Fath al-Rabbani

It is narrated from Abdullah bin Moheb that a man came from Egypt to perform Hajj at the House of Allah. He saw some people sitting and asked about them, "Who are these people?" The people informed him that they were Quraysh. He asked, "What is the name of the eldest among them?" The people told him that he was Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Umar (may Allah be pleased with him). The man said, "O Abdullah bin Umar! I ask you one thing," or he said, "I ask you by the sanctity of the House of Allah, do you know that Sayyiduna Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him) fled from the battlefield on the day of Uhud?" He replied, "Yes." He asked, "Do you know that Sayyiduna Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him) was not present at the Battle of Badr?" He replied, "Yes." He further asked, "Do you also know that Sayyiduna Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him) was not present at the Pledge of Ridwan?" He replied, "Yes." Hearing these things, the Egyptian said "Allahu Akbar" out of happiness. Seeing his manner, Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) said, "Come here, let me clarify for you the reality of what you have asked me. As for his fleeing on the day of Uhud, I testify that Allah has forgiven him. As for not being present at the Battle of Badr, you should know that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him)'s daughter was married to him, and at that time she was ill. So the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said to Sayyiduna Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him): 'You will have the reward and share equal to the participants of Badr.' As for his absence from the Pledge of Ridwan, you should know that at that time, if there had been anyone more trustworthy than Sayyiduna Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him) in the valley of Makkah, the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) would have sent him as his representative to the people of Makkah. The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) sent Sayyiduna Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him) as his representative to the people of Makkah, and the Pledge of Ridwan took place after Sayyiduna Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him) had gone. After clarifying this, Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) struck his hand on that man's hand and said, 'This is the reality of the objections against Sayyiduna Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him), now take it with you and go.'"

It is narrated from Shaqiq that Sayyiduna Abdur Rahman bin Awf (may Allah be pleased with him) met Walid bin Uqbah. Walid said to him: "What is the matter that you behave coldly towards the Commander of the Faithful, Sayyiduna Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him)?" Sayyiduna Abdur Rahman bin Awf (may Allah be pleased with him) said: "Convey this message of mine to him, that I did not flee on the Day of Aynayn, that is, the Day of Uhud, nor did I stay behind in the Battle of Badr, nor have I abandoned the way of Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him)." After this, Walid went to Sayyiduna Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him) and mentioned these matters to him. In response, he said: "His saying that I (Ibn Awf, may Allah be pleased with him) did not flee on the Day of Aynayn, that is, the Day of Uhud— the question is, why does he reproach me for a shortcoming which Allah Almighty has already forgiven? The command of Allah, the Exalted, is: {إِنَّ الَّذِینَ تَوَلَّوْا مِنْکُمْ یَوْمَ الْتَقَی الْجَمْعَانِ إِنَّمَا اسْتَزَلَّہُمُ الشَّیْطَانُ بِبَعْضِ مَا کَسَبُوْا وَلَقَدْ عَفَا اللّٰہُ عَنْہُمْ} ... Indeed, those among you who turned their backs on the day when the two armies met, it was Satan who caused them to slip because of some of what they had earned. But Allah has already forgiven them. (Surah Al-Imran: 155) As for his saying that he did not stay behind from the Battle of Badr, I was engaged in nursing Sayyida Ruqayyah, the daughter of the Messenger (may Allah be pleased with her), and during those days she passed away. And the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) granted me the same share as he gave to the participants of Badr. Now, whoever the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) gave a share to, it means he was considered present. And as for his saying that he did not abandon the way of Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him), my submission is that I do not have the ability to do so. Go and convey these things to him."

1 The meaning of not having the strength for the way of Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) is that Umar Farooq (may Allah be pleased with him) was extremely disinterested in the world, extremely concerned about the Hereafter, very compassionate towards his subjects, took great care of them, ensured justice for the oppressed, provided security for the fearful, was very gentle with the pious and virtuous, and extremely harsh with the oppressors and wrongdoers.

Uthman Ghani (may Allah be pleased with him) wants to say that I do not have the strength to adopt such lofty qualities. [دیکھیں مسند محقق، جلد:۱، ص: ۵۲۶] (Abdullah Rafiq)