A Shi'ite Encyclopedia (chapter 10)

Few Reasons Behind the Revolt Against Uthman

The Third Caliph, Uthman, was given the allegiance of the people with the stipulation that he would manage the affairs of the nation according to the book of God and the teachings of the Prophet (PBUH&HF). He was to follow the method of Abu Bakr and Umar, if there was no instruction from the Quran or the Prophet.

It is well-known that the first two caliphs lived simple lives. They did not give members of their clans a preference over other people, nor did they appoint any of their relatives to prominent positions in the State.

Uthman, on the other hand, had his own opinions. He allowed himself to live luxuriously. He put members of his clan (Umayad) in prominent and strong positions in the State, preferring them over other Muslims, without monitoring their affairs. However, his relatives were not righteous.

Perhaps Uthman thought that his preference towards them was in accordance with the Book of God because Quran urges people to be kind to their relatives! This method of handing the affairs of the State did not please many companions. They found it extravagant and extreme.

The Companions criticized the Caliph for the following issues:

He brought his uncle, al-Hakam Ibn Abi al-Aas (son of Umayyah, son of Abd Shams), to Medina after the Prophet had exiled him from Medina.

It was reported that al-Hakam used to hide and listen to the words of the Prophet as he spoke secretly to prominent companions, and then circulated what he heard. He used to imitate and ridicule the Prophet in the way he walked. The Prophet one time looked at him while he was being imitated and said: "This way you will be." al-Hakam immediately started shaking and continued that way until he died. It is also reported that:

One day, while sitting with some of his companions, the Messenger of God said, "A cursed man will enter the room." Shortly thereafter, al-Hakam entered. (He was the cursed man.)

Sunni reference: al-Isti'aab, by Yusuf Ibn Abd al-Barr, v1, pp 359-360

After bringing him to Medina, Uthman gave his uncle al-Hakam 300,000 Dirhams.
He made Marwan, son of al-Hakam, his highest assistant and top advisor, giving him influence equal to his own. Marwan bought a fifth of the revenues of the North Africa for 500,000 Dinars!!! However, he did not pay this amount. The Caliph allowed him to keep the money. This amount was equal to ten million dollars!!!

Imam Ali (AS) frequently reminded Uthman about the danger of Marwan, but in vain. The following conversation between Imam Ali and Uthman testifies this fact. It happened when Uthman was being attacked, and thus he asked Ali for help. Uthman said to Imam Ali:

"You see the trouble caused by this band of dissidents when they came to me today. I know that you enjoy prestige among people and that they will listen to you. I want you to go to them and send them away from me. I do not wish them to come before me, for that would be an insulting act toward me on their part. Let others hear this as well."

Ali said: "On what grounds shall I send them away?"

Uthman replied: "On the grounds that I shall carry out what you have counseled me to do and you thought right, and I will not deviate from you direction." Then Ali said: "In fact I have spoken to you time after time, and you and I discussed such matters at length. All this is the doing of Marwan Ibn al-Hakam, Saeed Ibn al-Aas, Ibn Amir, and Muawiyah. You have listened to them and defied me." Uthman said: "then I shall defy them and listen to you."

Sunni reference: History of al-Tabari, English version, v15, p173

Then Imam Ali spoke to people and asked them to go away from Uthman, and thus many of them retreated. Then Imam came to Uthman and informed him that people are gone, and said:

"Make a statement which the people will testify that they have heard from you, and God will be witness as to whether or not you desire to repent in your heart."

Thus, Uthman went out and preached the sermon in which he laid before the people his heartfelt desire to repent, and said: "By God, O people, if any one of you has blamed (me), he has not done anything that is unknown to me.

I have done nothing unknowingly. But my soul has raised vain hopes within me and lied to me, and my virtue has slipped away from me. ...I ask God's forgiveness for what I have done and I turn to him. A man like me yearns to repent."

Then people had pity on him, and some among them wept. Saeed Ibn Zayd stood up before him (Uthman) and said: "O commander of faithful, (from now on) no one comes to you who does not support you. Fear God, in your soul fear God, and fulfill what you have said!"

When Uthman descended (from the pulpit), he found Marwan Ibn al-Hakam and Seed Ibn al-Aas, and a few other Umayad at his house. Marwan said: "Should I speak (to people) or remain silent?" Uthman's wife said: "Nay! Be silent, for they will kill him of sin. He has made a public statement from which he can not rightfully withdraw." Marwan said: "What does this have to do with you?"

