Consequences of the Martyrdom of Uthman

Ifs and buts of history

There are many ifs and buts in history. In the history of mankind we come across events which cast their shadow across the corridor of time, and change the very course of history. The assassination of Uthman is one of such events in the annals of mankind which cast its fateful shadow on the coming events. The tragedy of the assassination of Uthman does not merely excite feelings of pathos and grief; it provides ample material to ponder and reflect. The assassination of Uthman was not merely the death of one man, it was as a matter of fact the assassination of values for which Islam stood. It was not merely the murder of a Caliph, it amounted to the assassination of the institution of the caliph itself. Again the assassination of Uthman was a tragedy which did not end with his death; it set the stage for other tragedies.

Chain reaction of the assassination of Uthman

Uthman was succeeded as Caliph by Ali, and Ali was assassinated merely five years after his assumption of office as Caliph. If Uthman had not been assassinated there would have been no occasion for the battle of the Camel or the battle of Siffin. There could likewise be no occasion for the revolt of the Kharijis. And if there had been no revolt of the Kharijis, there would have been no assassination of Ali. Over ten thousand persons were killed in the battle of the Camel. There was a large scale massacre of the Kharijis at the battle of Nahrawan. The battle of Siffin also claimed a heavy toll. In these battles something like twenty to thirty thousand Muslims were killed All this valuable loss of Muslim life would not have occurred, if Uthman had not been assassinated. Thus those w, ho assassinated Uthman were not merely guilty of the murder of one old man; they were guilty of the massacre of the Muslims at large.

Object of the revolt against Uthman

The revolt against Uthman was prompted ostensibly because of the growing influence of the Umayyads. Surprisingly enough the revolt did not merely fail to achieve its object; it led to the result which was the very antithesis the purpose for which the revolt was undertaken. Within five years of the death of Uthman, power was captured by the Umayyads. and they established a monarchical order which lasted for well nigh a century. The assassination of Uthman instead of ousting the Umayyads from power paved the way for the consolidation of their power. The Umayyads established the monarchical order in order to avoid the conflict and bloodshed which were likely to engulf the Muslim community on the occasion of every new succession. The assassination of Uthman thus proved to be the assassination of the institution of the caliphate and that was a great disservice to the Muslim community.

The tragedy of Karbala

In 680 C.E., the Muslim world shook to its foundations by the tragedy of Karbala. The tragedy of Karbala would bot have taken place if Uthman had not been assassinated. If Uthman had not been assassinated and he had died a natural death, he was likely to be succeeded by Ali. In that case there would have been no Ali-Muawiyah conflict for the conflict merely arose because of the demand for the vengeance of the blood of Uthman. In the absence of such a conflict, Ali would not have been assassinated and the Umayyads would not have come into power. As such there would have been no occasion for the tragedy of Karbala.

The tragedy of Uthman and Karbala

If the events leading to the tragedy of the assassination of Uthman, and the events culminating in the tragedy of Karbala are studied dispassionately we find much therein which provides food for thought and reflection. The revolts in both the cases were anti-Umayyad in character. In the revolt against Uthman, the main point of the agitation against him was that he had appointed the Umayyads to high offices. In the case of the Karbala tragedy the stand of Imam Hussain was that the Umayyads had converted the caliphate into hereditary monarchy, and that Yazid in view of his notorious character was not fit to be the Caliph.

In the case of Uthman the authority vested in him, and the rioters demanded his deposition. Had-at Uthman refused to abdicate because he held that he could not resign from an office which he held on behalf of God on account of any pressure from the public. He gave his life but did not agree to abdicate. According to his way of thinking that was the only way to resolve the deadlock. Thus he preferred the cause of Islam to his life, and he died as a martyr. In this case the truth and justice were on the side of Uthman, while the rioters had no just cause to agitate.

Hussain stood for the integrity of the caliphate. His objection was against the transformation of the caliphate into royalty. There was also much force in his objection against the character of Yazid. In this case truth and justice were on the side of Hussain. Both Uthman and Hussain defended the cause of truth and justice, and both have high rank as the martyrs of Islam.

Consequences of the tragedies

The consequences of both the tragedies were fatal, but the consequences of the tragedy of the assassination of Uthman were more grimfull. The tragedy of Karbala did h~ have much of political repercussions. The Umayyads instead of being dislodged came to be further entrenched in power. The Alids did not succeed in their bid to capture power. Even when the Ummayyads were overthrown in 750 C.E., power was captured by the Abbasids and not the Alids. The tragedy of Karbala thus did not have any repercussions on Islamic polity.

The tragedy of the assassination of Uthman had, on the other hand, immense repercussions on the Islamic polity. With the assassination of Uthman the process of the expansion of Islam came to a grinding halt. Uthman was assassinated when the Muslims were poised for further advance against the Christian powers in Asia Minior and Europe. But for the assassination of Uthman, the bluslims would not have been involved in civil war, and the resources that, were wasted or in civil war could have been used with advantage in winning further conquests against non-Muslims.

It is strange thatt he memory of the tragedy of Karbala is kept alive by Moharrum celebrations every year, but the memory of the tragedy of the assassination of Uthman is not kept alive in the way. it should have been kept commensurate to the historical importance of the event.