Conflict, Discord & Martyrdom
With regard to the conflict and discord before the martyrdom of Hazrat Uthman (ra) and the incident of his martyrdom, Hazrat Musleh-e-Maud (ra) states:
“Since the rebels had apparently gained victory already, they sent someone to Hazrat Uthman (ra) again, as a final strategy, to have him resign from Khilafat. They felt that if he resigned himself then the Muslims would have no authority or opportunity to punish the rebels.
“When the messenger reached Hazrat Uthman (ra), he said, ‘I have refrained from vices even in the days of jahiliyyah [era of ignorance prior to the advent of Islam] and have not violated the injunctions [of God] after accepting Islam. Why and for what crime should I leave the office which God the Exalted has conferred upon me? I shall never remove the garment which God the Exalted has clothed me with.’
“The messenger returned after hearing this reply and addressed his people in the following words, ‘By God! We have fallen into grave trial. By God! We cannot escape the clutches of the Muslims without killing Uthman (ra)’”, because in this case the government would topple and its administration would crumble and there would be no one to question them, “‘but killing him is in no way permissible.’” i.e. their only solution was to kill Hazrat Uthman (ra) but they knew that this was not permissible.
“Not only do the words of this person highlight the anxiety of the rebels, but they also establish that Hazrat Uthman (ra) had still not allowed anything to arise which the rebels could have used as an excuse. In their hearts, the rebels knew that killing Hazrat Uthman (ra) was not lawful under any circumstances.
“Hazrat Abdullah (ra) bin Salam arrived when the rebels were plotting to assassinate Hazrat Uthman (ra). Hazrat Abdullah (ra) bin Salam was greatly revered within his tribe even when he was a disbeliever and the Jews believed him to be their chief and a peerless scholar. He stood at the door and began to admonish the rebels, and he forbade them from killing Hazrat Uthman (ra) saying, ‘O People! Do not draw the sword of God over your heads. By God! If you draw the sword, you will never find an opportunity to put it back into its sheath; conflict and discord among the Muslims shall never end. Pay heed! Today, the government [punishes criminals] by the whip’” generally lashing is the penalty for a criminal offence in the Islamic penal code; “‘but if you kill this man, then the State will not be able to maintain order without the sword’”, i.e. people will be killed for petty crimes. “‘Keep in mind that the angels are the guardians of Medina at this time; if you kill him, the angels will desert Medina.’
“The benefit that the rebels derived from this admonition was that they drove off Abdullah (ra) bin Salam, the companion of the Holy Prophet (sa). In addition, they taunted him with reference to his previous faith saying, ‘O son of a Jewess! What have you to do with these matters?’ It is a shame, that the rebels remembered that Abdullah (ra) bin Salam was the son of a Jewish lady, but forgot that he had accepted Islam at the hand of the Holy Prophet (sa). Furthermore, the Holy Prophet (sa) was immensely pleased when he converted and he too stood by the Holy Prophet (sa) in every hour of difficulty and suffering. Moreover, the rebels also forgot that Abdullah bin Saba, their leader and instigator – the person who declared Hazrat Ali (ra) to be the wasi of the Holy Prophet (sa) [i.e. the claim that Hazrat Ali (ra) was meant to be the first Khalifa after the demise of the Holy Prophet (sa)] and presented him in opposition to Hazrat Uthman (ra) – was also the son of a Jewess. In fact, he was a Jew himself and was only outwardly expressing Islam.
“Disappointed by the rebels, Hazrat Abdullah (ra) bin Salam left. And the rebels – upon noticing that it was difficult to murder Hazrat Uthman (ra) by entering through the door because the few people who were present on guard there were bent upon killing or dying – decided to assassinate Hazrat Uthman (ra) by jumping over the wall of a neighbouring house. As such, with this intention, a few rebels jumped over the wall of a neighbouring house and snuck into the room of Hazrat Uthman (ra). When these people entered, Hazrat Uthman (ra) was reciting the Holy Quran. After the siege had been laid, day and night, the only occupation of Hazrat Uthman (ra) was to offer prayer or recite the Holy Quran, and he would not pay attention to any other work. In those days, the only other task that he performed before the rebels penetrated the house was to appoint two men in order to guard the treasury, because on that night, the Holy Prophet (sa) appeared to him”, i.e. Hazrat Uthman (ra) “in a vision and said, ‘O Uthman (ra)! Break your fast with us this evening.’
“After this vision, Hazrat Uthman (ra) was convinced that he would be martyred that day. Hence, taking his responsibility into account, Hazrat Uthman (ra) ordered two men to stand guard by the gate of the treasury, so that no one would attempt to loot the treasury during the chaos and mischief.
“When the rebels reached inside they found Hazrat Uthman (ra) reciting the Holy Quran. Muhammad bin Abi Bakr was also among the attackers and due to the power he commanded over the rebels, he considered it his duty to be at the forefront of everything.” He thought that since he was the son of Hazrat Abu Bakr (ra), therefore he held a superior status and considered it his duty to be at the forefront of everything.
