outset of dissension in islam

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Te Outset ofDissension in Islam

( Isl am Mein Ikhtil a f at K a A gh a z)

By

H adrat Mirza Bashir-ud-Din Mahmud Ahmad Khal i fatul-Masih II, may Allah be pleased with him

.



he Outset of Dissension in Islam

An English rendering o Isl am Mein Ikhtil a f at K a A gh a z,an urdu lecture delivered by Mirza Bashir-ud-Din Mahmud Ahmad,

Khali atul-Masih II, may Allah be pleased with him,Te Promised Re ormer and Promised Son

ranslated rom Urdu into English by: Atta-ur-Rahman KhalidRevised by: Ayyaz Mahmood Khan

First English translation published in UK: 2013

© Islam International Publications Ltd.

Published by Islam International Publications Ltd.

Islamabad, Sheephatch Laneil ord, Surrey GU10 2AQ, UK

Printed in UK atRaqeem Press, il ord, UK

For urther in ormation please

or visit www.alislam.org.

ISBN: 978-1-84880-092-2



About the Author ............................................................................... vForeword .............................................................................................

Necessity o Being Familiar with Islamic History ......................................... 1Importance o the Subject ...................................................................................Magnicent Past o Islam ..................................................................................First Devotees o Islam:Hadrat ‘Uthmanra &Hadrat ‘Alira ........................4False Narrations o Non-Muslim Historians ...................................................5

Companions Were Not the Real Cause o the Disorders in Islam ............6 Why Dissension Emerged in the Era o the Tird Khal i fah? .......................8An Introduction toHadrat ‘Uthmanra ............................................................8Status oHadrat ‘Uthmanra in the Eyes o the Holy Prophetsa..................10 What Gave Rise to the Conict? .....................................................................11Four Reasons or Conict .................................................................................1Te Islamic Khilā at was a Religious Administration .................................14Tinking Ill o the Companions is Without Reason ...................................16

Why Did Conict Arise in the Era oHadrat ‘Uthmanra

? .........................22Appointment o Abu Musa Al-Ash‘arira as the Governor o Ku ah ..........72Conspiracies o the Rebels Exposed ................................................................72Obedience to the Ruler o the ime is Necessary ........................................75Another Conspiracy o the Mischie -Makers ................................................76Te Conspiracy Exposed ...................................................................................78Hadrat ‘Uthmanra Summons the Mischie -Makers ......................................78Hadrat ‘Uthmanra Clears Himsel o All Charges ........................................79

Hadrat ‘Uthmanra

Shows Mercy owards the Mischie -Makers ...............81



Another Grave Conspiracy by the Mischie -Makers ...................................83Arrival o the Mischie -Makers in Madinah ..................................................86

Te Rebels o Egypt ApproachHadrat ‘Alira

.................................................88Te Rebels o Ku ah ApproachHadrat Zubairra ..........................................89Te Rebels o Basrah ApproachHadratTalhahra ........................................89Appointment o Muhammad bin Abi Bakr as the Governor o Egypt....90Reality Behind Conicting Narrations .........................................................90A Golden Principle or the Verication o History ....................................91Exoneration oHadrat ‘Uthmanra & the Other Companions ..................92Te Rebels Enter Madinah Again ....................................................................92

Te People o Madinah Advise the Rebels .....................................................94Te Rebels ake Control o Madinah .............................................................94Te Most Prominent Companions Ask the Rebels the Reason or theirReturn ...................................................................................................................Hadrat ‘Uthmanra Clears Himsel o the Allegations Levelled by theRebels ...................................................................................................................Reality Behind the Rebel Scheme ....................................................................98Seven Arguments in Support o the ‘Letter Conspiracy’ ............................99

Cruelties o the Rebels upon the People o Madinah .............................. 107Hadrat ‘Uthmanra Admonishes the Rebels ................................................. 108Te Rebels Break the Staff o the Holy Prophetsa...................................... 109Te Rebels Pelt Stones at Masjid-e-Nabawi and InjureHadrat ‘Uthmanra ................................................................................................................................

Willingness o the Companions to Fight the Rebels ............................... 111Tree Major Supporters o the Rebels in Madinah ................................... 113Hadrat ‘Uthmanra is Asked to Step Down rom Khila at ........................ 114

Te House oH

adrat ‘Uthm

an

ra

Besieged .................................................. 116Hadrat ‘Alira Admonishes the Besiegers ...................................................... 117reatment o the Rebels owardsHadrat UmmiHabibahra .................. 118

An Example o the Religious Indignation oHadrat UmmiHabibahra119Hadrat ‘A’ishahra Prepares or Hajj .............................................................. 120Hadrat ‘Uthmanra Sends a Circular to the Provincial Governors .......... 121A Letter to the Pilgrims romHadrat ‘Uthmanra ...................................... 122Te Rebels Pelt Stones at the House oHadrat ‘Uthmanra ..................... 125 Worthy Efforts o the Companions in Suppressing the Disorder .......... 127



Te Rebels Attack the House oHadrat ‘Uthmanra .................................. 130Hadrat ‘Uthmanra Orders the Companions ............................................... 131

Anxiety o the Rebels upon the Return o the Pilgrims ........................... 133Te Companions Fight the Rebels ............................................................... 135‘Abdullahra bin Salam Admonishes the Rebels ........................................... 139Te Rebels Assassinate Hadrat ‘Uthmanra .................................................. 140Events Leading up to the Martyrdom oHadrat ‘Uthmanra ................... 141Te Rebels Loot Baitul-M al .......................................................................... 144Outrage o the Companions at the Martyrdom oHadrat ‘Uthmanra . 145Summary & Outcome o the Events Described ......................................... 148

An Important Note ..........................................................................15Glossary ..............................................................................................Index ...................................................................................................



H adrat Mirza Bashir-ud-Din Mahmud AhmadKhali atul-Masih II(may Allah be pleased with him)



he Promised Sonra o the Promised Messiah and Mahdias; themani est Sign o Allah, the Almighty; the Word o God whoseadvent was prophesied by the Holy Prophet Muhammadsa andthe Promised Messiahas as well as the past Prophets; a Star in thespiritual irmament or the like o which the world has to wait

or hundreds o years to appear; the man o God, crowned with a

spiritual hallo rom which radiated such scintillating rays o lightas would instil spiritual li e into his ollowers and captivate andenthral those who were not ortunate to ollow him; an oratoro such phenomenal quality that his speeches would make hisaudience stay put or hours on end, come rain or shine, deepinto the late hours o the evenings while words lowed rom histongue like honey dripping into their ears to reach the depthso their soul to ill them with knowledge and invigorate their

aith; the ocean o Divine and secular knowledge; the VoiceArticulate o the age; without doubt the greatest genius o the20th century; a man o phenomenal intelligence and memory;an epitome o the qualities o leadership; the one whose versatility cannot be comprehended—Hadrat Mirza Bashir-ud-Din Mahmud Ahmadra (1889-1965), Muslih-e-Ma‘ud (the



H A D RAT MIRZA BA SHIR UD DIN MAHMUD AHMAD

Promised Re ormer) was the eldest son and the second Khal i fah (successor) o the Promised Messiahas. He took charge o theAhmadiyya Jama‘at at the young age o 24 when the Jama‘at wasstill in its in ancy and nourished it to its maturity or more than50 years with his spiritual guidance, prayers, tears, toil and blood.Not only did he orti y the oundations o the Community laiddown by the Promised Messiahas, but expanded the structureo the Jama‘at by initiating various schemes, organizations, and

programs taking his inspiration rom the Promised Messiahas

and under the Divine guidance. His oremost concern, to whichhe devoted all his li e, was to accomplish the mission o thePromised Messiahas—the daunting task o spreading the messageo true Islam in its pristine purity to the ends o the world. oachieve this, he initiatedTahr i k-e-Jad i d through which spread,and continues to spread, missionary work all over the globe. His

acute intelligence, keen intellect, deep and extensive scholarshipand above all his God-given knowledge enabled him to producea vast corpus o writings, speeches etc. His oeuvre is so vast thatit will take many years to see the light o publication.When thePromised Messiahas ervently prayed to God to grant him a Signin support o Islam, Allah gave him the good tidings about thisson o his and said:

“...He will be extremely intelligent ... and will be illed with secular and spiritual knowledge ... Son, delight othe heart, high ranking, noble; a mani estation o theFirst and the Last, o the rue and the High; as i Allahhas descended rom heaven. Behold a light cometh. We shall pour our spirit into him..." [Revelation o 20th February 1886]”



We are pleased to publish the English translation o a lecturedelivered in urdu byHadrat Mirza Bashir-ud-Din MahmudAhmadra, second Successor o the Promised Messiahas, entitled, Isl am Mein Ikhtil a f at K a A gh a z [Te Outset o Dissensionin Islam]. Te lecture was delivered at the Islamiyyah CollegeLahore, on 26 February 1919. Te primary purpose o this

lecture was to provide a correct and accurate historical accounto the conicts which arose most prominently during thekhil a fat o Hadrat ‘Uthmanra.

Te lecture is an academic masterpiece o scholarship andexplains the events o the era o the thirdkhil a fat in a mannerthat no other historian has been able to match, be it Muslim ornon-Muslim.

It is an extremely signicant lecture because it deals with a veryimportant era in the history o Islam. Furthermore, the narrations, which detail the actual historical account o that era are hidden

rom the eyes o most people. Some historians have claimed thatthese conicts arose due to the incapability oHadrat ‘Uthmanra, while others assert that this was the doing o various companionso the Holy Prophetsa, due to their greed or power and political




control. he lecture, however, re utes both o these two notions with ample proo and categorically establishes that con licts arosedue to the conspiracies o the enemies o Islam.

In this lectureHadrat Mirza Bashir-ud-Din MahmudAhmadra has shed light on the li e oHadrat ‘Uthmanra, his piety and righteousness, and his status in the eyes o the HolyProphetsa. Moreover, he has expounded upon the virtues o thecompanions o the Holy Prophetsa and has explained how these

con licts actually arose and the causes behind them. Furthermore,contrary to the belie o some historians, he has also explainedthat the companions o the Holy Prophetsa did not dislike theleadership oHadrat ‘Uthmanra, rather, they all loved him dearlyand demonstrated an unparalleled degree o loyalty until his lastbreath.

Please note that, in this translation, words given in parenthesis

( ) are the words oH adrat Khali atul-Masih IIra

. I any explanatory words or phrases are added by the translator or the purpose oclarication, they are put in square brackets [ ]. When this lecture was revised byHadrat Khali atul-Masih IIra or print, he addedcertain ootnotes throughout the text o the lecture as explanatorynotes, and these have been included as endnotes in the originalUrdu text, in Anw arul-‘Ul um, volume 4, published by the Fadl-e-‘Umar Foundation. We have included all o these endnotes as

ootnotes throughout the English text. All additional ootnotes, which have been added by the publishers are marked [Publishers].All re erences, unless otherwise specied, are rom the Holy

uran. Biblical re erences are rom the King James version.It was imperitive that an English translation o this lecture

be rendered or both Muslims and non-Muslims alike, because



THE OUTSET OF DISSENSION IN ISLAM

it deals with a signicant and tragic era in the history o Islam.Furthermore, since such obscurity and ambuiguity surrounds theevents o that era, it was necessary that the true events be broughtto light.Hadrat Khali atul-Masih IIra has explained these events ina beauti ul, eloquent and simple manner. It is also worthy o notethat when this lecture was delivered, the attendees were collegestudents; there ore,Hadrat Khali atul-Masih IIra has taken greatcare to explain these events in the orm o a simple and interesting

narrative.Te English translation o this lecture was rst rendered byAtta-ur-Rahman Khalid and was then revised and prepared or print by Ayyaz Mahmood Khan. We are also indebted to theResearch Cell, Rabwah, who checked and veried the variousre erences provided in the text. May Allah reward them allabundantly or their efforts. A mi n!

Munir-ud-Din Shams Additional Waki lut-Ta sni f London, United Kingdom July 2013



1 ه 2

وه ر

A lecture delivered by H ad rat Mirza Bashir-ud-Din Mahmud Ahmad,

Khal i fatul-Masih II ra , Head of the Worldwide Ahmadiyya

Muslim Jam a‘

at (1914-1965), delivered on 26 th

February 1919in a gathering at the ‘Martin Historical Society, Islamiyyah College, Lahore’, Pakistan

NECESSITY OF BEING FAMILIAR WITHISLAMIC HISTORY

A short while ago I received the news, with great

pleasure, that a society has been established in the LahoreIslamiyyah College in which those who are acquainted withhistorical acts will present their research. I was overjoyed bythis, as amiliarization with history acts as a great stimulantin the progress o nations. A nation that is unacquainted withits historical accounts can never advance towards progress.Knowledge o the circumstances o one’s ore athers guides a person to many higher objectives. Tus, when I came to knowo the establishment o this society, I was pleased by the thoughtthat lectures on Islamic history would be delivered alongsideother lectures on various historical topics. Tese lectures would

1. In the name o Allah, the Gracious, the Merci ul [Publishers]2. We praise Allah and invoke blessings upon his Noble Messenger

[Publishers]




enable college students to understand the kinds o challengingtasks their ore athers were con ronted with and the exceptionalability and perseverance with which they carried them out.Tey will come to know o the ancestors they have descended

rom and the obligations that all upon them in their capacityas their children and representatives. Tey will aspire to be liketheir ore athers upon witnessing their magnicent deeds andtheir lofy splendour. ruly, I am overjoyed by the establishment

o this society. Now that I have been asked to deliver a lectureon this orum regarding an aspect o Islamic history, I mostdelightedly postponed my departure and accepted to presentmy research be ore you on this occasion, with respect to certainsubjects o historical importance.

IMPORTANCE OF THE SUBJECT

I was asked to speak on a ew historical issues concerningIslam. Undoubtedly, the most signicant era in Islamic historyis that in which the Holy Prophetsa, under the command oGod the Exalted, presented the religion o Islam to the world.He imprinted its reection upon the hearts o hundreds othousands o men through twenty three years o arduouslabour, and created a community o thousands o men whosethoughts, speech and actions became [an embodiment o ] Islamitsel . However, the oundation or dissension in Islam was laidfeen years afer the demise o the Holy Prophetsa. Afer thistime, the cracks o schism between the Muslims continued to widen. Te history o this very era is concealed in heavy veils odarkness. According to the opponents o Islam this is a hideousblemish upon Islam and even to its riends, serves as a perplexing




question. Only a ew have sought to cross the swamp o thehistory o that era sa e and sound, and who were able to succeedin their objective. It is or this reason that I have decided to speakto you on this very topic.

MAGNIFICENT PAST OF ISLAMAs you may be aware, the task which has been assigned

to me by God the Exalted (i.e., to train the Ahmadiyya

Community, manage its needs and plan or its progress), in itsnature, encompasses many aspects. Hence, or the purpose oits administration, it is absolutely imperative or me to possessknowledge o the historical subjects which specically relateto the era o Khil a fat . For this reason, despite having little timeto spare, I am compelled to keep the history o that era understudy. Although our primary task is to investigate and deeply

contemplate upon religion, but along with this study, by thegrace o God, such hidden aspects o the history o early Islamhave been disclosed to me which most people o the currentage are unaware o . Due to this un amiliarity, some Muslims areeven becoming averse to their own religion. Tey see their pastas being so dread ul that in its presence, they cannot hope or aglorious uture. However, their despair is ill- ounded and such views are alse, and are merely due a lack o knowledge in trueIslamic history. For Islam’s past is so magnicent and spotlessand all those trained in the company o the Holy Prophetsa were people o such high moral excellence that their likes cannot be

ound in any nation o the world, even i such people had livedin the company o a prophet. It is only those who enjoyed thecompany o the Holy Prophetsaabout whom it can be said that




by ollowing the ootsteps o their teacher and master, theydeveloped such spirituality, that despite susceptible to thedangerous maze o politics they did not let virtue and honestyslip their hands. Even under the burden o [holding positions] insovereignty, their backs remained as rm as they were at the time when they once required the basic means o sustenance and theiroor was the bare earth o Masjid-e-Nabawi ;3 their own handsserved as pillows, their occupation was listening to the blessed

words o the Holy Prophetsa

and their leisure was the worship othe One God.

FIRST DEVOTEES OF ISLAM:H ADRAT ‘UTHM AN RA & H ADRAT ‘ALIRA

You have probably gathered that on this occasion, Iintend to speak about the Khil a fat o Hadrat ‘Uthmanra and

Hadrat ‘Alira

. Both o these noble men are among the rstdevotees o Islam. Teir companions are also rom among thebest ruits o Islam. For a charge to be levelled against theirhonesty and virtue is, in reality, a disgrace upon Islam. AnyMuslim who sincerely ponders over this act will denitelyreach the conclusion that in actuality, these people are aboveand beyond all kinds o partiality. Tis statement is not without

oundation; rather, the pages o history are a testimony to this very act or anyone who examines them with open eyes.

3. Te Prophet’s Mosque [Publishers]




FALSE NARRATIONS OFNON MUSLIM HISTORIANS

As ar as my research is concerned, whatever is allegedagainst these noble men and their riends is the work o theopponents o Islam. Afer the era o the companions, various socalled Muslims, driven by their egos, have levelled allegationsupon either one or the other, rom among these noble men.However, despite this the truth has always prevailed and

has never remained veiled in secrecy. O course, in this era when Muslims became un amiliar with their own history andreligion, the opponents o Islam either singled out narrationso the enemies o Islam rom the history o Islam, or derived

alse conclusions rom true events, and crafed such works ohistory that would bring blame upon the companions andthrough them, upon Islam. At this time, since these non-Muslim

historians are becoming the eyes through which Muslims beholdeverything, or this reason, Muslims have accepted everythingthey assert. Fearing the ‘higher criticism’ o Europe, even those who have had the opportunity to study original Arabic works ohistory or themselves, have considered the alse and abricatednarrations upon which European writers base their research asbeing authentic and superior, and declared other narrations asbeing inaccurate. In this manner, the current age has becomealmost devoid o such people who have endeavoured to analyseevents in their original orm.




COMPANIONS WERE NOT THEREAL CAUSE OF THE DISORDERS IN ISLAM

Remember well that the notion o certain eminentcompanions being responsible or the disorders in Islam isabsolutely alse. Afer a collective study o the accounts othese people it cannot even be imagined that they attemptedto destroy and ruin Islam or their personal interests or benet.Tose who have embarked to nd causes or the emergence o

dissension and discord in Islam within the community o thecompanions have altered gravely. Te causes o disorder aroserom other quarters and the only hope or reaching an accurate

conclusion is i they are investigated in these quarters. I thealse narrations, which have been spread in relation to that era,

are accepted as being true, not a single Companionra can beabsolved rom having taken part in this disorder and not a single

one appears to have stood rmly upon virtue and honesty. Tisis such an attack upon the truth o Islam, that both oundationand basis are uprooted.Hadrat Masihas [the Messiah] states thata tree is recognised by its ruit4 and due to these narrations, the

ruits o the tree o Islam prove to be so bitter that no one wouldeven be prepared to take them or ree, let alone at an expense.However, would anyone who has studied the spiritual powero the Holy Prophetsa to even the slightest degree, be readyto accept such a notion? O course not! It is ar rom reasonto presume that such people who lived in the company o theHoly Prophetsa; were his eminent and devoted Companions; were very near relatives o the Holy Prophetsa and all o the

4. Luke (6:43-44) [Publishers]




other Companions without exception, deviated to such anextent in merely a ew years that all o them ell into conictdue to personal interests, not due to religious reasons, and thismis ortune shook the very core o Islam. It is un ortunate thatalthough Muslims do not explicitly state that the companionscreated disorder in order to destroy and ruin Islam, but they haveaccepted the narrations o such people as being true, who hadnot ully accepted Islam and had only made a verbal declaration

o aith. Ten, they have relied on the research o bitter enemieso Islam who were in pursuit o its destruction. Ultimately,there ore, such people concede that the community o thecompanions was, God orbid, completely devoid o virtue andhonesty.5

In my exposition, I shall bear in mind not to mentiondates so that it is not difficult to understand and the subject does

not become con using. Te real objective o this lecture is toamiliarise college students with certain events o early Islam. Forthis reason, I shall also abstain rom quoting Arabic quotationsinso ar as possible and shall describe events in the orm o anarrative.

5. Whilst reviewing this article a second time or publication, I havegiven various re erences o historical importance as ootnotes and inorder to make the book less burdensome or those who study it, Ihave sufficed with the use o re erences romT ar i khut-T abar i only,

with a ew exceptions.




WHY DISSENSION EMERGED IN THEERA OF THE THIRD KHAL IFAH?

All educated Muslims are probably aware that signs odissension amongst the Muslims began to prominently emergein the era o the third Khal i fah. Prior to him, in the era oHadrat Abu Bakrra andHadrat ‘Umarra, discord never took ona serious nature. Te Muslims were so united that both riendand oe believed that it was impossible to divide them. It is or

this reason that people generally attribute the discord underdiscussion to the weakness o the third Khal i fah. However, as Ishall explain ahead, this is not the case.

AN INTRODUCTION TO H ADRAT ‘UTHM AN RA Afer Hadrat ‘Umarra, the gaze o all the companions

ell uponHadrat ‘Uthmanra or the office o Khil a fat and thus,

he was appointed or this task through the consultation othe eminent companions. He was the son-in-law o the HolyProphetsa and two daughters o the Holy Prophetsa were weddedto him one afer another. When the second daughter o the HolyProphetsa passed away, the Holy Prophetsa said,“If I had anotherdaughter I would marry her to H ad rat ‘Uthm anra as well.” 6 Tisshows that he held a special rank o honour in the sight o theHoly Prophetsa. He held a very unique position in the sight othe people o Makkah and was a wealthy man according to thecircumstances o Arabia at the time. AferHadrat Abu Bakrra accepted Islam, one o the people to whom he particularly chose

6. Usdul-Ghabah Fi Ma‘ri atis-Sahabah, vol. 3, p. 481,‘Uthmā nubnu

‘A ana, Darul-Fikr, Beirut, Lebanon [Publishers]




to preach the message o Islam wasH adrat ‘Uthmanra. Te viewo Hadrat Abu Bakrra with respect toHadrat ‘Uthmanra did not prove alse and only afer a ew days o preaching, he acceptedIslam. In this manner, he joined the as-s abiqunal-awwal un7 orthat pioneer group o Islam which the Holy uran has praisedin admirable words. Te degree o honour and respect that he possessed in Arabia can be understood rom the incident that when the Holy Prophetsa journeyed to Makkah on the basis o

a vision, and the Makkans, blinded by their malice and enmity,re used to grant him permission to per orm the‘umrah,8 theHoly Prophetsa proposed that an esteemed person should be sentto the Makkans to negotiate the matter. WhenH adrat ‘Umarra was selected or this, he replied,

“O Messenger of Allah, I am prepared to go, but if there is anyone in Makkah who can negotiate with the Makkans

then it is H ad rat ‘Uthm anra

because he holds specialregard in their eyes. Hence, if someone else were to go, therecannot be as much hope for success in him as opposed to if H ad rat ‘Uthm anra went.”

Te Holy Prophetsa also considered this view as being correctand consequently sentHadrat ‘Uthmanra or the task. It canbe understood rom this incident thatHadrat ‘Uthmanra waslooked upon with special honour even by the disbelievers.

7. Te oremost among the believers. [Publishers]8. A lesser pilgrimage to the Holy Ka‘bah, in which some o the rites o

hajj are lef out.




STATUS OF H ADRAT ‘UTHM AN RA IN THE EYES OF THE HOLY PROPHET SA

Te Holy Prophetsa held a great deal o respect orHadrat ‘Uthmanra. On one occasion, the Holy Prophetsa waslying down whenH adrat Abu Bakrra arrived, but the HolyProphetsa remained lying. Afer some time,Hadrat ‘Umarra arrived, but again, he remained lying. WhenH adrat ‘Uthmanra

arrived, he instantly adjusted his clothes and said,“There is a

great deal of modesty in the disposition of H

ad rat ‘Uthm

an

ra

, andit is in consideration of his feelings that I have done this.” 9 He wasone o those rare men who had never consumed alcohol andhad never approached adultery even prior to accepting Islam.In the country o Arabia, where drinking alcohol was thoughtto be a source o pride and adultery a daily indulgence, these were qualities which could not be ound in more than a hand ul

o people be ore Islam. Tere ore,Hadrat ‘Uthmanra

was noordinary man. He possessed very high moral qualities. Withrespect to worldly rank he was exceptional. He was the oremostin Islam. Te Holy Prophetsa was very pleased with him.Hadrat‘Umarra has declared him as being among the six men who, upto the demise o the Holy Prophetsa, held his utmost pleasure.Furthermore, he was rom among the‘asharah mubashsharah,10

9. Sahih Muslim, Kitabu Fada’ilis-Sahabah, Babu Min Fada’ili‘Uthmanibni‘Aff ana,Hadith No. 6210

10. In actuality,‘ asharah mubashsharah has become a renowned term,otherwise, there were many more companions about whom the HolyProphetsa had prophesied that they would enter paradise. Te term‘ asharah mubashsharah re ers to those tenmuh a jirin, who were a parto themajlis-e-shur a [consultative body] o the Holy Prophetsa and

who he especially trusted.




meaning he was one o those ten men about whom the HolyProphetsa had given the glad tiding that they would enter paradise.11

For about six years afer he took up the office o Khil a fat, no disorder o any kind arose. In act, people were generally very pleased with him. Afer this, conict suddenly arose whichsteadily grew so large that it could not be stopped by the effortso any individual. Ultimately, this proved to be extremely

injurious or Islam. Tirteen hundred years have passed, but itseffects upon the Muslim ummah have not died away to this day.

WHAT GAVE RISE TO THE CONFLICT? Now the question is how did this conict comeabout? Some have alleged the cause to beHadrat ‘Uthmanra while others,Hadrat ‘Alira. Some say thatH adrat ‘Uthmanra

introduced certain innovations in the aith, which caused anuproar among the Muslims. Others assert thatH adrat ‘Alira secretly conspired to acquire Khil a fat and hadHadrat ‘Uthmanra killed by creating hostility against him so that he could becomethe Khal i fah himsel . However, both o these notions are alse;neither didHadrat ‘Uthmanraintroduce innovations in the aith,nor didHadrat ‘Alirahave him killed or took part in a conspiracyto murder him in order to become the Khal i fah himsel . In

act, there were other causes or this revolt.H adrat ‘Uthmanra

and H adrat ‘Alira are completely ree rom the blemish o suchallegations. Both were very holy men.H adrat ‘Uthmanra was

11. Sunanut- irmidhi, Kitabul-Manaqib, Manaqibi‘Abdir-Rahmanibni

‘Aun,Hadith No. 3747




the person about whom the Holy Prophetsa had said, that hehad served Islam to such a great extent that now he could do whatsoever he wished, God would not question him.12 Tisdid not imply that he would not be held accountable even ihe renounced Islam. In act, it in erred that he had acquired somany qualities and had progressed so much in virtue that it wasno longer possible or any o his actions to be in violation o thecommandments o Allah the Exalted. As such,Hadrat ‘Uthmanra

was not a man who would issue an order in violation to theshariah, nor wasHadrat ‘Alira a man who would secretly conspireto assume Khil a fat . As ar as I have contemplated and studiedthere are our reasons or this horric uprising.

FOUR REASONS FOR CONFLICT Firstly: the nature o men is generally inclined towards

the acquisition o wealth and stature with the exception o those whose hearts God the Exalted has particularly cleansed. Certain people who were not complete in their aith became enviousupon witnessing the honour, status, success and authority othe companions. As has been a practice since time immemorial,they began to desire that these companions resign rom all theirresponsibilities o government and hand over positions to themso that others are given the opportunity to exhibit their skill as well. Tey also disliked that the companions not only held Stateauthority but also received a special share o the riches. Hence,these people continued to burn inside with jealousy. Tey

12. Sunanut- irmidhi, Kitabul-Manaqib, Manaqibi ‘Uthmanibni

‘Aff ana, Chapter No. 61,Hadith No. 3700




awaited a revolution by which the government would crumbleand all into their hands, so that they could also demonstratetheir talent and skill and gain worldly wealth and stature. In worldly States such ideas may be orgiven to some extent andcan even be considered rational at times. Tis is because rstly,the oundation o worldly States is purely based upon apparentmeans; and a signicant cause in the progress o apparent meansis the introduction o new ideas and spirit into the governmental

ramework as well. Tis is only possible i old workers vacatetheir posts reely, leaving space or others. Secondly: Since a worldly State receives authorityin representation o the public it is compelled to respect the public opinion. It is also essential or those voicing the public view to possess substantial involvement in the organization othe works o the state. However, in a religious movement the

matter is quite the opposite, where the overriding principle o all principles is to abide by a set law. Furthermore, the inter erenceo one’s personal ideas is strictly prohibited, except with relationto such derivative institutes o the law where the shariah hasremained silent. Secondly, religious movements are affordedauthority rom God the Exalted, and it is the duty o people who control the reins o administration to prevent people rommoving out o line in religious matters. Instead o voicing theopinions o people, it is incumbent upon them to shape the views o people into the mould that has been designed by Godthe Exalted according to the needs o that time.




