WEBVTT

00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:03.000
In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.

00:00:15.580 --> 00:00:17.579
The Mawaddah Association is pleased

00:00:17.579 --> 00:00:22.579
to present to you "Portraits from the Lives of the Companions"

00:00:22.579 --> 00:00:25.579
by 'Abd al-Rahman Ra'fat al-Basha,

00:00:25.579 --> 00:00:30.620
may Allah have mercy on him.

00:00:30.620 --> 00:00:32.710
'Uthman Ibn 'Affan,

00:00:32.710 --> 00:00:34.710
may Allah be pleased with him.

00:00:50.570 --> 00:00:52.570
Truly, he is the Possessor of the Two Lights,

00:00:52.570 --> 00:00:54.570
the emigrant of the two migrations,

00:00:54.570 --> 00:00:56.570
and the husband of the two daughters:

00:00:56.570 --> 00:00:58.570
'Uthman Ibn 'Affan,

00:00:58.570 --> 00:01:01.820
may Allah be pleased with him and grant him contentment.

00:01:01.820 --> 00:01:03.820
'Uthman Ibn 'Affan,

00:01:03.820 --> 00:01:05.819
may Allah be pleased with him, stood at the very pinnacle

00:01:05.819 --> 00:01:07.859
of his people during the pre-Islamic era (Jahiliyyah).

00:01:07.859 --> 00:01:09.859
He possessed immense prestige,

00:01:09.859 --> 00:01:11.859
abundant wealth,

00:01:11.859 --> 00:01:13.859
longstanding fortune and favor,

00:01:13.859 --> 00:01:15.859
profound humility,

00:01:15.859 --> 00:01:17.920
and intense modesty.

00:01:17.920 --> 00:01:20.920
His people loved him with the deepest and most sincere affection,

00:01:20.920 --> 00:01:22.920
to the extent that a woman of Quraysh

00:01:22.920 --> 00:01:24.920
would playfully dance with her small child,

00:01:24.920 --> 00:01:26.920
singing:

00:01:26.920 --> 00:01:28.920
"I love you, by the Merciful Lord,

00:01:28.920 --> 00:01:32.109
as Quraysh loves 'Uthman!"

00:01:32.109 --> 00:01:35.109
And when the light of Islam shone upon Mecca,

00:01:35.109 --> 00:01:37.109
'Uthman was among the foremost

00:01:37.109 --> 00:01:39.109
to seek illumination from its lamp.

00:01:39.109 --> 00:01:41.340
The story of the conversion of 'Uthman

00:01:41.340 --> 00:01:43.340
Ibn 'Affan to Islam

00:01:43.340 --> 00:01:45.340
is one that narrators still recount to this day.

00:01:45.340 --> 00:01:47.340
For when news reached him,

00:01:47.340 --> 00:01:49.340
during the pre-Islamic era,

00:01:49.340 --> 00:01:51.340
that Muhammad Ibn 'Abdullah

00:01:51.340 --> 00:01:53.340
had married his daughter Ruqayyah

00:01:53.340 --> 00:01:55.340
to her cousin 'Utbah Ibn Abi Lahab,

00:01:55.340 --> 00:01:57.340
he was filled with the deepest regret

00:01:57.340 --> 00:01:59.340
that he had not been the first to seek

00:01:59.340 --> 00:02:01.340
her hand,

00:02:01.340 --> 00:02:03.340
and that he had missed out on her noble character.

00:02:03.340 --> 00:02:05.340
So he entered upon his family laden with sorrow,

00:02:05.340 --> 00:02:07.340
and found in their presence

00:02:07.340 --> 00:02:09.340
his maternal aunt, Sa'da bint Kurayz.

00:02:09.340 --> 00:02:11.340
She was

00:02:11.340 --> 00:02:13.340
a resolute,

00:02:13.340 --> 00:02:15.340
wise woman of advanced

00:02:15.340 --> 00:02:17.340
years.

00:02:17.340 --> 00:02:19.340
She cheered him up

00:02:19.340 --> 00:02:21.340
and gave him glad tidings of the emergence of a Prophet

00:02:21.340 --> 00:02:23.340
who would abolish the worship of idols

00:02:23.340 --> 00:02:25.340
and call to the worship of the One,

00:02:25.340 --> 00:02:27.340
the Supreme Judge.

00:02:27.340 --> 00:02:29.340
She inspired in him a longing for the religion of that Prophet,

00:02:29.340 --> 00:02:31.340
and gave him good news that

00:02:31.340 --> 00:02:33.530
with him he would find what he sought.