Then Marwan said to Uthman: "To persist in an error for which you must seek God's forgiveness is better that to repent because you are afraid. If you so will, you may seek repentance without acknowledging error." Uthman said: "Go out and speak to them, for I am ashamed to do so."

So Marwan went (to people) and said: "Why have you gathered here like looters? ... You have come to snatch our power (Mulk; kingship) from us. Go! By God, if you mean us (any harm), you will encounter something distasteful from us, and you will not praise the result of your opinions. Return to your homes, for by God we are not men to be robbed of our possessions."

People informed Ali of the news. Then Ali came to Uthman and said: "Surely you have satisfied Marwan (again), but he is satisfied with you only if you deviate from your religion and reason, like a camel carrying a litter that is led around at will. By God, Marwan is devoid of sense in regard to his religion and his soul.

I swear by God, I think he will bring you in and then not send you out again. After this visit, I will not come again to chide you. You have destroyed your own honor and you have been robbed of your authority."

When Ali departed, Uthman's wife told him: "I have heard that Ali said to you that he will never return to you, and that you have obeyed Marwan (again), who leads you wherever he wishes." Uthman said: "What shall I do?" She responded: "You should fear God alone, who has no partner, and you should adhere to the practice of your two predecessors (Abu Bakr and Umar).

For if you obey Marwan, he will kill you. Marwan enjoys no prestige among the people, and inspires neither awe nor love. People have only abandoned you due to Marwan's position (in your councils). Send to Ali, then, and trust in his honesty and uprightness. He is related to you and he is not a man whom people disobey." So Uthman sent to Ali, but he refused to come, saying: "I told him I would not return."

Sunni reference: History of al-Tabari, English version, v15, pp 176-179

On the death of Uthman, Imam Ali (AS) said:

By God! I have persisted in defending him (Uthman) until I was filled with shame. But Marwan, Muawiyah, Abdullah Ibn Amir, and Sa'd Ibn al- Aas have dealt with him as you witnessed. When I gave him sincere counsel and directed him to send them away, he became suspicious of me, until what you now see has happened.

Sunni reference: History of al-Tabari, English version, v15, p198

Marwan and his descendants were the basis for some of the most serious charges of corruption and nepotism levied against Uthman. Marwan, of course, ultimately seized the Caliphate and ascended the throne in year 64/684, and was the lineal ancestor of all succeeding Umayad kings in Damascus as well as the Amirs of Cordoba till after 756 AD.

The Caliph appointed his foster brother, Abdullah Ibn Sa'd, as the governor of Egypt. At that time, Egypt was the largest province in the Muslim State. Ibn Sa'd had declared his Islam and moved from Mecca to Medina. The Prophet listed him as a recorder of the revelation.

However, Ibn Sa'd then deserted the faith and returned to Mecca. He used to say: "I shall reveal equal to what God revealed to Muhammad."

When Mecca was conquered, the Prophet ordered the Muslims to kill Ibn Sa'd. He was to be killed even if he was found tying himself to the cloth of the Ka'aba. Ibn Sa'd hid himself at the house of Uthman. When the situation calmed down, Uthman brought Ibn Sa'd to the Prophet and informed him that he had put Ibn Sa'd under his protection.

The Prophet remained silent for a long while, hoping that one of those who were present, would kill Ibn Sa'd before he honors Uthman's request. The companions, however, did not understand what the Prophet meant by his long silence. Since no one moved to kill Ibn Sa'd, the Prophet approved the protection of Uthman.

The Caliph Uthman appointed Walid Ibn Aqabah (one of his Umayad relatives) as the governor of Kufa after dismissing the previous governor, the famous companion of Prophet, Sa'd Ibn Abi Waqqas. Sa'd was a famous marksman known for combating the enemies of Islam in the Battle of Uhud.

On the other hand, the behavior of Walid during the time of the Prophet was not honorable. Quran discredited him and called him a transgressor. For instance, the Messenger sent him to Bani al-Mustalaq to collect their Zakat. Walid witnessed from a distance that Mustalaqites coming toward him on their horses.

He became frightened due to a previous hostility between the Mustalaqites and him. He returned to the Messenger of God and informed him that the Mustalaqites wanted to kill him. This was not true. However, Walid's information infuriated the Muslims of Medina, and they wanted to attack the Mustalaqites. At this time, the following revelation came down:

"O you who believe, if a transgressor comes to you with news, try to verify it, lest you inflict damage on people unwittingly; then you may consequently regret your hasty action."

