Reports on Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him)

It is narrated from Waththab, whom Amir al-Mu'minin Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) had set free, and who used to be in attendance before Sayyiduna Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him). Al-Hasan said: I saw in his (Waththab's) throat two spear wounds like two cauterisation marks, which he had received on the Day of the House, that is, the house of Sayyiduna Uthman. He (the narrator Waththab) said: Amir al-Mu'minin Sayyiduna Uthman sent me, saying: Bring al-Ashtar to me. So he came, and a cushion was placed for Sayyiduna Uthman and for this Ashtar. Sayyiduna Uthman asked: O Ashtar, what do the people want from me? He said: There are three things, and there is no escape from adopting one of them. First, they give you the choice between giving up the affair of the caliphate for them and saying to them: Here is your affair of the caliphate, choose for it whomever you wish; and offering yourself for retaliation. If you refuse these two things, then these people will kill you. Sayyiduna Uthman said: Is there no escape from adopting one of them? He said: There is no escape from adopting one of them. Then Sayyiduna Uthman said: As for my withdrawing from the affair of their caliphate for them, I will never take off this shirt which Allah, the Lord of Glory, has clothed me with for all time. Ibn Awn, the narrator, says that narrators other than al-Hasan reported that he said it this way: That I should step forward and have my neck struck is dearer to me than that I should leave the Ummah of Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) fighting one another. Ibn Awn says that this is closer to his way of speaking. And as for my offering myself to them for retaliation, I certainly know that my two companions before me used to offer themselves for retaliation, and my body cannot bear retaliation. And if they kill me, then by Allah, if they kill me, they will never love one another after me, and after me they will never be able to fight any enemy together. So al-Ashtar stood up and left. We stayed for a little while and said: Perhaps it is the people. Then a small man came, as though he were a wolf; he peered in from the door and then went back. Then Muhammad bin Abi Bakr came among thirteen men until he reached Sayyiduna Uthman, took hold of his beard and pulled it until I heard the sound of his molars, and he said: Mu'awiyah has been of no benefit to you, Ibn Amir has been of no benefit to you, and your letters have been of no benefit to you. He said: Let go of my beard, O nephew! Let go of my beard, O nephew! The narrator said: I saw Muhammad bin Abi Bakr seek the help, with a glance of his eye, of a man among the people. That man rose towards him with an arrowhead until he struck it into his head, and it stuck there, and then he passed on. He said: Then they entered, and by Allah, they martyred him.

It is narrated from Sayyidah Aishah (may Allah be pleased with her) that she said: Shall I not narrate to you a hadith that I heard from the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him)? He (peace and blessings be upon him) sent someone to call Sayyiduna Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him). When he came, I heard the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) saying: O Uthman! Perhaps Allah Almighty will clothe you with a shirt; if the people want to take that shirt off you, do not take it off. He said this three times. Sayyiduna al-Nu'man bin Bashir (may Allah be pleased with him) says: I said: O Mother of the Believers, you have not narrated this hadith until now? She said: I had forgotten it, as if I had never heard it.

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Umar (may Allah be pleased with them both) that he said: Sayyiduna Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him) said to me while he was besieged inside the house: What do you say about what al-Mughirah bin al-Akhnas has told me? Ibn Umar (may Allah be pleased with them both) said: I said: What has he told you? He said: These people want to remove me from the caliphate. If I separate myself from this caliphate they will leave me alone, and if I do not separate myself from it they will kill me. Ibn Umar (may Allah be pleased with them both) said: I said: Tell me, if you separate yourself, do you think that you will remain in this world forever? He said: No. I said: Do they own Paradise and Hell? He said: No. I said: Tell me, if you do not separate yourself from the caliphate, can they do anything more than kill you? He said: No. I said: Tell me, will you establish this practice in Islam, that whenever people become displeased with a ruler they separate him (from the caliphate)? Do not take off the shirt which Allah has clothed you with.

