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Uthman ibn Affan (Dhu al-Nurayn) (RA)

عثمان بن عفان

c. 576 CE - 35 AH / 656 CE; caliph 23-35 AH

An early convert of Banu Umayyah, known for modesty and generosity, who married two of the Prophet's daughters (hence Dhu al-Nurayn). As third caliph he standardised the Quranic text; he was martyred by rebels in 35 AH.

Biography

Uthman accepted Islam through Abu Bakr and emigrated twice (to Abyssinia and Madinah). He married Ruqayyah and, after her death, Umm Kulthum, daughters of the Prophet ﷺ. He bought the well of Rumah for the Muslims and equipped the army of Tabuk (Sahih Bukhari; Jami' al-Tirmidhi). He was the Prophet's envoy to Makkah at Hudaybiyyah, and the Pledge of Ridwan was taken over a rumour of his death (48:18; Sahih Bukhari). The Prophet ﷺ said even the angels feel modesty before Uthman (Sahih Muslim).

Chosen by the shura in 24 AH, he expanded the state (North Africa, Cyprus, Khurasan) and had standard copies of the Quran made from Hafsah's sheets and sent to the provinces (Sahih Bukhari). In his later years, grievances over governors (many from his clan) were exploited by rebels from Egypt, Kufa and Basra, who besieged and killed him in his house in 35 AH while he was reciting the Quran. His assassination opened the First Fitnah.

Sources & explanation

۞ Qur'an

No specific verses cited for this node.

📜 Hadith verified on sunnah.com

  • Sahih al-Bukhari 4986 Sahih

    Compilation of the Qur'an: Zayd ibn Thabit collected it under Abu Bakr; the sheets stayed with Hafsah; 'Uthman later had copies made from them.

  • Sahih al-Bukhari 3130 Sahih

    'Uthman stayed away from Badr because his wife, the Prophet's daughter (Ruqayyah), was ill; he was given the reward and share of those present.

  • Sahih al-Bukhari 3675 Sahih

    Uhud shook while the Prophet ﷺ, Abu Bakr, 'Umar and 'Uthman were on it: 'Be firm — on you are a prophet, a siddiq and two martyrs.'

  • Sahih al-Bukhari 3674 Sahih

    Abu Musa at the well: glad tidings of Paradise given to Abu Bakr, 'Umar and 'Uthman (the latter with a calamity).

  • Jami` at-Tirmidhi 3747 Sahih (Darussalam)

    The Ten promised Paradise (al-'Ashara al-Mubashsharah) named in one hadith narrated by 'Abd al-Rahman ibn 'Awf.

  • Sunan Abi Dawud 4649 Sahih (Al-Albani)

    Sa'id ibn Zayd testified that the Prophet ﷺ named ten people in Paradise.

  • Sahih Muslim 2401 Sahih

    'Should I not feel shy of a man of whom the angels feel shy?' — said of 'Uthman.

  • Sahih al-Bukhari 3699 Sahih

    Ibn 'Umar defended 'Uthman's absence at Badr, Uhud and the Pledge of Ridwan; the Prophet ﷺ pledged on his behalf with his own hand.

  • Sahih al-Bukhari 4987 Sahih

    Hudhayfah urged 'Uthman to unify the recitation; 'Uthman had standard copies of the Qur'an made from Hafsah's sheets and sent them to the provinces.

💬 Explanation Unverified

Engineer Muhammad Ali Mirza's perspective

Methodological note (not a direct quote): Engineer Muhammad Ali Mirza's widely known approach is to build narratives primarily on the Quran and Sahih Hadith, to set aside Israiliyat (Judeo-Christian lore absorbed into later tafsir) and weak or fabricated narrations, and to avoid sectarian framing. Applied to this node: Uthman's merits come from Sahih hadith; the grievances against his administration are presented as historical claims, with his killing regarded as an unjust martyrdom.

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Further references

  • Quran 48:18
  • Sahih Bukhari (Quran standardisation)
  • Sahih Muslim (angels' modesty before Uthman)
  • Sahih Bukhari (Hudaybiyyah)
  • Jami' al-Tirmidhi (hadith of the ten promised Paradise, Abd al-Rahman ibn Awf)
  • Sunan Abi Dawud (hadith of the ten, Sa'id ibn Zayd)

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