THE ISLAMIC KHILĀFAT WAS ARELIGIOUS ADMINISTRATION

Tere ore, due to not understanding the reality oIslam, such objections would arise in the hearts o those people.Tey ailed to understand that the Islamic Khilāfat was no worldly government, nor were the companions ordinary chie so State. On the contrary, the Islamic Khilāfat was a religiousadministration which was established in accordance with the

special injunctions o the Holy uran contained inS uratun- N ur . Te companions were those pillars o religion whom God

the Exalted had made obligatory to ollow in order to advancein spiritual ranks. Te companions lef their jobs and adoptedevery type o poverty and destitution, they placed their lives indanger; lef the company and love o their close relatives anddear ones; said arewell to their homelands and sacriced their

sentiments and emotions; and adopted the company and loveo the Holy Prophetsa. Some o them had learnt Islam lesson bylesson, spending approximately a quarter o a century as studentso the Holy Prophetsa. Moreover, they strengthened the practicalaspect o Islam by acting upon it. Tey understood the meaningo Islam, its purpose, its reality and how one should act upon itsteachings. Additionally, they understood the benets that couldbe attained by acting upon it. Hence, they were not kings andmembers o a worldly government; rather, they were teacherso the very last religion and law o the Seal o Prophetssa. It wasmade incumbent upon them to represent Islam through theiractions, speech, and conduct, and to imprint its teaching uponthe hearts o people and to make them practicing ollowers. Tey were not supporters o tyranny; rather, they were supporters




o the lustrous law. Tey abhorred materialism. I it were up tothem they would have abandoned the world and sat in places oseclusion, and eased their hearts with the remembrance o God.However, they were compelled by the responsibility which hadbeen laid upon their shoulders by God and His Messengersa.13 Tere ore, whatever they did was not on account o their owndesires; rather, it was in accordance with the command oGod the Exalted and as per the guidance o His Messengersa.

Hence, it was a terrible mistake to be jealous and think ill othem. Now remains the objection that the companions weregiven special sums o wealth. Tis was also a orm o mischiebecause whatever the companions received was in accordanceto their rights. Tey did not usurp the rights o others in orderto accumulate their own wealth. In act, every single individual,even i he had become a Muslim one day be ore, received his

right in the same way as pioneer believers. O course, the effortso the companions and their labour and sacrice exceeded thato others. Moreover, their age-old services were in additionto all this. Hence, they deserved a greater right over others outo justice, not injustice. For this reason, they received greaterremuneration in comparison to others. Tey had not xedtheir own shares themselves; on the contrary, Allah and HisMessenger had xed their shares. I these people had not been

13. Later events o Islamic history evidently prove how benecial andblessed the intervention o the companions truly was; by removingtheir intervention or a period in time, God the Exalted demonstratedthe detrimental results o moving them aside. Te manner in whichIslam became the target o mockery at the hands o so-called Muslimsis such that when a person reads these accounts, the heart trembles

and the body shivers.




treated in a special manner, how would the prophecies containedin the Holy uran and ahad i th o the Holy Prophetsa, regardingtheir success, prosperity, com ort and wealth have been ullled?I afer the all o Caesar’s kingdom and victory over his treasury,Hadrat ‘Umarra had not given Caesar’s bangles to Suraqah binMalik ra, how then would the prophecy o the Holy Prophetsa be ullled in which he said,“I see the bangles of Caesar in thehands of Sur aqah.” I would also add, however, that whatever

the companions received was not by usurping the rights oothers. In act, anyone who carried out even a small task in thegovernment was given his right. Te Khulaf a’ were very cautiousin this regard. Te companions were merely given their airshare, though undoubtedly, it was greater than that o others,due to their work and ormer services. Ten a group o themalso took part in the wars that arose at the time and in exchange

o this service they were just as deserving o a reward, as wereothers. However, it should also be remembered, that history proves that the companions did not have the habit o saving thismoney or spending it on their own souls. Tey only acceptedtheir share in order to prove the truth o the words o Allah andHis Messenger. Each and every one o them was an unparalleledmodel o generosity and municence; their wealth was spentsolely or the wel are and guardianship o the poor.

THINKING ILL OF THE COMPANIONSIS WITHOUT REASON

Tere ore, the jealousy and ill-will which had taken rootin some people, with respect to the companions was withoutreason and cause. However, this seed had been sown irrespective




o whether this was with or without reason. A segment o people who were un amiliar with the reality o religion began to lookupon them as i they were usurpers. Tey anxiously waited oran opportunity to push them aside so that they could assumecontrol o the government and its wealth. Te second reason

or this disorder was that Islam had established such means oreedom o conscience and action, and equality between people,

as were not even available to great philosophical thinkers be ore

this. As is the rule, there are some, who innately possess anelement o disease, and thus, suffer, instead o benetting romeven the best o nourishments. Similarly, instead o benetting

rom this principle o reedom o conscience and action, some people suffered by it and were unable to remain within itsboundaries. Tis disease began in the time o the Holy Prophetsa when a wretched so-called Muslim con ronted him and uttered

the words,“O Messenger of Allah! Keep in mind the fear of Allah, for you have not acted with justice in the distribution of riches.” othis, the Holy Prophetsareplied:

ا ز ه ر ب ا ون وم ض

ه خج

ھ ق

ا ون

ا

“A nation will arise from this person’s progeny that willrecite the Quran often but it will not descend their throats.They will stray from faith just as an arrow misses itstarget.” 14

14. Sahihul-Bukhari, Kitabul-Maghazi, Babu Ba‘thi ‘Aliyyibni Abi Talibin Wa Khalidibnil-Walidi Ilal Yamani Qabla H ajjatil-

Wada‘i,H adith No. 4351




Te latent re o such thoughts ared up a second timein the era oHadrat ‘Umarra. Once, a person stood up in themidst o a gathering and levelled an allegation againstHadrat‘Umarra, who was a seless person and the guardian Khal i fah othe nances o the community o Prophet Muhammadsa saying,“From where have you acquired this cloak?” 15 Nevertheless, onboth these occasions disorder did not take on a rightening shapebecause until then, neither was there any prepared ground or

its growth and development, nor did a avourable climate exist.However, in the time oH adrat ‘Uthman, may Allah be pleased with him, both these actors came to exist and this plant, whichI shall call the ‘plant o disorder,’ strengthened on very rm

oundations. In the time oH adrat ‘Alira it grew and developedto such extent that its branches well nigh extended to cover allthe corners o the Muslim world under their shade. However,

Hadrat ‘Alira

recognised the harms o this plant in good timeand cut it to the ground with a atal blow. Tough he could notmanage to completely wipe it out, but at least he was able torestrict its area o inuence to a great extent. In my opinion, thethird cause was that although a largenumber o people had brought about a grand trans ormationin their lives due to the effect o the luminous rays o Islam, butthis could in no way ull the shortcoming which always makesan individual require a teacher or the acquisition o religiousand worldly knowledge. Even in the era o the Holy Prophetsa, when people accepted Islam in troops, the very same danger

15. Al-Fakhri l-Adabis-Sultaniyyati Wad-Duwalil-Islamiyyah, ByMuhammad bin‘Ali binTabataba, p. 29, Ad-Daulatul-Islamiyyah,

Daru Sadir, Beirut [Publishers]




existed began to emerge. However, God had promised him thatin this era o progress, those who would accept Islam would besa eguarded rom evil inuence. Afer his demise, although a violent wave o apostasy surged orth, it was instantly containedand people learnt o the reality o Islam. However, afer thedemise o the Holy Prophetsa when the conquests o Persia,Syria and Egypt took place, the spiritual victories, which Islamachieved due to its interaction with other religions, became the

very cause or the disturbance o its political order. Millionso people entered Islam and upon witnessing its magnicentteaching, became so devoted to it that they became prepared tooffer their lives. However, the number o new converts to Islammultiplied so rapidly that no satis actory arrangement could bemade or their education. As is the rule and rom an in depthstudy o the human mind it can be concluded that due to their

initial enthusiasm the need or their education and training wasnot elt. Tey imitated the Muslims completely and ollowedevery instruction with pleasure. However, as this initial ervancebegan to subside, those who had not received the opportunity toundergo spiritual training began to eel as i adherence to Islamicinjunctions was a burden. As soon as this new enthusiasm dieddown, their old habits began to re-emerge. Anyone can commitmistakes and man learns through experience. However, i these people had truly desired to gain something, then afer havingstumbled or a while they would have eventually learned. Inthe era o the Holy Prophetsaconditions were such, that once a person committed a crime and he himsel con essed to his crimeand did not ear being stoned, even afer the Holy Prophetsa pointed out that when Allah the Exalted covers up a sin then




why should one disgrace himsel .16 In contrast, now, i eventhe smallest punishment was imposed in order to maintain theboundaries o the shariah, these people disliked this. Hence,there were some people who would not re rain rom violatingthe shariah because Islam had not penetrated their hearts.Moreover, when the shariah would be upheld, these very people would be in uriated and raise objections against the Khal i fah and his officials. In addition, they would harbour malice in their

hearts against them and plot to uproot their administrationaltogether. Te fourth cause or conict, in my view, was that Islam progressed at such an extraordinary pace that in the beginning,its opponents were unable to perceive this. Te Makkans werestill living under a alse sense o pride over their might andthought that the Holy Prophetsa was weak, when Makkah was

conquered and Islam spread throughout the Arab peninsula.Te Caesar o Rome and Khosrau o Persia viewed this growing power o Islam with such contempt in the likeness o a spectator, just as a tyrant wrestler looks upon the rst attempt o a child tostand up. Te Persian and Byzantine Empires were shatteredinto pieces with a single blow rom the strike o the ProphetMuhammadsa. So long as the Muslims were engaged incon ronting these tyrant governments, that had orced peopleinto slavery or over hundreds, i not thousands o years, andtheir humble and ill-equipped army was at war with the massive

16. Sahihul-Bukhari, Kitabul-Hudud, Babu Su’alil-Imamil-Muqirr,

H adith No. 6825[Publishers]




and well-equipped armies o their enemies, the opponents oIslam thought that the Muslim victories were temporary andsoon this wave would take another turn; and this nation, risingin the likeness o a storm would soon y away like a tornado.However, there astonishment knew no bounds when in a periodo a ew years the horizon was cleared and the banner o Islambegan to utter in all our corners o the world. Tis was such atriumph which lef the enemy dumb ounded and it drowned in

a sea o surprise and astonishment. In the eyes o enemy orces,the companions as well as those who gained their companybegan to appear as supernatural beings. Te enemy lost all hope.However, when a period o time elapsed afer these victories andtheir awe and astonishment lessened, and their ear lessened afermeeting the Companionsas, the thought o opposing Islam andestablishing alse religions developed. As ar as argumentation

was concerned, they could not contest with the pure teachingso Islam. Governments had been wiped out and the one tool that was always used against the truth i.e., oppression and tyranny,had been destroyed. Now only one avenue remained, which wasto do the work o an enemy in the guise o a riend, and throughagreement, create divide. Hence, various evil people who werebecoming blinded by the light o Islam accepted the religionoutwardly, but actually sought to destroy it afer apparentlyconverting to Islam. Since the progress o Islam was associated with Khil a fat , in the presence o a shepherd, the wol was unableto attack. Tere ore, it was proposed that Khil a fat be wiped outand the thread o harmony which tied the Muslims o the entire world together be torn, so that the Muslims could be deprivedo the blessings o unity. In this manner, alse religions could




once again nd an avenue o progress by taking advantage o theabsence o a leader and no danger would exist or their deceitand deception to be revealed.

In my opinion, these are the our causes which gaverise to the grand rebellion that shook the very oundation othe Muslim ummah in the era oHadrat ‘Uthman, may Allahbe pleased with him. Tere were times when the enemy wasoverjoyed by the thought that now, this magnicent ortress

would crumble to the ground, along with its roo s and walls.Tis religion had oretold that it would achieve the ollowingmagnicent uture:

“He it is Who has sent His Messenger with [the guidance] and the Religion of truth, so that He may cause it to prevail

of all other religions.” 17

Te enemy believed that this religion would now be eradicatedonce and or all.

WHY DID CONFLICT ARISE INTHE ERA OF H ADRAT ‘UTHM AN RA?

In light o the historical events which transpired in thelast days o the Khil a fat o Hadrat ‘Uthmanra, I have deducedthe actual causes o this conict and presented them be ore you. You shall understand or yoursel as to whether they arecorrect or incorrect, once you become aware o the events rom which I have drawn this conclusion. However, be ore I allude

17. As-Saff (61:10)




to these events I wish to say something with regards to thequestion o why unrest arose in the time oHadrat ‘Uthmanra?Te act o the matter is that in the time oHadrat ‘Uthmanra, people entered Islam in large numbers. Te vast majority othese new Muslims were un amiliar with the Arabic language,thus, learning the Islamic aith was not as easy or them as it was or the Arabs. For centuries, due to their interaction withthe Persians and Syrians, even those who knew Arabic, had

remained victim to the lthy views which were a natural resulto the civilisation o that era. In addition to this, due to battles with the Persians and Christians, the ull strength o mostcompanions and those who ollowed him, was being exhaustedin warding off the onslaughts o the enemy. wo major causes

or why new Muslims were unable to become as amiliar withIslam as was required, were that on the one hand, Muslim

attention was occupied by external enemies and, on the otherhand, new Muslims were un amiliar with the Arabic languageor had been inuenced by non-Arab views. In the era oHadrat‘Umarra, since the Muslims were engaged in a large-scale serieso wars and the danger o the enemy remained ever-present, people did not receive an opportunity to contemplate othermatters. Additionally, due to being in constant battle with theenemy, naturally, religious passion would rise up again andagain, and this covered up the weakness in religious knowledge which existed among the people. Te same conditions were prevalent even in the early era oHadrat ‘Uthmanra. On onehand, wars ensued, while earlier inuences also remained inthe hearts o people. When a state o peace prevailed to someextent and initial enthusiasm also subsided, it was then that




this religious weakness began to show its colours. Te enemieso Islam capitalised on this opportunity and mobilised in orderto create mischie . Hence, this disorder was not the result oany action oHadrat ‘Uthmanra. As a matter o act, had theseconditions developed in the time o any Khal i fah, disorder would have emerged. Te only ault oH adrat ‘Uthmanra wasthat he was elected to the office o Khil a fat at a time when hisinvolvement in creating disorder was no greater than that oH

adrat Ab

u Bakr

ra

orH

adrat ‘Umar

ra

; and who can say thatthis conict was the result o a weakness on the part o thesetwo holy men? It does not cease to amaze me as to how certain people assert that these disorders were the result o a weaknesso Hadrat ‘Uthmanra. H adrat ‘Umarra, who could not have evenimagined thatHadrat ‘Uthmanra would become Khal i fah, hadalready identied the root cause o this conict in the era o his

own Khil a fat . He then warned the uraish in this regard withstrong words. As such, it is written thatH adrat ‘Umarra wouldnot allow the senior companions to go orth or war and ithey sought his permission he would say,“Is the jihad which you performed alongside the Holy Prophet sa not sufficient?” 18 Once, when the companions nally complained, he said:

“I have grazed Islam just as a camel is grazed. First, a

18. Hadrat ‘Umarra had two reasons in view. Firstly, this meant thata community o teachers always remained in Madinah. Secondly,the companions received special shares rombaitul-m al [nationaltreasury] due to their being the oremost in belie and offering servicesin the era o the Holy Prophetsa. Tus, Hadrat ‘Umar thought thati these people had also taken part in expeditions, they would havereceived even more shares and this would be difficult or others to

bear.




camel is born, then it becomes a calf. Then it grows twoteeth, then four teeth and then six. Then it grows canineteeth. Now, what can be expected for one whose canineteeth have grown except for weakness. Listen! Islam hasnow reached its perfection. The Quraish desire that they should take all the wealth for themselves, while others are deprived.19 Hearken! Until ‘Umar bin Al-Khattab is alive, he shall hold the Quraish by their necks so that they

do not fall into the fire of disorder.” 20

It appears rom this statement oH adrat ‘Umarra, thateven in his own era, he noticed the views billowing in the mindso people that the companions received a greater share. For thisreason, except or a ew companions, without whom the armiescould not be managed, he would not allow the companions togo orth or jihad so that people would not be put to trial due to

the Companions receiving a double share. Moreover, he elt thatIslam had now reached the pinnacle o its success and afer this,only the danger o its decline remained, not a hope o urther progress. Afer having mentioned this much, I shall now relate thesequence o events which shed light on the reality o the conictsthat arose in the time oHadrat ‘Uthmanra. I have already mentioned that in the beginning o the Khil a fat o H adrat ‘Uthmanra we see no sign o disorder orup to six years. uite the contrary, it appears that people were

19. In other words, i the companions took a share or being pioneers andthen also or now taking part in jihad, others would receive less.

20. arikhut-Tabari, vol. 5, pp. 184-185, Dhikru Ba‘di Siyari

Uthmana....., Published by Darul-Fikr, Beirut, 2002 edition




generally pleased with him.21 In act, it is ascertained romhistory that in this era he was even dearer to the people thanHadrat ‘Umarra. Not only was he dear to the people, in act, they were in awe o him. A poet o that era testies to this act in his poetic verses, in the ollowing words:22

“O rebellious people! Do not loot and devour the people’swealth in the reign of ‘Uthm anra ; for Ibni ‘Aff an is hewhom you have experienced. In accordance with Quranic

injunctions, he executes those who pillage; he has alwaysbeen a guardian of the injunctions of this Holy Quran;he is the one who teaches the people to act upon theseinjunctions.” 23

However, afer six years, we see a campaign in the seventh year;and this was not directed againstHadrat ‘Uthmanra; rather,it was directed against the companions or against various

governors. As such,Tabari narrates thatH adrat ‘Uthmanra

tookull consideration o the rights o people. However, those people who did not enjoy the distinction o being the oremost pioneersin Islam did not receive the same level o honour as the earlyand pioneer Muslims did in gatherings; nor did they receive an

21. arikhut-Tabari, vol. 5, pp. 101-102, Dhikru Ma K ana Fiha Minal-Ahdathil-Mashhurah, Published by Darul-Fikr, Beirut, 2002 edition

ن ا ک رة ا

و أ

ن ا

وص ط

ن ی ا ن

ن ا ھ

ا ھ ات

ا زل

23. arikhut-Tabari, vol. 5, pp. 104-105, Dhikrus-Sababi Fī ‘Azli.....,

Published by Darul-Fikr, Beirut, 2002 edition

22.




equal share in rule and wealth. Over time, some people beganto criticise this superiority and deemed it to be an injustice.However, these people eared the Muslim masses and out o their

ear that the people would oppose them, they would not expresstheir views. Instead, the practice which they had employed wasto secretly incite people against the companions. When theycame across an uneducated Muslim or a reed Bedouin slave,they would open up their book o complaints. Consequently,

either out o ignorance or due to their own desire or position,certain people would join them. Gradually, this group began tomultiply and reached a large number.24

When disorder is about to arise, its contributing actorsalso begin to accumulate in an extraordinary manner. On theone hand, those o a jealous disposition were beginning to growincensed against the companions. On the other hand, the zeal

or Islam, which is usually present in the hearts o all those whoconvert rom other religions, began to decline amongst thesenew Muslims, who had neither lived in the company o theHoly Prophetsa, nor had they received an opportunity to spenda great deal o time with those who had been in his company.As a matter o act, as soon as they accepted Islam, it was their presumption that they had learned everything. As soon as thisIslamic ervour lessened, the control which Islam possessed overtheir hearts also began to all weak. Tey, once again, began toenjoy committing the sins that they had once indulged in be orethey became Muslims. When they were punished or their






crimes, instead o re orming themselves, they became bent uponthe destruction o those who were administering these sentences.Ultimately, they proved to become the cause o creating a greatrif in the unity enjoyed by Islam. Te centre o these people was in Ku ah. However, the strangest thing to note is that anincident took place in Madinah itsel , which demonstrates thatin that time, some people were as un amiliar with Islam as theignorant people o today who live in the remotest areas.H imran

bin Abban was a person who married a woman during her‘iddat.25 WhenHadrat ‘Uthman, may Allah be pleased with him,

learned o this, he was displeased at him; not only did he order aseparation, but also exiled him rom Madinah to Basrah.26 Tisoccurrence demonstrates how certain people began to perceivethat the mere acceptance o Islam authorized them as beingscholars o Islam. Tey did not eel a need or urther research.

Perhaps, due to an inuence o various views, related to believingin unlaw ul things as being permissible, they deemed it a utileact to ollow the shariah. Tis is a sole event and perhaps inMadinah, which was the centre o Islam, there was no one else who was as ignorant as he. However, in other cities, there weresome who continued to advance in sins. Hence, it is ascertained

rom the circumstances o Ku ah that a band o youths hadtaken root or the purpose o robbery. It is written that oncethey proposed robbing the house o a person named ‘Ali bin

25. A xed time period specied by the Islamic shariah, which mustelapse be ore a widow or divorced lady is permitted to marry again.[Publishers]

26. arikhut-Tabari, vol. 5, p. 139, Dhikrul-Khabari‘An asy īri

‘Uthmana....., Published by Darul-Fikr, Beirut, 2002 edition




possessed control in their respective spheres, were involved inthis robbery. As such, this was not an ordinary crime; in act, it was the oreshadowing o a great revolution. What else couldthis have been an indication towards other than the act that thecontrol o Islam upon the hearts o people who were un amiliar with the religion o Islam was beginning to diminish? Tey werereverting to their old habits once again. Not only the poor, buteven the rich were rising up to gain back their lost glory through

murder and bloodshed. Te Companion,H

adrat Ab

u Shurai

hra

,gathered this very well; he instantly sold his wealth, etc., andleaving Ku ah, returned to Madinah along with his amily.28 Hishaving lef Ku ah, due to this event, is sufficient evidence thatthis distinct account was an indication towards the dangerousevents o the uture. In these very days, another disorder began toemerge as well.

‘Abdullah bin Saba, was a Jew, also known as Ibnus-Sauda’ on account o his mother.29 He was a resident o Yemenand was an extremely evil person. Upon witnessing the growingsuccess o Islam, he became a Muslim with the objective osomehow creating rif among the Muslims. In my view, it is this very mischievous person around whom the disorders o thisera revolve, and who was in act a driving orce in this respect.It seems as i his inclination towards mischie was ingrained inhis very nature. It was a habit or him to conspire secretly and

28. arikhut-Tabari, vol. 5, p. 105, Dhikrus-Sababi Fī ‘Azli....., Publishedby Darul-Fikr, Beirut, 2002 edition [Publishers]

29. arikhut-Tabari, vol. 5, p. 147, Dhikru Masiri Mann Sara Ila Dhi Khashabin Min Ahli Misra....., Published by Darul-Fikr, Beirut, 2002

edition [Publishers]




he was highly skilled in identi ying such people who couldserve his motives. He would speak to everyone according totheir dispositions and instigate vice in the veil o virtue. It is

or this reason that even sincere people would all victim tohis deception. He became a Muslim in the rst hal o the Khil a fat o Hadrat ‘Uthmanra and toured all the Muslim Statesin order to personally gain insight as to the circumstances oeach region. However, it was impossible or him to ull his

ends in Mad i nah Munawwarah.

30

At the time, Makkah wascompletely disconnected rom politics. Apart rom the capital– Basrah, Ku ah, Damascus and Fustat were the political centresat the time. First he visited these places. He adopted a practice, whereby, he searched or such people who had been punishedand were there ore displeased with the State. He would visitthem and stay at their residence. First, he went to Basrah and

stayed withHak im bin Jabalah, a robber who was under housearrest. He began to gather people o his own mentality andormed a party. As this was only the beginning o his mission

and he was also a clever man, there ore, he would not speakopenly; rather, he would call people towards mischie throughsubtle indications. Moreover, as was his long-standing custom,he continued his practice o admonition and exhortation as well. As a result o this, people began to develop reverence intheir hearts or him and they began to accept his words. When‘Abdullah bin ‘Amir, the governor o Basrah, came to know othis, he asked him how he was doing and enquired as to why hehad come. At this, he sent a reply saying,“I am a person from ‘the

30. Literally means, ‘Madinah, the Enlightened’ [Publishers]




People of the Book’ who has fallen in love with Islam and wishes to stay under your protection.” Since ‘Abdullah bin ‘Amir had alreadydiscovered the true state o affairs, he did not accept this pleaand said,“The information I possess about your state of affairs isin contradiction to what you claim, so leave my city.”Accordingly,he lef Basrah and travelled towards Ku ah.31 However, be oreleaving, he managed to leave behind the seed o disorder andrebellion and aversion towards Islam.

In my opinion, this was the very rst political error thattook place. Instead o exiling him, i the governor o Basrah hadimprisoned him and established a charge against him, perhapsthis disorder may have remained there suppressed. Te veryintention behind Ibni Sauda’ leaving his home was to iname are o disorder and sedition by touring the whole o the IslamicEmpire. His leaving Basrah was precisely in accordance with his

objective. Upon reaching Ku ah, he began to repeat the schemeshe had undertaken in Basrah. Ultimately, he was exiled rom hereas well, but be ore moving on, he had managed to sow the seedo his mischie here as well, which later grew into very large tree.On this occasion, along with his exile, the political error thattook place initially was committed once again. From Ku ah he went to Syria, but was unable to nd an opportunity to gain a

oothold there. Here,Hadrat Mu‘a wiyahra was managing theaffairs o State with such excellence that neither was Ibni Sauda’able to nd such people amongst whom he could develop sway,nor could such people be ound who could serve as his deputies.

31. arikhut-Tabari, vol. 5, p. 139, Dhikrul-Khabari‘An asy īri

‘Uthman....., Published by Darul-Fikr, Beirut, 2002 edition




Hence, he was orced to move on rom Syria with regret anddespair. Tus, he turned towards Egypt, but prior to leaving Syriahe instigated another mischie . Abu Dharr Ghi arira was an extremely pious andrighteous man rom among the pioneer Companions o theHoly Prophetsa. From the moment that he accepted Islam, hissteps only advanced orward in the love o the Holy Prophetsa.He remained in the company o the Holy Prophetsa or a long

period in time. Everyone possesses a unique disposition. Tus,upon hearing the admonition o the Holy Prophetsa that abeliever should remain detached rom the world, according tohis own disposition, he viewed the accumulation o wealth asbeing unlaw ul and abhorred riches. He would also admonishothers not to accumulate wealth and to distribute whatever they possessed amongst the poor. He had always held ast to this

habit. Even in the era oHadrat Abu Bakr, may Allah be pleased with him, when the Muslims became affluent, he held the same view. When Ibni Sauda’ was passing through Syria, he noticedan extreme ebullience in his nature against wealth and his desire

or the poor, as well as the rich, to distribute their wealth. Tus,upon travelling through Syria, he met withHadrat Abu Dharrra, who resided there at the time, and said to him:

“Look at the injustice, Mu‘ awiyahra refers to the riches ofbaitul-m al 32 as being the wealth of Allah, although the

funds of baitul-m al are not the only wealth that belongsto Allah; everything belongs to Allah the Exalted. Thenwhy does he declare these funds to be the wealth of Allah

32. National reasury o the Islamic State [Publishers]




in particular? Only, so that he may usurp the right that Muslims have over these funds and after neglecting their share, so that he may devour this wealth himself.”