It is narrated from Abu Sahlah that Sayyiduna Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him) said on the day of (the siege of) the House: The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) gave me an instruction, and I remain firm upon it. The narrator said: They used to think that this was that very day.

It is narrated from Abu Layla al-Kindi that he said: I saw Sayyiduna Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him) looking out at the people during the siege, and he said: O people! Do not kill me, and ask me to make amends. By Allah, if you kill me, you will never be able to fight together, and you will never be able to wage jihad against an enemy, and discord will break out among you until you become like this. And he interlaced his fingers and recited the verse, meaning: And O my people, let not your dispute with me bring you to the end where there befalls you the like of what befell 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 message to Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Salam (may Allah be pleased with him) and asked him. He said: Hold back, hold back; this will make your argument all the more conclusive. So those people came upon Sayyiduna Uthman and martyred him.

It is narrated from Muhammad bin Sirin that he said: Sayyiduna Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him) looked out at the people from the palace and said: Bring me a man against whom I may recite the Book of Allah. They brought Sa'sa'ah bin Suhan, and he was a young man. Sayyiduna Uthman said: Did you find no one other than this young man to bring to me? The narrator said: Sa'sa'ah bin Suhan said something. Sayyiduna Uthman said to him: Recite. Sa'sa'ah bin Suhan recited the verse, meaning: Permission is given to those against whom war is being waged (to fight in their defence), because they have been wronged, and be sure that Allah is fully able to give them victory [Al-Hajj: 39]. Sayyiduna Uthman said: This is neither for you nor for your companions; rather, it is for me and for my companions. Then Sayyiduna Uthman recited this verse: Permission is given to those against whom war is being waged, because they have been wronged, and be sure that Allah is fully able to give them victory; he recited it until he reached: And to Allah belongs the outcome of all matters [Al-Hajj: 41].

It is narrated from Abu Salih that he said: Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Salam (may Allah be pleased with him) said, when Sayyiduna Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him) was besieged in the house: Do not kill him, for only a little of his life remains. By Allah, if you kill him, you will not be able to pray together.

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him) that he said: The wealthiest of you in my sight is the man who has held back his weapon and his hand.

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Abdullah bin al-Zubayr (may Allah be pleased with them both) that he said: I said to Sayyiduna Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him) on the day of (the siege of) the House: Go out and fight them. Indeed, you have with you those to whom Allah Almighty has given help in smaller numbers than this. By Allah, fighting them is lawful. He said: Sayyiduna Uthman refused, and said: Whoever owes me hearing and obedience, let him obey Abdullah bin al-Zubayr. Sayyiduna Uthman had appointed him as commander over the house that day, and Sayyiduna Uthman was fasting that day.

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him) that he said: By Allah, if they martyr Uthman, they will not find a good successor to him after him.

It is narrated from Muhammad bin Sirin that he said: Sayyiduna Zayd bin Thabit (may Allah be pleased with him) came to Sayyiduna Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him) and said: These Ansar are at the door. Those Ansar said: If you wish, we are ready to become helpers of Allah (of His religion) once more. Sayyiduna Uthman said: As for fighting, there will be none.

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Sa'id bin Zayd (may Allah be pleased with him) that he said: I saw myself and the sister of Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him), when Umar had tied us both up because of Islam. And if a mountain were to crumble to pieces because of what you have done to Sayyiduna Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him), it would deserve to.