00:02:33.530 --> 00:02:35.530
'Uthman said:

00:02:35.530 --> 00:02:37.530
"So I set out, pondering

00:02:37.530 --> 00:02:39.530
what my aunt had said.

00:02:39.530 --> 00:02:41.530
Then I met Abu Bakr

00:02:41.530 --> 00:02:43.530
and told him what she had conveyed to me.

00:02:43.530 --> 00:02:45.530
He said:

00:02:45.530 --> 00:02:47.530
'By Allah, your aunt has spoken the truth

00:02:47.530 --> 00:02:49.530
in what she told you,

00:02:49.530 --> 00:02:51.530
and she has brought you glad tidings of good, O 'Uthman!

00:02:51.530 --> 00:02:53.530
Truly, you are a man

00:02:53.530 --> 00:02:55.530
of intellect and resolve;

00:02:55.530 --> 00:02:57.530
truth is never hidden from you,

00:02:57.530 --> 00:02:59.530
nor do you ever confuse it with falsehood.'

00:02:59.530 --> 00:03:01.620
Then he asked me:

00:03:01.620 --> 00:03:03.620
'What are these idols

00:03:03.620 --> 00:03:05.620
that our people worship?

00:03:05.620 --> 00:03:07.620
Are they not merely stones—

00:03:07.620 --> 00:03:09.620
deaf, unable to hear

00:03:09.620 --> 00:03:11.620
or to see?'

00:03:11.620 --> 00:03:13.620
I replied, 'Indeed they are.'

00:03:13.620 --> 00:03:15.620
He said, 'What your aunt told you,

00:03:15.620 --> 00:03:17.620
O 'Uthman, has indeed come to pass!

00:03:17.620 --> 00:03:19.819
For Allah has sent

00:03:19.819 --> 00:03:21.819
His awaited Messenger,

00:03:21.819 --> 00:03:23.819
dispatching him to all mankind

00:03:23.819 --> 00:03:25.819
with the religion of guidance

00:03:25.819 --> 00:03:27.819
and truth.'

00:03:27.819 --> 00:03:29.819
I asked, 'And who is he?'

00:03:29.819 --> 00:03:31.819
He replied, 'He is Muhammad

00:03:31.819 --> 00:03:33.819
Ibn 'Abdullah Ibn 'Abd al-Muttalib.'

00:03:33.819 --> 00:03:35.819
I said, 'The Truthful,

00:03:35.819 --> 00:03:37.819
the Trustworthy?'

00:03:37.819 --> 00:03:39.819
Abu Bakr replied, 'Yes,

00:03:39.819 --> 00:03:41.819
it is indeed he!'

00:03:41.819 --> 00:03:43.819
I asked, 'Would you accompany me

00:03:43.819 --> 00:03:45.819
to him?' He answered,

00:03:45.819 --> 00:03:47.819
'Yes.' So we proceeded

00:03:47.819 --> 00:03:49.819
to the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him.

00:03:49.819 --> 00:03:51.819
When he saw me,

00:03:51.819 --> 00:03:53.819
he said: 'Respond,

00:03:53.819 --> 00:03:55.819
O 'Uthman, to the caller of Allah!

00:03:55.819 --> 00:03:57.819
For I am the Messenger of Allah

00:03:57.819 --> 00:03:59.819
to you specifically,

00:03:59.819 --> 00:04:01.819
and to all of Allah's creation generally.'

00:04:01.819 --> 00:04:03.909
'Uthman said:

00:04:03.909 --> 00:04:05.909
'By Allah, no sooner had I looked upon him

00:04:05.909 --> 00:04:07.909
with my own eyes and heard

00:04:07.909 --> 00:04:09.909
his words than my heart found peace

00:04:09.909 --> 00:04:11.909
with him, and I believed in his message.

00:04:11.909 --> 00:04:13.909
Then I testified

00:04:13.909 --> 00:04:15.909
that there is no god but Allah,

00:04:15.909 --> 00:04:17.910
and that Muhammad is His servant

00:04:17.910 --> 00:04:20.100
and His Messenger.'"

00:04:20.100 --> 00:04:22.100
None of the Prophet's people, peace and blessings

00:04:22.100 --> 00:04:24.100
of Allah be upon him, had believed in him

00:04:24.100 --> 00:04:26.100
up to that day;

00:04:26.100 --> 00:04:28.100
nevertheless, none among them

00:04:28.100 --> 00:04:30.100
openly showed him

00:04:30.100 --> 00:04:31.100
outright enmity,

00:04:31.100 --> 00:04:33.100
except for his uncle Abu Lahab.