Hadrat Abu Dharrra was already actively engaged in exhortingthat the affluent should distribute all their wealth among the poor because the true abode o com ort or the beleivers is thehereafer. He was absolutely unaware o the mischie and motiveo this person. As a result, he ell victim to his deception and

actually began to think, that it was wrong to re er to the undso baitul-m al as being the wealth o Allah, because there was adanger o the usurpation o wealth. In this manner, Ibni Sauda’took revenge romHadrat Mu‘a wiyahra or not affording himan opportunity to develop a stronghold in Syria.Hadrat Abu Dharrra went to Mu‘a wiyahra and admonished him,“You refer tothe wealth of Muslims, as being the wealth of Allah!” o this, he

replied:“O Abu Dharr! May Allah the Exalted have mercy on you, are we not all the servants of Allah? Is this wealthnot the wealth of Allah? Is all creation not the creation of Allah the Exalted? Is true authority not in the hands ofGod?”

In other words, when the servants belong to God and it is Hisauthority which reigns supreme then how would the rights o people be neglected by calling this wealth, the wealth o Allah?Te rights which God the Exalted has xed shall be given to Hiscreation according to His command. Tis reply was so pro oundthat Hadrat Abu Dharrra was completely speechless. However,since he possessed special ervour in this regard and Ibni Sauda had planted a doubt in his heart, out o caution, he advised




with them because firstly, the term ‘wealth of Allah’ should not beused; secondly, the affluent should not accumulate wealth.” Hadrat‘Uthmanraexplained:

“Abu Dharr ra , it is my duty and mine alone to fulfil theresponsibility that Allah the Exalted has laid upon me. It is also my obligation to enforce the subjects to dischargetheir responsibilities, to encourage them to serve religion and to be moderate. However, it is not my task to compel

them to abandon the world.” Hadrat Abu Dharrra submitted,“Then allow me to go somewhereelse, because Madinah is no longer appropriate for me.”Hadrat‘Uthmanra responded,“Will you abandon this abode and adoptone that is inferior to this?”He replied,“The Holy Prophet sa toldme that when the population of Madinah extends as far as Sal‘, donot stay in Madinah.”o this,Hadrat ‘Uthman, may Allah be

pleased with him, responded,“Then carry out the instruction ofthe Holy Prophet sa.” Afer giving him some camels and two slaves,Hadrat ‘Uthmanra bid him arewell, but stressed that he shouldnot completely sever his ties with Madinah and continue visitingevery so ofen. Abu Dharrra always acted upon this guidance.35 Tis was the ourth conict which arose. AlthoughHadrat Abu Dharrra was used as an instrument, the act o the matter is thatneither did he hold the same views as the rebels, nor was heaware o their mischie . Despite a difference o opinion,HadratAbu Dharrra never set out to take the law into his own hands.He continued to obey the government to such an extent that in

35. arikhut-Tabari, vol. 5, pp. 112-113, Akhbaru Abi Dharrinra.....,





consideration o his special circumstances, even though the HolyProphetsa had instructed him to leave Madinah at a certain timein order to save him rom trial and suffering, he did not deemit appropriate to even act upon this command without rstseeking permission romHadrat ‘Uthmanra. Moreover, when helef Madinah and settled in Rabdhah and the local tax collectorasked him to become the Imam in congregational prayer, here used saying,“You are the governor here, thus, it is you who is

best suited for being the Im a

m.” Tis demonstrates that he hadno objection in being obedient to governors, nor did he viewanarchy as being permissible. Te simplicity o Hadrat Abu Dharrra becomes clearlyevident rom the act that even afer being deceived by Ibnus-Sauda’, when he would argue with Mu‘a wiyahra, that the undso baitul-m al should not be called the wealth o Allah and even

afer submitting a complaint toHadrat ‘Uthmanra

as well, heconstantly continued to use the same term in his own speech.Once, afer this conict, when he was in Rabdhah a caravanarrived. Te people o the caravan enquired rom him,“We have seen your companions and they are incredibly affluent, but why are you living in such a state of poverty?” He gave them the ollowingresponse:

ه ه ل ا ھ

ھ

“They possess no right over the wealth of Allah, (i.e. the funds of baitul-m al) which I also do not possess.” 36

36. arikhut-Tabari, vol. 5, p. 114, Akhbaru Abi Dharrinra....., Published

by Darul-Fikr, Beirut, 2002 edition




Similarly he would also re er to the Abyssinian governor o thatarea as:

ه ل ا

ر“A servant of the wealth of Allah.” 37

Tis demonstrates that he would use this term himsel as well.Furthermore, the act that he could not help but uttering this phrase again and again testies to the act that this was a general

gure o speech among the companions. However,H

adrat Ab

u Dharrra orgot this due to the deception o Ibnus-Sauda’.

Tis disorder, which is best described as a Bolshevikconict, could not succeed in Syria due to the strategic planningo Hadrat Mu‘a wiyahra. Nevertheless, in different orms, this view managed to spread in other regions and served as an aid inthe work o Ibnus-Sauda’.

Ibnus-Sauda’ lef rom Syria and arrived in Egypt.Tis was the place that chose to make the centre o hisscheme because it was very ar rom the capital. Secondly,the companions did not visit it as ofen as other areas. For thisreason, the local people were comparatively less amiliar withreligion and more willing to take part in conict. Te deputyo Ibnus-Sauda’, who was a resident o Ku ah and shall bementioned later on, was exiled a short period afer these events. When asked, in reply to the enquiry oHadrat Mu‘a wiyahra as tothe state o the members o this new party in different countries,he said:

37. arikhut-Tabari, vol. 5, p. 114, Akhbaru Abi Dharrinra....., Published

by Darul-Fikr, Beirut, 2002 edition




“I have been in correspondence with them, and it was Iwho guided them, not they. The people of Madinah arethe keenest in creating disorder, but they are the leastcapable. The people of Kufah raise objections on trivialmatters, but they are not afraid of committing grave sins.The people of Basrah attack together, but scatter when they

flee. No doubt, it is the people of Egypt who are the most fit for mischief, but their shortcoming is that they become

regretful soon after.” Afer this, describing the situation o Syria he said,“They arethe most obedient to their chiefs and most disobedient to those whomislead them.” 38 Tis is the opinion o Ibnul-Kaww a’ who was amember o the party o Ibnus-Sauda’. Tis establishes that Egypt was the most suitable place where Ibnus-Sauda’ could setupcamp. When his shrewd eye o mischie caught sight o this,

he selected this as his place o residence and made it a centre odisorder. It was no time be ore a party had gathered around him. Now, headquarters o mischie had been establishedin every city. With great skill and intelligence, Ibnus-Sauda’began to recruit such people who had either been sentenced, were relatives o such people, or were not content with theircondition or one reason or another. He would express his viewto such people according to their respective dispositions inorder to gain their sympathy. Madinah was sa e rom mischieand Syria was completely ree rom it as well. Tere were three

38. * As shall be proven ahead, he lied when stating that the people oMadinah were not at all involved in this disorder.

* arikhut-Tabari, vol. 5, p. 140, Dhikru Ma K ana Minal-Ahdathi.....,

Published by Darul-Fikr, Beirut, 2002 edition [Publishers]




centres where the material or conict was being prepared, i.e.Basrah, Ku ah and Egypt. Egypt was the headquarters. However,Ibnus-Sauda’ had kept himsel hidden behind veils, just like theexperienced and philosophically minded anarchists o that era.He was the spirit behind this entire scheme but others had been pushed to the ore ront. Due to being nearby and on account othe political superiority which Basrah and Ku ah enjoyed at thetime, the people o these two cities appear to be at the ore ront

o this revolution. However, i one looks closely, the pages ohistory clearly indicate that the reins o all these schemes was inthe hands o Ibnus-Sauda’, who lived in Egypt. I have already mentioned that a party o men robbedthe house o ‘Ali bin H aisuman Al-Khaza‘i in Ku ah and thenkilled him, afer which these murderers were executed at thegate o the city. Te athers o these young men were extremely

shocked by this and desired to seek revenge rom Walid bin‘Utbah, the governor o that region. Tey waited eagerly or anopportunity to seek revenge. Tese people became an excellent weapon or the rebels, and ully utilised them. In order to seekrevenge rom Walid, they appointed spies so that they couldnd a shortcoming in Walid and in orm them. Te spies had toreport something, so, one day, they came and relayed that Walidmeets with a Muslim riend Abu Zubair, who was previously aChristian, and drinks alcohol. Te rebels rose up and beganto announce to the whole city that this was the state o theirgovernor. Te ervour o the masses is, afer all, uncontrollable.Upon hearing this, a large party joined them and they allbesieged the house o Walid. Tere was no door as such andeveryone recklessly entered through the mosque (the door to his




house opened into the mosque) and Walid only came to knowo them when they were standing right be ore him. Upon seeingthem, he became perplexed and quickly hid something awayunder the bed. Tey thought that they had caught the thie redhanded and the secret had now been revealed. Without utteringa single word someone promptly slipped his hand under the bedand pulled out the object. When they caught sight o it, theynoticed that it was a tray with the ood o the governor o Ku ah

and a bunch o grapes placed on it, which the Governor hadhidden only in the embarrassment that such a small quantity oood had been presented be ore the Governor o such a wealthy

province. At this, all o these people were lef con oundedand they turned on their heels in utter shame. Tey began toreproach one another or committing such a grave crime and orhaving discarded the commandments o the shariah due to being

deceived by a ew mischievous people. In his embarrassment, Walid buried the matter and did not in ormH adrat ‘Uthmanra o this incident. However, ultimately, this mercy o his, whichhe expressed to undeserving people, proved to be seriouslydetrimental or him and also or his deputy afer him. Instead obeing moved by his mercy, the rebels elt even more humiliatedand began to connive or the destruction o Walid with evengreater ervour than be ore. Tey went toHadrat ‘Uthmanra as a delegation or the dismissal o Walid. However,Hadrat‘Uthmanra re used to dismiss the governor without crime. Whenthese people returned they began to gather all such people whohad been sentenced and collectively deliberated as to how, byhook or by crook, Walid could be disgraced. wo people namedAbu Zainab and Abu Muwarri‘, took it upon themselves to




devise a scheme and actively began to sit in his gatherings. Oneday they ound an opportunity when no one else was aroundand Walid had gone to sleep in the men’s section, which was partitioned rom the ladies section only by a sheet. Te both othem slowly removed his ring and ran towards Madinah claimingto have seen Walid drunk. Tey asserted that the ring was prooo this and they had removed it, without him noticing, when he was in a state o intoxication.Hadrat ‘Uthmanra inquired,“Did

he drink alcohol in front of you?” Tey did not dare respond inthe affirmative, because i such had been the case, this wouldimplicate that they too were involved with Walid. Instead, theyresponded,“We saw him vomit alcohol.”Te ring was at handas evidence and two witnesses were present. In addition, a ewother mischievous people accompanied them as well in orderto urther strengthen their testimony and continued to urnish

circumstantial testimony o the incident. Counsel was soughtrom the companions and it was decided that Walid would be punished or the consumption o alcohol. He was summoned

rom Ku ah to Madinah and lashed as a penalty or drinking.Although Walid de ended himsel and in ormedHadrat‘Uthmanra o their mischie , butHadrat ‘Uthmanra responded:

“According to the law of the shariah you must receive a punishment as per the testimony of these witnesses. Ofcourse, a person who gives false testimony shall be punishedby Allah the Exalted.” 39

Walid was deposed on a alse account, but according to the






counsel o the companions,H adrat ‘Uthmanra sentenced him.Since witnesses and circumstantial evidence was present againsthim, it was necessary or him to be punished according to thelaw o the shariah. Sa‘id bin Al-‘Asra was made the governor oKu ah and sent in his place. When he went to Ku ah and sawthe state that prevailed there, he was shocked. Te delinquentso society and those who were un amiliar with religion had primarily taken control and the well-mannered had been

subjugated and suppressed. He in ormedH

adrat ‘Uthm

an

ra

othe matter, who advised him to restore the respect and honour othose who had offered great sacrices and came orth to ght theopponents in earlier times. I , however, they demonstrated a lacko interest in religion, then o course, he could replace them withthose who were more pious.40

When this mischie had broken out in Ku ah, Basrah

was not at rest. TroughHak im bin Jabalah, an agent o Ibnus-Sauda’, and his accomplices, alse allegations were being spreadagainst the deputies oHadrat ‘Uthmanra there as well. In Egypt, which was the real headquarters, even greaterhavoc had been wreaked. Not only had ‘Abdullah bin Saba instigated political insurgency in this region; rather, he was alsoruining the religion o people. However, he did this in a mannerthat people who were ignorant o aith would consider him verysincere. As such, he would preach saying:

“It is strange that various Muslims hold the belief thatthe Masih [Messiah], on whom be peace, would return

40. arikhut-Tabari, vol. 5, p. 109, Dhikrus-Sababi Fī ‘Azli....., Published

by Darul-Fikr, Beirut, 2002 edition [Publishers]




to the world again. Yet, they do not believe that the Holy Prophet sa would be raised again. However, Allah the Exalted states in the Holy Quran:

‘He Who has made the teaching of the Quran binding on you will most surely bring you back to the place of return.’” 41

Many o his ollowers accepted this teaching o his and became

convinced o the [physical] re-advent o the Holy Prophetsa

onearth, despite the act that the Holy uran strongly rejects thereturn to earth o those who have passed away. However, it is possible that in order to honour the name o such a person,Allah the Exalted raises some else afer having endowed him themorals and attributes o that person. However, this concept is atcomplete odds with the belie o reincarnation or the return o

a person [to earth]; this is an obvious and clear act. In additionto this belie oraj‘at , ‘Abdullah bin Saba began to preach thatthousands o prophets had passed and every prophet possesseda wa si ;42 thus, thewa si o the Holy Prophetsa wasHadrat ‘Alira.I the Holy Prophetsa waskh atamul-anbiy a’ 43 thenH adrat ‘Alira waskh atamul-au siy a’. Ten he would say,“Who can be more

41. * Tis prophecy was actually about the victory o Makkah, which was distorted by him in order to concoct the belie oraj ‘ at . Since people travel to Makkah again and again or the purpose o hajj andto attain spiritual reward, this is why it is also calledma‘ ad i.e., a place where people return ofen.

* Al-Qasas (28:86)42. See glossary o terms or urther details [Publishers]

43. Seal o the Prophets [Publishers]




unjust than a person who attacks the wa si of the Holy Prophet sa and snatches his right?” 44

Tere ore, aside rom the political strategies thatthis person employed in order to create rif in Islam, he hadinstigated a religious disorder as well. Furthermore, he wasalso conniving to corrupt the belie s o Muslims, but took precautions to ensure that people considered him to be aMuslim.

In this state o affairs, three years elapsed and thismischievous group continued to carry out these secretconspiracies. Tis party continued to multiply in number.However, in this three year period no signicant incidenttranspired except that two residents o Mad i nah Munawwarah named Muhammad bin Abi Bakr and Muhammad bin Abi Hudhai ah, began to take part in this disorder to some extent

as well.45

Muhammad bin Abi Bakr was the younger son oHadrat Abu Bakrra and except or the act that he possessed thedistinction o being the son oHadrat Abu Bakrra, he held noreligious merit. Muhammad bin Abi Hudhai ah was an orphan who had been brought up byHadrat ‘Uthmanra. However, aferreaching an age o maturity, he played a prominent role in theuprising againstHadrat ‘Uthmanra. I shall explain why shortlyhereafer. In the ourth year, this conict took on somewhat

44. arikhut-Tabari, vol. 5, p. 147, Dhikru Masiri Mann Sara Ila Dhi Khashabin Min Ahli Misra....., Published by Darul-Fikr, Beirut, 2002edition [Publishers]

45. arikhut-Tabari, vol. 5, p.p 117-118, Dhikrul-Khabari‘AnMaqtali Yazdajar....., Published by Darul-Fikr, Beirut, 2002 edition

[Publishers]




o a terri ying state and its originators thought that now it wasappropriate to openly express their views and to wipe out theawe o the State. Consequently, in this regard as well, Ku ah wasrst to advance. As I have already mentioned, Sa‘id bin Al-‘Asra wasappointed governor o Ku ah afer Walid bin ‘Utbah. Fromthe outset he had adopted the custom o only allowing nobletownsmen to come into his company. However, at times, he

would also hold an open gathering when men o all types wouldbe allowed to come into his company. One day, they were sittingin such a gathering when the subject o the generosity oHadratTalhahra came under discussion. Someone said thatHadratTalhahra always acted with extreme generosity. In response tothis Sa‘id happened to utter the words:

“He possesses a great deal of wealth, and so he is charitable;

if we also possessed such wealth, we too, would demonstrate such generosity and munificence.” A young man naively said:

“If only such and such property, which once belonged tothe royal treasury and had been kept for the benefit ofordinary Muslims, had been in your possession. ”

At this, a ew men who belonged to the party o rebels and were waiting or an opportunity to arise so that they could expresstheir views, began to express their anger. Tey asserted that the person had made this statement on the indication o Sa‘id, thegovernor o Ku ah; so that a pathway could be paved in orderto usurp this wealth. As such, they stood up and began to beatthis person right be ore Sa‘id. When his ather stood up toassist him, they thoroughly beat him as well. Sa‘id continuously




attempted to restrain them but they did not even pay heed tohim; and beat the two until they both ell unconscious. Whenthe public received news that certain people had committed suchan act o mischie in the very presence o Sa‘id, they gatheredoutside his house armed. However, the perpetrators begged and pleaded Sa‘id or orgiveness and asked or his re uge. How couldthe generosity o an Arab, and then a one rom the uraish, possibly bear to re use the plea o an enemy or re uge at such an

occasion. Sa‘id stepped out and said to the public,“A few people fell to confrontation; the matter is of no significance and everything

is now in order.”Everyone returned to their homes, and onceagain these people began to eel at ease. When Sa‘id was certainthat the perpetrators were out o danger, he let them go. Ten headdressed the people who had been beaten and said:

“As I have already given these people refuge, do not publicise

their crime, or I shall be disgraced. Rest assured, however,that they shall not be allowed in my company again.” 46

Te rebels had already succeeded in their real objectivei.e. to create disturbance in the Islamic administration. Now,they had began to openly criticiseHadrat ‘Uthmanra and Sa‘id intheir homes. Te public was greatly offended by this behaviourand complained to Sa‘id saying:

“These people are causing mischief in this manner. Theycriticise H ad rat ‘Uthm anra and you, and seek to uprootthe unity of Islam. We cannot tolerate this; please resolvethe matter.”

46. arikhut-Tabari, vol. 5, pp. 133-134, Dhikru asy iri Mann SayyaraMin Ahlil-K u ata Ilaiha, Published by Darul-Fikr, Beirut, 2002





He replied,“Inform H ad rat ‘Uthm anra of all the events yourself and the matter shall be dealt with in accordance with hisinstructions.” All the noble people in ormedHadrat ‘Uthmanra o the events, who ordered Sa‘id that i the leaders o Ku ahunanimously agreed, these people should be exiled towardsSyria and sent to Amir Mu‘a wiyah. Ten, he wrote to AmirMu‘a wiyahra saying:

“A few people, who are openly bent upon creating disorder,

shall come to you from Kufah. Make preparations fortheir subsistence and devise a plan for their reform. If theyimprove and reform themselves, then treat them withcompassion and overlook their faults, but if they persist inmischief then punish them.” 47

Tis order o H adrat ‘Uthmanra was based on immense wisdom because on the one hand, their living in Ku ah would

provoke the public’s anger, who was ully aware o their mischie ;and there was a danger o them being incited and causing themharm; on the other hand, it was also injurious because these people were residents there and possessed a degree o inuence.I they had continued to live there, they would have becomea means or misguiding many others.48 However, this verdict was issued at a time when much benet could not be expected.I Ibni ‘Amir, the governor o Basrah, had also sought advice

47. arikhut-Tabari, vol. 5, p. 134, Dhikru asy iri Mann Sayyara MinAhlil-K u at Ilaiha, Published by Darul-Fikr, Beirut, 2002 edition[Publishers]

48. Tey were unable to nd an opportunity to mislead people in the place where they were exiled because they were kept under special

supervision and strict watch.




romHadrat ‘Uthmanra regarding Ibnus-Sauda’ and a similarinstruction had been given or him, perhaps latter events mayhave turned out differently. However, the state o the Muslims atthe time demanded that such should be its ate and destiny; andso it occurred. Tese people who were exiled and should best bere erred to as members o the party o Ibni Saba, were close toten in number (although there is a disagreement in their actual

number). Te rst strategy thatH

adrat Mu‘

a wiyah

ra

adoptedor their re ormation was to treat them with great honour andreverence. He would eat with them and ofen go and sit in theircompany, during his leisure time. Afer a ew days, he advisedthem saying:

“I have heard that you hold enmity for the Quraish,49 while this should not be the case. It is through the Quraish

that Allah the Exalted has endowed glory to the Arabs.Your governors are like your shields so do not part fromthese shields, for they bear hardships on your account and are concerned for you. If you do not value this, God the Exalted shall appoint such rulers upon you who shalloppress you severely; shall not value your patience and a

49. It is clearly evident rom the statement oHadrat Mu‘a wiyah andthe reply o these people that they were not opposed toHadrat‘Uthmanra or his appointed Governors. Tey opposed the uraish;in other words, they harboured jealousy against those who were the

oremost in belie . I a companion other thanHadrat ‘Uthmanra hadbeen Khal i fah, and other Governors had been appointed in place othose who already held office, these people would have held enmitytowards them in the same manner, because their only objective was to

attain grandeur.




Islam and desires to create rift in religion. However, Allahthe Exalted shall cast you into a greater trial than theone you desire to create. In my opinion, you are not theleast worthy of any attention. The people who wrote tothe Khal i fah with regards to you, committed a mistake. Neither can any benefit be expected of you, nor harm.”

Upon listening to all o the advice oH adrat Mu‘a wiyahra, these people said,“We order you to step down from your office.” Hadrat

Mu‘a wiyah

ra

replied:“If the Khal i fah and the Muslim leaders ask me to, then I shall resign from office today. Who are you to interfere inthese matters. I advise you to mend your ways and to adopt piety. Allah the Exalted does His work Himself. If matterswere decided in accordance to your wishes, then the workof Islam would come to ruin. In actuality, you are averse to

the very religion of Islam. In your hearts is one thing andupon your tongues is quite the opposite. However, one day, Allah the Exalted shall certainly disclose your intentions and secret schemes.”

As such,Hadrat Mu‘a wiyahra spent a great deal o time advisingthem, but they only continued to move urther in theirdisrespect. Ultimately, when they were lef speechless, theyattackedHadrat Mu‘a wiyahra in an attempt to kill him butHadrat Mu‘a wiyahra scolded them saying:

“This is Syria, not Kufah. If the Syrians learn of this, they shall not remain silent as the people of Kufah did upon therequest of Sa‘ i d. In their vehemence, the masses shall noteven listen to me and tear you to pieces.”




Having said this,H adrat Mu‘a wiyahra lef the gathering and sentthem back to Ku ah. He then wrote toHadrat ‘Uthmanra:

“These people are not the least worthy of attention dueto their foolishness and ignorance. We should not givethem any attention. It should also be written to Sa‘ i d, the governor of Kufah, not to pay any attention to them. They are irreligious people and averse to Islam. They desire torob the wealth of those in a position of responsibility and

have the habit of creating disorder. They do not havethe strength to cause harm themselves without the aid ofothers.” 51

Te opinion o Hadrat Mu‘a wiyahra was absolutelycorrect but he was unaware that there was a soul hiding outsidehis territory, in Egypt, who was using all o them; and his cause was best served by their ignorance and oolishness.

When these people lef Damascus, they abandonedtheir plan o going to Ku ah, since the people who lived there were already amiliar with their mischie . Tey also eared thatthey would suffer harm there; hence they went towards Jazirah.Te governor o this region, ‘Abdur-Rahman, was the pious sono the renowned general who had lef behind a shining legacy ocourage and bravery or the whole world, i.e., Khalid bin Walid. When he learnt o their arrival, he immediately called or themand said:

“I have heard of your state of affairs. May Allah ruin meif I am unable to reform you. You are aware that I am

51. arikhut-Tabari, vol. 5, pp. 134-135/138, Dhikru asy iri MannSayyara Min Ahlil-K u at Ilaiha, Published by Darul-Fikr, Beirut,

2002 edition [Publishers]




the son of that man who removed the disorder of apostasy and emerged victorious from great difficulties. I shall seewhether you are able to talk to me in the manner that you spoke to Mu‘ awiyahra and Sa‘ i d ra. Listen here! If you utter a word of mischief to someone here, then I shall give you a punishment that you will never forget.”

Having said this, he conned them and ordered them to alwaysremain with him. When he would go on journey, he would take

them along with him on oot and he would inquire:“How do you feel now? Punishment is the remedy of a person who is not reformed by virtue. Why do you not speak now?”

Tese people would express remorse and seek repentance ortheir mischie . Afer some time had elapsed, ‘Abdur-Rahmanbin Khalid bin Walid thought that they had been re ormed. As

such, he sent a person rom among them by the name o Malikto Hadrat ‘Uthmanra in order to beg or orgiveness. He camebe oreHadrat ‘Uthmanra and repented and expressed remorseand asked orgiveness or himsel and his companions.Hadrat‘Uthmanra orgave him and inquired as to where he desiredto live. Malik replied that now he wished to stay with ‘Abdur-Rahman bin Khalid.Hadrat ‘Uthmanra granted him permissionand he returned to ‘Abdur-Rahman bin Khalid.52

His desire to stay with ‘Abdur-Rahman bin Khalidindicates that his heart had certainly been cleansed at the time.I not, he would not have desired to return to such a man, who

52. arikhut-Tabari, vol. 5, pp. 135-136, Dhikru asy iri Mann SayyaraMin Ahlil-K u ata Ilaiha, Published by Darul-Fikr, Beirut, 2002





would not tolerate mischie or even a minute. However, laterevents substantiate that his repentance was only temporaryand the opinion oHadrat Mu‘a wiyahra was correct, in thatthese were oolish people who were only good or being used as weapons. In the meanwhile, ‘Abdullah bin Saba had not remainedidle. uite the contrary, or some time, he had adopted thestrategy o dispatching agents to various regions and thus,

spread his views. Without a shadow o doubt, this was a man oextraordinary intelligence and judgement. Te orders he wouldgive to his agents shed ample light on the ramework o hismind. Whilst dispatching his representatives, he would advisethem:

“Do not be hasty in disclosing your views to people at once;rather, exhort and advise them first. Recite to them the

injunctions of the shariah. Enjoin goodness and forbidevil. When the people observe this manner of admonition,their hearts will be drawn towards you. They will listento you with enthusiasm and will begin to trust you. Onlythen present your particular views skilfully; they will accept them very quickly. Moreover, be cautious not to speak against H ad rat ‘Uthm anra at the very outset; rather,incite people against his representatives first.”