It is narrated from Hanzalah bin Qanan Abu Muhammad, who was from Banu Amir bin Dhuhl, that he said: Sayyiduna Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him) looked out at us from a skylight while he was besieged, and said: Are the two sons of Majduh among you? They were not there, for they were asleep. They were woken and both came, and Sayyiduna Uthman said to them: I adjure you both by Allah, do you both not know that Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) said: Rabi'ah are wicked, or he said: treacherous, and I cannot give them the same stipend as a people who come from a month's journey away; their place of migration is beside the rope of their tent (that is, they migrate from close by)? Then in one morning I increased their stipend by five hundred each, until I joined them to the others. They both said: Yes indeed (it was so). Sayyiduna Uthman said: I adjure you by Allah, do you not know that you came to me and both of you said: Kindah are only a meal for one head (that is, they are few), Rabi'ah are the head, and al-Ash'ath bin Qays has eaten them up; so I removed him and appointed you both as governors over them? They said: Yes indeed, it is so. Sayyiduna Uthman said: O Allah! If they are ungrateful for my kindness and change my favour, then O Allah, do not make them pleased with any leader, and do not make any leader pleased with them.

It is narrated from Jundub al-Khayr that he said: We came to Sayyiduna Hudhayfah (may Allah be pleased with him) when the Egyptians had gone towards Sayyiduna Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him). We said: These people have gone towards this man (Sayyiduna Uthman); what is your opinion about this? He said: By Allah, they will kill him. We then said: What will be the state of Sayyiduna Uthman in the Hereafter? He said: He will go to Paradise, by Allah. Then we said: And his killers? He said: By Allah, they will go to Hell.

It is narrated from Abdullah bin Abi al-Hudhayl that when the news of the martyrdom of Sayyiduna Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him) came, Sayyiduna Hudhayfah (may Allah be pleased with him) said: Today the people have alighted at the edge of Islam. How many stages have they travelled away from it!

He said: Ibn Abi al-Hudhayl said: By Allah, these people have turned away from the straight course, until between it and them there lies a rough terrain through which they cannot find their way and which they do not recognise.

It is narrated from Khalid al-Absi that Sayyiduna Hudhayfah (may Allah be pleased with him), while mentioning Sayyiduna Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him), said: O my Allah, I did not kill, nor did I command it, nor am I pleased with it.

It is narrated from Abd al-Aziz bin Rufay' that when Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) set out for the Battle of Siffin, he left Sayyiduna Abu Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him) behind as his deputy over the people. He delivered a sermon on the day of Friday and noticed that the people were few. He said: O people! Go out; whoever goes out will be safe. By Allah, we know that there are among you those who dislike this matter and are reluctant about it. Go out; whoever goes out will be safe. By Allah, we do not count it as well-being that these two armies should meet, each guarding itself against the other; rather, we count it as well-being that Allah should set right the Ummah of Muhammad and establish love and affection among them. Shall I not tell you about Sayyiduna Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him) and why the people became angry with him? The people did not leave Sayyiduna Uthman and his fault to Allah, so that He might punish him or forgive him. And they did not attain what they were seeking, because they envied him for what Allah Almighty had given him. When Sayyiduna Ali came, he said to him: Did you say what has reached me from you, O chick? You are an old man whose mind has gone. Sayyiduna Abu Mas'ud said: My mother gave me a better name than this. Has my mind gone, when Allah and the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) have made Paradise obligatory for me? Do you know it? It is by what remains of my mind that we used to discuss that each later one is evil. Saying this, he left. When Abu Mas'ud appeared before the people at al-Saylahin or al-Qadisiyyah, water was dripping from his locks, and the people saw that he had prepared for ihram. When he put his foot in the stirrup and took hold of the saddle, people stood around him and began to say: Give us some advice. Abu Mas'ud said: Hold fast to the fear of Allah (taqwa) and hold fast to the congregation (jama'ah), for Allah Almighty will not gather the Ummah of Muhammad upon misguidance. They asked again for advice, and he again said: Hold fast to the fear of Allah (taqwa) and hold fast to the congregation (jama'ah). Indeed, only the righteous person finds rest, or he said: rest is found from a wicked person.

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) that Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) said: I did not kill (Sayyiduna Uthman), nor did I command his killing. He said this three times, then he said: But I was overpowered.

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) that Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) said: I did not kill, meaning Sayyiduna Uthman, and I was averse to his being killed.

