Truth About Uthman (RA) at Uhud and Bay‘at al-Ridwan

Source Attribution

This excerpt is taken from the book “Ahkām wa Masā’il in the Light of the Qur’an and Sunnah” by Shaykh Mubashir Ahmad Rabbani.

Question:​

Some people, while speaking ill of Ḥaḍrat ʿUthmān رضي الله عنه, claim:
“He fled from the battlefield of Uḥud and was also absent from the Bayʿat al-Riḍwān, so how could he become a Caliph?”

What is the reality of this claim? Please clarify the correct facts.

Answer:​

The Companions of the Prophet ﷺ were such pure and righteous individuals, and the finest link between the Ummah and the Final Messenger of Allah ﷺ, that through their sacrifices the religion of Islam reached us. The preservation, propagation, and explanation of the Qur’an, which is expressed through Hadith and Sunnah, would have been impossible without them. They conveyed both primary sources of Islam to us.

They were the foremost recipients of the divine command:

فليبلغ الشاهد الغائب
“Let the one who is present convey it to the one who is absent.”

The responsibility placed upon their shoulders by the Noble Messenger ﷺ was fulfilled by them in the best possible manner. They spared no effort in conveying, spreading, and establishing the religion, traveling to all corners of the world through knowledge and jihād, raising the banner of Islam everywhere. They crushed false deities and tyrannical forces and fought against the followers of countless false prophets. In return for their immense sacrifices and glorious martyrdoms, Allah adorned them with His pleasure and mercy and destined forgiveness for them.

However, the enemies of Islam and the agents of Satan could not tolerate their honor and acceptance. Since they could not directly target the Noble Person of the Messenger ﷺ, they began attacking his devoted Companions in order to weaken the link between the Ummah and its Prophet ﷺ.

Origin of Rafidism and Insulting the Companions​

ʿAllāmah Jalāl al-Dīn al-Suyūṭī narrates from al-Dīnūrī:

كان بدء الرافضة أن قوما من الزنادقة اجتمعوا...

“The beginning of Rafidism was when a group of heretics gathered and said: ‘We should abuse the Prophet of the Muslims.’ Their leader said: ‘If we do this, we will be killed.’ They then said: ‘We will abuse his beloved Companions, because it is said: If you want to harm your neighbor, strike his dog.’ Then they adopted isolation and declared them disbelievers, saying: ‘All Companions are in Hell except ʿAlī,’ and they even claimed that ʿAlī was a prophet and Jibrīl made a mistake.”

Reference: Miftāḥ al-Miḥnah: 375

Statement of ʿAbdullāh bin Muṣʿab​

ʿAbdullāh bin Muṣʿab said:

“They wanted to disparage the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, but found no one in the Ummah to support them, so they began disparaging his Companions. It is as if they were saying: ‘Muḥammad ﷺ had evil companions,’ and what could be worse than a man whose companions are evil?”

Reference: Tārīkh Baghdād: 10/175

ʿAlī رضي الله عنه on ʿUthmān رضي الله عنه​

Muḥammad bin Ḥāṭib narrates:

سألت عليا عن عثمان فقال هو من الذين آمنوا ثم اتقوا ثم آمنوا ثم اتقوا

“I asked ʿAlī رضي الله عنه about ʿUthmān رضي الله عنه. He replied: ‘He is among those who believed, then feared Allah, then believed again, then feared Allah again.’”

Reference: Faḍā’il al-Ṣaḥābah (Aḥmad): 770

Ibn Kathīr رحمه الله states that this statement from ʿAlī رضي الله عنه is established through multiple chains.

Reference: al-Bidāyah wa al-Nihāyah: 7/193

Incident of Uḥud, Badr, and Bayʿat al-Riḍwān​

ʿAbdullāh bin ʿUmar رضي الله عنهما clarified the objections raised by a man from Egypt. He explained:

① Regarding Uḥud: Allah has already forgiven those who slipped.
② Regarding Badr: ʿUthmān رضي الله عنه stayed behind on the command of the Prophet ﷺ to nurse his ill wife (the Prophet’s daughter), and he was granted equal reward and booty.
③ Regarding Bayʿat al-Riḍwān: The Prophet ﷺ himself placed one hand over the other and said:
“This is the pledge of ʿUthmān.”

Reference: Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī: 3699

Ḥāfiẓ Ibn Ḥajar explains that Ibn ʿUmar was referring to the verse:

﴿وَلَقَدْ عَفَا اللَّهُ عَنْهُمْ﴾
“Indeed, Allah has pardoned them.”

Reference: Fatḥ al-Bārī: 7/59

Prophetic Testimony of Martyrdom​

The Messenger of Allah ﷺ declared ʿUthmān رضي الله عنه a martyr:

فليس عليك إلا نبي وصديق وشهيدان

“Upon you are only a Prophet, a Ṣiddīq, and two martyrs.”

Reference: Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī: 3699

And in another narration:

اهدا فما عليك إلا نبي أو صديق أو شهيد

Reference: Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim: 2417

Instruction During Times of Fitnah​

Marrah al-Bahri رضي الله عنه narrates:

“The Prophet ﷺ said during a coming fitnah: ‘Hold fast to this man and his companions.’
I asked: ‘Is it him?’ He replied: ‘Yes,’ and it was ʿUthmān bin ʿAffān.”

Reference: Musnad Aḥmad: 5/20353

Position of Ahl al-Sunnah​

Imām Abū Zurʿah al-Rāzī رحمه الله said:

“When you see someone belittling any Companion of the Messenger ﷺ, know that he is a heretic.”

Reference: al-Kifāyah fī ʿIlm al-Riwāyah: 49

Ḥāfiẓ Ibn Ḥajar رحمه الله said:

“Ahl al-Sunnah unanimously agree that all Companions are upright.”

Reference: al-Iṣābah: 1/162

Conclusion:​

From authentic Qur’anic verses, Prophetic statements, and the testimony of the Companions themselves, it is established that Sayyidunā ʿUthmān bin ʿAffān رضي الله عنه was:

✔ A righteous Companion
✔ A Rightly Guided Caliph
✔ A martyr in the path of Allah
✔ Upon the truth during times of fitnah

Those who malign him only destroy their own faith.

May Allah protect us and keep us firm upon the methodology of the Salaf al-Ṣāliḥīn. Āmīn.