Te purpose behind this was that since the people held a specialreligious attachment withH adrat ‘Uthmanra, they wouldbecome enraged upon hearing words against him. However,they would accept statements against governors as this wouldnot move their religious sentiments. In this manner, when theirhearts would turn black and the obstinacy that results rom




hardships were be alling the Muslims. Hence, the deception o‘Abdullah bin Saba proved to be very effective and by this meanshe managed to gain thousands o sympathetic people who wouldhave been difficult to nd without such a scheme. When this disturbance exceeded all bounds and eventhe noble companions began to receive letters o complaintagainst governors, together, they approachedHadrat ‘Uthmanra and submitted,“Are you not aware of what is taking place outside

Madinah?”H

adrat ‘Uthm

an

ra

replied,“The reports that I receiveindicate nothing but peace and tranquility.” Te companionsresponded that they were receiving letters o such and suchsubject matter, and this should be investigated. At this,Hadrat‘Uthmanra sought their counsel as to how the investigationshould be carried out. According to their proposal Usamah binZaidra was sent to Basrah, Muhammad bin Maslamah to Ku ah,

‘Abdullah bin ‘Umar to Syria and ‘Ammar bin Y asir to Egypt, inorder to investigate the state o affairs and report whether thegovernors were actually treating the citizens unjustly, oppressingthem and usurping the rights o people. In addition to these

our, he also dispatched some others to various lands so that theycould provide a report o the conditions there.53

Tese people went and returned afer having per ormedtheir investigation and all o them reported that it was peace uleverywhere and that Muslims were living their lives in complete

reedom; no one was in ringing upon their rights and thegovernors were acting with equity and justice. However,

53. arikhut-Tabari, vol. 5, pp. 147-148, Dhikru Masiri Mann Sara Ila Dhi Khashabin Min Ahli Misra....., Published by Darul-Fikr, Beirut,

2002 edition




‘Ammar bin Y asir was delayed and no news came rom him.54 I will mention why ‘Ammar bin Y asir was delayed later on, butrst I would like to mention something about this investigativecommittee and the signicance o this investigation. Te reasonbeing that the true reality o this disorder becomes clearlyevident by ully understanding the specics o this delegation.Te rst thing that is worthy o attention, is the stature o thethree leading members o this delegation who returned to

submit their reports. Te status o the people carrying out thisinvestigation demonstrates the signicance o the investigation.I such people had been dispatched as part o this delegation, who desired something romHadrat ‘Uthmanra and his deputies,or who, on account o their low and insignicant spiritual and worldly status may have eared the governors or harboured greed,it could be suggested that these people re rained rom disclosing

the truth on account o their greed or ear. However, such anallegation cannot be levelled against them. Furthermore, byselecting these people to per orm this task,H adrat ‘Uthmanra has urnished clear evidence o his pure intention. Usamahra, theone sent to Bashrah, was not only the son oHadrat Zaidra, who was rst among those who believed, but was also rom amongthe closest and dearest ones o the Holy Prophetsa. He wasthe very person upon whom the Holy Prophetsa con erred the position o being commander-in-chie o the magnicent armythat he was prepared during his nal illness. He also positionedeminent companions likeHadrat ‘Umarra in subordination






to him. Tis selection by the Holy Prophetsa was not merelyan act o encouragement. In act, later events established thathe was capable o achieving great eats. Te Holy Prophetsa displayed so much love or him that spectators would be unableto differentiate whether he loved him more orHadrat ImamHasanra. Muhammad bin Muslim, who was sent to Ku ah, wasalso rom among the most venerable companions. He was lookedupon with great reverence amongst the companions and was

very inuential.‘Abdullah bin ‘Umarra, who was sent to Syria, is amongthose who require no introduction. He was among the oremostMuslims who pledged their allegiance. He was so great in his piety and righteousness that on account o this particular merit,even the most prominent companions displayed a special respect

or him. AferHadrat ‘Alira i the sight o the companions and

other noble men ell upon anyone or succession to Khil a fat ,then it was him. However, he had made it a practice to remainsecluded rom the world. He possessed such indignation orthose things that were deemed sacred in religion that on certainoccasions, he even vehemently debated ‘Umar bin Al-Khattabra.Hence, in speaking the truth, he was an unsheathed sword.His appointment or Syria was a most per ect appointment.Hadrat Mu‘a wiyahra had long been the governor o Syria andheld a position o great awe upon the residents there. Due tohis intelligence, investigating his administration was not thetask o an ordinary person. It was utile to send anyone elseto this region and no one would have been satised with theinvestigation o such a person. However, his excellence in aith,indignation or Islam, arsightedness, righteousness and piety




were such merits, be ore which even Mu‘a wiyahra could not dareto utter a word. In his presence the awe oHadrat Mu‘a wiyahra could not inuence anyone.

Tere ore, the people who were sent to carry out thisinvestigation were magnicent and neutral people and no onecan raise an objection against their ndings. Te unanimous verdict o these three companions along with the rest o those who were sent to other countries that there was absolute peace

and security, no sign o injustice and tyranny, and governors wereacting with complete equality and justice; and i they were liableto be blamed then it was only inasmuch that they compelled people to remain within boundaries, was such a verdict whichleaves no room or doubt. It is clearly evident that all thisdisorder was the result o the mischie o a ew transgressors andthe instigation o ‘Abdullah bin Saba. Hadrat ‘Uthmanraand his

representatives were ree rom all objections. In truth, this entire disturbance was the result o a secretconspiracy hatched by the Jews. Tey were joined by certainMuslims who were attracted to the desire o the world and hadlef their aith. Neither were the provincial governors to blame

or this, nor were they the cause o this disorder. Teir only ault was that they had been appointed byHadrat ‘Uthmanraand the

ault oH adrat ‘Uthmanra was that he was holding ast to therope o Islamic unity despite his old age and physical weakness.He was carrying the burden o the Muslim ummah upon hisshoulders and was concerned or the establishment o the Islamicshariah. He would not allow the rebellious and tyrannous tooppress the weak and helpless according to their desire. As such,the ollowing incident testies to the truth o this act. When




the same rebels held a meeting in Ku ah and they began todiscuss how disorder may be created in Muslim affairs, everyoneunanimously gave the opinion:

س ا ن ا

ا دم ع رأس ه

“By God, no one can dare to raise their head, so long as thereign of ‘Uthm anra prevails.”

It was the very person oH adrat ‘Uthmanra himsel which

prevented rebellion. It was necessary to move him aside in orderor these people to reely achieve their goals.55

Earlier, I explained that ‘Ammar bin Y asir, who had beensent to Egypt, did not return. Tere was a delay in receiving news

rom him to such extent that the residents o Madinah thoughtthat he may have been killed. However, the act o the matter was that due to his simplicity and un amiliarity with politics, he

had allen into the clutches o the rebels, who were disciples o‘Abdullah bin Saba. As ‘Abdullah bin Saba was present in Egypthimsel , he was not oblivious to the act that i this investigativecommittee reported a state o peace and security throughout theland, everyone would turn against them. Te decision to sendthis delegation had been made so suddenly that he was unable tomake arrangements in other provinces. However, it was easy orhim to make arrangements in Egypt. He welcomed ‘Ammar binY asir as soon as he arrived in Egypt and began to describe the weaknesses and cruelties o the governor o Egypt. ‘Ammar binY asir was unable to sa eguard himsel rom the enchantment o

55. arikhut-Tabari, vol. 5, p. 189, Dhikru Ba‘di Siyari‘Uthmanibni

‘Aff ana, Published by Darul-Fikr, Beirut, 2002 edition [Publishers]




his words. Instead o carrying out an unbiased investigation, hedid not even approach the governor o Egypt, nor did he carryout an ordinary investigation. On the contrary, he went along with this group o rebels and began to raise objections withthem.56

‘Ammar bin Y asir is the only person rom among thecompanions about whom it is categorically proven that hebecame entrapped in the snare o rebels. Aside rom him, no

other prominent Companion participated in such an act. Ianyone rom among them has been implicated, such a notionhas been re uted by other narrations. Tere was a particularreason or ‘Ammar bin Y asirra being deceived. As soon as hearrived in Egypt, he happened to meet a group o eloquent and well-spoken people who appeared to be reliable; they began tocomplain to him about the governor o Egypt with great skill.

Coincidently, the governor o Egypt was a man who had oncebeen a bitter enemy o the Holy Prophetsa. At the victory oMakkah the Holy Prophetsa had commanded that he should bekilled even i he was to be ound in the vicinity o the Ka‘bah.Even though the Holy Prophetsa later orgave him, his ormeropposition had lef traces o dislike upon the hearts o certaincompanions, which included ‘Ammarra. Tere ore, uponhearing complaints against such a person, ‘Ammarra was veryquickly inuenced and accepted all the allegations that wouldbe levelled against him as being true. Whilst capitalising onnatural sentiment, the Saba’is, i.e., the supporters o ‘Abdullah






bin Saba, would highlight this particular issue as a meansagainst the governor. Te goodness o intention and sincerity oHadrat ‘Uthmanra may be gauged rom the act that despite allthe delegations giving a verdict absolving the governors,Hadrat‘Uthmanra valued this single view to such extent that he wrote aletter to all the various regions. Te contents o this letter was:

“Ever since I have become the Khal i fah I have acted uponenjoining equity and forbidding evil and my relatives do

not hold a superior right to ordinary Muslims. However, I have come to know from certain residents of Madinahthat the governors beat people and hurl abuse at them. For this reason I make an open announcement by way ofthis letter that whomsoever has been sworn at or beatenin secrecy, should meet me in Makkah Mukarramah57 onthe occasion of hajj. In return for any injustice done by my

hand or by my governors, retribution may be sought fromme and my representatives, or if such a person wills, hemay forgive us. Allah the Exalted Himself rewards thosewho give s adaqah [i.e., those who forgive].

When this brie but pain ul letter was read out upon the pulpitsthroughout the land, the Muslim world was shook rom end toend. Listeners helplessly burst into tears and everyone prayed orHadrat ‘Uthmanra. Everyone expressed displeasure towards thesetransgressors who were attacking and causing grie to a man whoheld sympathy or the Muslim ummah and carried its burden.58

57. Literally means, ‘Makkah, the Honoured.’ [Publishers]58. arikhut-Tabari, vol. 5, p. 148, Dhikru Masiri Mann Sara Ila Dhi

Khashabin Min Ahli Misra....., Published by Darul-Fikr, Beirut, 2002

edition




Hadrat ‘Uthmanra did not cease at this; he especiallysummoned his governors in order to answer or the allegations which had been levelled against them. When all o the governorshad come together, he inquired o them,“What is the reason forthese allegations being levelled against you? I fear that they may betrue.” In response to this, they all submitted:

“You have sent reliable people and discovered that no

injustice is being perpetrated, nor is anything beingcommitted in violation of the shariah. Furthermore, thereliable people you dispatched inquired of the state of affairs from all the people. Not a single person came beforethem and claimed that these complaints were valid. Whatroom, then, is there for doubt? By God, these people havenot spoken the truth nor have they acted with the fear of

Allah. Their allegations have no foundation. It cannotbe permissible to hold one accountable for such baselessthings, nor can such statements be relied upon.”

Hadrat ‘Uthmanra responded,“Then suggest as to what should bedone.” At this, many suggestions were given to him. In summary,it was suggested thatHadrat ‘Uthmanra should act sternly whenthe occasion demanded and not show leniency towards thesemischie -makers, or this only increases them in earlessness; anevil person can only be re ormed through punishment, leniencyshould only be exhibited towards such a person who derivesbenet rom it. Afer listening to suggestions o everyone,Hadrat ‘Uthmanrasaid:

“The disorders which the Holy Prophet sa has informed us about are bound to take place, but they can be deferred




for some time through gentleness and love. Therefore,except in the case of apparent violations of the law, I willtreat them with leniency so that no one may hold a validobjection against me. Allah the Exalted knows that I havenot been miserly in showing kindness to people. It wouldbe joyous if ‘Uthman were to die and the flood of disorders,which are soon to overcome Islam, had not yet surged forth.Go, therefore, and treat people with compassion; give them

their rights and overlook their faults. Of course, if someoneviolates the injunctions of Allah the Exalted, then do not show leniency and forgiveness to such people.” 59

On the return rom hajj,H adrat Mu‘a wiyahra alsoaccompaniedHadrat ‘Uthmanra to Madinah. Afer havingstayed there or a ew days, when he was about to depart, he metHadrat ‘Uthmanra in privacy and said,“It appears that disorder

is growing, if you permit, may I submit something in this regard?” Hadrat ‘Uthmanra said,“Go on.” Upon this, he said:“My first proposal is that you accompany me to Syria asit is peaceful there in every respect; there is no disorderwhatsoever. I fear that if disorder suddenly arises we maynot be able to make arrangements at the time.”

Hadrat ‘Uthmanra replied,“I cannot leave the neighbourhood ofthe Holy Prophet sa under any circumstance, even if my body is tornto pieces.”Hadrat Mu‘a wiyahra said:

“Then my second proposal is that you grant me permission


2002 dition [Publishers]




to send a contingent of the Syrian army for your protection. No one shall be able to make mischief in its presence.”

Hadrat ‘Uthmanra replied:“Neither can I burden baitul-m al to such extent in orderto safeguard the life of ‘Uthm an, nor can I tolerate puttingthe people of Madinah to difficulty by maintaining amilitary presence.”

Upon this,Hadrat Mu‘a wiyahra submitted:

“Then my third proposal is that you send off the companionsto various countries, because in their presence, people possess the courage to assume that if you do not remain, some else may be put forward in your stead.”

Hadrat ‘Uthmanra replied,“How is it possible for me to scatterthose whom the Holy Prophet sa has gathered?”Upon hearing this,Hadrat Mu‘a wiyahra began to weep and submitted:

“If you do not accept any of these strategies which I have proposed for your protection then at least announce to the people,‘ If any harm comes to me then Mu‘ awiyah shall possess the right to retaliate on my behalf.’ Perhaps, people shall refrain from making mischief in fear on this account.”

Hadrat ‘Uthmanra replied:“Mu‘ awiyah! What is to happen will surely come to pass. I cannot grant this permission since you possess a sterndisposition and may treat the Muslims harshly.”

Tereupon, Hadrat Mu‘a wiyahra stood up weeping and said,“I fear this may be our last meeting.” When he stepped outside, hesaid to the companions,“The fate of Islam rests upon you. H ad rat




‘Uthmanra has now fallen very weak. Disorder is escalating. Pleasedo look after him.” 60

Afer saying this, Mu‘a wiyahra set off or Syria.Te absence o provincial governors rom their

respective regions, was not an opportunity that ‘Abdullah binSaba would simply allow to slip away. He immediately relayed amessage in all directions saying:

“Now is the perfect time for us to act. Let us choose one

day and launch a sudden attack upon the governors of ourrespective provinces.” However, they were still consulting one other when thegovernors happened to return. Te Saba’is (i.e. supporters o‘Abdullah bin Saba) in other areas were lef in despair, but as

or those in Ku ah, who were already habitual in being at theore ront o practical disorder, did not let this opportunity slip

away. A person by the name o Yazid bin Qais held a gatheringin the Ku ah mosque and announced thatHadrat ‘Uthmanra

should now be removed rom the office o Khil a fat . WhenQa‘q a‘ bin ‘Amrra, who was the officer o the military post there,heard o this, he came to arrest him. Yazid bin Qais made a pleabe ore him stating:

“I am not acting disobediently. We have only gatheredto hold a meeting about Sa‘ i d bin Al-‘ Asra so that we canrequest his return from here and the appointment of a newofficer in his stead.”

Te officer replied:






Al-Yaman, Abu Hurairah, ‘Abdullah bin Salam, ‘Ubadah binSamit and Muhammad bin Maslamah, may Allah be pleased with all o them, not Yazid bin Qais and Ashtar. Te messenger reached Jazirah with the letter andhanded it over to the people who had been exiled rom Ku ah. When they read it, except or Ashtar, all the others disliked itas they had already witnessed the inuence o ‘Abdur-Rahmanbin Khalid. However, as or Ashtar, who had gone to Madinah

in order to seek orgiveness romH

adrat ‘Uthm

an

ra

, was unableto keep his repentance intact and immediately set out or Ku ah. When his riends saw that Ashtar had lef or Ku ah, theybecame rightened that ‘Abdur-Rahman would not believe themand think that all o this had taken place on their suggestion. So,out o this ear, these people ed as well. When ‘Abdur-Rahmanbin Khalid bin Walid learned o this he sent his men in pursuit

o them, but they were unable to apprehend them. Onemanzil 62

afer another, Malikul-Ashtar reached Ku ah in no time. Hedeemed it against his honour to enter the city empty handed.Tis person, who came rom Jazirah to meet his companions,having covered twomanzils at a time as i they were one, beganto announce his arrival rom Madinah. In order to incite the people, he began to say:

“I have just left behind Sa‘ i d bin Al-‘ Asra , who I accompanied for a distance of one manzil. He openly says,‘I will stain the chastity of the women of Kufah,’ and he also says, ‘The properties in Kufah are the wealth of the

62. A distance equivalent to 19 miles or 25 kilometers. [Publishers]




has saved you from. Do you not recognise the truth andcome to its doorstep after having accepted Islam, receivingdivine guidance and in the presence of the sunnah64 of the Holy Prophet sa?’

Qa‘q a‘ bin ‘Amrra responded:“You desire to stop this disorder through admonition, butdo not hope of this. Nothing but the sword can stop thesedisturbances and the time is not far when even the sword

will be unsheathed. At that time, these people will cry likelambs and wish that this era should return again but Godthe Exalted would not bestow this favour upon them againuntil the Day of Judgment.”

Te public gathered outside the town, aced Madinah and beganto wait or Sa‘id bin Al-‘Asra. When he came be ore them, theysaid to him,“Turn back; we are in no need of you.” Sa‘id replied:

“What is the wisdom behind so many people gathering and coming out for this purpose? In order to stop one person, why were a thousand men needed? It would have sufficed you to send a man towards the Khal i fah and aman towards me.”

Afer saying this he spurred on his mount and returned toMadinah in order to warnHadrat ‘Uthmanra, while these people were lef astonished. Shortly thereafer, they spotted one o hisservants and killed him.

Sa‘id bin Al-‘Asra reached Madinah and in ormedHadrat ‘Uthmanrao the entire conict.H adrat ‘Uthmanraasked,“Have they risen up against me?” Sa‘id replied,“They make it seem

64. Practice o the Holy Prophetsa

[Publishers]




as if a new governor is being requested.” He inquired,“Who dothey ask for?” He replied,“They prefer Abu M u s a Al-Ash‘ ar i .”

APPOINTMENT OF AB U MUS A AL ASH‘ AR IRA AS THE GOVERNOR OF KUFAH

Hadrat ‘Uthmanra said:“ I appoint Abu M u s a Al-Ash‘ar i ra as the governor of Kufah. By God, I shall give these people no opportunity to

raise an objection or allow them to find fault. In responseto their statements I shall demonstrate patience as per thecommandment of the Holy Prophet sa , until the time thatthey desire arrives, i.e., the removal of ‘Uthm an.” 65

Tis conict disclosed that these people did not even slightlyre rain rom speaking lies and alsehood.

CONSPIRACIES OF THE REBELS EXPOSED Te eeing o Malikul-Ashtar rom Jazirah under the pretence o coming rom Madinah, levelling a alse allegationupon Sa‘id bin Al-‘Asra, and attributing disgrace ul and sel -concocted things towards him, were not matters which couldallow the true motives and secret intentions o the rebels toremain hidden. In act, this evidently demonstrates that these people were completely oblivious to Islam. Islam does not permit alsehood, does not advocate deception and slanderingis a grave crime in Islam. However, these people, who apparently pro essed love and indignation or Islam, told lies and slandered

65. arikhut-Tabari, vol. 5, pp. 141-142, Dhikrul-Khabari‘AnIjtima‘ihim Li-Dhalika Wa Khabarul-Jur‘ati, Published by Darul-

Fikr, Beirut, 2002 edition [Publishers]




others; and all the while they elt no shame in doing so. Hence,their hue and cry againstHadrat ‘Uthmanra was sufficient prooo the act that this commotion was not on account o any realshortcoming; rather, it was the result o being distanced romIslam and irreligiousness. Te second conclusion which is derived rom thisincident is that these people did not possess even a singlelegitimate complaint againstH adrat ‘Uthmanra and his

governors. For i a complaint truly existed, what need was thereor them to abricate lies? Te invention o alse complaintsalone is sufficient evidence o the act that these people had noreal complaint. As such, we see that be ore the arrival o Ashtar when Yazid held a gathering, only a ew soldiers participatedat the time. When Qa‘q a‘ prohibited them, they became a raidand put off their gathering. However, we see that within the

very same month afer being inuenced by the lies o Ashtar alarge segment o the public had joined these people and set outrom Ku ah in order to stop Sa‘id and request the appointment

o another governor. Tis is testimony to the act that initially, people would not be easily deceived by the rebels because theyhad no means to incite them. When Ashtar managed to inventa means, which was enough to spark the people’s indignation, asection o the public ell into this trap and joined them. Te emergence o this disorder also clearly establishesthat the actual opposition o these people was againstHadrat‘Uthmanra and not his governors. For in the beginning, it was heagainst whom the rebels desired to incite the people. However, when they noticed that no one would join them in this; rather,they would begin to oppose them, these people began to




incite the public against the governors. Te act that the rebels were heading or Madinah with a large party also proves thatthey did not harbour good intentions orHadrat ‘Uthmanra.Furthermore, their needlessly killing the reed slave o Sa‘id binAl-‘Asra, demonstrates that in order to ull their ends these people elt no hindrance in committing any crime whatsoever.

It appears that by now these people had begun to perceive that i there was even a slight delay, the Muslim people

would come to learn o the gravity o their mischie . For thisreason, they were deeply concerned in attaining their objectivein whatever way and as quickly as possible. However, withhis wisdom,Hadrat ‘Uthmanra dismissed their excuses onceagain. He appointed Abu Musa Al-Ash‘arira as the governorand immediately in ormed the people. Teir hopes had alreadybeen rustrated when Sa‘id bin Al-‘Asra returned and in ormed

the people o Madinah o their motives. Teir plans underdeliberation o suddenly occupying Madinah, were rustratedand they were orced to turn back. Now, with the appointmento Abu Musa Al-Ash‘arira as the governor, their objections hadbeen completely done away with because these people desired hisappointment as governor or some time.

When Abu Musa Al-Ash‘arira came to know o hisappointment as the governor o Ku ah, he gathered everyoneand said:

“O people! Never set out for such works again, and adoptunity and obedience. Act patiently and refrain from hastebecause now an Amir is amongst you i.e. I have been appointed as the Amir.”




Upon this, these people requested him to lead them in prayerbut he re used saying,“No, this will never happen.” 66

OBEDIENCE TO THE RULER OFTHE TIME IS NECESSARY

He went on to state:“I shall not become your Im am until you affirm completeobedience to H ad rat ‘Uthm anra and declare that you will

accept his orders.” Upon this, the people promised that they would show completeobedience to him in the uture and accept his orders. It was onlythen that Abu Musa Al-Ash‘arira led them in prayer. Similarly,Hadrat Abu Musara told them:

“Hearken! I have heard the Holy Prophet sa say, ‘At atime when people are under an Im am, anyone who rises

up to create disaccord among them and to scatter theircommunity, should be executed, whoever he may be.67 The Holy Prophet sa has not stipulated the condition of the Im am being equitable. In other words, you cannot say that H ad rat ‘Uthm an is not just; for even if this is accepted asbeing true, your action is still unwarranted because the Holy Prophet sa has not stipulated the condition of justice.

66. arikhut-Tabari, vol. 5, p. 142, Dhikrul-Khabari‘An Ijtima‘ihim Li-Dhalika Wa Khabarul-Jur‘ati, Published by Darul-Fikr, Beirut, 2002edition [Publishers]

67. *Sahih Muslim, Kitabul-Imarah, Babu Hukmi Man Farraqa Amral-Muslimina Wa Huwa Mujtami‘un,Hadith No. 4796

* arikhut-Tabari, vol. 5, p. 144, Dhikrul-Khabari‘An Ijtima‘ihimLi-Dhalika Wa Khabarul-Jur‘ati, Published by Darul-Fikr, Beirut,





Instead, the Holy Prophet sa has merely stated that there should be a ruler over the people.”

Tese were the views o those people who had spenttheir entire lives in the service o Islam and who had heard theteachings o Islam directly rom the lips o the Holy Prophetsa.Moreover, they had received an attestation o approval byacting upon these teachings in his presence. What to talk o praying behind these rebels, they did not even desire to become

their Imam in prayer and considered them liable or capital punishment. Can it be said about such people that they were

a part o the conict in the era oHadrat ‘Uthmanra or thatHadrat ‘Uthmanra and his governors were usurping the rights othe citizens? Similarly, in light o these events can it be acceptedthat these rebels were creating disorder on their behal . O coursenot! In act, this rebel party was bent upon creating disorder

out o its jealousy towards the community o companions andthese people hid their heart elt views. Teir real objective wasthe destruction o the Islamic government and this objectivecould not be achieved without movingHadrat ‘Uthmanra aside.Not catching on to their deception, certain ignorant or aithlessMuslims, joined them as well either out o their selshness orsimplicity.

ANOTHER CONSPIRACY OFTHE MISCHIEF MAKERS

Afer the appointment oHadrat Abu Musa Al-Ash‘arira as governor, there remained no reason or these people to createdisorder. However, the real instigators o this conict couldnot have been pleased with all their efforts going to waste in




this manner. Hence, written correspondence began and it wasdecided that a ew people rom all the provinces should setout towards Madinah in the orm o delegations. Tere, theyshould deliberate as to the uture course o action, and certainquestions should also be posed toHadrat ‘Uthmanra so that thesediscussions may be publicised in all directions and people maybecome convinced that the allegations levelled againstHadrat‘Uthmanra have been proven beyond doubt. Afer deciding the

matter they all lef their homes and headed or Madinah. Whenthey reached close to MadinahH adrat ‘Uthmanra learnt o theirarrival. He sent two men to enquire about them and ascertainthe real purpose o their arrival, and then report back to him.Te two o them lef and met this caravan outside Madinah.During the course o discussion these people revealed to thetwo in ormants their state o affairs. Te two o them asked

whether anyone rom the people o Madinah was with them.Tis treacherous group replied that there were three people inMadinah and besides them, they did not have a ourth supporter.Te two enquired,“Then what is your intention?” Tey replied:

“Our intention is to go to Madinah in order to speak to H ad rat ‘Uthm anra regarding certain matters which wehave already instilled into the minds of people. Thenwe will return to our towns and tell everyone that weraised many objections against H ad rat ‘Uthm anra andestablished their validity, but he has refused to abstain

from these things and did not repent. Then we will leave,under the pretence of going for hajj and besiege him uponreaching Madinah. If he steps down from Khil a fat, thenwell and good, otherwise we will kill him.”




THE CONSPIRACY EXPOSEDBoth o these in ormants returned with a ull report o theirndings and brie edHadrat ‘Uthmanra. Upon hearing their stateo affairs,Hadrat ‘Uthmanra began to laugh and prayed to Godthe Exalted,“O Allah! Save these people from going astray. Theywill be ruined if You do not save them.”Ten, regarding the threemen rom among the people o Madinah who were with themischie -makers, he said:

“As for ‘Amm a

r, he is angry because he attacked ‘Abb a sbin ‘Utbah bin Abi Lahab and he was reprimanded for

this. Whereas Muh ammad bin Abi Bakr has turned arrogant and thinks that no law is binding upon him and Muh ammad bin Abi H udhaifah is putting himself introuble for no reason.”

Ten Hadrat ‘Uthmanra called the mischie -makers and gathered

the companions o the Holy Prophetsa

as well.

H ADRAT ‘UTHM AN RA SUMMONS THEMISCHIEF MAKERS

When everyone had gathered,Hadrat ‘Uthmanra in ormed them o the whole affair. Te two in ormants alsostood by as witnesses and gave their testimony. Upon this, all thecompanions gave the ollowing verdict:

“Execute these people because the Holy Prophet sa has said,‘May the curse of Allah be upon such an individual whocalls people towards his own obedience or the obedience of another, at a time when there is an Im am who is present. Kill such a person whoever he may be.’”

Ten, they reminded everyone o the words oH adrat ‘Umarra:




“I do not deem the execution of any such person permissible for you in which I do not have a part.”

In other words, no one may be executed unless there is anindication rom the government. Upon hearing the verdict o thecompanionsHadrat ‘Uthmanra stated:

‘No, we will forgive them and accept their pleas. We willcounsel them with all our efforts and we will not oppose anyone so long as he does not clearly violate the law or

express disbelief.’68

H ADRAT ‘UTHM AN RA CLEAR SHIMSELF OF ALL CHARGES

Ten Hadrat ‘Uthmanra said:“These people have mentioned certain things which you are aware of as well. However, their plan is to debate

with me on these issues so that they can return and say,‘We engaged in a debate with‘Uthm an regarding thesematters and he has been defeated.’ These people allegethat whilst on journey, I offered the prayer in full but the Holy Prophet sa used to perform qa sr 69 whilst on journey.70 However, it was only in Min a where I offered the prayer in full and even that was due to two reasons: firstly, because I owned property there and I had married there; secondly,


69. A shortened version o the obligatory prayer, which is offered as suchin certain circumstances. [Publishers]

70. Sunanut- irmidhi, Kitabus-Salah, Abw abus-Sa ari, Babu Ma Ja’a

Fit- aq siri Fis-Sa ari,Hadith No. 544




because I came to know that in those days people hadconverged for the hajj and the uneducated from amongthem would begin to say that the Khal i fah only offers tworak’ at 71 so there must only be two rak’ at in the prayer. Isthis not true?”

Te companions replied,“Yes this is correct.”Ten Hadrat‘Uthmanra said:

“The second allegation that they raise is that I have

introduced the innovation of establishing public pastures, although this is a false accusation. Pastures were establishedbefore me. They were introduced by H ad rat ‘Umar ra and I have only made them more spacious due to the growingnumber of camels which are given in alms. Then, the landdesignated for public pastures is not the wealth of anyone. Ihave no benefit in this; I have only two camels, whereas at

the time when I became Khal i fah I was more wealthy then all the Arabs. Now I only have two camels which I havekept for hajj. Is this not true?”