“And so, he advanced and took hold of Hazrat Uthman (ra) by his beard and gave it a violent tug. In response to this action of his, Hazrat Uthman (ra) only said this much, ‘O my brother’s son! If your father’” i.e. Hazrat Abu Bakr (ra), “‘had been here now, he would never have done such a thing. What has happened to you? Are you displeased with me for the sake of God? Are you angry at me for anything other than the fact that I have made you fulfil the rights of God?’” In other words, all that Hazrat Uthman (ra) said was that they ought to fulfil the rights of God.
“Upon this, Muhammad bin Abi Bakr turned back in shame. However, the rest of the rebels remained there. Since definite news had been received that the army of Basra would reach Medina that night and this was their last opportunity, the rebels had decided that they would not return without completing their mission. One of them advanced and struck the head of Hazrat Uthman (ra) with an iron rod. Then he kicked the Quran which was placed opposite Hazrat Uthman (ra). The Holy Quran went tumbling towards Hazrat Uthman (ra) and drops of blood fell upon it from his head. What to talk of dishonouring the Holy Quran – the virtue and honesty of these people became fully exposed by this event.
“The verse upon which the blood of Hazrat Uthman (ra) fell was a magnificent prophecy that was fulfilled in its own time with such grandeur that a person who possessed even the hardest of hearts closed his eyes, out of fear, after beholding a glimpse of its blood-stained words. The verse was:
فَسَيَكْفِيْكَهُمُ اللّٰهُ وَ هُوَ السَّمِيْعُ الْعَلِيْمُ
“‘Allah will surely avenge thee against them, for He is All-Hearing, All-Knowing.’ [Ch.2: V.138] “After this a person by the name of Saudan advanced and desired to attack Hazrat Uthman (ra) with a sword. When he made his first strike, Hazrat Uthman (ra) shielded himself with his hand and his hand was cut.
“Upon this, he said, ‘By God the Exalted, this was the first hand to write the Holy Quran.’ After this, Saudan made a second attack in an attempt to assassinate Hazrat Uthman (ra) but his wife Na‘ilah moved forward and stepped in between. This evil person, however, did not even hesitate to strike a lady; he attacked and her fingers were severed.
“After this, he made another attack upon Hazrat Uthman (ra) and severely wounded him. Then, in the thought that perhaps he had not yet died and may survive, when Hazrat Uthman (ra) was writhing in agony and fell unconscious due to the pain of his wounds, this wretched person immediately took to his neck and began to strangle him. This man did not release the neck of Hazrat Uthman (ra) until his soul departed his physical body and flew to the heavenly world, eagerly accepting the invitation of the Holy Prophet (sa).
اِنَّا لِلّٰهِ وَاِنَّآ اِلَيْهِ رَاجِعُوْنَ
“[Surely, to Allah we belong and to Him shall we return].
“At first, overwhelmed by the horror of this scene, the wife of Hazrat Uthman (ra) was unable to speak. She finally called out for help and the people sitting at the door rushed inside. However, any help was now useless; what was to happen had already taken place. When the freed slave of Hazrat Uthman (ra) saw the blood-stained sword, which had been used to martyr Hazrat Uthman (ra), in the hands of Saudan, he was unable to restrain himself. He advanced and severed the head of Saudan with his sword. In turn, one of his [Saudan’s] associates killed him. Now the throne of the Islamic Empire was empty of a Khalifa. The people of Medina deemed further efforts to be futile and all of them returned to their respective homes.
“After martyring Hazrat Uthman (ra), the rebels began to terrorise the members of his household. The wife of Hazrat Uthman (ra) desired to move away and when she left, a wretched person from among them passed a most vulgar remark to his associates about her.
“Undoubtedly, for a respectable man, no matter what religion he belongs to, it is difficult to even fathom that the rebels would express such foul views at a time when they had just martyred the foremost”, pioneer, “Companion (ra) of the Holy Prophet (sa) – his son-in-law, the king of the Muslim Empire and then, the Khalifa of the time. However, their indecency was so immense that no evil deed was beyond them. These rebels were neither in pursuit of any good objective, nor did their party consist of righteous people.
“Some of them were admirers of the deceptive, anti-Islam, strange and peculiar teachings of Abdullah bin Saba, the Jew. Others were fascinated by [the concept of] excessive socialism; rather, Bolshevism. Some were criminals who had served sentences and were looking to spill out their animosity, while others were robbers and bandits, who saw this conflict as a means of fulfilling their ends. In short, their indecency is not surprising. As a matter of fact, it would have been surprising if these people had not behaved in such a manner.
“While the rebels were pillaging and plundering, another freed slave could not restrain himself when he heard the screams and cries of the household of Hazrat Uthman (ra). The slave attacked and killed the person who had killed the first slave. At this, they killed him as well. The rebels even took off the jewellery worn by the women and left the house laughing and mocking.”
(Islam Mein Ikhtilafat ka Aghaz, Anwar-ul-Ulum, Vol. 4, pp. 327-331)