with him) bought it


with his own money for twenty-five thousand dirhams, or for


twenty thousand, then it was added to the mosque, which then


became large enough to accommodate the Muslims. !Tabook and the Generosity of ‘Uthman


When the Messenger of Allah (prayers and peace be upon him)


wanted to set out on the campaign to Tabook, he urged the


wealthy Companions to spend on equipping the army that the


Messenger of Allah (prayers and peace be upon him) was


mobilizing to fight the Byzantines. The Companions of the


Messenger of Allah (prayers and peace be upon him) spent


whatever they could afford. No sooner had Uthman heard this


call of the Messenger of Allah (prayers and peace be upon him),


but he hastened to seek the forgiveness and pleasure of Allah,


and thus this pressing need was met by the generosity of


- 􀀁16 -

Uthman. He supplied the army’s every need, down to the last


rope and bridle.


Ibn Shihab az-Zuhri said: Uthman supplied the army of Tabook


with nine hundred and forty camels, and sixty horses to bring


the number to one thousand. Uthman brought ten thousand


dinars to equip the army and placed the money before the


Messenger of Allah (prayers and peace be upon him) and the


Messenger (prayers and peace be upon him) began turning it


over with his hand saying, “No deed can harm Uthman after


today” twice. !Election of Uthman


Umar ibn Al-Kattab (may Allah be pleased with him) on his


death bed formed a committee of six people to choose the next


Caliph from amongst themselves.This committee was: Ali bin


Abi Talib, Uthman ibn Affan , Abdur Rahman bin Awf , Sa`d ibn


Abi Waqqas, Al-Zubayrm and Talhah. Umar asked that, after his


death, the committee reach a final decision within three days,


and the next Caliph should take the oath of office on the fourth


day. If Talhah joined the committee within this period, he was to


take part in the deliberations, but if he did not return to Medina


within this period, the other members of the committee could


proceed with the decision. Abdur Rahman bin Awf withdrew his


eligibility to be appointed as Caliph in order to act as a


moderator and began his task by interviewing every member of


the committee separately. He asked them for whom they would


cast their vote. !He arrived at the conclusion that the majority of the people


favored the election of Uthman. On the fourth day after the


death of Umar, 23 AH, Uthman was elected as the third Caliph,


with the title "Amir al-Mu'minin", (The Prince of the Believers).


- 􀀁17 -

Uthman's Method of Ruling


When the oath of allegiance was sworn to Uthman as caliph, he


stood before the people and declared his approach to ruling,


explaining that he would follow the guidelines of the Qur'an


and Sunnah and follow in the footsteps of the two Caliphs (i.e.,


Abu Bakr and Umar). He also stated in his speech that he was


going to run the people's affairs with forbearance and wisdom,


but he would accept no compromise with regard to punishments


that must be carried out. Then, he warned them against feeling


content with worldly things and being tempted by worldly trivia,


lest that lead them to compete with one another and stir up


grudges and resentment among them, which would in turn lead


to division and disunity. !He said:


"I have been given a responsibility and I have accepted it. Verily


I am a follower (of the Sunnah) and not an innovator. I promise


you that in addition to following the Book of Allah and the


Sunnah of His Prophet (prayers and peace be upon him), I will


do three other things:


following the examples of those who came before me with


regard to what you have agreed upon and decided, and what is


decided by good people openly, and not interfering with you


except when a punishment is required. This world is tempting


and it makes itself attractive to people, so that many people are


inclined towards it. Do not be content with this world and so not


put your trust in it, for it is not trustworthy. Understand that these


worldly temptations will not go away unless you ignore them."


!


- 􀀁18 -

Conquests During the reign of Uthman


The most important works of Uthman (may Allah be pleased


with him) are the conquest of Murrow, Turkey and the expansion


of the Islamic State. In addition to the conquest of Alexandria


and then Armenia, Caucasus, Khorasan, Kerman, Sajistan,


Africa, and Cyprus. Uthman expanded the Prophet's Mosque in


AH 2930, and has established the first Islamic fleet to protect the


Muslim beaches from the attacks of Byzantines. One of the most


important achievements of Uthman is the compilation of the


Holy Qur'an, which was started in the era of Caliph Abu Bakr Al


Siddiq (may Allah be pleased with him). !!The Compliation of the Qur'an


It was narrated from Anas ibn Maalik that Hudhayfah ibn al-


Yamaan came to Uthman when he was on campaign with the


people of Syria and the people of Iraq in the conquest of


Armenia and Azerbaijan. Hudhayfah was very alarmed by the


differences in their recitation, so Hudhayfah said to Uthman: O


Prince of Believers, save this nation before they differ


concerning the Book (Qur'an) as the Jews and the Christians did.