00:04:33.100 --> 00:04:35.100
For he and his wife,

00:04:35.100 --> 00:04:37.100
Umm Jamil, were among the harshest

00:04:37.100 --> 00:04:39.100
of Quraysh toward him,

00:04:39.100 --> 00:04:41.100
the most violent in causing him harm,

00:04:41.100 --> 00:04:43.100
and the most cruel in persecuting him.

00:04:43.100 --> 00:04:45.100
So Allah revealed concerning him and

00:04:45.100 --> 00:04:46.100
his wife:

00:04:46.100 --> 00:04:48.100
"May the hands of

00:04:48.100 --> 00:04:50.100
Abu Lahab perish,

00:04:50.100 --> 00:04:52.100
and may he perish!

00:04:52.100 --> 00:04:58.100
His wealth and what he has earned will not avail him.

00:04:58.100 --> 00:05:02.100
He will burn in a fire of blazing flame,

00:05:02.100 --> 00:05:07.100
and his wife, the carrier of firewood..."

00:05:07.100 --> 00:05:12.420
“Will have upon her neck a halter of palm-fibre.” (111:5)

00:05:12.420 --> 00:05:14.420
Thereupon, Abu Lahab grew even more bitter in his malice

00:05:14.420 --> 00:05:16.420
against the Messenger, peace and blessings

00:05:16.420 --> 00:05:18.420
of Allah be upon him,

00:05:18.420 --> 00:05:20.420
and his hatred—as well as the hatred

00:05:20.420 --> 00:05:22.420
of his wife Umm Jamil—intensified against him

00:05:22.420 --> 00:05:24.420
and against the Muslims with him.

00:05:24.420 --> 00:05:26.420
So they ordered their son 'Utbah

00:05:26.420 --> 00:05:28.420
to divorce his wife,

00:05:28.420 --> 00:05:30.420
Ruqayyah, the daughter of Muhammad,

00:05:30.420 --> 00:05:32.420
peace and blessings be upon him.

00:05:32.420 --> 00:05:34.420
And he divorced her out of spite

00:05:34.420 --> 00:05:36.550
toward her father.

00:05:36.550 --> 00:05:38.550
Hardly had 'Uthman Ibn 'Affan,

00:05:38.550 --> 00:05:40.550
may Allah be pleased with him,

00:05:40.550 --> 00:05:42.550
heard the news of Ruqayyah's divorce,

00:05:42.550 --> 00:05:44.550
than he was overcome with immense joy.

00:05:44.550 --> 00:05:46.550
He hastened to seek her hand in marriage

00:05:46.550 --> 00:05:48.550
from the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings

00:05:48.550 --> 00:05:50.550
of Allah be upon him.

00:05:50.550 --> 00:05:52.550
The noble Messenger,

00:05:52.550 --> 00:05:54.550
peace be upon him, married her to him,

00:05:54.550 --> 00:05:56.550
and the Mother of the Believers,

00:05:56.550 --> 00:05:58.550
Khadijah bint Khuwaylid, prepared her for the wedding.

00:05:58.550 --> 00:06:00.550
'Uthman was

00:06:00.550 --> 00:06:02.550
among the most handsome of Quraysh in appearance,

00:06:02.550 --> 00:06:04.550
and she matched him

00:06:04.550 --> 00:06:06.550
in grace and radiant beauty.

00:06:06.550 --> 00:06:08.550
Thus it was said of them

00:06:08.550 --> 00:06:10.550
on their wedding day:

00:06:10.550 --> 00:06:12.550
"The finest pair ever seen

00:06:12.550 --> 00:06:14.550
by any human being: Ruqayyah

00:06:14.550 --> 00:06:16.970
and her husband 'Uthman."

00:06:16.970 --> 00:06:18.970
Yet 'Uthman Ibn 'Affan was not spared—

00:06:18.970 --> 00:06:20.970
despite

00:06:20.970 --> 00:06:22.970
his prior merit and longstanding

00:06:22.970 --> 00:06:24.970
benevolence—from the harm of

00:06:24.970 --> 00:06:27.100
his people when he embraced Islam.

00:06:27.100 --> 00:06:29.100
For it grieved his paternal uncle, al-Hakam,

00:06:29.100 --> 00:06:31.100
that the young nobleman

00:06:31.100 --> 00:06:33.100
of Banu 'Abd Shams should abandon the religion of Quraysh,

00:06:33.100 --> 00:06:35.100
and he took it as a grave affront.