Walid continued in his non-Islamic way for the rest of his life. He used to drink wine and several witnesses testified to the Caliph that they had witnessed Walid drunk while leading a congregational prayer!!! Upon the testimony of good witnesses, Walid was lashed eighty times and was dismissed by the Caliph. The Caliph was expected to replace this transgressor with a good companion of the Prophet but, instead, he replaced Walid with Saeed Ibn al-Aas, another member of his Umayad relatives!

The following dialog between Imam Ali (AS) and Uthman, is also written in the History of al-Tabari which gives more insight to the situation of Uthman long before his murder:

People gathered and talked to Ali Ibn Abi Talib. Thus Ali went to Uthman and said:

People came to me, and they have spoken to me about you. ... Remember God! You will be not awarded your sight after you become blind, by God!, nor you are being instructed after you were in ignorance. Verily the Path is manifest and clear, and the signs of true religion are standing upright.

Know, Uthman, that the best servant in the eyes of God, is a JUST IMAM (leader), one who has been guided to the way, and who himself gives the right guidance (to people), for he upholds the true Sunnah and destroys rejected innovations. By God, every thing is clear. Sound and true Sunnah stands clearly, as do blameworthy innovations. The WORST IMAM in the eyes of God, is a tyrannical leader, the one who has gone astray himself, and by whom others are led astray, for he destroys a true Sunnah and revives a rejected innovation.

Verily I heard the messenger of Allah saying: 'In The Day of Resurrection, the tyrannical leader will be brought while he will have no helper and no advocate, so that he will be cast to the Hell, and he will be turning about in Hell as the mill turns, and he then will plunge into the fiery flood of Hell.'

I tell you (Uthman), to be aware of God and His sudden assault and His retaliation, for His punishment is harsh and painful indeed.

I tell you to beware lest you be the murdered leader of this community. Indeed it is said that a leader will be killed in this community, and its bloody strife will be loosed upon it until the day of rising (of Imam Mahdi), and its affairs will become hopelessly entangled. It will leave people as sects, and they will not see the truth due to the great height of falsehood. They will toss therein like waves and wander in confusion.

Then Uthman replied:

By God, I knew that (people) would be saying what you have said. But by God, if you were in my place, I would not have blame you nor left you in the lurch nor shamed you nor behaved unfairly. If I have favored my relatives, and appointed them as governors, some of them are those whom Umar used to appoint.

I appeal you by God, O Ali, do you know that al-Mughirah Ibn Shubah is not there? Ali said: Yes. Then Uthman said: Do you know that Umar made him a governor? Ali said: Yes. Then Uthman said: So why do you blame me for having appointed him Amir, simply because he is my relative?

Then Ali said:

I would tell you that every one appointed by Umar, was kept under close inspection by him, and Umar would trample on his ear. If Umar would hear a single word concerning him, he would flog him and punish him with the utmost severity. But you do not do that. You have been weak and easygoing with your relatives. Uthman said: They are your relatives as well. Ali replied: By my life, they are closely related to me, but merit is found in other people.

Then Uthman said:

Do you know that Umar was the one who kept Muawiyah in the office throughout his entire reign, and I have only done the same.

Then Ali said:

I ask you by Allah, do you know that Muawiyah was more afraid of Umar than was Umar's own slave, Yarfa? Uthman said: Yes. Ali continued: Now it has been reached to the point that Muawiyah makes decisions on the issues without consulting you, and you know it. Muawiyah says to people "This is Uthman's command", and you hear of this, but you do not denounce him.

Then Ali left Uthman, and Uthman went out on his heels. Then Uthman ascended the pulpit and said:

By God, you have surely blamed me for things like those you accepted from Umar. But he trampled you underfoot, smote you with his hand, and subdued you by his tongue, and thus you submitted to him whether you liked it or not. But I have been lenient with you. I let you step on my shoulders while I restrained my hand and tongue, and therefore you have been rude toward me. By God, I am stronger in the number of relatives, and have allies closer at hand, and possess more supporters.

I have appointed your peers over you. But you have attributed to me a nature that I do not possess. Restrain your tongue from slandering your rulers... By God! I have achieved no less than my predecessors or those about whom you have not disagreed. There is a surplus wealth, so why should I not do as I wish with the surplus? Otherwise why did I become leader?

Sunni reference: History of al-Tabari, English version, v15, pp 141-144