How the 3rd Caliph of Islam, Uthman bin Affan was assassinated in the month of Dhul Hijjah

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This is his grave in Jannatul Baqi:

House of Uthman (رضي الله عنه)

Uthman (رضي الله عنه) was the son-in-law of the Prophet (ﷺ), having been married first to Ruqayyah (رضي الله عنها) and after her death to Umm Kulthum (رضي الله عنها).
He had an extremely shy nature. The Prophet saw once remarked that even the angels feel shy of Uthman (رضي الله عنه) [Muslim].

The politics of Egypt played a major role in the propaganda war against the Caliphate and the subsequent assassination of Uthman (رضي الله عنه). A contingent from Egypt of around 1,000 people were sent to Madinah, with instructions to kill Uthman (رضي الله عنه) and overthrow the government. As many of the Muslims of Madinah had departed for Makkah for Hajj, the hands of the rebels was strengthened and the crisis deepened further.

The house of Uthman (رضي الله عنه) was besieged for 40 days by the rebels and throughout those days Uthman (رضي الله عنه) would fast during the day and pray salah during the night. He was prevented from going to the masjid and for any food or drink to be allowed inside his house.

On the 40th night, Usman (رضي الله عنه) saw the Prophet (ﷺ) in a dream who said to him, “O Uthman, the fast you have been keeping for 40 days, tomorrow you open your fast with us”. When Uthman (رضي الله عنه) woke up his wife Nailah (رضي الله عنها) mentions that he was in an elated mood. The first thing he did was to go out and say to his guard,
“I ask you for the sake of Allah, do not shed anyone’s blood on my behalf.”

He then took his Quran and began to recite it. One of the rebels (who had come to murder him) secretly jumped over the wall of his house and grabbed the beard of Uthman (رضي الله عنه). He calmly told the rebel, “Leave my beard because indeed your father used to honour this beard”. The rebel’s hands collapsed because he remembered not only how his father had honoured but how the Prophet (ﷺ) and everybody else had honoured Uthman (رضي الله عنه). When he heard these words the rebel left.

Two other Egyptian rebels managed to jump over the wall into Usman’s (رضي الله عنه) house. The first thing Usman (رضي الله عنه) did was to tie his trousers because of his shyness as he didn’t want his aurah to be exposed in his final moments.

The rebels struck Uthman (رضي الله عنه) on the head with a piece of iron and blood began to flow from his head. The first place where the blood fell was on the Quran, and specifically the verse, “Allah will suffice you (against them)” [8:64].
One of the rebels was then about to strike him with a sword. Uthman (رضي الله عنه) placed his hand high to protect himself but his hand was cut off. Uthman (رضي الله عنه) said to the rebel, “ I swear by Allah, the hand that you have just cut off, it was the first hand to write the Quran!”.

They then placed the sword on the stomach of Uthman (رضي الله عنه). His wife Nailah (رضي الله عنه) came running and placed her hand between the sword resulting in her finger being cut off. They then pierced the stomach of Uthman (رضي الله عنه) and killed him, then one of the rebels jumped onto his chest and stabbed him 6 times.

The rebels then proceeded to take the body of Uthman (رضي الله عنه) to the rubbish tip declaring that no man could bury him. Umme Habibah (رضي الله عنه), the wife of the Prophet (ﷺ) climbed upon the stairs of Masjid-e-Nabwi and announced, “O Rebels know, if you do not allow us to bury Uthman (رضي الله عنه) then I, the wife of the Prophet (ﷺ) will descend into the streets of Madinah with my hair uncovered and I will bury Uthman myself!”. She knew that no rebel would stand in front of the wife of the Prophet (ﷺ). Ka’b bin Malik (رضي الله عنه) mentions, “I swear by Allah, if Umme Habibah (رضي الله عنه) had descended into the streets of Madinah with her hair uncovered then Allah would have rained rocks from the sky!”

When the rebels heard of this threat from the wife of the Prophet (ﷺ) they allowed the body of Uthman (رضي الله عنه) to be buried by four people, Hasan, Hussain, Ali and Muhammad bin Talha (رضي الله عنهم) When they were taking the body of Uthman (رضي الله عنه) to be buried the rebels began to throw rocks at the body. Amrita bin Arta (رضي الله عنها) swears, “By Allah, each one of these rebels died a terrible death”.

The ill consequences of the death of Uthman (رضي الله عنه) was such that Hasan (رضي الله عنه) mentions, “I saw my grandfather, the Prophet (ﷺ) in a dream and he was standing by the throne of Allah (ﷻ) and this was the first time I ever saw him in a dream looking worried. And then Abu Bakr (رضي الله عنه) came behind him and he placed his hand on the shoulder of the Prophet (ﷺ) and then Umar (رضي الله عنه) came behind him and he placed his hand upon the shoulder of Abu Bakr (رضي الله عنه) and this was the day Uthman (رضي الله عنه) passed away. And shortly after this Uthman (رضي الله عنه) came and his face was full of blood and his head was in his hands and he said: “O Messenger of Allah, ask these people for what sin did they butcher me like a cow?””. Hasan (رضي الله عنه) further says, “When Uthman (رضي الله عنه) said this, the throne of Allah began to shake and two streams of blood came down from the throne.”

Uthman (رضي الله عنه) was a man about whom the Prophet saw said, “Each and every Prophet will have a companion in Jannah (Paradise) and my companion will be Uthman bin Affan”.

Uthman (رضي الله عنه) had the great fortune of becoming the first Hafiz of the Quran in the ummah.
Uthman (رضي الله عنه) died on Friday 18th Zil Hijjah 35 AH at the age of 82.

Sources: Islamiclandmark

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