Te noble companions affirmed,“Indeed, it is.” Ten Hadrat‘Uthmanra said:

“They say that I appoint comparatively young men as governors, even though I only appoint such individuals as governors who posses virtuous attributes and manners. Holy men before me appointed even younger people as governors than those appointed by me. Far more objectionswere raised against the Holy Prophet sa for appointing

71. Arak‘at is a cycle in the ormal Muslim—pluralrak‘ at [Publishers]




Us amah bin Zaid as the General of an army than are nowbeing raised against me. Is this not true?”

Te companions responded,“It is true. These people raiseobjections before the people but hide the real events.”In this mannerHadrat ‘Uthmanra stated all the objections one by one andre uted them one afer another. Te companions emphatically persisted that they should be executed, butHadrat ‘Uthmanra did not agree and released them.Tabari states:

ھ ھ ون “The rest of the Muslims were adamant on having themexecuted but H ad rat ‘Uthm anra could not be convinced in any way to punish them.” 72

H ADRAT ‘UTHM AN RA SHOWS MERCY

TOWARDS THE MISCHIEF MAKERS Tis incident shows the various types o alsehood anddeception which would be employed by the mischie -makers.In that era, when the press and means o transport were not asdeveloped as today, it was very easy or these people to misleadthe uneducated. In reality, however, these people had nolegitimate reason to rise up. Neither did the truth support themnor did they speak the truth. All their endeavours were oundedupon lies and alsehood. It was only the mercy oHadrat‘Uthmanra that was saving them, otherwise, the Muslims wouldhave torn them to pieces. Te companions could not have ever






tolerated that the peace and security which they had achievedby sacricing their lives be done away with in this manner bythe mischie o a ew wicked people. Tey could see that theIslamic state would crumble i these people were not promptly punished. However,Hadrat ‘Uthmanra was an embodiment omercy and he desired, in any way possible, or these people to berightly guided so that they would not die in a state o disbelie .As such,Hadrat ‘Uthmanra would show leniency towards these

people and looked upon their actions o mani est rebellion asa mere intention to commit rebellion, and would put off their punishment.

Tis incident also illustrates that the companions greatlydetested these people. Te reason being that rstly, the mischie -makers stated themselves that only three people o Madinah were with them and no more. I other companions were also on

their side, they would have named them as well. Secondly, thecompanions demonstrated through their actions as well thatthey abhorred the actions o these mischie -makers; and lookedupon their deeds as being in violation o the shariah to suchextent, that in their view, no punishment lesser than execution was acceptable. I the companions supported these people orthe people o Madinah held the same views as the mischie -makers, they would not have needed any urther justicationor excuse; and would have killedHadrat ‘Uthmanra there andthen, and elected another person or the office o Khil a fat in hisstead. However, we observe that instead o these people beingsuccess ul in killingHadrat ‘Uthman, may Allah be pleased withhim, their very own lives became endangered by the unsheathedswords o the companions. It was only due to the avour and




kindness o the very same gracious and compassionate person— whom they sought to murder and against whom they hadinstigated an outrage—that they were able to sa ely escape.One is astonished at the malice and unrighteousness o thesemischie -makers, or they did not derive the slightest benet

rom this incident. Each and every one o their allegations wasamply re uted and all their objections were proven to be alseand un ounded. Tey witnessed the mercy and compassion oH

adrat ‘Uthm

an

ra

and the soul o every individual bore witnessto the act that the likes o such a person cannot be ound onthe ace o the earth at this time. However, instead o repenting

or their sins, being ashamed o their cruelties, eeling remorseor their trespasses and re raining rom their mischie , these

people began to burn even more in the re o rage and ury.Tey considered their being rendered speechless a disgrace and

the orgiveness oHadrat ‘Uthmanra

as being the result o theirgood planning. As such, they returned whilst devising strategiesto ull their remaining plan in the uture.73

ANOTHER GRAVE CONSPIRACY BYTHE MISCHIEF MAKERS

Afer returning, these people began to engage in written correspondence again. Ultimately, it was decided thataccording to their initial plan, inShaww al , everyone would setout in the orm o a caravan under the pretence o per orminghajj and then enter Madinah where they would suddenly upset






the entire system and change the system o government as pertheir own liking. According to this proposal, inShaww al , i.e. thetenth lunar month, in the twelfh year o the Khil a fat o Hadrat‘Uthmanra or 36 A.H., the rebels lef their homes in the orm othree caravans. One caravan was rom Basrah, one rom Ku ahand one rom Egypt. Keeping in mind the previous ailure andconsidering that this was a nal attempt, ‘Abdullah bin Saba alsolef or Madinah along with the caravan rom Egypt. Te chie o

the rebels stepping out himsel , was an indication o the act thatthese people would now attempt to achieve their objective withthe use o every possible tactic. As all the parties had outwardlyexpressed their intention o going or hajj in their respectiveregions, other people who actually intended to per orm hajjalso joined them. In this manner, their true intentions remainedhidden rom the ordinary Muslims. However, since the

governors knew o their internal conspiracy, ‘Abdullah bin Abi Sarah, the governor o Egypt, dispatched a special emissary toin ormHadrat ‘Uthmanrao the caravan and their intentions ingood time and the people o Madinah became vigilant. At this instance, the question arises that when the peopleo Madinah and especially the companions desired to executethese mischie -makers upon their arrival to Madinah on threeseparate occasions; and whereas the rebels knew thatHadrat‘Uthmanra was well aware o their plan o coming and creatingdisorder under the pretence o per orming hajj, why then didthese people set out according to their initial plan, whichHadrat‘Uthmanra was well aware o , instead o devising another plan?Does this mean that in actuality the people o Madinah were with these mischie -makers and this is why they were not a raid?




Te answer to this question is that no doubt, this audacity otheirs demonstrates that they had ull condence in their victory.However, the reason or this was not because the companions orthe people o Madinah were with them or expressed sympathy

or them; rather, as is evident rom their own statement, onlythree people o Madinah were with them. Furthermore, asevents establish, the companions as well as the other residentso Madinah were extremely averse to these people. Hence, the

reason or their daring behaviour cannot be due to the act thatthe companions or the people o Madinah expressed any kindo sympathy towards them. Te actual reason or the boldnesso these people was rstly the mercy oHadrat ‘Uthmanra. Temischie -makers thought that i they were success ul then theobjective had been achieved, but i they ailed, they would escape punishment by appealing to the mercy oHadrat ‘Uthmanra.

Secondly, although the rebels had witnessed the reactiono the companions and people o Madinah on the previousoccasion and they knew thatHadrat ‘Uthmanra was aware otheir arrival, these people thought that he would not mobilise anarmy to ght them due to his orbearance and the companions would not con ront them. Considering the companions tobe like themselves, the mischie -makers assumed that thecompanions only apparently expressed loyalty towardsHadrat‘Uthmanra but actually desired his destruction. Tis assumption was based on the act that the mischie -makers would give theimpression that they were doing everything in order to sa eguardthe rights o the companions. Hence, they thought that thecompanions were moved by the inuence o their deceit and eltsympathy or them at heart.




ARRIVAL OF THE MISCHIEF MAKERSIN MADINAH

As soon as word came that this army had reached closeto Madinah, the companions and the people o Madinah, who had gone out to manage their properties and lands in thesurrounding area, congregated in Madinah. Teir army wasdivided into two groups: one set out rom Madinah to ghtthe rebels while the second orce remained in the city or the

protection oH

adrat ‘Uthm

an

ra

. When all three caravansarrived close to Madinah, the rebels o Basrah settled at a placeknown as Dhu-Khashab, the rebels o Ku ah at A‘was and therebels o Egypt at Dhul-Marwah. Tey consulted one anotheras to what they should do next. Even though their number isestimated to have been rom between eighteen hundred to threethousand men (the other pilgrims who set out along with them,

considering them to be a hajj caravan, were separate), the rebelsthought that ghting the valiant men o Islam would not be easyi they were determined to ght. For this reason, they deemedit essential to immediately gather the view o the people oMadinah upon entering the city. As such, two men named Ziy adbin An-Nadr and ‘Abdullah bin Al-Asam advised the rebels oKu ah and Basrah that it was not wise to be hasty and i theyrushed things, then the rebels o Egypt would also have to hurryand the plan would be ruined. Tey replied:

“We have learnt that the people of Madinah have prepared an army against us. If they have prepared to such a greatextent despite not being fully aware of our circumstances,they will become even more vigilant upon learning ofour complete state of affairs. Our victory shall become a




mere dream. Therefore, it is more appropriate for us to first go there and ascertain the circumstances and speakto the people of Madinah. If they consider it unacceptableto fight us and the reports that we have received aboutthem prove false, we will return and inform you of all thecircumstances and appropriate action will be taken.”

Everyone was in avour o this proposal. So the two o them went to Madinah and rst met the azw a j-e-mut ahhar at 74 o

the Holy Prophetsa

. Tey asked them or permission to enterMadinah and claimed that they had only come in order torequest Hadrat ‘Uthmanra to change certain governors andthat they held no other intentions. All the wives o the HolyProphetsa re used to accept their words and said that theconsequences o such action would not be avourable. Ten theyapproachedH adrat ‘Alira, Hadrat Talhahra andHadrat Zubairra

one by one and sought permission to enter Madinah stating thesame reason or their arrival and apparently exhibiting goodintention. However, these three companions also re used to allinto their deceit and plainly responded that there was no good inthis design o theirs.75

Afer ascertaining the state o affairs in Madinah andhaving ailed in their objective, when both these men returnedand in ormed their comrades o the complete situation, a ewleading men rom all three regions o Ku ah, Basrah and Egyptarrived in Madinah to make the nal attempt. In accordance

74. Te noble wives o the Holy Prophet [Publishers]75. arikhut-Tabari, vol. 5, pp. 152-153, Dhikru Masiri Mann Sara Ila

Dhi Khashabin Min Ahli Misra....., Published by Darul-Fikr, Beirut,

2002 edition




with the teachings o ‘Abdullah bin Saba the rebels o EgyptbelievedHadrat ‘Alira to be thewa si o the Holy Prophetsa and were not ready to per ormbai‘at 76 on the hand o anyone otherthan him. However, although the rebels o Ku ah and Basrah were with them as ar as the uprising was concerned, they were not at agreement as ar as belie was concerned. Tus, the people o Ku ah considered it to be in their best interest to offerbai‘at to Zubair bin ‘Aww amra and the people o Basrah looked

uponT

alhah

ra

. Due to this disagreement the representatives oeach caravan turned to those individuals whom they wished toappoint or the office o Khil a fat afer H adrat ‘Uthmanra.

THE REBELS OF EGYPT APPROACHH ADRAT ‘ALIRA

Te rebels o Egypt went toHadrat ‘Alira, who was

commanding a section o the army outside Madinah at the time, which stood ready to crush the rebels. Tey approached him andsaid thatH adrat ‘Uthmanra was no longer suitable or Khil a fat due to his administrative incompetence and that they had cometo dismiss him and hoped thatH adrat ‘Alira would accept thisoffice afer him. Upon hearing their proposal, he demonstratedsuch a degree o religious indignation as betted a man o hisstature. Tus, he rebuked them and acted very harshly towardsthem saying:

“All pious people know that the Holy Prophet sa has foretoldof the armies that would setup camp in Dhul-Marwah and Dhu Khashab (where the rebels had setup camp) and

76. An oath o allegience to a religious leader. [Publishers]




then invoked curse upon them.77 Hence, may God ruin you! Be Gone!”

Tey replied, “Very well, we shall return.” Afer this, theyreturned.

THE REBELS OF KUFAH APPROACHH ADRAT ZUBAIR RA

Te rebels o Ku ah approachedH adrat Zubairra and

submitted,“Accept the office of Khil a fat after it has been vacated.” He also treated them in the same manner asH adrat ‘Alira. He

treated them very harshly and rebuked them saying:“All the believers know that the Holy Prophet sa has saidthat the armies to setup camp at Dhul-Marwah, Dhu Khashab and A‘was would be accursed.”

THE REBELS OF BASRAH APPROACHH ADRAT T ALH AH RA

Similarly, the rebels o Basrah approachedHadratTalhah, may Allah be pleased with him and he also cast them off.He then in ormed them o the prophecy o the Holy Prophetsa and o his invoking curse upon them.78

77. Al-Bida yatu Wan-Niha yah, ByHaz Ibni Kathir Dimashqi, vol. 7, p. 169, Sanatu 35 Hijri, Dhikru Maji’il-Ahzabi Ila ‘Uthmanu Lil-Marratith-Taniyati Mim-Misra (Wa Ghairiha Fi Shaww ali MinHadhihis-Sanah), Darul-Kutubil-‘Ilmiyyah, Beirut, 2001 edition,


2002 edition




APPOINTMENT OF MU H AMMAD BIN ABI BAKR AS THE GOVERNOR OF EGYPT

When the rebels witnessed this state o affairs and were completely disappointed in this regard, they employedthe strategy o expressing remorse or their action and onlyrequested that a ew governors be changed. WhenHadrat‘Uthman, may Allah be pleased with him, learnt o this heaccepted their request with extreme affection and kindness.

According to the request o these people,H

adrat ‘Uthm

an

ra

changed ‘Abdullah bin Abi Sarah, the governor o Egypt andappointed Muhammad bin Abi Bakr in his stead. Upon this,they returned seemingly content and the people o Madinah were joy ul that God had saved Islam rom a grave conict. Whatever they had perceived, however, was not correct becausethese rebels harboured other intentions and none o their

activities were ree rom sedition and disorder.

REALITY BEHIND CONFLICTINGNARRATIONS

One should remember that this is the juncture whereextreme contradictions in narrations begins. Te events whichI have just mentioned have been described by various narratorsin different ways to such extent that the truth has been veiledcompletely and many people have been mislead. Tey haveeither come to believe that the companions were involved in theentire affair or that in the least, they held a heart elt sympathy

or the rebels. However, this is not correct. A great deal ocaution is required with respect to the history o this era, becauseno era has ollowed afer the one under discussion, which has




been absent o such people who held sympathy or either one party or the other. Tis act proves to be very detrimental tohistory because when intense hatred or undue love is involved,a narration can never be transmitted in its true orm. Even i anarrator does not speak alsehood, his narration is sure to carry atinge o his thoughts. Moreover, the particulars o the narratorso history are not as clear as those o hadith. Although historianshave taken a great deal o care, they are still unable to establish

the authenticity o a narration in the likeness o broad day light,as can be done in the case o hadith. So, a great deal o caution isnecessary.

A GOLDEN PRINCIPLE FOR THE VERIFICATION OF HISTORY

However, it is not impossible to ascertain the true

acts either because God the Exalted has lef open such meansby which the true course o events may be very well discerned.Such narrators also exist, who due to being completely neutral,state the acts as they are. A golden principal or the vericationo history is that world events are like a chain. In order to veri ythe authenticity o an individual incident, it should be examinedafer being threaded into this chain to see whether the link canbe threaded into its proper place or not. In order to distinguishbetween true and alse events, this is a very use ul aid.

Tere ore, caution is required in order to learn aboutthe true course o events pertaining to this era, and there is aneed or scrutiny and cross-examination. Without keeping inmind the sequence o events, one cannot learn about the historyo any era, especially the one under discussion. Furthermore,




taking advantage o this contradiction [in narrations], European writers have distorted the history o that era to such extent thatthe heart o a Muslim, who possesses indignation, burns whenreading these incidents. Additionally, many people who are weak in aith become averse to Islam. It is a pity that even someMuslim historians have carelessly stumbled in this regard andhave become the cause o misguiding others.

EXONERATION OF H ADRAT‘UTHM AN RA

& THE OTHER COMPANIONS In this short time I cannot entirely discuss the errors which these people are entangled in. However, I shall briey present a true account o the circumstances be ore you, which prove thatHadrat ‘Uthmanra and the other companions were

ree rom every orm o mischie and sin. In act, their behaviour

was a mani estation o very high morals and they stood upon alofy pedestal o virtue.

THE REBELS ENTER MADINAH AGAIN I have already mentioned that the rebels returned totheir homes while apparently displaying agreement; the rebels oKu ah returned Ku ah, the rebels o Basrah towards Basrah andthe rebels o Egypt towards Egypt. Upon witnessing this stateo peace and security, and eeling relieved upon the withdrawalo the rebels, the people o Madinah returned to their tasks.However, many days had not passed - at a time when the peopleo Madinah were either engaged in their work, or sitting in theirhomes and mosques, and had no idea whatsoever that the enemy would invade Madinah — that the rebel army suddenly entered




Madinah and besieged the mosque as well as the home oHadrat‘Uthmanra. It was announced in all the streets o Madinah that whosoever cherished his li e should quietly sit at home and notcon ront the rebels, or else.79 Teir arrival was so sudden thatthe people o Madinah were unable to ght back.Hadrat ImamHasanra states:

“I was sitting in the mosque, when all of a sudden therewas a clamour and cries of takbi r 80 (this was the Muslim

slogan for war) began to resonate in the streets of Madinah. All of us were shocked and we began to look for the causeof this noise. I stood up on my knees and began to look. In no time, these people suddenly raided the mosque andoccupied it along with the surrounding streets.”

As a result o their sudden attack the orce o the companionsand the people o Madinah, was scattered. Tey were unable to

ght the rebels or engage in battle with them, because the rebelshad besieged the mosque and all the passages o the city. Nowthere were only two possibilities: rstly, that aid arrived romthe exterior; secondly, that the people o Madinah gatheredsomewhere and then ought them in an organised manner. As or the rst case, the rebels were satised thatHadrat‘Uthmanra would not do such a thing because he was verygenerous in his mercy and thinking well o others and becausehe always gave the benet o the doubt to them despite theirapparent mischie . As regards the second case, the rebels made an

79. arikhut-Tabari, vol. 5, pp. 153-154, Dhikru Masiri Mann Sara Ila Dhi Khashabin Min Ahli Misra....., Published by Darul-Fikr, Beirut,2002 edition [Publishers]

80. o proclaim the greatness o Allah. [Publishers]




arrangement whereby they kept a stern watch over the streets oMadinah and its entrances, and ordered that no groups shouldbe allowed to assemble anywhere. Te rebels would scatter people wherever they happened to gather. However, they wouldnot prohibit the odd conversation here and there, or the meetingo one or two people among themselves.

THE PEOPLE OF MADINAH ADVISETHE REBELS

When the astonishment o the people o Madinah hadabated to some extent, a ew o them came to the mosque – where the centre o the rebels was – and began to advise themand expressed displeasure towards their action. However,instead o deriving benet rom their admonition, the rebelsintimidated and threatened them, and bluntly said that i they

did not remain silent, then the consequences would not be good,and they would be harshly dealt with.

THE REBELS TAKE CONTROL OF MADINAH Now, it was as i Madinah no longer remained to bethe headquarters o Khil a fat . Te rule o the Khal i fah o thetime had been abolished and a small party o rebels did as they pleased. Be it the companions o the Holy Prophetsa or the people o Madinah – all struggled to de end their honour. Upon witnessing this conict, some even stopped coming out o theirhomes. Tey would sit at home, aghast, night and day.81


2002 edition




THE MOST PROMINENT COMPANIONS ASKTHE REBELS THE RE ASON FOR THEIR RETURN

On the previous occasion, since the rebels returnedexpressing their satis action and they had no remainingcomplaints, the companions were surprised as to the real causeo their return. Most did not have the courage to speak be orethe rebels. A ew prominent companions, in whose names therebels sought re uge and whom they pro essed to love, enquired

o them,“After all, what is the reason for your return?” Hence,Hadrat ‘Alira, Hadrat TalhahraandH adrat Zubairra were the onesto enquire rom these people as to reason or their return. Teyall unanimously replied:

“We were returning to our homes with complete satisfaction and assurance when we noticed a person who was mountedon a camel given as s adaqah.82 At times he would come in

front of us and at times he would fall back. When someof our men noticed him, they became suspicious and apprehended him. When he was questioned as to whetherhe had a letter, he declined. Furthermore, when it wasinquired of him as to the purpose of his journey, he said thathe was unaware. This made them even more suspicious. Finally, when he was searched, a letter was found to be inhis possession, which was written by H ad rat ‘Uthm anra. In it the governor of Egypt had been instructed, ‘Whenthe rebels return to Madinah kill so and so, lash so and so and shave their heads and beards, and consider the letterwhich they are carrying with respect to your dismissal as

82. Almsgiving in Islam [Publishers]




being invalid.’ When we saw this letter we were extremely surprised and returned at once.”

Upon hearing this story,Hadrat ‘Alira instantly retorted:“This tale has been fabricated in Madinah. O people of Kufah and O people of Basrah! How did you learn thatthe people of Egypt had seized such a letter despite being at a distance of many manzils from each other? Moreover,how then was it possible for you to return so soon?”

Neither could they respond to this objection, nor was there ananswer. So the only reply they could give was,“Say whatever you like and think of us as you wish. We dislike the Khil a fat ofthis person. He should resign from his post.” 83 Ka‘b bin Ashra , who held the position o a king among the Jews, was a bitterenemy o the Holy Prophetsa and Islam. When his mischiecrossed all bounds and the suffering o the Muslims knew no

limits Muhammad bin Maslamahra

, who was rom among the prominent companions and the community o the an sar , haddone a great service to Islam by killing him under the instructiono the Holy Prophetsa. He made the same argument when heheard o this incident raised the same objection and plainly said,“This is nothing more than a self-concocted lie.”

H ADRAT ‘UTHM AN RA CLEARS HIMSELF OFTHE ALLEGATIONS LEVELLED BY THE REBELS Even though the companions had logically dismissedtheir tale, the audacity o the rebels had now crossed all limits.






Despite the humiliation they had aced, the rebels presented thismatter be oreHadrat ‘Uthmanraand demanded an answer romhim. At the time, many prominent companions were also presentin his company.H adrat ‘Uthmanra responded:

“According to the Islamic shariah there are only two waysto decide a matter. Either the claimant must present twowitnesses or an oath must be taken by the defendant. It isobligatory upon you, therefore, to present two witnesses in

support of your claim. If not, I swear by that God, besideWhom there is none worthy of worship, that neither have Iwritten this letter, nor has it been written with my consent,nor have I instructed someone to write it, nor am I aware as to who has written this letter.”

He urther added,“You are aware that at times, letters can be forged and stamps may be replicated.” When the companions

heard this reply byHadrat ‘Uthmanra

, they testied to his truthand declared him innocent o the charges. However, this hadno effect on the rebels and why would it; or it was they, whohad themselves orged the letter. One can wake a person who isasleep, but how can such a person be awakened who pretendsto be asleep, while he is actually awake. Te leaders o the rebelsunderstood very well that this was their own deceit. How couldthey contemplate the validity and logic o these answers? Teir

ollowers had become their slaves, they would listen and obey,and accept whatever they were told.




rom the events and seems most likely that this deception wasthe work o a ew leaders alone. It would not be surprising ithis was the doing o ‘Abdullah bin Saba alone and a ew o hisintimate accomplices; and that the other rebels, even i they werearmy chie s, had no knowledge o this.

SEVEN ARGUMENTS IN SUPPORT OF THE‘LETTER CONSPIRACY ’

Evidence o the act that this scheme was the work o therebels themselves is as ollows: It has already been proven with relation to the rebelsthat they did not re rain rom lying in order to achieve their ends just as they had lied in opposition to Walid bin ‘Utbah and Sa‘idbin Al-‘As. Similarly, they publicised alse complaints regarding various oreign administrations, which were investigated by the

prominent companions and ound to be alse. Tus, when it hasbeen established with relation to the rebels that they did notre rain rom lying, there is no reason why they should not beheld liable in this case either and such people against whom nocharge has ever been established should be held responsible. Just asHadrat ‘Alira and Muhammad bin Maslamahra objected, the prompt return o these rebels and their entranceinto Madinah together is a testimony to the act that this wasa conspiracy. Te reason being that as history establishes, therebels o Egypt asserted that they intercepted a messenger at a place known as Buwaib who, according to their statement, was




taking the letter oH adrat ‘Uthmanra to the governor o Egypt.84 Buwaib is situated at a distance o at least sixmanzils romMadinah – where the route to Egypt begins.85 I the people oEgypt had reached this ar, both the people o Ku ah and Basrahmust have covered about sixmanzils each in opposite directionsas well. Tere ore, news o what transpired be ore the rebels oEgypt could have reached the other two caravans no earlier than within twelve or thirteen days; and taking into account the time

spent in leaving [Madinah] and returning, the rebels could nothave returned to Madinah in less than twenty- our days, moreor less. However, the rebels returned to Madinah in a muchshorter time period than this. Hence, it is clearly evident thateven be ore leaving Madinah, the rebels had planned amongstthemselves that all the caravans would return on a particular dateand suddenly take over Madinah. ‘Abdullah bin Saba was with

the Egyptian caravan and since he was very cunning, he knewthat on the one hand people would question them as to whythey had returned unnecessarily, and on the other hand he wasconcerned that the question o why the treaty had been brokenafer a decision had been made, would weigh heavily upon theconscience o his own men. Hence, he produced a orged letterand mislead the sensibilities o his own men, urther igniting there o rage and ury in their hearts. Afer all, it is not difficult to

84. arikhut-Tabari, vol. 5, p. 170, Dhikrul-Khabari‘An Qatlihi Wa Kai a utila, Published by Darul-Fikr, Beirut, 2002 edition[Publishers]

85. Mu‘jamul-Buldan, vol. 1, part 2, p. 403, under the word ‘Al-Buwaib,’

Published by Daru Ih y a’it- urathil-Arabiyy, Beirut [Publishers]




steal a camel given in s adaqah and bring a slave on board throughbribery.

Te manner in which the incident o the interception othis letter is narrated, is itsel unnatural. For iHadrat ‘Uthmanra or Marw an had sent such a letter why then would the servantcome in ront o the rebels at times and hide at other times. Tisbehaviour can only be o such a person who wishes to get himselcaught. According to the rebels, this servant had been ordered to

reach Egypt be ore the arrival o their caravan. How then can thenotion be entertained that he travelled side by side along withthe caravan afer reaching the location o Buwaib, which is thegate to Egypt. Tere is a great difference between the journey oa man and a caravan; a caravan cannot travel at the same speed asone man. Te reason being that a caravan has many requirementsand all the mounts in a caravan are not equally as swif. So, how

could it be possible or the messenger to still be with the caravan when it reached Buwaib? At that time, he should have been closeto his nal destination. Te state o the messenger, as describedby them, can be attributed to a spy but not a messenger.Similarly, when the messenger was apprehended, the dialoguethat took place with him is completely unnatural. Tis is becausehe claims to be a messenger, but neither has he been given a letternor a verbal message. Who can give such a reply except such a person who is either insane or wishes to make himsel seemsuspicious? I the person really was a messenger what need wasthere or him to say that he had been sent byHadrat ‘Uthmanra or someone else. Likewise, it cannot be said that he was wellcommitted to speaking the truth either because it is said thathe possessed a letter but the messenger claimed that he was not




in the possession o a letter. So according to their narration it isevident that the messenger did in act speak a lie. Te questionthat subsequently arises is why he would abricate something which in turn would clearly lead to his capture? Why did he notspeak a lie which would save him rom being detained in such asituation? Hence, all these occurrences show that the entire affairabout the letter and the person carrying it, was a abrication

rom beginning to end. Tere ore, someone rom among the

rebels themselves (most probably ‘Abdullah bin Sab

a) orgeda letter and handed it to a messenger so that he should travel

closely in line with the caravan. However, it was not probableor a rider passing by on a heavily used route to be noticed and

apprehended. However, since the person who orged this letterdesired, inso ar as possible, that this should happen throughthe agency o someone else, he instructed the emissary to move

along with the caravan in such a manner that suspicion wouldarise in the hearts o people; and when they would question himin order to remove their doubt, the emissary should give suchanswers which would urther increase this suspicion. Te general public would search the emissary themselves and upon ndingthe letter would be certain thatHadrat ‘Uthmanra had deceivedthem.

