Uthman ibn Affan
Uthman ibn Affan (may Allah be pleased with him), the great Companion and third Caliph, is one of the prominent Islamic figures who left a deep impact on the history and civilization of Islam. Uthman ibn Affan was known for his soundness of mind, good manners, piety and modesty. He won the love of the Prophet (peace be upon him) and his marriage to two of his daughters, earning him the nickname “Dhu al-Nurain”. His biography was full of giving and spending for the sake of God, and his tireless endeavors to spread Islam and consolidate its foundations, making him a role model for successive generations. In this article, we review the most important features of Uthman's life and contributions, focusing on the stages of his life and his role in memorizing the Prophetic Hadith, as well as his humanitarian positions that were immortalized in the history of Islam.
Uthman ibn Affan (may Allah be pleased with him) is one of the ten Promised Messengers of Paradise, one of the first converts to Islam, and the third of the Rashidin Caliphs, during whose reign the Qur'an was compiled into a single Qur'an. He was nicknamed “Dhu al-Nurain” because he married two of the Prophet's daughters (Ruqaiya and Umm Kulthum). He was the first immigrant to the land of Abyssinia to preserve Islam, and then the second migration to Medina. The Prophet loved him, so he promised him Paradise and told him that he would die as a martyr.
He is Abu Amr, the Umayyad, the one whom the angels blush at, the one who brought the nation together on one Quran after disagreement, and the one whose deputies conquered Khorasan and Countries of the Maghreb.
He was one of the true forerunners, fasting and spending in the way of Allah, the Messenger of Allah - may Allah bless him and grant him Paradise, and married him to his two daughters, Ruqayyah and Umm Kulthum: Ruqayya and then Umm Kulthum, may Allah be pleased with them all, and whoever considered his diligence at the time he ordered him to compile the Qur'an knew his rank and majesty.
He is one of the Ten Witnesses to Paradise, the third of the Rightly Guided Caliphs, the best of those who read the Qur'an to the Prophet (peace be upon him), and migrated to Abyssinia and then to Medina.
He is counted among the Badriyin - although he did not attend the battle - because the Prophet - may Allah bless him and grant him peace - ordered him to stay behind for his wife Ruqayya, the daughter of the Messenger of Allah - may Allah bless him and grant him his share and pay.
His age was close to that of the Prophet (peace be upon him) and Abu Bakr al-Siddiq, so he was their consort, and he was twenty-eight or more years older than Ali ibn Abi Talib.
He was one of those who combined knowledge, work, fasting, tahajjud, mastery, jihad in the way of Allah, and family ties, and if he stood on a grave he would cry until his beard was wet, may Allah be pleased with him.
His moral and ethical qualities
He was good-looking with a handsome face, tall, with a thick head of hair covering his arms, a thick beard, a thin skin, a hooked nose, white in color, large legs and valgus feet (he had a gap in his feet), when he grew old and his beard became yellow, and when his teeth were about to fall out, he used to tighten them with gold.
Uthman ibn Affan was known for his good manners, modesty, generosity, generosity, wisdom, rationality, chastity, spending a lot in the way of God, piety, kindness, and gentleness.
In Jahiliyyah, he was the leader of his people, a humble man despite his upbringing in a luxurious environment, one of the most knowledgeable people in Quraysh in genealogy, and the most knowledgeable about the good and evil in Quraysh, and the best opinion, so they went to him in their troubles and were comfortable with his opinion.
He never committed any immorality, did not drink wine, did not worship an idol, did not kill anyone, did not eat a dead body, was chaste, and lived in luxury in Jahiliyyah and Islam. He was generous in buying and selling, content with a small profit, hated monopolizing and exploiting people, helping the poor and assisting small traders.
The story of his Islam
Uthman was converted to Islam at the age of 34 at the hands of Abu Bakr al-Siddiq, when he said to him, “O Uthman, by God, you are a firm man, but you do not know right from wrong, these idols that your people worship, are they not deaf stones that neither hear nor see, nor harm nor benefit?”
He said, “Yes, by Allah, they are.” Abu Bakr said, “This is Muhammad ibn Abdullah, whom Allah has sent with His message to all His creatures. Will you come to him and hear from him?” He said, “Yes.” Immediately the Messenger of Allah passed by and said, “O 'Uthman, answer Allah to His Paradise, for I am Allah's Messenger to you and all His creatures.” He said, “By Allah, when I heard his words, I had no choice but to become a Muslim, and I testified that there is no god but Allah alone, without a partner, and that Muhammad is the slave of Allah and His Messenger.” Uthman ibn Affan was the fourth of the companions to become a Muslim.
