Hazrat Usman Ghani

Grave of Syedna Usman (R.A)

ELECTION:
Before he passed away, Sayyiduna Umar (radi Allahu anhu) appointed a six-man Committee to elect his successor from among themselves. After long discussions & consultation, they elected Sayyiduna 'Usman bin Affan (radi Allahu anhu) as the third Caliph of Islam.

EARLY LIFE:
Sayyiduna 'Usman (radi Allahu anhu) belonged to the Ummayah tribe of the Quraish. He was a very rich cloth merchant. He was known as "Al-Ghani" or "The Generous." His father's name was Affan & his mother was Urwa.

He accepted Islam at the invitation of Sayyiduna Abu Bakr (radi Allahu anhu) & migrated to Abyssinia with his wife, Sayyidah Ruqayyah (radi Allahu anha), who was also the daughter of Sayyiduna Rasoolullah (sallallahu alaihi wasallam).

After she passed away, he married Sayyidah Umm-e-Kulthum (radi Allahu anha), another daughter of Sayyiduna Rasoolullah (sallallahu alaihi wasallam). Because of this, he earned the title "Zun Noorain" or "Possessor of Two Lights." He took part in all the battles with Sayyiduna Rasoolullah (sallallahu alaihi wasallam) except the Battle of Badr.

CONQUESTS:

During the Khilaafat of Sayyiduna 'Usman (radi Allahu anhu), the rebellion in Azerbhaijaan & Armenia was silenced.

Sayyiduna Mu'awiyah (radi Allahu anhu), with the help of Sayyiduna Abi Sarah (radi Allahu anhu), captured Cyprus by naval attack & brought it under Islamic rule. Vast areas of North Africa including Tripoli, Tunisia & Morocco were also brought under the Islamic rule.

The Romans, although defeated several times by the Muslims in the past, made another attempt, during the Khilaafat of Sayyiduna 'Usman (radi Allahu anhu), to recapture the lands they had already lost. Constantine, the Emperor of Rome, made great preparations & attacked Alexandria with a naval fleet five to six thousand strong. But, the Romans were defeated by the Muslim naval forces under the command of Sayyiduna Abi Sarah & Sayyiduna Mu'awiyah (radi Allahu anhuma).

REBELLION:

The Governors of the provinces, appointed by Sayyiduna Umar (radi Allahu anhu), were removed & replaced by members of the new Caliph's clan. The majority of the new governors were inspired by worldly means rather than by piety & interests of their subjects. People started to demand the removal of these Governors, but the Caliph did not respond to their appeals. Delegates mainly from Iraq & Egypt, submitted their demands to the Caliph. The situation, however got out of control.

ASSASSINATION:
In the turmoil, Sayyiduna 'Usman (radi Allahu anhu) himself was made Shaheed by rebels while he was reading the Holy Quran inside his house. This happened on Friday, the 17th of Zil Hajj in 35 A.H. He was 84 years old.

CHARACTER:

Sayyiduna 'Usman (radi Allahu anhu) was a very simple & very kind person. His simplicity & kindness did not alow him to take strong action against the trouble makers & rioters. Above all, because of his simple-mindedness, his administration was not as disciplined as it had been during the Khilaafat of Sayyiduna Umar (radi Allahu anhu).Sayyiduna 'Usman (radi Allahu anhu) was a generous man. He used to spend a lot of money for Islam & to free the slaves. He was a great & pious man who feared & loved Almighty Allah & Sayyiduna Rasoolullah (sallallahu alaihi wasallam) above everything else. Although he was very rich, his living was very simple. He did not indulge in luxury. He was ever mindful of death. Major parts of the night were spent in Salaah. He also fasted every second or third day.

THE HOLY QURAN:
A major achievement of Sayyiduna 'Usman (radi Allahu anhu) was the duplication of the Holy Quran from the records kept by Sayyiduna Abu Bakr (radi Allahu anhu), who handed it to Sayyiduna Umar (radi Allahu anhu), who then handed it to his daughter, Sayyadah Hafsa (radi Allahu anha), the wife of Sayyiduna Rasoolullah (sallallahu alaihi wasallam). Sayyiduna 'Uthman (radi Allahu anhu) made copies of the Holy Quran from the original & sent it to capitals such as Kufa, Damascus, Makkah-tul-Mukarramah & Basrah, each accompanied by a Sahabi for the guidance of the readers.