Te contents o the letter also indicate that it wasa counter eit and was not crafed by a well-versed Muslim,because in certain narrations the subject matter o the letterreads that the beard o so and so should be shaved. However,the shaving o one’s beard is prohibited in Islam and under theIslamic rule, only such punishments could be meted out which were in accordance with Islam. It was absolutely unacceptable




or a person to be made to eat swine, drink alcohol or to shavehis beard as a orm o punishment, because all these things were

orbidden [in Islam]. Te only punishments evident in Islam arethose o execution, corporal punishment, ne or expulsion romthe land, whether it be in the orm o exile or imprisonment. Noother punishment is proven to have been administered in Islamexcept or the ones just mentioned. Neither did the Islamicscholars ever impose such a punishment, norH adrat ‘Uthmanra

himsel , nor his governors. As such, or such a punishment to be written in this letter is sufficient proo o the act that the letter was orged by someone who was unacquainted with the essenceo Islam.

Te events preceding this letter also re ute the possibilityo it being romH adrat ‘Uthmanra or his secretary, because allnarrations unanimously agree thatHadrat ‘Uthmanra exhibited a

great deal o leniency in punishing the rebels. I he had wished,Hadrat ‘Uthmanra could have executed them all at the rstinstance o their arrival. Ten, iH adrat ‘Uthmanra had lefthem on that occasion, the ringleaders could have most surelybeen arrested on their arrival a second time, because then theyhad openly committed an act o rebellion; and the companions were ready to ght them. However, to believe that he showedthe rebels leniency at this stage but wrote a letter to the governoro Egypt that he should punish them, is a remarkably irrationalnotion. Similarly, it cannot be asserted that Marw an wrote thisletter in view o the leniency oHadrat ‘Uthmanra, becauseMarw an knew well thatHadrat ‘Uthmanra was very strict inguarding the penal code. Te conscience o Marw an could nothave allowed him to think or even a minute that he would




remain sa e rom punishment afer writing such a letter. Ten,i he were to write such a letter, why would he only write oneto the governor o Egypt? Why did he not write similar lettersto the governors o Basrah and Ku ah as well? In this way allthe enemies would have been dealt with once and or all. Te

act that a letter was only written to the governor o Egypt isevidence o the act that the caravans o Ku ah and Basrah didnot have in their midst a man as cunning as Abdullah bin Saba.

One may assert that perhaps similar instructions wereissued to the governors o both these regions as well, but the people who were carrying them could not been apprehended.Te answer is that i this were the case then the matter couldnot have remained hidden. I ‘Abdullah bin ‘Amir is accused oremaining silent due to being a relative oHadrat ‘Uthmanra,then H adrat Abu Musa Al-Ash‘arira, who was rom among

the prominent companions; whose impeccable aith has beentestied to in the Holy uran and who was the governor oKu ah at the time, would never have remained silent, and wouldhave surely disclosed the matter. Hence, the truth is that thisletter was orged and had been crafed by someone rom withinthe Egyptian caravan. Aside rom the Egyptian caravan, sincethere was neither such a person present in the other caravans as was capable o carrying out such a scheme, nor was it possible tosteal so many camels rombaitul-m al in such a short time, norcould so many slaves be bribed; or this reason, letters addressedto the governors o other regions were not orged. Te servant about whom it was suggested that hecarried this letter, could have shed the most light on this matter.However, it is surprising that whenHadrat ‘Uthmanrademanded




or witnesses this servant was neither presented, nor is there anymention o him in the events that ollowed. Tis indicates thatit was not in their best interest to present him. Perhaps they

eared that he would disclose the true state o affairs be ore thecompanions. Tere ore, keeping him hidden is a testimony to the

act that it was the rebel party themselves, who was responsibleor orging this letter.

A very compelling proo o the act that these people

had orged this letter themselves is that this was not the rstletter which they had crafed. In act, they had orged manyother letters in addition to this, in order to ignite the ames othe very same disorder. Hence, it was neither difficult or themto craf this letter, nor can this be attributed to anyone else inthe presence o this reality. Te counter eit letters which these people had been producing previously were written [ alsely on

behal o ]H adrat ‘Alira

in order to de ame him, and the contentso these letters was along the lines o ,‘Incite rage against H ad rat‘Uthm anra.’ Te vehemence o the general public was instigatedthrough these letters and upon seeing the attestation oHadrat‘Alira [on these letters] they would all or the words o ‘Abdullahbin Saba. However, it appears that they were ordered to keepthe content o the letters very secret, lestHadrat ‘Alira oundout about them and rejected having any connection with them.Furthermore, the masterminds behind this disorder presented a valid reason or their emphasis upon secrecy, i.e. [they claimedthat] i these letters were exposed thenHadrat ‘Alira would becon ronted with difficulty. For this reason, people would notdisclose the subject matter o these letters or the sake oHadrat‘Alira and since the matter was kept secret, the deception o the




masterminds would not be disclosed either. However, alsehoodnever remains hidden or long, especially when hundreds aremade aware o it. Te letter which was supposedly written onbehal oH adrat ‘Uthmanra was seized and the ordinary masseso Ku ah turned back extremely enraged. A group o themapproachedH adrat ‘Alira and asked or his assistance.Hadrat‘Alira had become aware o the alsity o this account as soonas he heard about it, and due to his God-given insight, the

deception o the rebels o Egypt had become evident to him. He plainly re used saying,“I cannot join you in such a thing.” At thetime, in the heat o their emotion, some were unable to exercisecaution and spontaneously said,“Then why have you been sending us letters?”Tis was very surprising orHadrat ‘Alira. He plainly rejected this, expressed his ignorance and said,“I swear byGod the Exalted! I have never written any such letter to you people.”

Tese people were also extremely shocked because in actuality,they had also been deceived themselves. Tey began to look atone another in amazement and enquired,“Is this the person forwhom you express rage and fight?”In other words, this was tosay that, God- orbid,Hadrat ‘Alira was such a coward that aferhaving done everything, he was now wiping his hands clean.86

It appears rom this incident that there were certain people rom among the rebels who were skilled in crafingcounter eit letters and that such people were present amongthe people o Egypt. Te reason being that these letters couldonly be written on behal oH adrat ‘Alira to the Egyptians, who






pro essed their love orHadrat ‘Alira. Hence, the act that theletter attributed toHadrat ‘Uthmanra was seized by the Egyptiancaravan is overwhelming evidence that the person who wroteit was not a person rom Madinah; rather, he belonged to thecaravan rom Egypt. Since the ‘letter incident’ is the most signicantoccurrence in the eyes o those who raise an allegation againstHadrat ‘Uthman, may Allah be pleased with him, I have

expounded my research on this incident in detail. Although thisincident can be described even more extensively, I believe that what I have mentioned thus ar is sufficient to prove that thisletter was a orged counter eit; and that the people who crafedthis letter were ‘Abdullah bin Saba and his accomplices, notMarw an or anyone else; as orHadrat ‘Uthmanra, his person is

ar above such an allegation.

CRUELTIES OF THE REBELS UPON THEPEOPLE OF MADINAH

I now return to the series o events, once again. On thebasis o this orged letter and due to their pride o having takencontrol o Madinah, the rebels began to openly perpetratecruelties. On the one hand,Hadrat ‘Uthmanra was being pressedto step down rom Khil a fat and on the other hand, the peopleo Madinah were being harassed so that they would re rain romattempting to help him. Te people o Madinah were completelyhelpless as 2,000 to 3,000 armed soldiers were blockading thestreets, junctions and gates o the city. As it was, to ght such anarmy was not easy, but it was a ar- etched idea to even considercon ronting the rebel army in conditions where they would not




even allow a ew people to gather and it was impossible to collectin groups larger than two or our. Even i a ew daring menopted to ght the rebels, this would have resulted in nothing butmassacre. Te mosque was a place where people could gather.However, the rebels had very cunningly taken measures to prevent this as well. Tey would spread out in the mosque be ore prayer and keep the people o Madinah at a distance rom oneanother so that they could not do anything.

H ADRAT ‘UTHM AN RA ADMONISHESTHE REBELS

Despite this commotion and conictHadrat ‘Uthmanra

would regularly come to the mosque to lead the prayers. Terebels would not hinder him in this regard and stop him romleading the prayers, until the rst Friday approached afer their

occupation o Madinah. Afer leading the Friday prayerHadrat‘Uthmanra admonished them and said:“O enemies of Islam! Fear God the Exalted. All the people of Madinah know that the Holy Prophet sa hascursed you. So repent and erase your sins through deeds ofvirtue because Allah the Exalted does not erase sins with anything other than good deeds.”

In response Muhammad bin Maslamah Ansarira stood up andsaid,“I testify to this fact.” Te rebels realised that although theirassociates thought ill oHadrat ‘Uthmanra, i the companionsbegan to testi y in his support and their party learnt that theHoly Prophetsa had explicitly made a prophecy about them,then the public may leave them. For this reason they began tostop this practice. Te robberH ak im bin Jabalah, who I have




mentioned earlier, took hold o Muhammad bin Maslamahra, anintimate Companion o the Holy Prophetsa who had stood upin support o Khil a fat ; not to create any kind o disorder, and

orcibly sat him down. Ten, Zaid bin Tabitra, who had beenendowed the magnicent duty o gathering the Holy uran,stood up in order to testi y, but he too was made to sit down byanother rebel.87

THE REBELS BRE AK THE STAFF OFTHE HOLY PROPHET SA

Afer this, a member o this party, which pro essed loveor Islam, snatched romHadrat ‘Uthmanra the staff with which

the Holy Prophetsa use to take support while delivering thesermon and afer himHadrat Abū Bakrra and H adrat ‘Umarrahad done the same. He did not stop at this, in act, he placed

this memorabilia o the Holy Prophetsa

, which was a source othousands o blessings or the Muslim nation, on his knees andbroke it. Tey may have held enmity towardsHadrat ‘Uthmanra,they may have harboured hatred or Khil a fat but as or the HolyProphetsa, they pro essed love or him! How then did they havethe courage to break this memorabilia o the Holy Prophetsa with such contempt? oday, Europe has reached the urthestextremity o atheism, but even they still possess a sense that thememorable items lef by their elders are to be valued. However,these people, despite claiming to be the ollowers o Islam, broke






the blessed staff o the Holy Prophetsa and tossed it away.88 Tisdemonstrates that their passion to serve Islam was nothing butmere show; or the leaders o this party were as distant romIslam as the biggest enemies o Islam today.

THE REBELS PELT STONES ATMASJID E NABAW I AND INJURE

H ADRAT ‘UTHM AN RA

Even afer breaking the staff o the Holy Prophetsa

thehearts o these rebels were not satised. Tey began to showerstones upon that mosque the oundation o which had been laidby Muhammad, the Messenger o Allah, may peace and blessingso Allah be upon him, and which had been erected by extremelyholy hands. Tey continued to pelt the companions and the people o Madinah, and drove them out o Masjid-e-Nabaw i.

Tey struck Hadrat ‘Uthmanra

with so many stones that he elloff the pulpit in a state o unconsciousness and a ew men carriedhim home.89

Tis was the example o the love that these rebels heldor Islam and or the bearers o the Islamic shariah. Tese were

the ‘high morals’ which they desired to establish in the Muslim world by removingHadrat ‘Uthmanra rom Khil a fat . Aferthis incident who can say that the party which stood up in

88. arikhut-Tabari, vol. 5, p. 164, Dhikrul-Khabari‘An Qatlihi Wa Kai a utila, Published by Darul-Fikr, Beirut, 2002 edition[Publishers]






opposition toHadrat ‘Uthmanra had any connection with thecompanions, or that in reality, they had been compelled to causea revolt due to certain measures taken byH adrat ‘Uthmanra, orthat their indignation or Islam was the cause o their rage and

ury. Teir crimes are sufficient to prove that neither did theyhave any connection with Islam, nor did they hold any love orreligion, nor any affection or the companions. Tey were bentupon ruining the peace and security o the country in order to

ull their hidden motives and were trying to penetrate theortress o Islam.

WILLINGNESS OF THE COMPANIONS TOFIGHT THE REBELS

Following this terrible event, the companions and peopleo Madinah understood that the hearts o the rebels were lled

with even greater animosity than what was being displayed. Eventhough there was not much they could do, some companions, who pre erred death over such a state, became intent uponghting the rebels, come what may. Perhaps, our or ve menghting in opposition to an army o 2,000 or 3,000 men mayappear to be madness in the eyes o a worldly person, but as orthose who had sacriced all their possessions or the sake oIslam, it was not burdensome or them whatsoever to ght in itsde ence. Te ollowing companions were also among those who were prepared to ght: Sa‘d bin Malik ra, Hadrat Abu Hurairahra,Zaid binSamitra and Hadrat Imam Hasanra. When this newsreachedHadrat ‘Uthmanra, he immediately sent them an order




instructing them not to ght the rebels under any circumstanceand to return to their homes.90

Te love which Hadrat ‘Uthmanra possessed orthe companions o the Holy Prophetsa and the ahl-e-bait,91 undoubtedly, prevented a war which was to break out betweena ew devoted companions and a rebel army o 2,000 to 3,000men. However, rom this event we are able to effectivelyascertain the level o passion that was building up among

the companions due to the mischie o these rebels. It is only possible or a ew men to become willing to stand up against aerce army i they believe that subservience to it is worse thandeath. Te involvement o Abu Hurairahra and Imam Hasanra in this group is especially worthy o attention.Hadrat AbuHurairahra was neither a soldier, nor he had per ormed anymilitary service prior to this in particular. Similarly, even though

Hadrat Imam H asanra

was the son o a valiant ather and wasalso brave and courageous himsel , he pre erred peace andconcord, and according to a prophecy o the Holy Prophetsa, he was a prince o peace.92 Te act that these two men stood upsword in hand demonstrates that the companions and the other people o Madinah were immensely displeased by the sedition othese rebels.


91. Ahl-e-Bait literally means ‘people o the house’ and re ers to thehousehold members o the Holy Prophetsa.

92. Mustadrak lil-Hakam, vol. 3, Kitabu Ma‘ri atis-Sahabah, Babu WaMin Fada’ilil-Hasanibni‘Aliyyibni Abi Talibin,Hadith No. 4809,

Published by Darul-Kutubil-‘Ilmiyyah, 1990 edition




THREE MAJOR SUPPORTERS OF THEREBELS IN MADINAH

Tere were only three residents o Madinah whosupported the rebels; one was Muhammad bin Abi Bakr, who was the son oHadrat Abu Bakrra. Historians are o the viewthat since people showed him respect due to his ather, he beganto think that he held a position o rank as well. Except or this,neither did he hold any worldly precedence, nor did he benet

rom the company o the Holy Prophetsa

,

and

nor did he gainspecial religious education aferwards. He was born in the dayso h ajjatul-wad a‘ 93 and was still a suckling baby at the time whenthe Holy Prophetsa passed away. He was only our whenHadratAbu Bakrra passed away and was unable to benet rom theupbringing o this exemplary man either.94

Te second person was Muhammad bin Abi Hudhai ah.

He was not rom among the companions either. His ather hadbeen martyred in the battle o Yamamah andH adrat ‘Uthmanra had taken his upbringing upon himsel . He had nurtured him

rom childhood. WhenH adrat ‘Uthmanra became Khal i fah,he asked him or a post butH adrat ‘Uthmanra re used. He thenasked or permission to go out and take up some orm work.Hadrat ‘Uthmanra granted him permission, so he went to Egypt.Upon reaching there, he joined the supporters o ‘Abdullah binSaba and began inciting people againstHadrat ‘Uthmanra. Whenthe rebels o Egypt attacked Madinah he came along with them.

93. Te last hajj per ormed by the Holy Prophetsa prior to his demise, andliterally means, ‘the arewell hajj.’

94. ahzibut- ahzib, By IbniHajar‘Asqalani, vol. 9, p. 80, Muhammad

bin Abi Bakris-Siddiq




However, afer having come some distance, he returned, and wasnot present in Madinah at the time o this conict.95

Te third person was ‘Ammar bin Y asir, who was oneo the companions. Te reason he ell to deception was becausehe was not very in ormed in the eld o politics. WhenHadrat‘Uthmanra sent him to Egypt so that he could return with areport on the administration o its governor, ‘Abdullah bin Saba welcomed him and turned him against the governor o Egypt.

Moreover, since the governor had bitterly opposed the HolyProphetsa in his days o disbelie and had accepted Islam aferthe victory o Makkah, ‘Ammar bin Y asir was quickly ensnaredby them. Afer creating suspicion against the governor, ‘Abdullahbin Saba slowly made him suspicious oHadrat ‘Uthmanra as well.96 However, ‘Ammar bin Y asir did not practically participatein the rebellion. Although he was present in Madinah when it

was attacked, apart rom sitting quietly at home and not taking part in opposing the rebels, practically, he did not take any partin the rebellion. He was completely innocent o the crimescommitted by the rebels.

H ADRAT ‘UTHM AN RA IS ASKED TO STEPDOWN FROM KHIL AFAT

Besides these three, no one in Madinah be it aCompanionra or anyone else held sympathy or the rebels.

95. arikhut-Tabari, vol. 5, pp. 186-187, Dhikru Ba‘di Siyari Uthman.....,Published by Darul-Fikr, Beirut, 2002 edition






Everyone would send curse upon the rebels and reproach them,but they did not care, because all the power was in their handsat the time. For up to twenty days the rebels tried to convinceHadrat ‘Uthmanra to somehow step down rom Khil a fat throughdialogue alone. However,Hadrat ‘Uthmanra plainly re used andsaid:

“Neither can I remove the garment which God the Exalted, has clothed me with, nor can I leave the people of

Muh ammad

sa

unsheltered so that anyone who wishes mayoppress another.” 97

Hadrat ‘Uthmanra continued to admonish the rebels to re rainrom creating conict and went on to say:

“Today these people create disorder and detest my veryexistence. But when I shall be no more, they shall wish,‘If only each and every day of the life of ‘Uthm anra was

transformed into one year each and would that he had notdeparted from us so soon.’ For after me there shall be severebloodshed, rights shall be violated and governance shalltake a completely different turn.”

(As such, in the Banu Umayyah period,khil a fat was replaced bysecular rule and these rebels were given such harsh punishmentsthat they orgot all their mischie ).

97. arikhut-Tabari, vol. 5, p. 180, Dhikrul-Khabari‘An Qatlihi Wa

Kai a utila, Published by Darul-Fikr, Beirut, 2002 edition




THE HOUSE OF H ADRAT ‘UTHM AN RA BESIEGED

Afer twenty days had elapsed, the rebels thoughtthat a quick decision was required, lest the armies rom thesurrounding provinces arrive and they were made to suffer theconsequences o their actions. For this reason they stoppedHadrat ‘Uthmanra rom leaving his house, and also orbade thetrans er o ood and drink into his house. Tey thought that

perhaps in this manner,H

adrat ‘Uthm

an

ra

would be compelledto accept their demands.Te administration o Madinah was now in their hands.

Te three armies collectively accepted Ghaq i, the commandero the Egyptian armies, as their commander in chie . So, it was as i , Ghaq i was the ruler o Madinah at the time; Ashtarcommanded the army o Ku ah andH ak im bin Jabalah (the

same robber who had been imprisoned in Basrah, on the ordero Hadrat ‘Uthmanra, or robbing the wealth o non-Muslimsubjects) commanded the army o Basrah, under the leadershipo Ghaq i. Once again, this proves that the rebels o Egypt werethe root cause o this conict, where ‘Abdullah bin Saba was at work. Ghaq i would lead the prayers in Masjid-e-Nabawi whilethe companions o the Holy Prophetsa would either remainlocked up in their homes or would be compelled to offer prayersbehind him.98

Te rebels did not cause people much hindrance until

98. arikhut-Tabari, vol. 5, pp. 155-156, Dhikru Masiri Mann Sara Ila Dhi Khashabin Min Ahli Misra..... / p. 172, Dhikrul-Khabari‘AnQatlihi Wa Kai a utila, Published by Darul-Fikr, Beirut, 2002





they decided to lay siege upon the house oH adrat ‘Uthmanra.However, as soon as they laid siege [upon his house], they beganto oppress other people as well. Instead o being D arul-Amn [the House o Peace], Madinah had now become D arul- H arb [the House o War]. Te respect and honour o the people oMadinah was in danger; no one would step out o his houseunarmed and the rebels would kill anyone who con ronted them.

H ADRAT ‘ALIRA ADMONISHES THE BESIEGERS When the rebels had surroundedHadrat ‘Uthmanra andeven went so ar as to stop water rom entering [his house], hesent a neighbour’s son toHadrat ‘Alira, Hadrat Talhahra, HadratZubairra and theummah atul-mu’mini n99 or assistance saying,“The rebels have even cut our water supply. If you are able to do something, then please arrange for water to be conveyed to us.”

From among the men,Hadrat ‘Alira

was the rst to arrive. Headmonished the rebels saying:“What sort of a behaviour have you adopted? Your actionsneither resemble those of the believers nor the disbelievers. Do not prevent food and drink from entering the houseof H ad rat ‘Uthm anra. Even the Romans and Persians provide their prisoners with food and water. According tothe Islamic practice your conduct is not acceptable in theleast. Besides, what harm has H ad rat ‘Uthm anra done to you that you deem it permissible to imprison him and killhim?”

99. A title or the wives o the Holy Prophetsa and literally means, ‘the

mothers o the believers.’ [Publishers]




Tis admonition o Hadrat ‘Alira had no inuence on them whatsoever. Tey plainly said,“Whatever the case may be, we shall not allow food or water to reach him.” Tis was the reply therebels gave to the person who they deemed to be thewa si o theHoly Prophetsa and his true successor. Afer this reply, does theneed or any other testimony remain in order to prove that this party, who declaredHadrat ‘Alira to be thewa si , had not lef theirhomes in support o the truth or out o their love or the ahl-e-

bait ; rather, only to ull their base desires?TREATMENT OF THE REBELS TOWARDS

H ADRAT UMMI H ABIBAH RA From among theummah atul-mu’mini n, H adrat Ummi

Habibahra was the rst to come to the aid oHadrat ‘Uthmanra.Mounted on a mule, she brought a water-skin along with her.

However, her real objective was to sa eguard all the wills o theorphans and widows that belonged to Banu Umayyah, which were in the possession oHadrat ‘Uthmanra. When she saw thatthe rebels had stopped the water supply oH adrat ‘Uthmanra,she became ear ul that they might destroy these wills as well,and thus desired to somehow sa eguard these documents. Aferall, there were other means by which she could have deliveredthe water. WhenH adrat UmmiHabibah reached the door oHadrat ‘Uthmanra, just as the rebels were about to stop her, the people exclaimed,“This is Ummul-Mu’mini n, Ummi H abi bahra.” However, the rebels still persisted and started beating her mule.Ummul-Mu’mini n, UmmiHabibahra explained:

“I fear lest the wills of the orphans and widows of the Banu




Umayyah should be destroyed. For this reason, I wish to goinside in order to arrange for their safekeeping.”

However, these wretched people replied to the blessed wi e othe Holy Prophetsa, “You are lying.” Te rebels then attacked hermule and cut the straps o its packsaddle. Te saddle ell to oneside.Hadrat UmmiHabibahra was on the verge o alling off andbeing martyred under the eet o the rebels, but a ew people oMadinah, who were close by, dashed to her aid and escorted her

home.100

AN EXAMPLE OF THE RELIGIOUSINDIGNATION OF H ADRAT UMMI H ABIBAH RA

Tis was the treatment which they meted out to theblessed wi e o the Holy Prophetsa. Hadrat UmmiHabibahra possessed such pro ound loyalty and love or the Holy Prophetsa

that afer a separation o about feen to sixteen years, whenher ather, who was the chie o Arabia and held the positiono a king in Makkah came to Madinah on a special politicalmission and came to meet her, she pulled away the bedding othe Holy Prophetsa rom beneath him. Tis was because shecould not bear to see the pure cloth o the Messenger o Allahtouch the impure body o an idolater. It is surprising that inthe absence o Muhammadsa, the Messenger o Allah,HadratUmmiHabibahra sa eguarded the sanctity o even his cloth,101 whereas these rebels did not even show veneration to the revered

100. arikhut-Tabari, vol. 5, p. 177, Dhikrul-Khabari‘An Qatlihi WaKai a utila, Published by Darul-Fikr, Beirut, 2002 edition

101. Isabatu Fi amizis-Sahabah, vol. 8, p. 142, Ramlah Bintu Abi Su y an,

Darul-Kutubil-‘Ilmiyyah, Beirut, 2005 edition [Publishers]




wi e o Muhammadsa, the Messenger o Allah, in his absence.Tese oolish people said that the wi e o the Holy Prophetsa was a liar, even though she was correct in her statement.Hadrat‘Uthmanra was the guardian o the orphans o Banu Umayyah.On seeing their growing enmity, her concern that the wealth othe orphans and widows may go to waste was correct. Te trueliars were those who took up the task o destroying the aith whilst claiming to love Muhammadsa, the Messenger o Allah;

not UmmiH

abibah

ra

, Ummul-Mu’mini n.

102

H ADRAT ‘ A’ISHAH RA PREPARES FOR HAJJ When news o the treatment meted out toHadrat

UmmiHabibahra spread throughout Madinah, the companionsand residents o Madinah were lef shocked; they understoodthat now it was useless to hope o any good to come rom the

rebels. It was at this very time thatH adrat ‘A’ishahra

decided togo or hajj and she began to make preparations or the journey. When people learned that she was about to leave Madinah, someo them requested that i she remained behind, perhaps this would be conducive to bringing an end to the conict and therebels would take heed. However, she re used saying:

“Do you want me to receive the same treatment as Ummi H abi bahra. By God! I cannot put my honour at risk (as shewas the honour of the Holy Prophet sa ). If I am targeted in any way, what will be the means of my protection? Only

102. arikhut-Tabari, vol. 5, pp. 177-178, Dhikrul-Khabari‘An Qatlihi

Wa Kai a utila, Published by Darul-Fikr, Beirut, 2002 edition




God knows the extent to which the rebels will grow in theirmischief and what will be their outcome.”

Just asH adrat ‘A’ishah Siddiqahra was leaving she deviseda strategy; had it succeeded, this conict may have beensuppressed to some extent. She sent a message to her brother,Muhammad bin Abi Bakr, that he should also accompany her to per orm hajj but he re used. Upon this,H adrat ‘A’ishahra said,“What am I to do, I am helpless. If I had the strength, I would

never allow these rebels to succeed in their designs.” H ADRAT ‘UTHM AN RA SENDS A CIRCULAR TO

THE PROVINCIAL GOVERNORS Hadrat ‘A’ishahra had gone or hajj and somecompanions, who were able to leave Madinah, also lef. Teremaining people except or a ew prominent companions

remained in their homes. Ultimately, evenH adrat ‘Uthmanra

elt that the rebels would not settle through leniency and hedispatched a letter to all the provincial governors, the summaryo which is as ollows:

“After H ad rat Abu Bakr ra and H ad rat ‘Umar ra , without any desire or request of my own, I was included amongthose who were entrusted the duty of holding counselregarding Khil a fat. Then, I was elected to the office of Khil a fat without any desire or request of my own. Without fail, I continued the works which the previous Khulaf a’ra undertook and I did not introduce any innovations inthe faith of my own accord. However, the seed of evil was planted into the hearts of certain people, mischief arose and then they began to plot against me; they expressed one




thing before the people, while concealing another thing intheir hearts. These people began to level such accusations against me as were levelled against the Khulaf a’ra beforeme as well. However, I remained silent despite knowingof this. Taking advantage of my mercy, these people greweven more in their mischief. Ultimately, they attacked Madinah in the likeness of disbelievers. So, if there is anything you can do then please arrange for some help.” 103

Similarly, a ew days later,H

adrat ‘Uthm

an

ra

wrote a letter to the people who had come to per orm hajj. Te gist o [this letter] isset out below.

A LETTER TO THE PILGRIMS FROMH ADRAT ‘UTHM AN RA

“I draw your attention towards God the Exalted

and remind you of His favours. At this time certain people are creating mischief and are engaged in attempts to causedivide in Islam. However, these people have not even takeninto consideration that God appoints the Khal i fah, just as He says:

[meaning, Allah has promised to those among you who






believe and do good works that He will surely make themSuccessors in the earth].104

Moreover, they did not value [the importance of] unity,even though God the Exalted has commanded:

[meaning, and hold fast all together by the rope of Allah].105

Furthermore, they accepted the words of those who accusedme and did not pay heed to this command of the Holy Quran:

[meaning, O ye who believe! if an unrighteous personbrings you any news, ascertain the correctness of the report

fully].106

They did not honour their bai‘at to me, even though Allahthe Exalted says with relation to the Holy Prophet sa:

[meaning, verily, those who swear allegiance to thee indeed swear allegiance to Allah].107

And I am a successor of the Noble Messenger sa. No nationcan progress without a leader and if there is no Im am thenthe community is destined to be ruined and destroyed.

