The Martyrdom of Sayyiduna Uthman Ghani (RA)-Part Five
The Martyrdom of Sayyiduna Uthman Ghani (RA)
Part Five
Sayyiduna Uthman (RA) had been confined to his house for nearly forty days. They had cut off his water. They stopped him from going to Masjid Nabawi. He bore all this with patience, but he was not willing to accept the rebels’ demand. And how could he accept it? The Prophet ﷺ had strictly forbidden him and said, “You must never step down from the khilafah, no matter what happens.”
Hazrat Abdullah bin Salam (RA) says: I came to Hazrat Uthman (RA) and greeted him. He said, “Last night I saw the Prophet ﷺ in a dream. He said, ‘You have been besieged?’ I said, ‘Yes.’ He said, ‘Have they kept you thirsty?’ I said, ‘Yes.’ Then he lowered a bucket with water in it. I drank from it until I was full, and I can still feel its coolness in my chest. He ﷺ said, ‘If you wish, you will be given victory over the enemies. And if you wish, you may break your fast with us.’ So I chose to break my fast with him.” Hazrat Abdullah bin Salam (RA) said: He was martyred that very day.
_Al-Bidayah vol. 7 p. 182_
So Hazrat Uthman (RA) had received the sign that he would not remain in this world much longer. He would soon be with his Lord. His wife Hazrat Na’ilah (RA) relates: The day before his martyrdom, he was weak and fell into a light sleep. When he woke, he said, “It seems my people are going to kill me.” Hazrat Na’ilah (RA) said, “Amir al-Mu’minin, that will not happen.” He said:
_“I saw the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, Abu Bakr, and Umar (RA). They were saying, ‘Break your fast with us tonight,’ or they said, ‘You will break your fast with us this evening.’”_
_Tabaqat vol. 3 p. 55_
_Mustadrak vol. 3 p. 110_
After seeing this dream, Sayyiduna Uthman (RA) understood that the time of martyrdom the Prophet ﷺ had foretold had come. He told his servant, “Bring me my trousers.” He had never worn trousers before, but he wore them that day.
دعا بسراويل فشدها علیہ یلبسها في جاهلية ولا اسلام
_Riyad vol. 3 p. 67_
In our view, the reason was his extreme modesty. He feared that if the rebels assaulted him, his body might be exposed. Even if he were martyred, his covering should remain. This shows how intensely modest he was. The Prophet ﷺ himself had testified to his modesty.
The rebels were adamant that Hazrat Uthman (RA) should leave the khilafah. He was ready to accept every demand except that one. He said clearly that the demand to leave the khilafah would never be accepted. So Their patience had run out They wanted to take the matter to the final end they had already planned. They also feared that supporters of Sayyiduna Uthman (RA) might come from other regions, or that the Hajj pilgrims might return. They said among themselves, _“Finish this matter quickly before any help reaches him.”_
_“Before help comes to him.”_
_Tabaqat vol. 3 p. 53_
So they began showering arrows upon him. One of them struck Hazrat Hasan bin Ali (RA) and he fell wounded, but he did not move from his place. Kinanah says: I lifted Hazrat Hasan (RA) in a wounded state and took him to his house.
Muhammad bin Talha was also wounded. Qanbar, the slave of Hazrat Ali (RA), was struck on the head with an arrow. When the rebels heard that Hazrat Hasan bin Ali (RA) had been wounded, they were alarmed and said, “If Banu Hashim turn against us because of Hasan (RA) being wounded, our whole plan will be ruined. Before this news reaches them, try to jump over a wall from some side, or break in from a neighbor’s house into Sayyiduna Uthman’s (RA) house, and finish his matter as quickly as possible.” So they entered from somewhere or the other. No one knew, because Sayyiduna Uthman’s (RA) guards were on the upper floor.
Ibn Taymiyyah (RA) described these people as corrupt and the worst of Allah’s creation.
_Minhaj al-Sunnah vol. 2 p. 186_
_Fatawa vol. 3 p. 411_
And he said they were mischief-makers and riffraff:
وانما قتلہ طائفة من المفسدين في الارض من اوباش القبائل واهل الفتن
_Hadiyyat al-Shia p. 210_
*Sayyiduna Uthman (RA) at the Place of his Martyrdom*
Sayyiduna Uthman (RA) was in a portion of his house. His wife was with him. The rebel group cleverly entered his house and set fire to the door, so that part of the house burned. Seeing this, Hazrat Uthman (RA) said, “They have burned the door because they intend something greater than this. Now you people disperse. Even if I stay away from you, they will kill me. I will submit to the command of the Prophet ﷺ and be patient.”
Hazrat Hassan bin Thabit (RA) also confirmed that the door of Sayyiduna Uthman’s (RA) house was burned. He says:
“Today the house of Ibn Arwa, that is, Uthman (RA), is destroyed. One door has fallen and the other has been burned and ruined. This was the house where needy people would come and he would fulfill their needs, and in this house there was always remembrance of Allah and talk of noble deeds.”
Among those who entered his house were Muhammad bin Abi Bakr and some of his companions. When Muhammad bin Abi Bakr entered his room, he saw Hazrat Uthman (RA) with his wife Hazrat Na’ilah (RA), and the Qur’an was in his lap. He was reciting it. Muhammad bin Abi Bakr came forward and grabbed Hazrat Uthman’s (RA) beard. Hazrat Uthman (RA) said to him, “By Allah, if your father saw you doing this, it would grieve him greatly.” Hearing this, Muhammad bin Abi Bakr let go of his beard and left the house.