It is narrated from Abu Zurarah and Abu Abdullah that they said: We heard Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) saying: By Allah, I did not take part in the killing, nor did I kill, nor did I command the killing, nor was I pleased with the killing, meaning the killing of Sayyiduna Uthman.

The concubine of Sayyiduna Zayd bin Arqam (may Allah be pleased with him) says that Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) came to visit Sayyiduna Zayd bin Arqam while he was ill, and people were sitting around him. Sayyiduna Ali said to the people: Be silent. By Allah, whatever you ask about today, I will inform you of it. Sayyiduna Zayd bin Arqam said: I adjure you by Allah! Tell me, are you the one who killed Uthman? Sayyiduna Ali lowered his gaze for a while, then said: By the One who split the seed and created the soul, I did not kill him, nor did I command it, and it did not grieve me.

It is narrated from Mundhir bin Ya'la that on the day the rebels intended to kill Sayyiduna Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him), Marwan sent a message to Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him): Will you not go to this man (Sayyiduna Uthman) and protect him? For they are not ready to accept the decision of anyone but you. Sayyiduna Ali said: We will certainly go to them. Then Ibn al-Hanafiyyah took him by the shoulders and held him tight, and said: O my father, where are you going? By Allah, they will only increase your fear. Then Sayyiduna Ali sent his turban to the rebels and told them to refrain from harming Sayyiduna Uthman.

It is narrated from Abu Ja'far al-Ansari that he said: I was also with the Egyptians who attacked Sayyiduna Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him). When they struck Sayyiduna Uthman, I came out from there running in a state of panic until I entered the mosque, and there a man was sitting among about ten people, with a black turban on his head. He said: Woe to you, what happened behind you? I said: By Allah, the affair of this man (Sayyiduna Uthman) has been finished. That seated man said: Ruin be upon you in the last age. I looked, and he was Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him).

It is narrated from Hakim bin Jabir that when Sayyiduna Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him) was besieged, Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) came to Sayyiduna Talhah (may Allah be pleased with him), who was sitting in his house leaning on cushions. Sayyiduna Ali said: I adjure you to turn back the people (the rebels) from Amir al-Mu'minin, for he will be killed. Sayyiduna Talhah said: By Allah, I will not turn them back until Banu Umayyah give the people their right from what is with them.

It is narrated from Abu Mijlaz that he said: The people reviled Sayyiduna Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him) for tearing up the copies of the Qur'an, and yet they believed in what he had written (the Qur'an as compiled by him).

It is narrated from Muhammad (bin Sirin) that Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) delivered a sermon in Basrah and said: By Allah, I did not kill Uthman, nor did I assist in his killing. When he came down from the pulpit, one of his companions said: Then what have you done? Now your companions are leaving you. So when Sayyiduna Ali returned to the pulpit, he said: Who is the one asking about the killing of Uthman? Indeed, Allah killed Uthman, and I will be with him (meaning, I too will be killed). Muhammad says: This is a Qurashi expression that has more than one aspect.

It is narrated from Maymun that when Sayyiduna Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him) was killed, Sayyiduna Hudhayfah (may Allah be pleased with him), forming a ring with his hand, said: A breach has opened in Islam which even a mountain will not be able to fill.

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Abd al-Rahman bin Abza (may Allah be pleased with him) that he said: When the affair of Sayyiduna Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him) took place, the people began to whisper among themselves. I came to Sayyiduna Ubayy bin Ka'b (may Allah be pleased with him) and said: O Abu al-Mundhir, what is now the way out? He said: The Book of Allah. Then he said: Act upon what becomes clear to you and benefit from it, and as for what is unclear to you, believe in it and entrust it to the one who knows it.