104. An-Nur (24:56)105. Al-e-‘Imran (3:104)106. Al-Hujurat (49:7)

107. Al-Fath (48:11)




These people desire to destroy and ruin the Muslimummah; this is their only objective because I acceptedtheir wish and promised to change [various] governors butdespite this, they did not seize making mischief. Now, theydemand one out of three things. Firstly, they demand thatrevenge should be sought from me for all those people whohave received punished in my reign. If I do not agree, then I should step down from Khil a fat and they will appoint

someone else in my place. If I do not agree to this either,then they threaten that they will send a message to all their supporters to no longer be obedient to me. The answer withrespect to the first demand is that the Khulaf a’ra before me also committed judgmental errors but they were never punished. Furthermore, what other motive besides killingme can there be in imposing so many punishments upon

me. As for my deposition from Khil a fat, my reply is thatif these people tear my flesh into bits with pincers, I can accept this, but I cannot step down from Khil a fat. Now remains the third point, i.e., [if I do not agreeto the above], they will send their men in all directionstelling people not to obey me. For this, I am not heldresponsible by God if they wish to act in violation of the shariah. Even before, when they pledged allegiance to me, I did not compel them. Neither I, nor God the Exalted is pleased with the action of anyone who wishes to break his




covenant. Of course, such a person may do as he wishes onhis own accord.” 108

Since the days o hajj were ast approaching and people were converging upon Makkah Mukarramah rom allcorners,Hadrat ‘Uthmanra appointedHadrat ‘Abdullah bin‘Abbasra and dispatched him as the Amir or hajj lest the rebelscreated disorder there as well. Tis wayH adrat ‘Abdullah bin‘Abbasra could also urge the Muslims gathering or hajj to assist

the people o Madinah. EvenH

adrat ‘Abdull

ah bin ‘Abb

as

ra

submitted,“I would prefer to do jihad against these people.” However,Hadrat ‘Uthmanra compelled him to go or hajj anddischarge his duties as the Amir or hajj, in order to prevent therebels rom spreading their mischie there and also to urge the pilgrims gathering there to help the people o Madinah. Teabove-mentioned letter oHadrat ‘Uthmanra was sent along with

him as well. When the rebels learned o these letters they grew intheir violence. Tey began to look or an excuse to ght so thatthey could martyrHadrat ‘Uthmanra. All their efforts, however, were in vain andHadrat ‘Uthmanra would not give them anopportunity to make mischie .

THE REBELS PELT STONES AT THE

HOUSE OF H ADRAT ‘UTHM AN RA

In the end, out o rustration, the scheme devised by therebels was that they would stone the house oHadrat ‘Uthmanra at night all when everyone would all asleep. In this manner,

108. arikhut-Tabari, vol. 5, pp. 192-193, Dhikrul-Khabari‘Anis-Sababilladhi Min Ajlihi, Published by Darul-Fikr, Beirut, 2002





they would provoke the members o the household so that theytoo would throw stones in retaliation; so the rebels could saythat they [the household oHadrat ‘Uthmanra] initiated theattack and they were compelled to respond. However,Hadrat‘Uthmanra had prohibited all the members o his household

rom retaliating. One day, upon nding an opportunity, heapproached the wall and said:

‘O people! In your view I am a sinner, but what wrong

have the others committed? When you throw stones thereis also a risk of others being injured.’Te rebels plainly denied and said that they had not thrown anystones.Hadrat ‘Uthmanra said,“If you do not throw them, thenwho does?” Te rebels replied,“God the Exalted probably throwsthem.”

109 ذ ک

ه ا

:o this,Hadrat ‘Uthmanra respondedوذ

‘You speak lies! If God the Exalted had thrown stones atus, then not one of His stones would have missed; but the stones thrown by you fall off target as well.’110

Afer saying this,Hadrat ‘Uthmanra lef them to their work.

109. We seek re uge with Allah rom such a thing. [Publishers]110. arikhut-Tabari, vol. 5, p. 177, Dhikrul-Khabari‘An Qatlihi


[Publishers]




WORTHY EFFORTS OF THE COMPANIONSIN SUPPRESSING THE DISORDER

Although the companions were no longer given achance to gather in the company oHadrat ‘Uthmanra, evenstill, they were not negligent o their duty. Tey had dividedtheir work into two parts as a wise measure at the time. Tosemen who were elderly and who due to their morals, possessed agreat inuence on the public, spent their time admonishing the

rebels; as or those people who possessed no such inuence, or were young, would remain engaged in efforts to protectHadrat‘Uthmanra. From among the ormer group,Hadrat ‘AliraandHadratSa‘d bin Waqq asra, the conqueror o Persia, strove the hardestto suppress the conict.Hadrat ‘Alira had especially devoted histime to this cause, leaving aside all his other work. As such, a

person by the name o ‘Abdur-Rahman, who was an eye witnesso these events, says:“In the days of disorder, I saw that H ad rat ‘Al i ra had abandoned all his work. Day and night, he would remainconcerned about how he could calm the temper of theenemies of H ad rat ‘Uthm anra and bring an end to his sufferings. On one occasion, when there was a delay inconveying water to H ad rat ‘Uthm anra , he became verydispleased with H ad rat T al h ahra to whom this task was assigned. H ad rat ‘Al i ra did not rest until water had reachedthe home of H ad rat ‘Uthm anra.”

In ones and twos, whenever they could nd anopportunity, the second group began to gather in the houseo H adrat ‘Uthmanra or in neighbouring houses. Tis party




did not ail in ullling their obligation. Tey gave precedenceto the danger at hand over such dangers that were yet to come.I the lives [o the companions] were secure at the time, thenit was only because the rebels elt no need to hurry and wereon the lookout or an excuse [to murderHadrat ‘Uthmanra].Ultimately, however, the hour arrived when it became impossibleto wait any longer, because the heart-rendering message oHadrat ‘Uthmanra, which he had sent to the Muslims who were

gathering or hajj, had now been read out be ore the crowd o pilgrims. Te valley o Makkah echoed this voice rom one endto another. Te Muslim pilgrims had decided that afer the hajj,they would not remain deprived o gaining the spiritual rewardo per orming jihad as well; they would uproot the rebels oEgypt and their associates. Rebel spies had in ormed their peopleo this intention and now signs o agitation began to arise in

their camp. Tis was to such extent that murmurings within therebel camp began to take place suggesting that now there was noother option but to kill this man; i they did not kill him, there would be no uncertainty in their own massacre at the hands othe Muslims. Tis anxiety was urther intensied by the news that theletters o Hadrat ‘Uthmanra had now reached Syria, Ku ah andBasrah as well, and the people there, who were already waiting

or the orders oHadrat ‘Uthmanra, had been urther enragedupon the receipt o these letters. Not to mention that takingit upon themselves, the companions had drawn the attentiono all the Muslims towards their obligations in mosques andgatherings, and they had issued the verdict o per orming jihadagainst the rebels. Te companions said,“A person, who does not




perform jihad on this day, is as if he has done nothing.” I in Ku ah‘Uqbah bin ‘Amrra, ‘Abdullah bin Abi Au ara, H anzalah bin Rabi‘At- amimira and other noble companions had roused the peopleinto supporting the people o Madinah, then ‘Imran binHasinra,Anas bin Malik ra, Hisham bin ‘Amirra and other companions haddone the same in Basrah. I in Syria ‘Ubadah binSamitra, Abu Umamah111 and other companions had motivated the people toanswer to the call oHadrat ‘Uthmanra then Kharijah and others

had done the same in Egypt. Armies rom every province were joining orces and marching towards Madinah.112

THE REBELS ATTACK THEHOUSE OF H ADRAT ‘UTHM AN RA

Hence, this news intensied the anxiety o the rebels.Finally, they attacked the house oHadrat ‘Uthmanra and

sought to orce ully enter. Te companions con ronted themand a erce battle ensued. Although the companions were ewin number, their religions indignation was covering or thisdisadvantage. Since the area where this battle took place, i.e., in

ront o the house oHadrat ‘Uthmanra was narrow, due to this

111. According to the narration oT

abari,H

adrat Ab

u Dard

a’ An

sari wasalso among those companions who urged people to supportHadrat

‘Uthmanra in Syria. However, it appears rom other narrations that hehad already passed away prior to the martyrdom oHadrat‘Uthmanra,as established by Isti‘ab and Isabah. Tis is correct, however, asmentioned earlier, during his li etime, he too endeavoured to wipeout this conict.

112. arikhut-Tabari, vol. 5, p. 154-155, Dhikru Masiri Mann Sara Ila Dhi Khashabin Min Ahli Misra....., Published by Darul-Fikr, Beirut,

2002 edition




reason as well, the rebels were unable to exploit their advantagein number. WhenH adrat ‘Uthmanra learned o this battle he

orbade the companions rom ghting. However, at that time,they viewed abandoningH adrat ‘Uthmanra to be against honestyand contrary to the teaching o obedience. Hence, they re usedto return despiteH adrat ‘Uthmanra appealing to them in thename o God.

H ADRAT‘UTHM AN RA ORDERS

THE COMPANIONS In the end,H adrat ‘Uthmanra took a shield in his hand,came out and lead the companions inside his house. He then hadthe doors closed and enjoined the companions and their helpers:

“God the Exalted has not given you the world so that youmay incline towards it. In fact, he has granted you the

world so that by this means, you may gather provisions forthe hereafter. So, let not that which is to perish make youunmindful. Give precedence to that which shall remainover that which is to perish. Be mindful of you meetingwith God the Exalted and do not allow your communityto disperse. Do not forget the Divine favour that you wereon the brink of a pit of destruction and God the Exalted saved you out of His bounty and made you as brothers.”

Having said this he dismissed them and said:“May God the Exalted be your Guardian and Helper. Allof you leave the house now, and call for those companions

who have been barred from reaching me, especially H ad rat‘Al i ra , H ad rat T al h ahra and H ad rat Zubair ra.”

Tese people stepped out and the other companions were also




called. At the time, such a mood was developing and such adegree o sorrow was overshadowing the atmosphere, that eventhe rebels could not remain unaffected. And why would thisnot be the case? Everyone was observing that a candle lit byMuhammadsa, the Messenger o Allah, upon completing its li ein the world was now about to disappear rom the eyes o the people. Tere ore, the rebels did not cause much hindranceand all the companions gathered. When everyone had come

together,H

adrat ‘Uthm

an

ra

climbed the wall o his houseand said,“Come close to me.” When they had all come close tohim, Hadrat ‘Uthmanra said,“O people! Sit down.” At this, thecompanions sat down and inspired by the awe o the gathering,so did the rebels. When they had all sat downHadrat ‘Uthmanra

said:“People of Madinah! I entrust you to God the Exalted and

pray to Him that after me, He may arrange for a better successor than me. After today, until God the Exaltedissues a decree in my regard, I shall not step out of my house and I shall not pass on authority to anyone by which hemay rule over you in terms of religion or worldly rule. Ileave it to God the Exalted to choose whoever He desires

for His work.” Afer this he appealed in the name o Allah to the companionsand the other people o Madinah, not to put their own lives ingrave danger by protecting him and to go to their homes. Tis instruction o Hadrat ‘Uthmanra created a seriousdisagreement among the companions, a disagreement the likeso which cannot be ound prior to this. Te companions knewnothing but to obey every command, but today, in obeying this




instruction, some perceived the stench o treachery, as opposedto obedience. Some companions gave precedence to the aspecto obedience and unwillingly did away with their intention oghting the rebels rom then on. Perhaps they thought thattheir duty was only to be obedient and it was not their task toreect upon the results that would come about by obeying thiscommand. However, some companions re used to obey thisorder, because although they knew that it was an obligation to

obey the Khal i fah, but i the Khal

i fah commands people toabandon him, this effectively means that they should sever their

ties with Khil a fat ; hence, this kind o obedience actually resultsin treachery. Furthermore, they also knew thatHadrat ‘Uthmanra was sending them home in order to protect their lives. Howthen, could they leave such a loving person in danger and go totheir homes? All the prominent companions were among the

latter group. As such, despite this command, the sons oHadrat‘Alira, Hadrat Talhahra andHadrat Zubairra, under the order otheir respective athers, constantly stood guard at the porcho H adrat ‘Uthmanra and did not put their swords into theirsheaths.113

ANXIETY OF THE REBELS UPON THE

RETURN OF THE PILGRIMS Te anxiety and ebullition o the rebels knew no bounds when the odd one or two people – who were returning aferhaving completed hajj – began to enter Madinah; they were

113. arikhut-Tabari, vol. 5, pp. 176-179, Dhikrul-Khabari‘An Qatlihi Wa Kai a utila, Published by Darul-Fikr, Beirut, 2002 edition

[Publishers]




certain that now the time or their judgement had drawn veryclose. Afer per orming hajj, Mughirah bin Al-Akhnas was therst person who entered Madinah in order to gain the spiritualreward o jihad. As soon as he arrived, the rebels received newsthat the army o Basrah, which was coming to help the Muslims,had reachedSirar, which was only at a journey o one day romMadinah. Overwhelmed by this news, the rebels decided that it was now vital that they ull their objective at all costs. Tose

companions and their riends who had re used to relinquishtheir protection oH adrat ‘Uthmanra despite his prohibition andthose who had plainly said,“How will we face God the Exaltedif we desert you despite having the strength in our arms to fight?” were now standing guard rom inside the house due to theirsmall number. Hence, it was not difficult or the rebels to reachthe door. Te rebels collected piles o wood outside the door and

set light to them, so that the door would burn down and theycould nd an entrance into [the house]. Upon observing this, thecompanions deemed it inappropriate to remain inside and theydesired to step out swords in hand. However,Hadrat ‘Uthmanra stopped them rom doing so and said:

“What more can there be than setting the house on fire?Whatever was to happen has now happened. Do not put your lives in danger and return to your homes. These people only harbour enmity against myself, but soon, they shall be remorseful for their doing. I absolve every person




of his duty who is obliged to obey me and give up my rightupon him.” 114

However, the companions as well as others did not accept thisand stepped out swords in hand. As they were coming out,Hadrat Abu Hurairahra arrived as well and joined them eventhough he was not the kind o person to engage in battle. Abu Hurairahra said,“What battle can be superior to the battle of thisday?”

Ten he looked towards the rebels and said:

“O my people, why is it that I call you towards salvation and you call me towards the Fire.”

THE COMPANIONS FIGHT THE REBELS Tis battle was an exceptional one. A hand ull ocompanions who were able to gather at the time oughtdesperately against this grand army. On that day, evenHadratImam Hasanra, who was extremely peace loving, in act, he wasa prince o peace, attacked the enemy and would reciterajaz.115 Te couplets recited byHadrat Imam H asan and MuhammadbinTalhah on that day are especially worthy o mention because

114. arikhut-Tabari, vol. 5, p. 175-179/183, Dhikrul-Khabari‘AnQatlihi Wa Kai a utila, Published by Darul-Fikr, Beirut, 2002edition

115. A specic meter in Arabic poetry, which contains a discourse inrhyme. Tis word also denotes the recitation o poetic verses in

general. [Publishers]




they provide a deep understanding o their heart elt eelings atthe time. Hadrat Imam Hasanra would recite the ollowingcouplet and attack the rebels:

م ا شر ا

ھا د

دھ

“Their faith is not my faith nor do I have any relationwith them; I shall fight them until I reach the summit of

mount Sham a

m.” 116

Shamam is a mountain in Arabia which serves as a similitude orconquering heights and the achievement o one’s goal.HadratImam Hasanra meant to say that he would continue to ght therebels until he attained his objective and would not make peace with them, because the disagreement between both parties was not a trivial one, whereby [the believers] could develop a

relationship with them, without having conquered them. Tese were the thoughts that were billowing in the heart o this princeo peace. Let us now take therajaz o the son oTalhahra, whosays:

رغ

ا رد ه ا

ا

“I am the son of he who protected the Holy Prophet sa onthe day of U h ad and defeated the Arabs despite their fullefforts.”

In other words, this day was also similar to the day o Uhad; justas his ather had offered his hand to be pierced with arrows but

116. arikhut-Tabari, vol. 5, p. 179, Dhikrul-Khabari‘An Qatlihi Wa

Kai a utila, Published by Darul-Fikr, Beirut, 2002 edition




did not let any harm come to the Holy Prophetsa, he would dothe same. H adrat ‘Abdullah bin Zubairra also participated in thisbattle and was badly injured. Marw an also sustained seriousinjuries and barely escaped the clutches o death. Mughirahbin Al-Akhnas was killed. When the person who had attackedMughirah saw that not only had he been wounded but that hehad been killed, he exclaimed:

[meaning, surely, to Allah we belong and to Him shall wereturn].117

Te chie o the army reprimanded him saying,“You expressregret on an occasion of happiness!” He replied:

“Last night I saw in a dream that a person said, ‘Give

news of hell to the killer of Mughi rah.’ So upon learningthat I am his killer I was bound to be shocked by this.” 118

Besides the above mentioned people others were alsoinjured and killed; the party protectingHadrat ‘Uthmanra became even smaller. I on the one hand, the rebels persistedin their obstinacy despite a heavenly warning and continuedto ght against the beloved party o God the Exalted, then onthe other hand, the devotees also did not slacken in setting anexcellent example o aith. Despite the act that most guards had

117. Al-Baqarah (2:157) [Publishers]118. arikhut-Tabari, vol. 5, p. 179-180, Dhikrul-Khabari‘An Qatlihi


[Publishers]




been killed or injured, a small party continued to guard the door without ail.

Since the rebels had apparently gained victory already,they sent someone toH adrat ‘Uthmanra again, as a nalstrategy, to have him resign rom Khil a fat . Tey elt that i heresigned himsel then the Muslims would have no authority oropportunity to punish the rebels. When the messenger reachedHadrat ‘Uthmanra, he said:

“I have refrained from vices even in the days of jahiliyyah and have not violated the injunctions [of God] after accepting Islam. Why and for what crime should I leavethe office which God the Exalted has conferred upon me? I shall never remove the garment which God the Exaltedhas clothed me with.”

Te messenger returned afer hearing this reply and addressed his

people in the ollowing words:“By God! We have fallen into grave trial. By God! Wecannot escape the clutches of the Muslims without killing‘Uthm anra (because in this case the government wouldtopple and its administration would crumble and therewould be no one to question them) but killing him is in noway permissible.”119

Not only do the words o this person highlight theanxiety o the rebels, but they also establish thatHadrat‘Uthmanra had still not allowed anything to arise which therebels could have used as an excuse. In their hearts, the rebels

119. arikhut-Tabari, vol. 5, pp. 178-180, Dhikrul-Khabari‘An Qatlihi Wa Kai a utila, Published by Darul-Fikr, Beirut, 2002 edition

[Publishers]




knew that killingHadrat ‘Uthmanra was not law ul under anycircumstances.

‘ABDULL AH RA BIN SAL AM ADMONISHESTHE REBELS

Hadrat ‘Abdullahra bin Salam arrived when therebels were plotting to assassinateH adrat ‘Uthmanra. Hadrat

‘Abdullah

ra

bin Salam was greatly revered within his tribe even when he was a disbeliever and the Jews believed him to be their

chie and a peerless scholar. He stood at the door and began toadmonish the rebels, and he orbade them rom killingHadrat‘Uthmanra saying:

“O People! Do not draw the sword of God up your heads. By God! If you draw the sword you will never find an

opportunity to put it back into its sheath; conflict anddiscord among the Muslims shall never end. Pay heed!Today, the government [punishes criminals] by the whip(generally lashing is the penalty for a criminal offence inthe Islamic penal code), but if you kill this man, then theState will not be able to maintain order without the sword(i.e. people will be killed for petty crimes)120 . Keep in mindthat the angels are the guardians of Madinah at this time;if you kill him, the angels will desert Madinah.”

Te benet that the rebels derived rom this admonition was

120. In other words, rebels such as these will create such havoc and terrorin the State that it will be impossible or the government to maintainorder and protect the innocent unless harsher punishments are meted

out to such criminals. [Publishers]




that they drove off ‘Abdullahra bin Salam, the companiono the Holy Prophetsa. In addition, they taunted him withre erence to his previous aith saying,“O son of a Jewess! Whathave you to do with these matters?” It is a shame, that the rebelsremembered that ‘Abdullahra bin Salam was the son o a Jewishlady, but orgot that he had accepted Islam at the hand o theHoly Prophetsa. Furthermore, the Holy Prophetsa was immensely pleased when he converted and he too stood by the Holy

Prophetsa

in every hour o difficulty and suffering. Moreover,the rebels also orgot that ‘Abdullah bin Saba, their leader andinstigator the person who declaredHadrat ‘Alira to be thewa si o the Holy Prophetsa and presented him in opposition toHadrat ‘Uthmanra was also the son o a Jewess. In act, he was a Jew himsel and was only outwardly expressing Islam.

THE REBELS ASSASSINATEHADRAT ‘UTHMAN RA

Disappointed by the rebels,Hadrat ‘Abdullah binSalamra lef. Upon noticing that it was difficult to murderHadrat ‘Uthmanra by entering through the door, becausethe ew people who were present on guard there were bentupon killing or dying; so they decided to assassinateHadrat‘Uthmanra by jumping over the wall o a neighbouring house.As such, with this intention, a ew rebels jumped over the wallo a neighbouring house and sneaked into the room oHadrat‘Uthmanra. When these people entered,Hadrat ‘Uthmanra

was reciting the Holy uran. Afer the siege had been laid, dayand night, the only occupation oHadrat ‘Uthmanra was tooffer prayer or recite the Holy uran, and he would not pay




attention to any other work. In those days, the only other taskthat he per ormed be ore the rebels penetrated the house wasto appoint two men in order to guard the treasury, because onthat night, the Holy Prophetsa appeared to him in a vision andsaid,“O ‘ Uthmanra! Break your fast with us this evening.” Aferthis vision,H adrat ‘Uthmanra was convinced that he would bemartyred that day. Hence, taking his responsibility into account,Hadrat ‘Uthmanra ordered two men to stand guard by the gate

o the treasury, so that no one would attempt to loot the treasuryduring the chaos and mischie .

EVENTS LEADING UP TO THE MARTYRDOMOF H ADRAT ‘UTHM AN RA

When the rebels reached inside they oundHadrat‘Uthmanra reciting the Holy uran. Muhammad bin Abi

Bakr was also among the attackers and due to the power hecommanded over the rebels, he considered it his duty to be at theore ront o everything. He advanced and took hold oHadrat

‘Uthmanra by his beard and gave it a violent tug. In response tothis action o his,Hadrat ‘Uthmanra only said this much:

“O my brother’s son! If your father ( H ad rat Abu Bakr ra )had been here now, he would never have done such athing. What has happened to you? Are you displeased withme for the sake of God? Are you angry at me for anythingother than the fact that I have made you fulfil the rightsof God?”

Upon this, Muhammad bin Abi Bakr turned back in shame.However, the rest o the rebels remained there. Since denitenews had been received that the army o Basrah would reach




Madinah that night and this was their last opportunity,the rebels had decided that they would not return withoutcompleting their mission. One o them advanced and struck thehead o Hadrat ‘Uthmanra with an iron rod. Ten he kicked the

uran which was placed oppositeHadrat ‘Uthmanra. Te Holyuran went tumbling towardsHadrat ‘Uthmanra and drops o

blood ell upon it rom his head. What to talk o dishonouringthe Holy uran the virtue and honesty o these people

became ully exposed by this event. Te verse upon which the blood oHadrat ‘Uthmanra ell was a magnicent prophecy that was ullled in its own time

with such grandeur that a person who possessed even the hardesto hearts closed his eyes, out o ear, afer beholding a glimpse oits blood stained words. Te verse was:

“Allah will surely avenge thee against them, for He is All-Hearing, All-Knowing.” 121

Afer this a person by the name o Saudan advancedand desired to attack him with a sword. When he made hisrst strike,Hadrat ‘Uthmanra shielded himsel with his handand his hand was wounded. Upon this, he said,“By God the Exalted, this was the first hand to write the Holy Quran.”Aferthis, Saudan made a second attack in an attempt to assassinateHadrat ‘Uthmanra but his wi e Na’ilah moved orward andstepped in between. Tis evil person, however, did not evenhesitate to strike a lady; he attacked and her ngers were severed.

121. Al-Baqarah (2:138)




Consequently, she got out o the way. Afer this, he madeanother attack uponHadrat ‘Uthmanra and severely woundedhim. Ten, in the thought that perhaps he had not yet died andmay survive, whenH adrat ‘Uthmanra was writhing in agony and

ell unconscious due to the pain o his wounds, this wretched person immediately took to his neck and began to strangle him.Tis man did not release the neck oH adrat ‘Uthmanra until hissoul departed his physical body and ew to the heavenly world,

eagerly accepting the invitation o the Holy Prophetsa

.122


At rst, overwhelmed by the horror o this scene, the wi e oHadrat ‘Uthmanra was unable to speak. She nally called out or

help and the people sitting at the door rushed inside. However,any help was now useless; what was to happen had alreadytaken place. When the reed-slave oHadrat ‘Uthmanra saw theblood-stained sword, which had been used to martyrHadrat‘Uthmanra, in the hands o Saudan, he was unable to restrainhimsel . He advanced and severed the head o Saudan with hissword. In turn, one o his [Saudan’s] associates killed him. Nowthe throne o the Islamic Empire was empty o a Khal i fah. Te people o Madinah deemed urther efforts to be utile and allo them returned to their respective homes. Afer martyring

122. arikhut-Tabari, vol. 5, pp. 176/181-182, Dhikrul-Khabari‘AnQatlihi Wa Kai a utila, Published by Darul-Fikr, Beirut, 2002edition [Publishers]

123. Al-Baqarah (2:157) [Publishers]




Hadrat ‘Uthmanra the rebels began to terrorize the members ohis household. Te wi e oHadrat ‘Uthmanra desired to moveaway and when she lef, a wretched person rom among themremarked to his associates,“Look at the size of her buttocks.” Undoubtedly, or a respectable man, no matter whatreligion he belongs to, it is difficult to even athom that therebels would express such oul views at a time when they had just martyred the oremost (pioneer) Companionra o the Holy

Prophetsa

; his son-in-law, the King o the Muslim Empire andthen, the Khal i fah o the time. However, their indecency wasso immense that no evil deed was beyond them. Tese rebels were neither in pursuit o any good objective, nor did their party consist o righteous people. Some o them were admirerso the deceptive, anti-Islam, strange and peculiar teachings o‘Abdullah bin Saba, the Jew. Others were ascinated by [the

concept o ] excessive socialism, rather, Bolshevism. Some werecriminals who had served sentences and were looking to spillout their animosity, while others were robbers and bandits, whosaw this conict as a means o ullling their ends. In short,their indecency is not surprising. As a matter o act, it wouldhave been surprising i these people had not behaved in such amanner.

While the rebels were pillaging and plundering, anotherreed-slave could not restrain himsel when he heard the screams

and cries o the household oHadrat ‘Uthmanra. Te slaveattacked and killed the person who had killed the rst slave.At this, they killed him as well. Te rebels even took off the jewellery worn by the women and lef the house laughing andmocking.




THE REBELS LOOT BAITUL M AL Following this, the rebels made an open announcementto their people that they should head orbaitul-m al and loot whatever they could lay their hands upon. Te guards decidedamongst themselves that the rebels should be lef to do as they please, since there was nothing but two sacks o money inbaitul-m al , the Khal i fah o the time had been martyred and there was no use in ghting the rebels. Te guards threw the keys o

baitul-m a

l and lef. As such, the rebels went tobaitul-m a

l ,opened it and looted whatever was stored inside. In this manner,the rebels placed a stamp o attestation upon the act that they were bandits and robbers, and had no relation with Islam andthe Muslims. Is it not surprising that those people who used toraise the objection againstHadrat ‘Uthmanra that he wouldgive unds to those who were undeserving, the rst thing they

did afer his martyrdom was to loot his house and thenbaitul-m al . However, God the Exalted did not allow their desires to beullled in this respect either, because there was nothing more

than a small amount o money inbaitul-m al at the time, which was insufficient to satis y their greed.

