Reports on the caliphate and killing of Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him)

It is narrated from Harithah bin Mudarrib, who said: I performed Hajj during the rule of Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him), and the people had no doubt that after Sayyiduna Umar the caliphate would go to Sayyiduna Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him) (that is, they were certain).

It is narrated from Abdullah bin Sinan that when Sayyiduna Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him) was appointed caliph, Sayyiduna Abdullah (may Allah be pleased with him) said: "Ma alawna 'an a'lana dha fuq (We did not fall short in choosing the highest of us, a sound arrow with its notch intact; that is, the best among us)."

It is narrated from Hakim bin Jabir that when allegiance was given to Sayyiduna Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him), Sayyiduna Ibn Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him) said: "Ma alawna 'an a'lana dha fuq (We did not fall short in choosing the highest of us, a sound arrow with its notch intact; that is, the best among us)."

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Murrah al-Bahzi (may Allah be pleased with him), who said: One day we were with the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) on one of the roads of Madinah when he (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "What will you do in the tribulation that will spread through the regions of the earth like the horns of cattle?" The Companions asked: "O Prophet of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him)! Then what shall we do?" He (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Hold fast to this man and his companions." The narrator said: So (on hearing this) I hurried and turned to that man, and I said: "O Prophet of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him)! This man?" He (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "This one." And this man was Sayyiduna Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him).

It is narrated from al-Hasan, who said: Wathhab informed me. This Wathhab was among those whom the emancipation by the Commander of the Faithful Umar reached, and afterwards he used to attend before Sayyiduna Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him). The narrator said: I saw in his throat two spear marks like two cauterization marks. These spears were thrust into him on the day of the siege at the house of Sayyiduna Uthman. He related: The Commander of the Faithful Sayyiduna Uthman sent me and said: "Bring al-Ashtar to me." Ibn Awn said: I think he also said: I placed a cushion for the Commander of the Faithful. Sayyiduna Uthman said: "O Ashtar! What do the (rebel) people want from me?" Al-Ashtar said: "There are three things, one of which must be done. They give you the choice: either hand over their rule to them and say, 'This is your rule; entrust it to whomever you wish'; or give them the opportunity to take retaliation from you. If you refuse these two, then the people will kill you." Sayyiduna Uthman asked: "Is it necessary to choose one of them?" Al-Ashtar said: "(Yes,) it is necessary to choose one of them." 2. Sayyiduna Uthman said: "As for my giving up the responsibility of ruling them, (listen,) I will never take off the shirt with which Allah Almighty has clothed me." Ibn Awn said: A narrator other than al-Hasan related: "If I were brought forward to have my neck struck, that would be dearer to me than leaving the affair of the Ummah of Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) among the people." Ibn Awn said: This resembles his speech. "And as for giving the people the opportunity to take retaliation from me: by Allah, I know that my two companions before me used to give (the people) the opportunity to take retaliation from them, but my body will not withstand retaliation. And as for the people killing me: by Allah (remember this), if they kill me, they will never be able to love one another after me, nor will they ever be able to wage jihad together against an enemy after me." 3. The narrator said: Then al-Ashtar got up and left. We stayed where we were and said: "Perhaps the people will go back." Then a small man came, looking as though he were a wolf; he peered in from the door and went back. Then Muhammad bin Abi Bakr rose with thirteen men and reached Sayyiduna Uthman. He seized his beard and shook it until I heard the sound of his molars, and he was saying: "Mu'awiyah has been of no use to you! Ibn Amir has been of no use to you! Your letters have been of no use to you!" Sayyiduna Uthman said: "O nephew, let go of my beard! O nephew, let go of my beard!" 4. The narrator said: I saw him ask a man from among his people for help, and a man came to him with a broad-headed spear and, with force, drove it into the head of Sayyiduna Uthman. The narrator was asked: "Then what happened?" The narrator replied: "Then these rebels entered upon Sayyiduna Uthman and killed him."

It is narrated from Abu Layla al-Kindi, who said: I saw Sayyiduna Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him) look down at the people while he was under siege, and he said: "O people! Do not kill me; rather, ask me to make amends. By Allah, if you kill me, you will never again wage jihad together, and you will never again be able to fight together against an enemy. And you will surely differ among yourselves until you become like this." Sayyiduna Uthman interlaced his fingers. And he recited the verse: "And O my people, let not your dissension from me cause you to be struck by the like of what struck the people of Nuh or the people of Hud or the people of Salih. And the people of Lut are not far from you" [Hud: 89]. The narrator said: Sayyiduna Uthman sent a messenger to Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Salam (may Allah be pleased with him) and asked him (about this matter). He said: "Hold back, hold back, for this conduct will be a strong argument in your favor." Then these rebels entered upon Sayyiduna Uthman and killed him.