00:06:35.100 --> 00:06:37.100
So he and his followers confronted him

00:06:37.100 --> 00:06:39.100
with the fiercest

00:06:39.100 --> 00:06:41.100
and harshest opposition;

00:06:41.100 --> 00:06:43.100
he seized him, bound him

00:06:43.100 --> 00:06:45.100
tightly in fetters, and said:

00:06:45.100 --> 00:06:47.100
"Do you turn away from the faith of your fathers

00:06:47.100 --> 00:06:49.100
and grandfathers to enter

00:06:49.100 --> 00:06:51.100
an invented religion?

00:06:51.100 --> 00:06:53.100
By Allah, I will not let you go until

00:06:53.100 --> 00:06:55.100
you renounce what you have embraced!"

00:06:55.100 --> 00:06:57.129
But 'Uthman replied:

00:06:57.129 --> 00:06:59.129
"By Allah, I will never abandon my religion,

00:06:59.129 --> 00:07:01.129
nor will I ever separate from

00:07:01.129 --> 00:07:03.129
my Prophet as long as

00:07:03.129 --> 00:07:05.220
life remains within me!"

00:07:05.220 --> 00:07:07.220
His uncle al-Hakam continued to torment him,

00:07:07.220 --> 00:07:09.220
while 'Uthman only grew firmer

00:07:09.220 --> 00:07:11.220
in his steadfastness in his faith

00:07:11.220 --> 00:07:13.220
and his adherence to his creed,

00:07:13.220 --> 00:07:15.220
until his uncle finally despaired of breaking him,

00:07:15.220 --> 00:07:17.220
released him,

00:07:17.220 --> 00:07:19.290
and ceased his persecution.

00:07:19.290 --> 00:07:21.290
Yet Quraysh continued

00:07:21.290 --> 00:07:23.290
to harbor animosity toward him

00:07:23.290 --> 00:07:25.290
and subject him to relentless harm,

00:07:25.290 --> 00:07:27.290
until they drove him to flee

00:07:27.290 --> 00:07:29.290
with his religion and part from

00:07:29.290 --> 00:07:31.290
his Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him.

00:07:31.290 --> 00:07:33.319
Thus, he was the very first

00:07:33.319 --> 00:07:35.319
of the Muslims to migrate to Abyssinia,

00:07:35.319 --> 00:07:37.319
accompanied by his wife, Ruqayyah,

00:07:37.319 --> 00:07:39.319
may Allah be pleased with them both.

00:07:39.319 --> 00:07:41.319
When the time came for their departure,

00:07:41.319 --> 00:07:43.319
the Messenger bid them farewell,

00:07:43.319 --> 00:07:45.319
peace and blessings of Allah be upon him,

00:07:45.319 --> 00:07:47.319
saying:

00:07:47.319 --> 00:07:49.319
"May Allah accompany 'Uthman and his wife,

00:07:49.319 --> 00:07:51.319
Ruqayyah;

00:07:51.319 --> 00:07:53.319
may Allah accompany 'Uthman and his wife,

00:07:53.319 --> 00:07:55.319
Ruqayyah!

00:07:55.319 --> 00:07:57.319
Truly, 'Uthman is the first to emigrate

00:07:57.319 --> 00:07:59.319
with his family after the Prophet of Allah,

00:07:59.319 --> 00:08:01.509
Lot." However, 'Uthman and his wife

00:08:01.509 --> 00:08:03.509
did not prolong their stay in

00:08:03.509 --> 00:08:05.509
Abyssinia as did

00:08:05.509 --> 00:08:07.509
other emigrants,

00:08:07.509 --> 00:08:09.509
for both he and Ruqayyah were overcome

00:08:09.509 --> 00:08:11.509
with intense longing for the Messenger of Allah,

00:08:11.509 --> 00:08:13.509
peace and blessings of Allah

00:08:13.509 --> 00:08:15.509
be upon him, and a yearning

00:08:15.509 --> 00:08:17.509
for Mecca. So they returned

00:08:17.509 --> 00:08:19.509
to it and remained

00:08:19.509 --> 00:08:21.509
there until Allah granted permission

00:08:21.509 --> 00:08:23.509
to His Prophet, peace be upon him,

00:08:23.509 --> 00:08:25.509
and to the believers

00:08:25.509 --> 00:08:27.509
to emigrate to Medina.