Allamah Ibn Kathir (RA) states: “Muhammad bin Abi Bakr went out and spoke to those who wanted to kill him and tried to stop them, but they did not listen to Muhammad bin Abi Bakr and entered.”
Hazrat Abdullah bin Salam (RA) also tried to stop those people and said to them, “O people, do not draw the sword of Allah against yourselves. By Allah, if you unsheathe this sword, you will never be able to put it back. Woe to you! Your city of Madinah is under the protection of angels. If you kill him today, those angels will leave this city.”
_Tabari vol. 3 p. 399_
He also said to them: “For the sake of Allah, do not raise your hand against Hazrat Uthman (RA). He will not live long in this world. By Allah, if you martyr him, then you will never pray together again.”
At the time of his martyrdom, Sayyiduna Uthman (RA) was busy in recitation of the Noble Qur’an. When the killers struck his head with an iron bar, the words ((بسم اللّٰہ توکلت علی اللہ( came spontaneously from his mouth. Blood flowed from his head and soaked his beard. The Qur’an was in his lap. He leaned to his left side and the words _سبحان اللّٰہ العظیم_ were on his tongue. A drop of his blood fell on the Qur’an in front of him, and the verse *فسیکفیکھم اللّٰہ وھو السمیع* became red with his blood.
قال عثمانؓ بسم اللّٰہ توکلت علی اللہ واذا الدم یسیل علی اللحیۃ یقطر و المصحف بین یدیہ فاتکا علی شقہ الایسر وھو یقول سبحان اللّٰہ العظیم وھو فی ذالک یقرء المصحف و الدم یسیل علی المصحف حتی وقف الدم عند قولہ تعالیٰ فسیکفیکھم اللّٰہ وھو السمیع العلیم
Abdullah bin Sa‘id says: I saw the Mushaf of Uthman (RA) on which his blood had fallen.
رأيت مصحف عثمان ونضح الدماء في على اشياء من الوعد والوعيد فكان ذالك عند الناس من الآيات
And thus he was martyred. May Allah be pleased with him.
In the last breaths of his life, he kept making du‘a for unity in the Ummah of the Prophet ﷺ. Hazrat Abdullah bin Salam (RA) says: Hazrat Uthman Ghani (RA) was lying soaked in blood, and on his tongue was this du‘a before Allah:
اللهم اجمع امتہ محمد ﷺ
فلا ريب أن عثمان ان تولى ثنتى عشرة سنة ثم قصد الخارجون علیہ قتله و حصروه وهو خليفة الارض و المسلمون كلهم رعية وهو مع هذا كم يقتل مسلما ولا دفع عن نفسه بقتال بل صبر حتى قتل
_“There is no doubt that Uthman ruled for twelve years, then those who rose against him sought to kill him and besieged him, while he was the Caliph of the earth and all Muslims were his subjects. Yet with this, he did not kill a Muslim nor defend himself by fighting, but was patient until he was killed.”_ _Minhaj al-Sunnah vol. 8 p. 221_
فعثمان حاصروه و طلبوا خلعه من الخلافة او قتلہ ولم يزالوا به حتى قتلوه وهو يمنع الناس من مقاتلتهم الى ان قتل شهيدا وما دافع عن نفسه فهل هذا الا من اعظم الصبر على المصائب
_“They besieged Uthman RA and demanded he step down from the khilafah or be killed. They persisted until they killed him, while he forbade the people from fighting them, until he was killed as a martyr and did not defend himself. Is this not among the greatest examples of patience in calamity?”_
The Sabai rebel gang martyred him. May Allah destroy them. He showed patience, held back his hand, and stopped his servants too, until he was martyred in his house. He was reciting Qur’an. His wife was with him.
After the martyrdom, when one of the killers passed by him and saw his head was on the Qur’an, that wretch kicked his head and moved it away from the Mushaf, and said, “I have never seen the face of a kafir (Allah forbid) more handsome, nor the resting place of a kafir (Allah forbid) more honored than this.”
ما رايت كالیوم وجہ کافر احسن ولا مضجع كافر اكرم
_Al-Bidayah vol. 7 p. 175_
These wretched Shia Sabaites, after martyring Sayyiduna Uthman (RA), fled. Hazrat Na’ilah (RA) called out, “O people, the Amir al-Mu’minin has been martyred!” Those standing nearby rushed in, entered the house and found that Sayyiduna Uthman (RA) had been martyred. As soon as the news reached Hazrat Ali, Hazrat Talha, and Hazrat Zubayr (RA), they came running. When they saw the body of Sayyiduna Uthman (RA), they were stunned. They were deeply grieved at his martyrdom. Hazrat Ali (RA) severely scolded Hasan and Husayn (RA) right there and said:
“I sent both of you to guard his door. How did the killers succeed in their task while you were there?” Then he struck Hazrat Hasan (RA) a hard slap and struck Hazrat Husayn (RA) on the chest. He also rebuked the sons of Sayyiduna Talha and Sayyiduna Zubayr (RA) and left from there in extreme grief and anger.
_Tarikh al-Khulafa p. 165_
The martyrdom of Hazrat Uthman (RA) took place on 18 Dhul-Hijjah 35 AH, Friday, at the time of Asr.
_Tarikh p. 167_
At that time his age was around 82 or 84 years……!!!!!
To be continued…
Presented by
Idarah Dar al-Tahqeeq wa Difa‘-e-Sahabah (RA)