The Caliphate of Uthman

The dilemma of Umar

When Umar lay on his death bed, the question that vexed him was whether he should or should not nominate his successor. If he did not nominate a successor he would be following the precedent set by the Holy Prophet. On the other hand if he nominated a successor he would be following the precedent of Abu Bakr.

As he weighed the claims of various persons around him he could not make up his mind to nominate any of them as his successor. He sighed and said whom should he nominate as his successor. He thought that if Abu Ubaidah had been alive, he could have nominated him as his successor, for the Holy Prophet had regarded him as the trustee of the Muslim community. In the alternative if Salam the liberated slave of Abu Hudhaifa had been alive he would have appointed him as his successor, for according to the assessment of the Holy Prophet, among the Muslims he loved Allah most.

Nomination of his son Abdullah

Some one suggested to Umar that he should nominate his son Abdullah as his successor. That evoked a violent reaction from Umar. He said:

"May God curse you for tempting me to nepotism by nominating my son, when I am going to meet my Creator. The caliphate is an affair affecting the entire Muslim community, and I would not like to make it an hereditary affair in my family. I swear by God that I never coveted the caliphate for myself. Therefore what I never coveted for myself, I would not like to pass on to my family. If the caliphate is something good, then by holding the office for the last ten years, I have had the blessing for my family. If the caliphate is bad, then why should I pass on this bad thing to my family? God is my witness that during my caliphate I showed no favor to my family members. On the other hand, I was more hard with them than with the other Muslims. I have always tried to fulfil the obligation of the office under the shadow of the fear lest I may at any stage falter in the performance of my duties. I do not know whether I have succeeded in my purpose, but I will be happy if my achievements and failures just balance so that I am neither rewarded nor punished for holding the office of the caliphate. Remember ye men that if I nominate a successor, a better man than me, namely Abu Bakr also nominated a successor. And again if I do not nominate a successor, remember that the best of men, namely the Holy Prophet of Islam did not nominate a successor. Whatever the case Allah Himself would protect the interests of Islam and the Muslim community".

Umar's dream

As Umar lay thinking about the issue of nominating a successor he fell asleep. In the dream he saw that a man who had laid out the garden was plucking all the ripe and unripe fruit, and gathering it on the ground. He interpreted this dream to mean that he should name the eligible candidates and then leave them to choose one of themselves as the Caliph. Umar accordingly constituted a Committee of six persons to choose the next Caliph out of themselves.

This Committee comprised:

Ali b Abu Talib
Uthman b Affan
Abdur Rahman b Auf
Saad b Abi Waqas
Zubair b Awwam
Talha b Ubaidullah

All these persons were among the most eminent companions of the Holy Prophet, whom he had given the tidings of paradise in their lifetime.

The Committee in session

When the Committee was constituted, Talha was out of Madina. The remaining five members met immediately. It was soon found that there were strong differences among the members over the question of choosing a leader, and loud voices were raised projecting the differences. When the dying Caliph heard of these voices he ordered that the Committee should adjourn and meet after his death. He directed that after his death the Committee should reach the final decision within three days, and the next Caliph should take the oath of office on the fourth day. Umar's son Abdullah was to sit with the Committee as Adviser or Moderator, but he was not to have a vote, nor was he to be eligible for election as the Caliph. If Talha joined the Committee within this period, he was to take part in the deliberations, but if he did not return to Madina within this period, the other members of the Committee could proceed to take the decision. If there was a tie among the members, Abdul Rahman b Auf was to have the casting vote. Pending the election of the Caliph, Suhaib was to lead the prayers. When the Caliph was elected, the prayers were to be led by him.

Testament for his successor

Thereafter, Umar dictated a testament for his successor. It provided:

"I enjoin upon you to have trust and faith in God, He Who has no peer.

Be kind and generous to the Muhajreen and the Ansar. Those out of them who are good, be good to them. Those who are bad overlook their lapses.

Be good to the people of the conquered lands. They are the outer line of our defense, and they are the target of the anger and distress of the enemies. They contribute to our revenues. They should be taxed only on their surplus wealth.

Be gracious to the Bedouins as they are the backbone of the Arab nation.

I instruct you to be good to the Dhimmis, for they are your responsibility. Do not tax them beyond their capacity. Ensure that they pay "Jizya" without undue inconvenience. Fear God, and in all that you do, keep His pleasure in view. In the matter of people fear God, and in the matter of Allah do not be afraid of the people. With regard to the people, I enjoin upon you to administer justice with an even hand. See that all the legitimate requirements of people are met. Be concerned for their welfare. Ensure the safety of their person and property.

See that the frontiers of our dominions are not violated. Take steps to guard the frontiers. In the matter of administration do not prefer the rich to the poor. Be hard against those who violate the law. Show them no mercy. Do not rest content until you have brought the malcreants to book. Treat all the people as equal. Be a pillar of strength for those who are weak and oppressed. Those who are strong but do wrong, make them pay for their wrong doings. In the distribution of booty and other matters, be above nepotism. Let not considerations of relationship or selfish interest weigh with you. The Satan is at large; it will tempt you. Rise above all temptations and perform your duties in accordance with the injunctions of Islam. Get guidance from the Holy Quran and Sunnah. Freely consult the wise men around you. Apply your own mind to difficult cases and seek light from God. Be simple in your living and your habits. Lead life as a model Muslim. As you are the leader of the Muslims, justify your leadership by being the best among them. May God bless you".

Death of Umar and after

When Umar died, both Ali and Uthman wanted to lead the funeral prayer. Abdul Rahman b Auf, however, advised that as both of them were candidates for the office of the Caliph they should not lead such prayer. The funeral prayers were accordingly led by Suhaib, the man who had been authoriZed by Umar to lead the ordinary prayers. Umar was put in the grave by all the five members of the Selection Committee constituted by him.

Immediately after the burial of Umar, the Selection Committee constituted by him to nominate his successor met in session. As Talha b Ubaidullah was still out of Madinah, the meeting of the Committee was attended by five persons only. The Committee had a long session for two days, but it was unable to arrive at any decision. The differences among the parties were acute, and no reconciliation appeared to be in sight.

Dream of Abdul Rahman b Auf

The instructions of Umar were that the Selection Committee should choose the successor within three days, and he should assume office on the fourth day. As two days passed away without arriving at a decision, the members felt anxious that the time was running fast, and still no solution to the problem appeared to be in sight.

On the night after the second day, Abdul Rahman b Auf had a dream; He saw that in a wilderness a strong and handsome camel appeared and the wilderness was converted into a rich green pasture on which it fell, and then moved away.

Thereafter another camel came. It tarried in the pasture for a short time, and then following in the footsteps of the first camel moved away. Then the third camel. It tarried in the pasture for some time, and then thereafter looking right and left, it also moved away following the footsteps of the first two camels. Then came the fourth camel. It limped and could walk with difficulty. Then a strong hot wind began to blow from the desert, and the pasture became parched. The camel was unable to feed itself, and then limping it moved away in the same direction which the previous three camels had left.

Abdul Rahman b Auf interpreted this dream to signify that the first camel represented the Holy Prophet who gave mankind the message of Islam, and thereby spearheaded a great revolution. The second camel represented Abu Bakr who followed in the footsteps of the Master, but whose rule was short. The third camel represented Umar whose rule was comparatively longer. The fourth camel represented the successor of Umar. The dream signified that the rule of such successor was to end in some disaster.

That made Abdul Rahman b Auf feel that he should not covet the office for himself. On the third day addressing the members of the Selection Committee, Abdul Rahman b Auf observed that if they went on debating and wrangling in that way, differences among them would grow in dimensions, and they would fail in the objective set for them. He suggested that in order to narrow down the choice, some of them should withdraw from the contest voluntarily. Thereupon he declared that in the interests of the Muslim community, he withdrew from the contest of his freewill. The choice now came to be restricted to the remaining four members, but still no headway was made. There were some further deliberations, and thereafter it was decided that as Abdul Rahman b Auf had retired voluntarily from the contest and had given proof of his selflessness, he might choose the Caliph out of the remaining four members. Abdul Rahman accepted the onerous task, and undertook that in arriving at his decision he would be just and impartial, and would be guided solely by the interests of the Muslim community. He added that he would try to ascertain public opinion, and his choice would be in accord with such opinion.

Choice of Abdul Rahman b Auf

Commissioned to make the selection Abdul Rahman b Auf began his task by interviewing each member of the Committee separately. Interviewing Ali he asked him, "Suppose I do not choose you; in that case whom would you like me to choose? " Ali said, "In that case you may choose Uthman". Uthman was interviewed next, and he was asked the question, "If you are not selected who should be the next choice?" Uthman said, "In that case the obvious choice would be Ali". When Zubair b Awamm was put the same question he said, "Ali or Uthman. When Saad b Abi Waqas waS interviewed he said that he would like Abdul Rahman b Auf to be the Caliph. Abdul Rahman said that as he had withdrawn from the contest his choice should be from among the other four members. Saad b Abl Waqas said that in that case, Uthman would be his choice. Analyzing these answers, Abdul Rahman b Auf came to the conclusion that Uthman commanded the majority of votes among the members of the selection committee.

Thereafter Abdul Rahman b Auf proceeded to consult the other leaders of public opinion in Madina. Some Bedouiin chiefs had arrived in Madina to participate in the funeral ceremonies of Umar. Abdul Rahman b Auf consulted these men as well. Obviously the choice lay between Ali and Uthman. Out of these Ali was still young being less than fifty, while Uthman was old being nearly seventy. According to the Arab traditions of respect for old age the common men expressed themselves in favor of Uthman, the older among the two candidates.

Umar had been a hard task master. He was not only harsh with the people, he was harsh even with himself and his family members. The people now wanted a change, and they favored Uthman who was well known for his mildness, kindness and generosity. The people could not forget that Uthman was a rich man, and he had used a greater part of his wealth for public welfare. He had purchased the Be'er Rauma well from the Jews for the purpose of supplying water to the Muslims. He had financed the project for the extension of the Prophet's mosque. He had financed a greater part of the expedition to Tabuk. In the time of famine he had donated large stocks of grain for public distribution. He used to liberate a slave every month.

After meeting the public, Abdul Rahman b Auf arrived at the conclusion that an overwhelming majority of the people favored the election of Uthman. Thereafter Abdul Rahman had another round of meeting with Ali and Uthman. Addressing Ali he asked, "If you are elected as the Caliph do you undertake to follow the Quran and the Sunnah, and the traditions set by your predecessors?" Ali said that he would follow the Quran and the Sunnah, but in the matter of the traditions of his predecessors he would follow them as far as possible. and would exercise his own judgment in each case. When the same question was put to Uthman, he gave an unconditional undertaking. That made Abdul Rahman b Auf give his verdict in favor of Uthman.

Election of Uthman

On the fourth day after the death of Umar, the Muslims gathered in the Prophet's mosque at Madina. Abdul Rahman b Auf took the stage, and recounted the efforts that he had made in arriving at a decision with regard to the successor to Umar. He observed that the choice lay between two candidates namely Ali and Uthman. He dwelt at length on the merits of both the candidates, and observed that after consulting the people at large he had arrived at the conclusion that the majority of the people favored the succession of Uthman. He declared on solemn oath that in arriving at the decision he had not been moved by any extraneous consideration. He had taken the decision in the sole interest of the Muslim community. Addressing Ali he said that he should not feel annoyed at the decision. He was still young, and there would be further opportunities for him to come to power. He appealed to him to accept the decision in the interests of Muslim solidarity. Thereafter Abdul Rahman b Auf said to Uthman "Stretch forth your hand so that I may take the oath of allegiance to you". Uthman stretched his hand, and Abdul Rahman b Auf took the oath of allegiance to him as the Caliph. Thereafter all the Muslims gathered in the mosque took the oath of allegiance to Uthman. Ali felt dissatisfied, but he too took the oath of allegiance to Uthman. Thus Uthman was elected as the third Caliph. That was the first day of the year 24 A.H.

Inaugural address of Uthman

After election, Uthman took his stand on the pulpit and addressed the congregation. He glorified God and His Prophet, and then talked of the transitoriness of the world. He wanted the people to do good deeds which might stand them in good stead in the next world. He said that he was conscious of his limitations but he would do his best to serve Islam and the people. Then overwhelmed by emotions, Uthman broke down and could not complete his address. He said:

"O people, it is not easy to manage a new horse. If God willing I live, there will be several other occasions to talk to you. Right now I cannot address you. You know that I am not good at making public speeches".

Reaction to the election of Uthman

The reaction to the election of Uthman as the Caliph was on the whole favorable. After the stem rule of Umar, (he people welcomed the mild rule of Uthman.

In his book History of the Caliphs, Suyuti observes that Ibn Sa'ad and Al Hakim record on the authority of Ibn Mas'ud that he said:

"When Uthman was sworn allegiance, we placed the best among us in authority, and we were not remiss". It is recorded that addressing Abdul Rahman b Auf, Mughira b Sha'aba said, "Abdul Rahman, by offering allegiance to Uthman you have taken the correct decision. We would not have agreed to any other decision".

Farzuq, the poet composed the following verses to mark the occasion:

"Suhaib led the prayers for three days,

And then handed over the custody of the Muslim community to Uthman b Affan;

It's the caliphate which Abu Bakr had entrusted to Umar;

And which has now been passed on to Uthman. Verily, all of them were rightly guided persons, Who were very dear to the Prophet of Islam".