Click here to download this article as a pdf
When Hazrat Uthman Ghani (Radiallahu Ta’ala Anh) refused to hand over Marwaan due to the lack of evidence of him writing the letter to the governor of Egypt, the companions that came to question him, left his house. Hazrat Uthman (Radiallahu Ta’ala Anh) knew that the people would punish Marwaan and most probably kill him without adequate proof and therefore did not wish to hand him over.
When the companions (Radiallahu Ta’ala Anhum) returned home, rioters emerged, who became extreme in their siege as they halted water from reaching the house of Sayyiduna Uthman (Radiallahu Ta’ala Anh). Hazrat Uthman (Radiallahu Ta’ala Anh) looked towards the crowd from above and asked if Hazrat Ali (Radiallahu Ta’ala Anh) was amongst them. The people replied that he was not. He then inquired if Hazrat Sa’ad (Radiallahu Ta’ala Anh) was amongst them and they replied that he was not. Hazrat Uthman (Radiallahu Ta’ala Anh) thereafter ordered that someone go to Hazrat Ali (Radiallahu Ta’ala Anh) and inform him that he should make some water available for him.
Upon being informed of the situation, Hazrat Ali (Radiallahu Ta’ala Anh) sent three pots of water to the house of Hazrat Uthman (Radiallahu Ta’ala Anh) but hardly any of the water reached him as the servants of Banu Hashim and Banu Ommayyah who were taking the water had been injured on the way. Hazrat Ali (Radiallahu Ta’ala Anh) realized from this that the people were plotting to assassinate Hazrat Uthman (Radiallahu Ta’ala Anh) and ordered his two sons, Hazrat Imam Hassan and Hazrat Imam Hussain (Radiallahu Ta’ala Anhum) to stand at the doorstep of Hazrat Uthman (Radiallahu Ta’ala Anh) with swords and guard him from danger. It was important that they stop any rioter from entering the premises of Hazrat Uthman (Radiallahu Ta’ala Anh). In the same way, Hazrat Talha, Hazrat Zubair and other leading companions (Radiallahu Ta’ala Anhum) sent their children to guard Hazrat Uthman (Radiallahu Ta’ala Anh) and all of them steadfastly protected Hazrat Uthman (Radiallahu Ta’ala Anh).
When the rioters’ attitude became extreme, Hazrat Abdullah Ibn Umar (Radiallahu Ta’ala Anh) visited the house of Hazrat Uthman (Radiallahu Ta’ala Anh) along with a few Muhajiroon. Sayyiduna Ibn Umar (Radiallahu Ta’ala Anh) explained to Hazrat Uthman (Radiallahu Ta’ala Anh) that the rioters had accepted Islam due to the might of Islam and due to their fear of the Muslim leadership. At the present time they were causing such chaos due to the fact that they knew Hazrat Uthman (Radiallahu Ta’ala Anh) would not cause rifts between the Muslims and as they were claiming to be Muslim, Hazrat Uthman (Radiallahu Ta’ala Anh) would overlook the actions of these rioters. Hazrat Ibn Umar (Radiallahu Ta’ala Anh) sought permission to find out the truth about these mutineers and make manifest to them their essence.
Hazrat Uthman (Radiallahu Ta’ala Anh) refused to allow this as he did not wish to witness dissension for the sake of his personality. All of his servants, who were equivalent to an army, arrived before him armed with weaponry. With passion, they asserted that they were those people who had managed to conquer lands ranging from Africa to Khurasaan and were therefore more than capable of challenging the mutineers. They sought permission from Hazrat Uthman (Radiallahu Ta’ala Anh) to raise arms against the rioters as diplomatic negotiations were useless due to the fact that the rioters thought that it was impossible for Hazrat Uthman (Radiallahu Ta’ala Anh) to challenge fellow Muslims militarily and that is why they continuously rejected the attempts made by the Companions to reach a truce. Hazrat Uthman (Radiallahu Ta’ala Anh) told them that if they wish to please him then they should put down their weapons and he announced that he would free every servant who put down his weapons. He said, “By Allah, to be killed before bloodshed is more beloved to me than to be killed after bloodshed.”
Hazrat Uthman (Radiallahu Ta’ala Anh) was aware that he would be martyred by these mutineers as Rasoolullah (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam) had already mentioned to him that he would be martyred. Therefore he informed his servants that whether they fought the mutineers or not, they could not avoid his assassination. Thus he did not wish to see bloodshed.
