Murder of Uthman: Difference between revisions

'''The murder of Uthman''', the [[third Muslim caliph]], by the people who revolted against him marked the beginning of civil wars among Muslims and reignited the conflicts between the [[Umayyads]] and the [[Hashimites]].

When [[Uthman]] changed the governor of [[Egypt]], a group of Egyptians came to [[Medina]] to object to this decision. Uthman requested that [[Imam Ali (a)]] meet with the Egyptians to mediate between them and Uthman. As a result of the mediation, Uthamn promised that the new governor will distribute public treasuries justly and appoint qualified people to administrational posts, and thus the Egyptians returned to Egypt.  

When the Egyptians arrived in Egypt, they found a letter from Uthman to the governor, in which Uthman had ordered their execution and imprisonment. Thus, they returned to Medina and called the dissidents from other cities to join them, aiming at overthrowing the [[caliph]]. Uthman denied that he had written that letter, but the insurgents were not convinced and stated that they would accept nothing but the resignation of Uthman. Finally, after besieging Uthman's house for forty days, some of the rebels invaded his house and murdered him in [[Dhu l-Hijja]] [[35 AH]], [[May]] [[656 CE|656]]. Although Imam Ali (a) agreed that Uthman had made mistakes, he was against murdering Uthman.  

Some [[Sunni]] scholars have called this incident the "incident of the day of home" (''waqi'at yawm al-dar'').

==Significance of Uthman's Murder in Islamic History==

After the murder of Uthamn, a new phase in Islamic history started. His murder led to a series of civil wars among Muslims. In the first of these battles, the [[Battle of Camel]], prominent figures such as [[Talha]], [[Zubayr]], and [[A'isha]], encountered [[Imam Ali (a)]]. The second battle, the [[Battle of Siffin]] led to the formation of the [[Kharijites]] and to the third battle, the [[Battle of Nahrawan]].  

==The Background of the Revolt==

Far from being a sudden incident, the revolt against Uthman was caused by factors whose cumulative force finally reached a point of no return. These factors were mostly related to the caliph himself and his conduct.  

Some scholars have called Uthman's way of appointing his Umayyad relatives to important roles an attempt at the "Umayyadization" of the state. Some of the key positions given by Uthman to his relatives were as follows:  

| Walid b. Uqba || Uthman's maternal brother || Governor of Kufa

| Abd Allah b. Amir || Uthman's cousin || Governor of Basra

| Abd Allah b. Abi Sarh || Uthman’s foster brother|| Governor of Egypt

|[[Mu'awiya b. Abi Sufyan]] ||A member of Uthman’s clan || Governor of Syria

|[[Marwan b. Hakam]] || Uthman's cousin || Scribe

|Sa'id b. As || A member of Uthman's clan || Governor of Kufa

The fact that Uthman made his relatives in charge of the Muslim community's affairs and their misuse of their positions were among the main factors that led to protests. Some of these favored relatives did not have a good reputation either. For instance, Abd Allah b. Amir had once become an [[apostate]], Walid b. Amir was called ''fasiq'' (wicked) in the [[Quran]], and Marwan b. al-Hakam was banished by the [[Prophet (s)]] from Medina together with his father.  

Unjust distribution of public treasuries was a major problem during Uthman's caliphate. He would bestow great amount of wealth from the pubic treasury on his relatives, which created wide-spread resentment among people. For instance, it is reported that he bestowed on Marwan b. al-Hakam the entire [[khums]] that he had received from Africa, and on another occasion he bestowed it upon Abn Abi Sarh. He also gave huge amounts of wealth to Harith b. al-Hakam, [[Hakam b. Abi l-As]], and Abd Allah b. Khalid, among others.  

When [[Uthman]] deposed [[Amr b. al-As]] from the governorship of [[Egypt]] and appointed Abd Allah b. Abi Sarh to the position, about six-hundred Egyptians came to Medina to protest, which was the beginning of protests against the caliph.  

When the protestors reached near [[Medina]], Uthman asked [[Imam Ali (a)]] to mediate between them and and request the protestors to return. As a result of the Imam's mediation, a pact was made between Uthman and the the protesters that if they return, the banished individuals would be allowed to return to their hometowns, public treasuries would be distributed justly, and trustworthy people would be appointed to administrational positions. After making this pact, Uthman delivered a speech and repented from his past conduct. Eventually the protestors agreed to return to their towns.  

===The Return of the Protestors to Medina===

On their way back to Egypt, the protestors found the servant of the caliph riding on a camel and hiding a letter. They took the letter from him and saw that it was the official signed letter of the caliph ordering the execution and imprisonment of the protestors. Upon seeing this, the protestors return to Medina where they were joined by the [[Kufa|Kufans]]. They all went to Imam Ali (a) and together with him, went to Uthman. Uthaman swore that he neither wrote the letter nor was he aware of it.  