Uthman set word to Hafsah saying: "Send us the manuscript so


that we may make copies of it, then we will return it to you". So


Hafsah sent it to Uthman, and he ordered four of the


Companions to make copies of it. They did that, until they had


made many copies, then Uthman returned the manuscript to


Hafsah, and he sent a copied Book (Mus-haf) to every reign and


ordered that all other Qur'nic material, whether it was


manuscripts or entire copies, be burnt.


!


- 􀀁19 -

Sedition


At the end of his reign, and due to the expansion of Islamic


conquests and the presence of recent Muslims who did not


absorb the spirit of order and obedience, enemies of Islam led


by Jews started to foment civil strife to undermine the unity of


Muslims and their state. They raise suspicions about the policy of


Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him) and incited the people


in Egypt, Kufa, and Basra to revolt. They deceived their followers


to implement their plan, and met the caliph and asked him to


give up. Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him) called them to


the meeting in the mosque with senior Companions and other


people of the city, and he refuted their unreliable gossips, and he


answered their questions and pardoned them. Thus, they


returned to their country but they concealed malevolence and


promised to come back to the city to carry out their plots, which


were embellished by the Jew Abdullah bin Saba, who pretended


Islam. !


- 􀀁20 -

The Martyrdom of Uthman


(may Allah be pleased with him)


In Shawwal 35H of the Prophet's Migration, the turmoil


occurred, and the wrong-doers besieged Uthman in his home


(forty days) and prevented him from praying in the mosque and


even from water. But when he saw some of the Companions that


had prepared to fight them he prevented that fight as he did not


want to drop the blood of a Muslim for his own sake. Then the


conspirators broke into his house from the back (from the house


of Abu Hazm Al Ansari) and attacked him as he was reading the


Holy Qur'an. His wife Naila attempted to protect him, but they


beat her with the sword, cutting off her fingers. The rebels killed


him (may Allah be pleased with him) and his blood spelled onto


the Qur'an. He was martyred on the 18th of Dhul-Hijjah 35AH,


and he was buried at Al-Baqi' in Madinah. !!


May Allah have mercy on Uthman ibn Affan and be pleased


with him and assembles us among his company. !!


- 􀀁21 -

Uthman Ibn Affan in Brief: !


He is Uthman ibn Affan bin Al-Aas. He was born in the sixth


year of the Year of the Elephant. He became a Muslim early and


participated in the two Migrations: first to Abyssinia (Ethiopia)


and the second to Madinah. !


He married Ruqayyah, the daughter of the Prophet (prayers and


peace be upon him), and she died on the night of Badr. Then the


Prophet (prayers and peace be upon him) married her sister


Umm Kulthum, to him. For this reason, he was nicknamed


'Dhun-Nurain' (bearer of two lights). He was the third Rightly


Guided Caliph, one of the ten given the tiding of Paradise, and


one of the Companions who compiled the Qur'an. !


Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him) was one of the richest


of those on whom Allah had bestowed wealth. He engaged in


trade and was very wealthy, but he used this wealth in


obedience to Allah and seeking His pleasure. Some of his


economic contributions are; the well of Roomah, expansion of


the Prophet's mosque, and the campaign to Tabook. !!


- 􀀁22 -

He was assigned as a Caliph in 23AH, and his era witnessed a


wide Islamic conquests. His most important contribution was


the compilation of the Holy Qur'an in one version. But a turmoil


emerged during his era, aroused by the Jew ibn Saba', which led


to the murder of Uthman. He was martyred on the 18th of Dhul-


Hijjah 35AH, and he was buried at Al-Baqi' in Madinah. !


May Allah have mercy on Uthman and be pleased with him. !


- 􀀁23 -