It is narrated from Juzayy bin Bukayr al-Absi that Sayyiduna Hudhayfah (may Allah be pleased with him) came to Sayyiduna Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him) to bid him farewell or to greet him. When he turned his back and went away, Sayyiduna Uthman said: Bring him back. When Sayyiduna Hudhayfah came back, Sayyiduna Uthman said: What is this that has reached me from you? Sayyiduna Hudhayfah said: By Allah, since I came to love you I have never hated you, and since I began to wish you well I have never deceived you. Sayyiduna Uthman said: You are more truthful and more righteous than they are; you may go. When he turned away to leave, Sayyiduna Uthman said: Bring him back. Then Sayyiduna Uthman said: What is this that has reached me from you? Sayyiduna Hudhayfah gestured like this with his hand and said: What has reached me about you behind your back is this: Yes, by Allah, you will surely be driven out as a bull is driven out, and you will be slaughtered as a camel is slaughtered. The narrator says: Trembling came over Sayyiduna Uthman. Then he called for Sayyiduna Mu'awiyah (may Allah be pleased with him), and Sayyiduna Mu'awiyah was brought, being pushed along. Sayyiduna Uthman said: Do you know what Hudhayfah (may Allah be pleased with him) said? He said that you will be driven out as a bull is driven out and slaughtered as a camel is slaughtered. Sayyiduna Mu'awiyah said: Bury this matter.

It is narrated from Sallam bin Miskin that he said: The person who saw Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Salam (may Allah be pleased with him) weeping on the day Sayyiduna Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him) was killed narrated to me that he was saying: Today the Arabs have perished.

It is narrated from Abu Sa'id that people were gathered near the tent of Sayyidah Aishah (may Allah be pleased with her) when Sayyiduna Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him) passed by them. The narrator says: I think this incident took place in Makkah. Abu Sa'id says: Everyone present there except me reviled Sayyiduna Uthman. Among those people there was a man from Kufah. Sayyiduna Uthman, being bold towards this man, said: O man of Kufah, do you revile me? Come to Madinah! It was as if Sayyiduna Uthman threatened him. So that man came to Madinah, and he was told: Hold on to Talhah. So Sayyiduna Talhah (may Allah be pleased with him) went with him until they came to Sayyiduna Uthman. Sayyiduna Uthman said: By Allah, I will surely give you one hundred lashes. Sayyiduna Talhah said: By Allah, you will not give him one hundred lashes unless he is a fornicator. Sayyiduna Uthman said: I will deprive you of your stipend. Sayyiduna Talhah said: Indeed, Allah Almighty will provide for him.

It is narrated from Suhayb, the freed slave of Abbas, that Sayyiduna Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him) sent me to Sayyiduna Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him) to call him. He says: I came to him, and he was giving the people their morning meal. I called him, so he came and said: O Abu al-Fadl, may your face prosper. Sayyiduna Abbas also said: O Amir al-Mu'minin, may your face also attain success. Then he said: I came as soon as I heard your message; I only fed the people. Sayyiduna Abbas said: I advise you concerning Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him), for he is the son of your paternal uncle, your brother in religion, your companion with the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), and your relation by marriage. It has reached me that you wish to stand against Sayyiduna Ali and his companions. O Amir al-Mu'minin, excuse me from this. Sayyiduna Uthman said: I accept what you say and I accept your intercession. Indeed, if Sayyiduna Ali wished, there would be no one but him, but he has refused everything except his own opinion. Then Sayyiduna Abbas called Sayyiduna Ali and said: I advise you concerning the son of your paternal uncle, who is the son of your paternal aunt, your brother in religion, a Companion of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) along with you, and you have also pledged allegiance to him. Sayyiduna Ali said: If he ordered me to leave my house, I would certainly leave. But as for my compromising so that the Book of Allah is not established, that I will not do.

Muhammad bin Ja'far said: I have heard it more times than I can count, and I have presented it to him more than once.

