Sayyiduna Uthman Ghani radi allahu anhu - The Third Caliph of Islam
ELECTION
Before he passed away, Sayyiduna Umar (radi Allahu anhu)
appointed a six-man Committee to elect his successor from
among themselves. After long discussions and consultation,
they elected Sayyiduna 'Uthman bin Affan (radi Allahu anhu)
as the third Caliph of Islam.
EARLY LIFE
Sayyiduna 'Uthman (radi Allahu anhu) belonged to the Ummayah
tribe of the Quraish. He was a very rich cloth merchant. He
was known as "Al Ghani" or "The Generous." His father's name
was Affan and his mother was Urwa.
He accepted Islam at the invitation of Sayyiduna Abu Bakr (radi
Allahu anhu) and migrated to Abyssinia with his wife,
Sayyadah Ruqayyah (radi Allahu anha), who was also the
daughter of Sayyiduna Rasoolullah (sallal laahu alaihi
wasallam).
After she passed away, he married Sayyadah Umme Kulthum (radi
Allahu anha), another daughter of Sayyiduna Rasoolullah (sallal
laahu alaihi wasallam). Because of this, he earned the title
"Zun Noorain" or "Possessor of Two Lights." He took part in
all the battles with Sayyiduna Rasoolullah (sallal laahu
alaihi wasallam) except the Battle of Badr.
CONQUESTS
During the Khilaafat of Sayyiduna 'Uthman (radi Allahu anhu),
the rebellion in Azerbhaijaan and Armenia was silenced.
Sayyiduna Mu'awiyah (radi Allahu anhu), with the help of
Sayyiduna Abi Sarah (radi Allahu anhu), captured Cyprus by
naval attack and brought it under Islamic rule. Vast areas
of North Africa including Tripoli, Tunisia and Morocco were
also brought under the Islamic rule.
The Romans, although defeated several times by the Muslims
in the past, made another attempt, during the Khilaafat of
Sayyiduna 'Uthman (radi Allahu anhu), to recapture the lands
they had already lost. Constantine, the Emperor of Rome,
made great preparations and attacked Alexandria with a naval
fleet five to six thousand strong. But, the Romans were
defeated by the Muslim naval forces under the command of
Sayyiduna Abi Sarah and Sayyiduna Mu'awiyah (radi Allahu
anhuma).
REBELLION
The Governors of the provinces, appointed by Sayyiduna Umar
(radi Allahu anhu), were removed and replaced by members of
the new Caliph's clan. The majority of the new governors
were inspired by worldly means rather than by piety and
interests of their subjects. People started to demand the
removal of these Governors, but the Caliph did not respond
to their appeals. Delegates mainly from Iraq and Egypt,
submitted their demands to the Caliph. The situation,
however got out of control.
ASSASSINATION
In the turmoil, Sayyiduna 'Uthman (radi Allahu anhu) himself
was made Shaheed by rebels while he was reading the Holy
Quran inside his house. This happened on Friday, the 17th of
Zil Hajj in 35 A.H.. He was 84 years old.
CHARACTER
Sayyiduna 'Uthman (radi Allah anhu) was a very simple and
very kind person. His simplicity and kindness did not alow
him to take strong action against the trouble makers and
rioters. Above all, because of his simple-mindedness, his
administration was not as disciplined as it had been during
the Khilaafat of Sayyiduna Umar (radi Allahu anhu).Sayyiduna
'Uthman (radi Allahu anhu) was a generous man. He used to
spend a lot of money for Islam and to free the slaves. He
was a great and pious man who feared and loved Almighty
Allah and Sayyiduna Rasoolullah (sallal laahu alaihi
wasallam) above everything else. Although he was very rich,
his living was very simple. He did not indulge in luxury. He
was ever mindful of death. Major parts of the night were
spent in Salaah. He also fasted every second or third day.
THE HOLY QURAN
A major achievement of Sayyiduna 'Uthman (radi Allahu anhu)
was the duplication of the Holy Quran from the records kept
by Sayyiduna Abu Bakr (radi Allahu anhu), who handed it to
Sayyiduna Umar (radi Allahu anhu), who then handed it to his
daughter, Sayyadah Hafsa (radi Allahu anha), the wife of
Sayyiduna Rasoolullah (sallal laahu alaihi wasallam).
Sayyiduna 'Uthman (radi Allahu anhu) made copies of the Holy
Quran from the original and sent it to capitals such as Kufa,
Damascus, Makkatul Mukarramah and Basrah, each accompanied
by a Sahabi for the guidance of the readers.