OUTRAGE OF THE COMPANIONS AT THE

MARTYRDOM OF H ADRAT ‘UTHM AN RA

When news o the martyrdom oHadrat ‘Uthmanra reached the companions they were devastated. WhenHadratZubairra heard this news he said:





Ten, he said,“O God have mercy on ‘Uthm anra and avenge him.” When he was told that the rebels were now ashamed and

elt remorse or what they had done, he retorted,“This was aconspiracy,” and then he recited the ollowing verse:

“God the Exalted placed obstacles in the fulfilment of theirdesires.” 125

In other words, since there was very little chance that now the wishes o the rebels would materialise and they could see that theentire Muslim world was in ury against them, they were nowdisplaying remorse. WhenHadrat Talhahra received the news

he said the same,“May God have mercy on ‘Uthm anra

and avengehim and Islam.” When he was told that they were now repentanthe said,“May destruction befall them,” and he recited this verse:

“They shall not even be able to make a will, and they shallnot be able to return to their families.” 126

In the same manner, whenHadrat ‘Alira received thisnews he said,“May Allah the Exalted have mercy on ‘Uthm anra and appoint a successor after him who is better for us.”

124. Al-Baqarah (2:157) [Publishers]125. Saba (34:55)

126. Y a Sin (36:51)




When he was also told that they were now repentant, he recitedthe ollowing verse:

“Their example is of that Satan, who tells the people,‘Disbelieve,’ but when they disbelieve, he says, ‘I am averse

to you; I fear Allah.’” 127

When the armies that were coming to aidH adrat ‘Uthmanra

learned that he had been martyred, they turned back romdistance o only a ew miles rom Madinah. Tey did not wishto enter Madinah because their doing was no longer any use toHadrat ‘Uthmanra; in act, it was apprehended that conict mayhave escalated. Moreover, the Muslims were generally never keen

to ght without an Imam. Now Madinah was in the possession o the rebels andtheir behaviour during those days was extremely shocking. Teyhad already martyredHadrat ‘Uthmanra but now they also hadan objection with his burial; or three days, he could not beburied. Finally, a group o companions showed courage andburiedHadrat ‘Uthmanra at night. Te rebels placed hindrancesin the path o these companions as well, but when some o themthreatened to ght them ercely, they gave in. Te rebels took

127. Al-Hashr (59:17)




the corpses o the two servants oHadrat ‘Uthmanra and placedthem in the jungle and ed them to the dogs.128

129 ذ ک ه ا وذ SUMMARY & OUTCOME OF THE

EVENTS DESCRIBED

Tese are the actual events which transpired in the nal

days o the Khil a fat o

Hadrat ‘Uthm

an

ra

. Afer learning o theseevents, no one can even imagine thatHadrat ‘Uthmanra or thecompanions had any involvement in these conicts. Te love,devotion and orbearance with whichHadrat ‘Uthmanra servedin the last six years o his Khil a fat is to his credit. Te like othis cannot be ound in any other community, except or amongthe servants o God, the Holy. He selessly occupied the seat o

Khil a fat and returned to his rue Beloved selessly. In periloustimes when the blood o even the most patient o men boils withrage,Hadrat ‘Uthmanra adopted such a manner that those who were thirsty or his blood could not even nd the lamest excuseto kill him. Ultimately, the rebels had to putHadrat ‘Uthmanra to the sword and in this manner they con essed that they werethe oppressors andHadrat ‘Uthmanra was innocent.

Similarly, it is clearly evident rom these events that the

128. * arikhut-Tabari, vol. 5, p. 181, Dhikrul-Khabari‘An Qatlihi WaKai a utila, Published by Darul-Fikr, Beirut, 2002 edition

* arikhut-Tabari, vol. 5, pp. 195-196, Dhikrul-Khabari‘Anil-Maudi‘illadhi Duna Fihi ‘Uthman, Published by Darul-Fikr,Beirut, 2002 edition [Publishers]

129. We seek re uge with Allah rom such a thing. [Publishers]




companions had no objection against the Khil a fat o Hadrat‘Uthmanra. Until the very last breath, they were loyal and even when it was impossible or them to help in any way, putting theirown lives in danger they continued to protectH adrat ‘Uthmanra.Tese events also establish that neither did the appointment ogovernors byHadrat ‘Uthmanra have anything to do with theseconicts, nor was the tyranny o these governors a cause. Teallegation againstHadrat ‘Alira, Hadrat Talhahra and Hadrat

Zubairra

o secretly conspiring, is also absolutely alse. All threeo these companions strove to remove this conict with suchloyalty and sympathy that even biological brothers cannot match[their efforts], let alone exceed them. Te allegation which islevelled against the an sar that they were displeased withHadrat‘Uthmanra is alse because we see that all the chie s among the an sar endeavoured to ward off this conict.

Te real cause o this disorder was that upon witnessingthat Islam could not be destroyed by overt schemes, theenemies o Islam turned their attention towards hatchingsecret conspiracies. Using the name o prominent companions,they secretly began to create actions among the Muslims. Temeans that they had employed have now become mani est tothe people. Te rebels persuaded criminals who had servedsentences to join them and bribed robbers. Tey weakenedthe administration o the State by spreading alse concepts oequality. Tey weakened the aith o people under the guiseo religion and prepared a community through thousandso schemes and tactics. Ten, through lies, abrication anddeception, these people created such circumstances thatit became difficult orHadrat ‘Uthmanra and the other




companions to resist. We know not what the outcome wouldhave been, but rom the events we know this much, even i ithad been the Khil a fat o Hadrat ‘Umarra, this conict still wouldhave arisen; the allegations which were levelled againstHadrat‘Uthmanra would also have been levelled againstHadrat ‘Umarra;

orHadrat ‘Uthmanra did nothing whichHadrat ‘Umarra andHadrat Abu Bakrra had not done.

Due to a shortage o time, since the events o the

Khil a fat o

Hadrat ‘Al

ira

were mentioned in only a ew minutesand were very brie ; hence, I deleted this part during my secondreading.



Te ollowing abbreviations have been used. Readers are urged torecite the ull salutations when reading the book:

sa s allall ahu ‘alaihi wa sallam, meaning ‘may the peace andblessings o Allah be upon him’ is written afer the name othe Holy Prophet Muhammad sa.

as ‘alaihissal am, meaning ‘on whom be peace’ is writtenafer the name o Prophets other than the Holy ProphetMuhammad sa.

ra rad iyall ahu ‘anhu/‘anh a /‘anhum, meaning ‘may Allah be pleased with him/her/them’ is written afer the names othe Companions o the Holy Prophet Muhammadsa or othe Promised Messiah as.

aa ayyadahull ahu ta’ al a bina srihil-‘Azi z, meaning ‘mayAllah the Almighty help him with his power ul support’is written afer the name o the present Head o theAhmadiyya Muslim Jama‘at, Hadrat Mirza MasroorAhmad, Khali atul-Masih Vaa.

In transliterating Arabic words we have ollowed the ollowingsystem adopted by the Royal Asiatic Society.




at the beginning o a word, pronounced as a, i,u precededby a very slight aspiration, likeh in the English word‘honour’.

.’ th, pronounced liketh in the English word ‘thing ث .h, a guttural aspirate, stronger thanh ح .’kh, pronounced like the Scotchch in ‘loch خ .’ dh, pronounced like the Englishth in ‘that ذ .s, strongly articulated s ص

ضd , similar to the Englishth in ‘this’. ط t , strongly articulated palatalt.

.z, strongly articulated z ظ a strong guttural, the pronunciation o ,‘ ع which must be

learnt by the ear.gh, a sound approached very nearly in ther ‘ grasseye’ in غ

French, and in the Germanr . It requires the muscles o the

throat to be in the ‘gargling’ position whilst pronouncingit..q, a deep gutturalk sound ق a sort o ,’ ء catch in the voice.Short vowels are represented by:

a or (likeu in ‘bud ’) i or (likei in ‘bid ’) u or (likeoo in ‘wood ’)

Long vowels by: a or or (like a in ‘ father ’); i orی or (likeee in ‘deep’); u orو (likeoo in ‘root ’);

Other: ai or

ی

(likei in ‘ site’);




au orو (resemblingou in ‘ sound ’)Te consonants not included in the above list have the same phonetic value as in the principal languages o Europe. Curvedcommas are used in the system o transliteration, ‘ orع , ’ orء. We have not transliterated Arabic words which have become part o English language, e.g., Islam, uran, Hadith, Mahdi, jihad, Ramadan, ummah, etc. Te Royal Asiatic Society ruleso transliteration or names o persons, places and other

terms, could not be ollowed throughout the book as manyo the names contain non-Arabic characters and carry a localtransliteration and pronunciation style which in itsel is also notconsistent either.

Te abbreviation A.H. represents the renowned Islamiccalendar system, which began afer the migration o the HolyProphetsa to Madinah, and means,‘After Hijrah’.



Ahl-e-Bait—A term which re ers to the household members othe Holy Prophetsa and literally means, ‘people o the house.’ Ahmadiyya Muslim Jama‘at—Te Community o Muslims who have accepted the claims oH adrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmadas

o Qadian as the Promised Messiah and Mahdi. Te Community was established byH adrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmadas in 1889, andis now under the leadership o his fh Khal i fah—H adrat MirzaMasroor Ahmad (may Allah be his help). Te Community is alsoknown as Jama‘at-e-Ahmadiyya. A member o the Communityis called an Ahmadi Muslim or simply an Ahmadi. Alla h—Allah is the personal name o God in Islam. o show

proper reverence to Him, Muslims ofen addTa‘ al a, translatedhere as ‘the Exalted’, when saying His Holy name. Amin—May Allah make it so. Ansar —Literally means ‘the Helpers’ and was a title o veneration given to the Muslims o Madinah on account o theirgiving protection to the Holy Prophetsa and his companions when they migrated rom Makkah to Madinah due to persecution.‘ Asharah Mubashsharah—Tis is a term which means,‘theten who have been given glad tidings’. In actuality,‘asharahmubashsharah has become a renowned term to re er to ten people about whom the Holy Prophetsa had prophecied entranceinto paradise. However, there were many more such companions who were also granted this glad tiding. Tere ore, in actuality,




the term specically re ers to those tenmuh a jirin, who werea part o themajlis-e-shur a [consultative body] o the HolyProphetsa and who he especially trusted. As-Sabiq unal-Awwalun—A term used in the Holy uran, inSurah At- aubah (9:100), which means, ‘the oremost amongthe believers.’ Azw a j-e-Mutahhar at—A title o honour or the noble wives othe Holy Prophetsa and literally means, ‘spouses who have been

puried.’Bai‘at—An oath o allegience to a religious leader; initiation atthe hands o a Prophet or his Khal i fah. Literally means ‘to besold.’Baitul-Mal—Te National reasury o the Islamic State.Ghazwah—A military expedition in which the Holy Prophetsa participated himsel .

Hajjatul-Wada‘—Te last hajj per ormed by the Holy Prophetsa

prior to his demise and literally means, ‘the arewell hajj.’Hadrat—A term o respect used or a person o establishedrighteousness and piety.Hadith—A saying o the Holy Prophet Muhammadsa. Te pluralis ahadith.Hijrah—Te migration o the Holy Prophetsa to Madinah, dueto persecution in his homeland, Makkah.Holy Prophet sa—A term used exclusively or the Founder oIslam,Hadrat Muhammad, may peace and blessings o Allah beupon him.Holy uran—Te Book sent by Allah or the guidance omankind. It was revealed word by word to the Holy ProphetMuhammad sa over a period o twenty-three years.



‘Iddat—A xed time period specied by the Islamic shariah, which must elapse be ore a widow or divorced lady can marryagain. Jahiliyyah—Re ers to the pre-Islamic era prior to the advent othe Holy Prophetsa and literally means, ‘ignorance.’ Jama‘at— Jam a‘at means community. Although the word jam a‘at itsel may re er to any community, in this book, Jam a‘ atspecically re ers to the Ahmadiyya Muslim Jama‘at.

Jihad—Te literal meaning o this word is ‘striving’. Te term isused to mean sel -purication as well as religious wars in someinstances.Khalifah and Khilafat—Caliph is derived rom the Arabic word Khal i fah, which herein means the successor. Khulaf a’ is the plural o Khal i fah. In Islamic terminology, the title ‘ Khal i fa-e- R a shid’ [Rightly Guided Khal i fah] is applied to one o the rst

ourkhulaf a’ who continued the mission o the Holy ProphetMuhammadsa. Ahmadi Muslims re er to each successor o thePromised Messiahas as Khal i fatul-Masih. Te institution osuccessorship is called Khil a fat .Khalifatul-Masih II—H adrat Khali atul-Masih II, MirzaBashir-ud-Din Mahmud Ahmadra (1889–1965), was the secondsuccessor o the Promised Messiahas. He is also called Muslih-e-Mau‘ud because he was born in accordance with the prophecymade by the Promised Messiahas in 1886 concerning the birth oa righteous son who would be endowed with unique abilities andattributes.Khalifatul-Masih V —H adrat Khali atul-Masih V, MirzaMasroor Ahmadaa, is the fh successor o the Promised



Messiahas and the current Imam o Jama‘at-e-Ahmadiyya. He isthe great grandson o the Promised Messiahas.Khilafat—Te institution o successorship in Islam. See alsoKhalifah.Khatamul-Anbiy a’—A title o the Holy Prophetsa, whichmeans, ‘Seal o the Prophets’ due to his unparalleled status.Khatamul-Ausiy a’—A title o Hadrat ‘Alira given to him bythose who believe him to be thewa si o the Holy Prophetsa. See

alsowa si

.Madinah Munawwarah—Literally means ‘Madinah, theEnlightened’ and is a title o honour used to lovingly re er tothe city o Madinah. When the Holy Prophetsa migrated romMakkah due to persecution he settled in Madinah.Majlis-e-Shur a—A consultative body, which offers suggestionsin matters o importance.

Makkah Mukarramah—Literally means ‘Makkah, theHonoured’ and is a title o reverence used to lovingly re er to thecity o Makkah. Tis is the blessed city where the Holy Prophetsa was born and where he made his claim to prophethood aferreceiving revelation rom Allah the Exalted.Manzil—A distance equivalent to 19 miles or 25 kilometers.Masjid-e-Nabaw i—Te amous mosque built by the HolyProphetsa when he migrated to Madīnah, and literally means‘Te Prophet’s Mosque’.Muhammad—Proper name o the Prophet o Islam.Te Promised Messiah —Tis term re ers to the Founder o theAhmadiyya Muslim Jama‘at, Hadrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmadas o Qadian. He claimed that he had been sent by Allah in



accordance with the prophecies o the Holy Prophetsa about thecoming o al-Imam al-Mahdi (the Guided Leader) and Messiah.Qasr —A shortened version o the obligatory prayer [ s al at ], which is offered as such in certain circumstances.Raj‘at—Te belie that those who have passed away among theProphets would return to the world again with their physicalbodies.Rajaz—A specic meter in Arabic poetry, which contains a

discourse in rhyme. Tis word also denotes the recitation o poetic verse in general.Rak ‘at—A cycle in the ormal Muslim prayer and the plural othis word israk‘ at .Sadaqah—Almsgiving in Islam to assist the poor and needy.However, the Holy Prophetsa has mentioned that s adaqah canbe given in various orms, even by meeting another person with a

cheer ul ace. Te term, there ore, is very broad in meaning, andhas many in erences. In this lecture, on page 63 the word has alsobeen used in the context o ‘ orgiveness.’Surah—A term in Arabic re erring to a chapter o the Holy

uran.Sunnah—Practice o the Holy Prophetsa

akbir— o proclaim the greatness o Allah, saying All ahu Akbar , which means,‘Allah is the Greatest.’ Ummahatul-Mu’minin—A term o respect and reverence orthe wives o the Holy Prophetsa and literally means, ‘the motherso the believers.’‘Umrah—A lesser Pilgrimage to the Holy Ka‘bah in whichsome o the rites o the hajj are le t out.‘umrah can be per ormedat any time during the year.



Wasi—Literally this word has many meanings, which include, ‘atestator, gaurdian, custodian, keeper, or administrator’ However,in the context o the subject discussed in this book, it is a titlegiven toHadrat ‘Alira by a group o Muslims who believe that he was meant to be the rst Khal i fah afer the demise o the HolyProphetsa and that the Holy Prophetsa had bequethed him thisoffice prior to his demise.



‘ Abdullah bin Sabaarrives in Egypt 39attempted to take advantage

o the absence o provincialgovernors 67

converted to Islam in order tocreate rifs among Muslims 30

declares ‘Ali bin Abi Talibra to bethewa si o the Holy Prophet 45

exploits Abu Dharr Ghi arira 33orms a party 31

goes to Basrah 31

makes Egypt his headquarters 40 possessed extraordinaryintelligence and judgement 55

preached o a physical re-advent oHoly Prophetsa 44

sets out with rebels or Madinahin a nal attempt to achieve hisobjective 84

sows seed o disorder in Ku ah 32spreads his views by sending agents

to other states 55toured all the Muslim states 31undertook a dangerous scheme in

order to de ame governors 56 was a Jew 30 was the driving orce behind the

disorders 30, 41

‘ Abdullah bin Salamra

orbade the rebels rom killingHadrat ‘Uthmanra 139

heard taunt rom the rebels 140‘ Abdullah bin Sarah

sent news toHadrat ‘Uthmanra o the caravan and theirintentions 84

was the governor o Egypt 84‘ Abdullah bin ‘Umar ra

high status o , 59sent as a delgate to Syria 57 was well suited to be sent to

Syria 59‘ Abdur-Rahman bin Khalidra

attempts to re orm the rebels romKu ah 53

was the governor o Jazirah 53 Abu BakrSiddiq ra

Muslims unied in the era o 8 Abu Dharr Ghif ar ira

con ronts Mu‘a wiyah 34alls victim to Ibni Sauda’sdeception 34

summoned in Madinah 36 viewed the accumulation o wealth

as being unlaw ul 33 was innocent 37




Abu Musa Al-Ash‘ar ira

gathered the people o Ku ah and

admonished them 74is appointed as the governor oKu ah 72, 74

re used to lead the prayers 75 Abu Shuraihra

sells his wealth and returns toMadinah 30

testies against the robbers 29‘ A’ishah Siddiqahra

did not consider it appropriate toremain in Madinah 120

‘ Ali bin Abi Talibra

counter eit letters were alsly written on behal o , 105

devoted all his efforts to bringan end toHadrat ‘Uthman’sra suffering 127

did not conspire in order toacquirekhil a fat 11, 149 plainly rejected having written

any letters to the rebels oKu ah 106

rebuked the rebels o Egypt 88 was severe in restricting the

disorder 18 Allegations, Rebuttal to

Hadrat ‘Uthmanra appointed young men as governors 80

Hadrat ‘Uthmanra did not shorten prayer while on a journey 79

Hadrat ‘Uthmanra introduced theinnovation o establishig public pastures 80

‘ Ammar bin Y asir ra

‘Abdullah bin Saba welcomes 61

only person rom among thecompanions to be deceived bythe rebels 62

took no part in the rebellion 114 was delayed and no news came

rom him 58, 61 was mislead due to inexperience in

political affairs 61, 62, 114 was sent as a delegate to Egypt 61

Basrah people o , at the ore ront o

creating disorder 41Companions

did not usurp the rights oothers 15ormed two groups in order torestore order 127

ought the rebels outsideHadrat‘Uthman’sra house 130greatly detested the rebels 82, 85had prepared Muslims or jihad in

all the Muslim states against therebels 129

held state authority and received aspeacial share o the riches 12

immaculate character o 3lef in a dilema, weather to

ght the rebels or not, onaccount oHadrat ‘Uthman’sra instruction 132

lofy status o , 14never hoarded wealth 35 prayed orHadrat ‘Uthmanra to be

avenged 146




received direct training rom HolyProphetsa 76

sacrice o , exceeded that oothers 15some injured while ghting the

rebels 137strongly elt that the rebels should

be executed 81superiority o , criticised 27the children o , gaurdedHadrat

‘Uthmanra house 128

were loyal to Khil a fat 148Disorder

real cause o , 149Dissension

causes o ,due to a lack o spiritual training

the initial enthusiasm dieddown 19, 23

jealousy towards the compan-ions 12, 17lack o education o the large

number o new entrants intoIslam 19, 23

new entrants into Islam wereun amiliar with the Arabiclanguage 23

opponents outwardly acceptedIslam with the hope o de-stroying it 21

some individuals misused thereedom which Islam a -orded them 17

trend o questioning those inauthority 17

oundation laid feen years aferthe demise o Holy Prophetsa 2

no sign o , six years intoHadrat‘Uthman’sra khil a fat 25

was the result o a secret conspiracyhatched by the Jews 60Egypt

an ideal place or ‘Abdullah binSaba 39

Hak im bin Jabalahagent o Ibnus-Sauda 44 was a robber under house arrest 31

Hasan bin‘ Alira

ought the rebels while recitingrajaz 135

H imr an bin Abbanmarried a women during her

‘iddat 28History

incidents o , must t into asequence o events 91

narrations o , not as reliable as ahad i th 91

Holy Prophetra, thespiritual power o 6

Investigative Committeeall report back o peace and

tranquility in the Islamicstates 57

all returned, except Ammar binY asirra 58

members o , were men o highcalibre 58, 59

sent to enquire weather provincialgovernors were unjust 57

Islamoffered reedom o conscience and

action 17




spread so rapidly that itsopponents were unable to preceive this 20

Islamic history destorted by Europeans due to

conicting narrations 92hidden aspects disclosed 3 people o this era unaware o 3

Islamic Statescondition o the residents o ,

testimony o Ibnus-Sauda’s deputy 39

Khilafatnot a worldly government 14the progress o Islam associated

with 21Kufah

people o , at the ore ront ocreating disorder 41, 67

Lahore Islamiyyah Collegeestablished a historical society 1

Madinah people o , caught off guard by the

rebels 92 people o , unable to ght the

rebels 93, 107residents o , orm their army in

two groups 86Malikul-Ashtar

incites people against Sa‘id bin Al-‘Asra on entring Ku ah 69

many inuenced by lies o , 73reached Ku ah in no time 69sought orgiveness rom ‘Uthmanra

was unable to keep his repen-

tance in tact 69

Marw ancould not have been responsible

or orging the letter 103Mu‘a wiyahra

attempts to re orm the exiledrebels rom Ku ah 50

held a position o great awe uponthe residents o Syria 59

makes our prepositions toHadrat‘Uthmanra 65

sends the rebels back to Ku ah 53 was attacked by rebels 52 was managing the affairs o State

with excellence 32Mughirah bin Al-Akhnasra

killed while ghting the rebels 137Muhammad bin Abi Bakr

grabbedHadrat ‘Uthmanra by hisbeard 141

held no religious merit 46, 113 partook in the disorder 46 was arrogant and thought himsel

above the law 78Muhammad bin Abi Hudhaifah

an orphan brought up byHadrat‘Uthmanra 46

introduction to 113

Muhammad bin Maslamahrasent as a delegate to Ku ah 57 was a venerable companion o

great inuence 59Muhammad binTalhahra

recitedrajaz while ghting therebels 135




Muhammad, the Messenger of Allah

a so-called Muslim objects to hisdistribution o wealth 17ordered the executuion o anyone

who created disacord in the presence o an Imam 75

Muslim Convertsband o youths orm in order to

commit robberies 28habit o commiting sins re-

emerges 27, 30initial enthusiasm declines 27

Qa‘q a‘ bin ‘ Amr was the officer o the military post

in Ku ah 67arrived to arrest Yazid bin Qais 67

Rebels, theall three carvans o , could not have

possibly reached Madinah soquickly 99army o , employed a new

strategy 90army o , sent two men to ascertain

the circumstances 86began to openly express their

views 47could not openly rebel in the

prsence oHadrat ‘Uthmanra 61did not allow Sa‘id bin Al-‘Asra

enter Ku ah on his return 71differed on who they wanted to be

Khal i fah 87exiled rom Ku ah towards

Syria 49expressed oul views regarding the

wi e oHadrat ‘Uthmanra 143

abricated story o interceptinga letter off a suspiciousmessenger 95, 102

gained ull control over theadministration o Madinah 116

gaveHadrat ‘Uthmanra threeoptions 124

grew restless and were in wait oan excuse to martyrHadrat‘Uthmanra 125

had no connection with Islam 110

had produced many counter eitletters previously 105immense indecency o , 144 jump intoHadrat ‘Uthman’sra

house rom a neighbouringhouse 140

kill a servant oHadrat‘Uthmanra 143

killed the servant o Sa‘id bin Al-‘Asra 71

martyrHadrat ‘Uthmanra 143openly criticizedHadrat ‘Uthmanra

and Sa‘idra 48orderHadrat Mu‘a wiyahra to step

down rom his office 52 plan o suddenly occupying

Madinah rustrated 74tried to prevent the burial o

Hadrat ‘Uthmanra 147 proved that they were robbers and

looters 145real objective o , was the

destruction o the Islamicgovernment 76

real opposition o , was againstHadrat ‘Uthmanra 73




revealed their plan toHadrat‘Uthman’sra in ormants 77

revealed they had three supportersin Madinah 77secretly incited people against the

companions 27seek permission to enter

Madinah 87sent a delegation o a ew people

rom each province to questionHadrat ‘Uthmanra 77

set a re outsideHadrat‘Uthman’sra door 134set out to occupy Madinah

and take charge o thegovernment 84

settled at three seperate placesoutside Madinah 86

suddenly laid siege on Madinah 93threatened the people o

Madinah 94told lies and slandered others

contrary to Islamic teaching 72two reasons or their boldness and

daring behaviour 85 were well aware that killingHadrat

‘Uthmanra was not law ul underany circumstances 138

Religious movementis different rom a worldly state 13

Robbersattempt to rob a house 28executed on an open plain outside

Ku ah 29, 41 parents o , seek revenge rom

Walid bin ‘Utbah 41

Saba’is were supporters o ‘Abdullah bin

Saba 67Sa‘id bin Al-‘ Asra

appointed as the governor oKu ah 44orgives the perpetrators 48

held an open gathering 47rebels beat a young man in the

presence o 47turned away by rebels on his return

rom Madinah 71‘Umar bin Al-Juraid

was the acting governor or Sa‘idbin Al-‘Asra in his absence 70

‘Umar bin Al-Khattabra

allegation levelled against 18had identied the root cause o the

conict 24Muslims unied in the era o 8

Ummi Habibahra

attempted to sa eguard the wills oorphans and widows 118

Usamah bin Zaidra

high status o 58sent as a delegate to Basrah 57

‘Uthman bin ‘ Aff anra

accepted Islam through Abu Bakrra 8

appointed and sent ‘Abdullah bin‘Abbas as the ami r o hajj 125

appointment as Khal i fah o , 8did not openly charge the rebels o

deceit on account o his humilityand modesty 98




drops o blood ell rom the heado , onto a verse o the Holy

uran 141orgave the rebels despite the verdict o execution by thecompanions 79

heart rendering message o , readout be ore the pilgrims inMakkah 129

held a special rank o honour inthe sight o the Holy Prophetsa 8

held ast to the rope o Islamicunity despite his old age 60held in admiration in initial years

o hiskhil a fat 25ordered the companions not to

ght the rebels 111 possessed rare moral qualities even

prior to Islam 10re used to step down rom the

office okhil a fat 115, 138requested or aid as the rebels hadcut off his water supply 117

requests provincial governors oraid 121

sent a delegation to various statesor enquiry 57

sentences a band o robbers todeath 29

sent to the Makkans to negotiate with them 9

summons provincial governors 64turns downHadrat Mu‘a wiyah’sra

proposals 65two daughters o the Holy

Prophetsa wedded to, 8 valued the single negative report

received rom the delegation 63

was certain o his martyrdom thatday 140

was not concerned or his personal well bieng; his only concern wasor Islam 128

was not responsible or thedisorder 24, 148

wrote a letter to the various Islamicstates reagrding the reports odisturbance 63

Walid bin ‘Utbah

house o , besieged 41rebels plot to disgrace 42summoned to Madinah and

lashed 43 was the governor o Ku ah 41

Yazid bin Qaisanounced thatHadrat ‘Uthman

should be removed rom the

office okhil a fat

67Qa‘q a‘ bin ‘Amr arrived toarrest 67

was the leader o the Saba’is inKu ah 68

wrote a letter calling the exiledrebels o Ku ah 68

outset of dissension in islam

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