His uncle, Al-Hakam ibn Abi al-Aas ibn Umayya, was the only one who could harm him in his body after his Islam. They used to hurt him with words sometimes, and in his trade, but his uncle gathered a group of his slaves, grabbed 'Uthman and tied him in chains, and shouted at him, “Do you want to leave the religion of your fathers for a new religion! By God, I will never let you go until you leave this religion.” He said, ‘By God, I will never leave it.’ When Al-Hakam saw his adherence and firmness in his religion, he left him, so Uthman was not tortured except in this situation, and his mother tried to convince him to leave this religion, but she could not.
His migration
Uthman was the first to migrate to Abyssinia with his wife Ruqayya, the daughter of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), followed by 10 men and 4 women led by Uthman bin Maz'un (may Allah be pleased with him), and then the migration to Abyssinia continued until the number of immigrants reached 33 people.
When the rumor of the Quraysh's Islam spread to Abyssinia, the immigrants there rejoiced and returned to Mecca, but they discovered the truth of the matter upon their return, some of them stayed and some returned to Abyssinia, and Uthman remained in Mecca with the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) until he emigrated to Medina, leaving his business and money, and stayed as a guest of Aws bin Thabit, the brother of Hassan bin Thabit, the poet of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him). Uthman started his business in Medina as soon as he arrived.
Uthman ibn Affan (may Allah be pleased with him) had great attitudes that show his steadfastness and dedication to the service of religion.
He refused to resort to violence or bloodshed despite the enormous pressure on him, especially during the period of his siege in Medina before his martyrdom. He insisted on not fighting the rebels who gathered around his house, even though many of his companions advised him to use force to defend it. He insisted on not fighting the rebels who had gathered around his house, even though many of his companions advised him to use force to defend himself. His words at the time were: “I will die without shedding blood,” expressing his commitment not to plunge the nation into civil war and preserve blood, preferring to sacrifice himself rather than shed the blood of Muslims.
He also had great attitudes of giving and financial sacrifice, such as his position in equipping the Army of Asra in the Battle of Tabuk, where he gave a large amount of money and equipped one-third of the army himself. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said at the time: “Uthman did not harm what he did after today,” in recognition of his great sacrifices for the sake of Allah and the cause of Islam.
Uthman ibn Affan's most notable actions during his caliphate:
Adopting a policy of following and authorization: Uthman followed the Book of Allah and the Sunnah of his Prophet (peace be upon him), adhered to all the decisions and ijtihad of the caliphs before him, followed what was agreed upon by the people of the Shura, and did not interfere in the affairs of the people, except in the case of a crime or violation of a limit that requires the intervention of the ruler.
Establishing the Shura Council: During his time, Uthman established the Shura Council, a council made up of a group of companions who assisted him in managing the state, namely Ali bin Abi Talib, Abdul Rahman bin Awf, Abdullah bin Umar, Talha bin Ubaydullah, Zubair bin Al Awwam, and Saad bin Abi Waqas, may Allah be pleased with them all.
Construction of the court: Uthman ibn Affan (may Allah be pleased with him) is considered the first to build the court, and among the most famous judges who were during his reign: Zayd ibn Thabit over Medina, Abu al-Darda over Damascus, Ka'b ibn Sur over Basra, Shurayh over Kufa, Ya'ala ibn Umayya over Yemen, Thamama over Sana'a, and 'Uthman ibn Qays over Egypt.
Management of the provinces: Uthman reorganized the states and their governors and did not leave them as they were in the time of 'Umar ibn al-Khattab, and he managed them in consultation with the senior companions.
He annexed some of the provinces to each other as he deemed in the interest of the Muslims, so he annexed the provinces of Sham to each other and Bahrain to Basra.
Uthman's advancement of the Islamic economy
Uthman followed the financial policy of Umar ibn al-Khattab himself, and his reign was an era of prosperity for the Muslims, and he followed some principles in his financial policy, the most important of which are:
Applying an Islamic public financial policy.
Not compromising the collection with care.
Giving Muslims what they are entitled to from the House of Muslim Money.
Taking what the Muslims owe to the House of Muslims.
Choosing workers who are honest and loyal.
Taking what the dhimmi people owe to the Muslim Baitul Mal, giving them what is due to them and not oppressing them.
Avoiding any financial deviations.
The compilation of the Qur'an during the reign of Uthman ibn Affan
Uthman decided to reunite Muslims on a single Quran, which was later called the Uthman's Quran or the Imam's Quran, due to the spread of many incorrectly written and transmitted copies, which led to disputes between people over the correct Quran.
Uthman gathered the Muslims on the language of Quraysh, i.e. the dialect of Quraysh, and wrote 6 copies and distributed a copy to each state, so the copies were in Iraq, Egypt, Persia, Africa, and the Levant, and one copy remained with Uthman ibn Affan. Uthman ordered all other copies in people's hands to be burned in order to make sure that there were no wrong copies of the Quran.