It is narrated from Qays that when Sayyiduna Mu'awiyah and Sayyiduna Amr (may Allah be pleased with them both) came to Kufah, al-Harith bin al-Azma' came to Sayyiduna Amr. Sayyiduna Amr was coming out riding. Al-Harith said to him: I came on a matter; had you been seated, I would have put a question to you. Sayyiduna Amr said: Ask whatever you have to ask, for whatever question I could answer while seated, I can answer now too. Al-Harith said: Tell me something about Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) and Sayyiduna Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him). He said: Anger and selfishness came together, and anger overcame selfishness. Then he rode on.

Al-Aqra' narrates that Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) called a bishop. Sayyiduna Umar was questioning him while I was shading the two of them. Sayyiduna Umar said to him: Do you find mention of us in your books? He said: Yes, there is mention of your qualities and your deeds. Sayyiduna Umar asked: What is it? He said: I find you to be a horn of iron. Sayyiduna Umar was somewhat disturbed by this, and then asked: What is a horn of iron? The bishop replied: A strong, trustworthy man. Sayyiduna Umar was pleased at this. Then he said: What do you find after me? He replied: A truthful caliph who will give preference to his relatives. Sayyiduna Umar said: May Allah have mercy on Ibn Affan. Then Sayyiduna Umar asked: What do you find after him? He said: A crack in the iron. Sayyiduna Umar had something in his hand which he was turning over; he threw it down and said two or three times: 'Ya Dafrah' (O one who will be disgraced). The bishop said: Do not say that, O Amir al-Mu'minin, for he will be a Muslim caliph and a righteous man; but he will become caliph at a time when the sword is drawn and blood is being shed. Then Sayyiduna Umar turned to me and said: Come to the prayer.

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Salam (may Allah be pleased with him) that he said: Do not draw your swords. If you draw your swords, they will not go back into the scabbard until the Day of Resurrection. Then he said: Give me respite of eighteen days, meaning until the day of the martyrdom of Sayyiduna Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him) (because he himself would pass away).

Ka'b says: It is as though I am looking at this one, meaning the killer of Sayyiduna Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him), with two flames of fire in his hands. And he killed Sayyiduna Uthman.