When Muhammad Ibn Abi Bakr noticed that the house of Hazrat Uthman (Radiallahu Ta’ala Anh) was so securely protected that it was impossible to enter the house through the doors, he began to shoot arrows towards Hazrat Uthman’s (Radiallahu Ta’ala Anh) house. Imam Hasan (Radiallahu Ta’ala Anh) was injured by these attacks along with Marwaan, Muhammad Ibn Talha and Qunbur, who was a servant of Hazrat Ali (Radiallahu Ta’ala Anh). When Muhammad Ibn Abi Bakr saw that these men had been injured, he began to fear retaliation of the Banu Hashim. He grabbed two of his companions and forged a way in which he could manage to kill Hazrat Uthman (Radiallahu Ta’ala Anh). He proposed that they jump into the house from one of the neighbour’s houses and thereafter assassinate him. Muhammad Ibn Abi Bakr jumped into the house of Hazrat Uthman (Radiallahu Ta’ala Anh) with his two companions from the house of an Ansari. Hazrat Uthman (Radiallahu Ta’ala Anh) was alone in the house with only his wife, Sayyidah Nailah (Radiallahu Ta’ala Anha), whilst everyone else was on the roof of the house. Thus those on the roof were not aware of the circumstances downstairs. Muhammad Ibn Abi Bakr grabbed the beard of Hazrat Uthman (Radiallahu Ta’ala Anh) who said to him, “What would your father, Abu Bakr say if he saw you disrespecting me in this manner?” Upon hearing this, Muhammad Ibn Abi Bakr released Hazrat Uthman (Radiallahu Ta’ala Anh) but his two companions suddenly arrived and heartlessly killed Hazrat Uthman (Radiallahu Ta’ala Anh).
During the attack upon Hazrat Uthman (Radiallahu Ta’ala Anh), his wife Sayyidah Nailah (Radiallahu Ta’ala Anha) was continuously screeching for assistance but her screams were muted by the shouting of the protestors. After Hazrat Uthman (Radiallahu Ta’ala Anh) was martyred, she ran to the roof and told the people that he had been martyred. When the people came down, they were shocked to see the body of Hazrat Uthman (Radiallahu Ta’ala Anh) covered in blood and at the time his soul had already departed from this world.
It is stated in some narrations that Hazrat Uthman (Radiallahu Ta’ala Anh) was reciting the Holy Qur’an at the time of his martyrdom and his blood spilt on a copy of the Qur’an upon Verse 137 of Surah Baqarah. It is also narrated that Sayyidah Nailah (Radiallahu Ta’ala Anha) had attempted to defend him from the attacks with her hands and she sadly lost her fingers during the attack.
When the news of the martyrdom of Hazrat Uthman (Radiallahu Ta’ala Anh) reached Hazrat Ali and the other companions (Radiallahu Ta’ala Anhum), they were all overcome with sorrow. Upon reaching the house of Hazrat Uthman (Radiallahu Ta’ala Anh), they all recited the verse “Surely we belong to Allah and to Him is our return.” Hazrat Ali (Radiallahu Ta’ala Anh) was so furious that he slapped Imam Hassan and Imam Hussain (Radiallahu Ta’ala Anhum) and he said to them, “How was the leader of the believers killed, when you stood at the door?” He also reprimanded Muhammad Ibn Talha and Abdullah Ibn Zubair (Radiallahu Ta’ala Anhum) who were also guarding the house of Hazrat Uthman (Radiallahu Ta’ala Anh).
When Hazrat Ali (Radiallahu Ta’ala Anh) realized that the assassinators had entered the house by jumping from a neighbour’s house, he asked the wife, Sayyidah Nailah (Radiallahu Ta’ala Anha) who the killers were. She replied that she was not aware of their identities but Muhammad Ibn Abi Bakr was with them, and had grabbed the beard of Hazrat Uthman (Radiallahu Ta’ala Anh). Hazrat Ali (Radiallahu Ta’ala Anh) summoned Muhammad Ibn Abi Bakr who accepted that he had entered the house with the intention of killing Hazrat Uthman (Radiallahu Ta’ala Anh) but his intention changed when Hazrat Uthman (Radiallahu Ta’ala Anh) reminded him of his father, Sayyiduna Abu Bakr Siddiq (Radiallahu Ta’ala Anh) and how shameful it would be for his son to commit such a horrific act. Muhammad Ibn Abi Bakr expressed remorse for his actions and said that he sought the forgiveness of Allah Ta’ala. He went on to swear by Allah Ta’ala that he had not killed Hazrat Uthman (Radiallahu Ta’ala Anh).
Hazrat Ibn Asaakir (Radiallahu Ta’ala Anh) narrates that the killer of Hazrat Uthman (Radiallahu Ta’ala Anh) was a blue-eyed man named ‘Himaar’ who resided in Egypt. Some historians have stated that killer was a man named ‘Aswad’. It is possible that of the two men who entered the house of Hazrat Uthman (Radiallahu Ta’ala Anh), one was called ‘Himaar’ whilst the other was ‘Aswad’. Allah Ta’ala knows best.
Sayyiduna Uthman Ghani (Radiallahu Ta’ala Anh) was martyred during the Ayyaam-e-Tashreeq in the month of Dhul Hijja in the year 35 AH. He was aged 82 and his Khilaafat lasted for a period of twelve years. His Janaazah Salaah was led by Hazrat Zubair (Radiallahu Ta’ala Anh) and he was buried in Jannatul Baqi in the blessed city of Madinatul Munawwarah.
May Allah Ta’ala grant us the Taufeeq to follow the example of the Sahaabah-e-Kiraam and to sacrifice our lives for Rasoolullah Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam the way they did, Ameen.
[Compiled from Khutbaat-e-Muharram by Faqeeh-e-Millat Hazrat Allama Mufti Jalaaludeen Ahmad Amjadi Rahmatullah Alaih]
