This is the approximate place, outside Masjid-e-Nabwi, where the house of the third Caliph of Islam, Uthman bin Affan, was located and where he was assassinated.
- Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him) was the son-in-law of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be on him), having been married first to Ruqayyah (may Allah be pleased with her) and after her death to Umm Kulthum (may Allah be pleased with her).
- He had an extremely shy nature. The Prophet saw once remarked that even the angels feel shy of Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him) [Muslim].
- The politics of Egypt played a major role in the propaganda war against the Caliphate and the subsequent assassination of Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him). A contingent from Egypt of around 1,000 people were sent to Medina, with instructions to kill Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him) and overthrow the government. As many of the Muslims of Medina had departed for Mecca for Hajj, the hands of the rebels was strengthened and the crisis deepened further.
- The house of Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him) was besieged for 40 days by the rebels and throughout those days Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him) 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, Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him) saw the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be on him) 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 (may Allah be pleased with him) woke up his wife Nailah (may Allah be pleased with her) 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 (may Allah be pleased with him). 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 (peace and blessings of Allah be on him) and everybody else had honoured Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him). When he heard these words the rebel left.
- Two other Egyptian rebels managed to jump over the wall into Uthman’
s (may Allah be pleased with him) house. The first thing Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him) 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 (may Allah be pleased with him) 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 (may Allah be pleased with him) placed his hand high to protect himself but his hand was cut off. Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him) 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 (may Allah be pleased with him). His wife Nailah (may Allah be pleased with him) came running and placed her hand between the sword resulting in her finger being cut off. They then pierced the stomach of Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him) 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 (may Allah be pleased with him) to the rubbish tip declaring that no man could bury him. Umme Habibah (may Allah be pleased with him), the wife of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be on him) climbed upon the stairs of Masjid-e-Nabwi and announced, “
O Rebels know, if you do not allow us to bury Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him) then I, the wife of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be on him) will descend into the streets of Medina 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 (peace and blessings of Allah be on him). Ka’
b bin Malik (may Allah be pleased with him) mentions, “
I swear by Allah, if Umme Habibah (may Allah be pleased with him) had descended into the streets of Medina 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 (peace and blessings of Allah be on him) they allowed the body of Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him) to be buried by four people, Hasan, Hussain, Ali and Muhammad bin Talha (may Allah be pleased with them) When they were taking the body of Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him) to be buried the rebels began to throw rocks at the body. Amrita bin Arta (may Allah be pleased with her) swears, “
By Allah, each one of these rebels died a terrible death”
.
- The ill consequences of the death of Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him) was such that Hasan (may Allah be pleased with him) mentions, “
I saw my grandfather, the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be on him) in a dream and he was standing by the throne of Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He) and this was the first time I ever saw him in a dream looking worried. And then Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) came behind him and he placed his hand on the shoulder of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be on him) and then Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) came behind him and he placed his hand upon the shoulder of Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) and this was the day Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him) passed away. And shortly after this Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him) 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 (may Allah be pleased with him) further says, “
When Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him) said this, the throne of Allah began to shake and two streams of blood came down from the throne.”
- Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him) 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 (may Allah be pleased with him) had the great fortune of becoming the first Hafiz of the Quran in the ummah.
- Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him) died on Friday 18th Zil Hijjah 35 AH at the age of 82. This is his grave in Jannatul Baqi:
