Social Organization under Uthman

Social revolution of Islam

Islam revolutionized social life in Arabia. Islam created new social values. The Holy Prophet set the pattern of conduct for the Islamic society. He was the embodiment of all the social values for which Islam stood. The Holy Prophet disciplined the Muslims into a solid community conspicuous for its piety, bravery, unity, and high social and moral values. After the Holy Prophet Abu Bakr and Umar carried forward the mission of the Master, and promoted the social values of Islam.

Muslim society under Uthman

Uthman became the Caliph a generation after the passing away of the Holy Prophet. Uthman himself was an embodiment of all the Islamic social values, but the society around him underwent a change. During this period, most of the old companions passed away, and a new generation grew up, whose faith in Islam was not as deep as that of the generation which lived during the lifetime of the Holy Prophet. Islam stood for an egalitarian society wherein all were equal politically, socially, as well as economically. During Uthman's time the State became prosperous; and that created a gulf between the rich and the poor. With the lapse of the time there was a recurrence of some of the social practices which characterized the age of ignorance in the pre-Islamic period. In Madina the flying of pigeons and the shooting of arrows for divining fortune became the pastime of the people during the time of Uthman. Uthman took strong note of these social evils. Under his orders the wings of the pigeons were cut, and the bows were broken. That made Uthman unpopular with the younger generation in Madina.

Social discipline and social solidarity

Islam stood for social discipline and social solidarity. The Muslims were enjoined by Islam to be a disciplined people and obey those in authority among them. The Muslims were required to maintain social solidarity, and preserve unity in their ranks. During the caliphate of Uthman the Muslims lost their sense of discipline, and they also lost their strength of solidarity. Certain sections grew among the Muslims who made it a point to carry on propaganda against authority. Uthman took steps to redress the legitimate grievances of the people, but there was no slackening in the virulence of the vilification campaign against Uthman and his government.

Islam stood for unity in the ranks of the Muslims. During the caliphate of Uthman the Muslim society fell a prey to disunity, and things came to be looked at from the partisan point of view rather than from the point of view of the interests of the Muslim community as a whole.

Disintegration of the social values of Islam

Causes for the disintegration of the social values of Islam were political, social as well as economic. Political cause was that political power came to be captured by a particular section and that caused discontentment among the other-people. Economically the people came to be motivated by the desire to get rich. That created imbalance in society; and the gulf between the haves and the have nots came to be widened.

Socially the society lost the homogeneity of the day of the Holy Prophet and came to be dominated by the diversity of social interests. The towns expanded and more and more Bedouins from the desert came to settle in the cities. That created social tensions, and some of the social evils of the days of ignorance which had been suppressed under the impact of Islam came to be revived. Instead of looking at things from the Islamic point of view the people began to see things from the personal and parochial points of view. That led to indiscipline among the people. Uthman as Caliph did his best to arrest this process of social disintegration, but for causes beyond his control he could not overcome the social crisis. He died fighting in the defense of Islamic social values, and for this "Jihad", Uthman deserves great respect and honor.