The explanations of Uthman did not convince the protestors; they stated that Uthman no longer was qualified to be the caliph and demanded his resignation. Uthamn refused to resign and stated that he would not take off the garment that [[God]] had bestowed upon him, but he said that he was ready to repent. Referring to his last repentance which he broke, the protesters declared that they would not accept anything but his resignation and are ready to be killed to achieve this goal or to kill Uthman.  

When the negotiations failed, the protestors besieged Uthman's house, blocking the passage of water and food. The besiegers are said to have been from Egypt, [[Basra]], [[Kufa]], and [[Medina]]. The siege lasted forty days, and Uthman wrote letters to [[Mu'awiya]] and Ibn Amir asking them to help him.  

Uthman asked [[Imam Ali (a)]], [[Talha]], [[Zubayr]], and the [[wives of the Prophet (s)]] to bring him water. Imam Ali (a) and [[Umm Habiba]] were the first ones who tried to take water for Uthman, but both were faced with harsh reaction from the rebels and did not succeed. Imam Ali (a) rebuked the rebels and said that their conduct was neither like that of believers nor like that of non-believers. However, some managed to take water to Uthman covertly.  

By the command of Imam Ali (a), [[Imam al-Hasan (a)]] together with people like [[Abd Allah b. Zubayr]], Marwan b. al-Hakam tried to protect Uthman's house.  

There are several accounts of the murder of Uthman. According to some reports, at first, a group of people invaded his house but the people inside the house repelled them, then the second invasion took place, in which Uthman was killed. In this attack, Na'ila, Uthman's wife was injured and her fingers were cut off. Together with Uthman's shirt, she was used as a means by [[Mu'awiya]] to mobilize the [[Syria]]ns in support of a revenge.  

Uthman is said to have been murdered on [[Friday]] [[Dhu l-Hijja 18]], [[35 AH]], [[June 6]] [[656 CE|656]]. The incident came to be called "the Incident of the Day of the House" (''Waqi'a yawm al-dar'').  

==The Role of the Prophet's Companions==

Other scholars, however, believe that this view is based mostly on the belief in the integrity of the Companions. There are numerous reports about the involvement of the Companions in the revolt against Uthman. [[Hashim b. Utba]], for instance, states that, "The Companions of Muhammad [s] and their children … killed him [i.e., Uthman]". According to some historians, Talha, Zubayr, and [[A'isha]] were among harshest opponents of Uthman. In a letter to Mu'awiya, Uthman's wife wrote that the people of Medina were the ones who besieged Uthman in his house.  

===The Role of Imam Ali (a)===

Due to Imam Ali's (a) influence among the rebels, Uthman asked him several times for help. In the beginning of the revolt, Uthman asked the Imam (a) to mediate between him and the rebels. Also, when his house was besieged, he asked Imam Ali (a) for help. In response, the Imam (a) tasked his son [[Imam al-Hasan (a)]] to guard Uthman's house, and Imam al-Hasan (a) got injured while fulfilling this task. When the rebels blocked the passage of water and food to Uthman's house, he asked some companions including [[Imam Ali (a)]] for help.  

The Imam (a) reportedly said that he defended Uthman so much that he was afraid he might have committed a sin.  

On the one hand, Imam Ali (a) would call Uthman "carrier of mistakes" (''hammal al-khataya'') and did not consider him an innocent victim; however, on the other hand, he was against murdering him and denied having any role in his murder.  

===The Role of Talha===

According to [[Taha Husayn]], the contemporary Egyptian historian, Talha would not hide his approval for the rebels. He even financially supported some of them. Imam Ali (a) is reported to have said about Talha and Zubayr that they demanded a right that they themselves had violated with the pretext of taking revenge on the murderers of Uthman while they participated in his murder.  

===The Role of Mu'awiyah===

Imam Ali (a) considered Mu'awiya to have had a role in the murder of Uthman. When Mu'awiya accused the Imam (a) of murdering Uthman, Imam Ali (a) wrote to him, "So (now tell me), which of us was more inimical towards 'Uthman and who did more to bring about his killing; who offered him his support but he made him sit down and stopped him and who was he whom he called for help but who turned his face from him and drew his death near him till his fate over took him?"  

Other companions too accused Uthman of not helping Uthman and of looking forward to his murder.

[[Al-Tabari]], the well-known historian of the fourth/tenth century, and some other historians have reported that [[A'isha]] would say about Uthman: "Kill Na'thal ! Kill Uthman, as he has become an infidel!" When the rebels were in Medina, Marwan b. al-Hakam visited A'isha and asked him to mediate between the [[caliph]] and the rebels. A'isha refused to do so by saying that she was going to [[hajj]]. At the end she said that she wished to see Uthman killed and mutilated and his body thrown to the sea.  

When A'isha was informed of the murder of Uthamn on her return from hajj, she said that she preferred one day under the [[caliphate]] of Uthman to years of being under the rule of Ali (a). She also said that Uthman was an innocent victim and called for revenge on his murderers. In reaction to this, some people criticized her and said that she would encourage people to kill him and now she considered him an innocent victim. A'isha would accept that her position was different but she would say that what she said now was better than what she had said before.

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