It is narrated from Abu Sa'id that Sayyiduna Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him) heard that a delegation from Egypt had come. So Sayyiduna Uthman went out to receive them, and he was in a settlement outside Madinah. The narrator says: I think Sayyiduna Uthman disliked that they should come to him in Madinah, or there was some matter of this kind. Then the people of Egypt came to him and said: Send for the copy of the Qur'an. He sent for it. Then they said: Open it and turn to al-Sabi'ah. They used to call Surah Yunus al-Sabi'ah (the Seventh). So Sayyiduna Uthman began to recite and reached this verse: Say: Have you considered the provision Allah has sent down, of which you have made some unlawful and some lawful? Say: Did Allah give you permission, or do you fabricate lies against Allah? [Yunus: 59]. They said: Tell us about the pasture you have reserved: did Allah give you permission for it, or do you fabricate lies against Allah? Sayyiduna Uthman said: Leave it; this verse was revealed concerning such and such a matter. As for the pasture you are speaking of, Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) established the pasture before me for the camels of charity. Then when I was made ruler, the camels of charity increased, so I enlarged the pasture in view of the large number of camels. The people of Egypt kept taking verses as arguments, and Sayyiduna Uthman kept saying: Leave it; and he kept saying: This verse was revealed concerning such and such an incident. The one speaking with Sayyiduna Uthman was of your age. Abu Nadrah says: Abu Sa'id told me this. Abu Nadrah says: I was of your age on that day. He says: The marks of full manhood had not yet appeared on my face, or he said: I had not yet fully reached manhood. I do not know, perhaps he said another time: I was thirty years old on that day. Then they brought objections against Sayyiduna Uthman from which he could not extricate himself, and Sayyiduna Uthman recognised the reality of those matters well. Then he said: I seek forgiveness from Allah and I turn to Him. Then he said to them: What do you want? They then took a covenant from Sayyiduna Uthman. The narrator says: I think they also settled some conditions, and Sayyiduna Uthman took a covenant from them that they would not break the strength of the Muslims and would not spread division among the Muslims so long as I remained upon the conditions. Then Sayyiduna Uthman said: What more do you want? They said: We want the people of Madinah not to receive stipends, for this wealth belongs only to those who fight and to the Companions of Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him). So they were satisfied and came to Madinah with Sayyiduna Uthman. Then Sayyiduna Uthman stood and delivered a sermon, saying: By Allah, I have not seen a delegation better than this delegation for my need. He then said the same a second time. The narrator says: I think its members were the people of Egypt. Listen, whoever has crops, let him attend to his farming, and whoever has a milk animal, let him milk it and make his living. I have no wealth for you. The wealth is for the fighters and the Companions of Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him). The people became angry and began to say: This is the deception of Banu Umayyah. Then the Egyptian delegation went back gladly. While they were on the road, a rider came to them, then parted from them, then returned to them and parted again, and he reviled them. They said to him: What is your affair? He said: I am an envoy from Amir al-Mu'minin to the governor of Egypt. The delegation investigated and found on him a letter from Sayyiduna Uthman which also bore Sayyiduna Uthman's seal; it had been written to the governor of Egypt that he should kill this delegation or have their hands and feet cut off. So that delegation returned, reached Madinah, came to Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) and said to him: Do you not see the enemy of Allah, who has issued such an order concerning us? Allah has made his blood lawful; come with us. But Sayyiduna Ali said: By Allah, I will never go with you. The members of the delegation said: Then why did you write to us? Sayyiduna Ali replied: By Allah, I have never written any letter to you. So they began to look at one another and to say to one another: Is it for this that you will fight? Is it for this that you are enraged? Sayyiduna Ali left Madinah and went to a settlement. They went on until they reached Sayyiduna Uthman and said: Why did you write such a thing concerning us? Sayyiduna Uthman said: Then there are only two things: Either you bring against me two witnesses from among the Muslims, or I swear by Allah, other than whom there is no god, that I neither wrote this letter nor dictated it. And you know that a letter may be written in a man's name, and one seal may be engraved in the pattern of another. They said to him: By Allah, Allah has made your blood lawful, and the covenant and pledge have been broken. He said: Then they besieged him in the palace. He looked out at them and said: Peace be upon you. He said: I did not hear anyone return the greeting, unless a man returned it within himself. Then he said: I adjure you by Allah, do you know that I bought (the well of) Rumah with my own wealth to get sweet water from it, and I made my bucket in it like the bucket of any man among the Muslims? It was said: Yes. He said: Then why do you prevent me from drinking from it, so that I must break my fast with sea water? He said: I adjure you by Allah, do you know that I bought such and such a piece of land and added it to the mosque? It was said: Yes. He said: Do you know of anyone among the people who was prevented from praying in it? It was said: Yes. He said: Then I adjure you by Allah, did you hear the Prophet of Allah (peace be upon him)? And he mentioned such and such, something about himself, and, I think, he mentioned the writing of al-Mufassal (the short surahs of the Qur'an). He said: Then disapproval spread, and the people began to say: Go easy on Amir al-Mu'minin. The disapproval spread, and al-Ashtar stood up; I do not know whether that was that day or another day. He said: Perhaps he has been deceived, as you have been. He said: So the people trampled him until he suffered such and such. Then he looked out at them another time, admonished them and reminded them, but the admonition had no effect on them. People used to be affected by an admonition the first time they heard it, but when it was repeated to them it had no effect on them. Then he opened the door and placed the copy of the Qur'an before him.

He said: Al-Hasan narrated to us that Muhammad bin Abi Bakr entered upon him and took hold of his beard. Sayyiduna Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him) said to him: You have taken hold of me in a way, or he said: you have sat over me in a way, that Abu Bakr would never have done. He said: So he went out and left him.