Abdullah bin Amir said: I heard Sayyiduna Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him) say: "Indeed, the most useful of you in my view is the one who holds back his weapon and his hand."

It is narrated from Ibn Sirin that Sayyiduna Zayd bin Thabit (may Allah be pleased with him) came to Sayyiduna Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him) and said: "Here are the Ansar (Companions) at the door. They are saying that if you wish, we will become helpers of (the religion of) Allah a second time." Sayyiduna Uthman said: "If they are speaking of fighting, then not at all."

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Abdullah bin al-Zubayr (may Allah be pleased with him), who said: On the day of the siege I said to Sayyiduna Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him): "Come out and fight these people, for with you (today) are (as many) people as a smaller number than whom Allah has helped. By Allah, fighting these people is lawful." The narrator said: Sayyiduna Uthman refused and ordered: "Whoever considers listening to me and obeying me binding upon himself should obey Abdullah bin al-Zubayr." On that day (of the siege), Sayyiduna Uthman had appointed him as commander in the house, and on that day (of the siege) Sayyiduna Uthman was fasting.

It is narrated from Nafi' that a man who was called Jahjah took the staff that was in the hand of Sayyiduna Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him), placed it on his knee and broke it. Then (in the end) that man was afflicted at that very place with a flesh-eating disease (akilah).

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Ibn Umar (may Allah be pleased with them both) that one morning Sayyiduna Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him) related to the people, saying: "Last night I saw the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) in a dream. He (peace and blessings be upon him) said: 'O Uthman! Break your fast with us.'" Sayyiduna Uthman began the morning fasting and was martyred that same day.

Sayyiduna Sa'id bin Zayd (may Allah be pleased with him) said: "I recall when Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) had bound me and his sister because of Islam. And if anyone were to crumble to pieces because of what you have done to Sayyiduna Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him), it would be fitting."

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Salam (may Allah be pleased with him) that when Sayyiduna Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him) was besieged in the house, Ibn Salam said: "Do not kill him, for only a little of his life remains (in any case). By Allah, if you kill him, you will never again pray together."

It is narrated from Abu Sa'id, the freed slave of Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him), that Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him) said: "By Allah, if you kill Uthman, you will not attain any proper successor after him."

It is narrated from Abu Qilabah that there was a man of Quraysh called Thumamah, who was in charge of San'a. When the news of the killing of Sayyiduna Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him) reached him, he wept and kept weeping for a long time. When he recovered, he said: "Today prophethood, or he said: the caliphate, has been taken away from the Ummah of Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him). (From now on) there will be kingship and tyranny, and whoever overpowers anything will devour it."

It is narrated from Abu Qilabah that when Sayyiduna Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him) was killed, the speakers of Iliya stood up. Then the last of (their) speakers stood up, one of the Companions of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), who was called Sayyiduna Murrah bin Ka'b (may Allah be pleased with him). He said: "Were it not for a hadith I heard from the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), I would not have stood up. The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) mentioned a tribulation (I think the narrator said: he (peace and blessings be upon him) described it as being near at hand), and meanwhile a man passed by covered with his cloak. The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: 'On that day (of the tribulation), this man and his companions will be upon the truth.'" (The narrator said:) "So I set off and turned that person's face towards him (peace and blessings be upon him) and said: 'This man?' He (peace and blessings be upon him) said: 'Yes.'" And this man was Sayyiduna Uthman.

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both), who said: "If all the people had united upon killing Sayyiduna Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him), then all the people would have been stoned, as the people of Lut were stoned."

It is narrated from Muhammad bin Sirin that Sayyiduna Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him) looked down at the rebels from his house and said: "Bring me a man from whom I may have the Book of Allah recited." So the rebels brought Sa'sa'ah bin Suhan, who was a young man. Sayyiduna Uthman said: "Did you not find anyone other than this young man to bring to me?" The narrator said: Then Sa'sa'ah said something, and Sayyiduna Uthman said to him: "Recite the Qur'an." He recited: "Permission has been given to those who are being fought, because they have been wronged, and indeed Allah is able to give them victory" [Al-Hajj: 39]. Sayyiduna Uthman said: "You lie. This verse is not about you and your companions; rather, it is about me and my companions." Then Sayyiduna Uthman recited: "Permission has been given to those who are being fought, because they have been wronged, and indeed Allah is able to give them victory," and he recited as far as: "And to Allah belongs the outcome of all matters" [Al-Hajj: 41].