00:08:27.509 --> 00:08:29.509
Thereupon, they set forth alongside the emigrants.

00:08:29.509 --> 00:08:31.930
'Uthman

00:08:31.930 --> 00:08:33.929
ibn 'Affan witnessed alongside the Messenger, peace

00:08:33.929 --> 00:08:35.929
and blessings be upon him, all of his major campaigns

00:08:35.929 --> 00:08:37.929
and attended

00:08:37.929 --> 00:08:39.929
every one of his battles,

00:08:39.929 --> 00:08:41.929
and he was not kept away from any campaign

00:08:41.929 --> 00:08:43.929
except the Battle of Badr.

00:08:43.929 --> 00:08:45.929
For he had been occupied

00:08:45.929 --> 00:08:47.929
with nursing his wife Ruqayyah,

00:08:47.929 --> 00:08:49.929
may Allah be pleased with her.

00:08:49.929 --> 00:08:51.929
When the noble Messenger,

00:08:51.929 --> 00:08:53.929
peace be upon him, returned from Badr,

00:08:53.929 --> 00:08:55.929
he found that Ruqayyah

00:08:55.929 --> 00:08:57.929
had already passed away into the presence of her Lord.

00:08:57.929 --> 00:08:59.929
He grieved over her

00:08:59.929 --> 00:09:01.929
most deeply,

00:09:01.929 --> 00:09:03.929
and consoled 'Uthman ibn 'Affan

00:09:03.929 --> 00:09:05.929
in his bereavement in the most generous manner:

00:09:06.929 --> 00:09:08.929
he counted him among the veterans of Badr,

00:09:08.929 --> 00:09:10.929
allotted him a share of its spoils,

00:09:10.929 --> 00:09:12.929
and wed him to his

00:09:12.929 --> 00:09:14.929
second daughter, Umm Kulthum.

00:09:14.929 --> 00:09:16.929
Because of this, people called him

00:09:16.929 --> 00:09:19.059
Dhu al-Nurayn (Possessor of the Two Lights).

00:09:19.059 --> 00:09:21.059
His second marriage to the daughter

00:09:21.059 --> 00:09:23.059
of the Messenger, peace and blessings of Allah

00:09:23.059 --> 00:09:25.059
be upon him, was a distinction

00:09:25.059 --> 00:09:27.059
attained by no other husband besides him;

00:09:27.059 --> 00:09:29.059
indeed, the history

00:09:29.059 --> 00:09:31.059
of prophethood has never known

00:09:31.059 --> 00:09:33.059
anyone to become the son-in-law of a prophet

00:09:33.059 --> 00:09:35.059
twice over, except

00:09:35.059 --> 00:09:37.059
for 'Uthman ibn 'Affan,

00:09:37.059 --> 00:09:39.179
may Allah be pleased with him.

00:09:39.179 --> 00:09:41.179
The acceptance of Islam by 'Uthman,

00:09:41.179 --> 00:09:43.179
may Allah be pleased with him,

00:09:43.179 --> 00:09:45.179
was among the greatest blessings that

00:09:45.179 --> 00:09:47.179
Allah bestowed upon the Muslims,

00:09:47.179 --> 00:09:49.179
and one of the most abundant sources of good

00:09:49.179 --> 00:09:51.220
with which He reinforced Islam.

00:09:51.220 --> 00:09:53.220
No hardship ever befell the Muslims

00:09:53.220 --> 00:09:55.220
except that 'Uthman was the first

00:09:55.220 --> 00:09:57.220
to offer them solace and relief;

00:09:57.220 --> 00:09:59.220
and no crisis ever struck Islam

00:09:59.220 --> 00:10:01.220
except that Ibn 'Affan stood at the vanguard

00:10:01.220 --> 00:10:03.220
of dispelling it.

00:10:03.220 --> 00:10:05.220
When the Messenger, peace and blessings be upon him,

00:10:05.220 --> 00:10:07.220
resolved upon the Expedition of

00:10:07.220 --> 00:10:09.220
Tabuk, his need

00:10:09.220 --> 00:10:11.220
for wealth was no less pressing

00:10:11.220 --> 00:10:13.220
than his need for men.

00:10:13.220 --> 00:10:15.220
The Roman army was vast

00:10:15.220 --> 00:10:17.220
in numbers and abundantly equipped,

00:10:17.220 --> 00:10:19.220
fighting upon

00:10:19.220 --> 00:10:21.220
its own home soil, whereas the Muslims

00:10:21.220 --> 00:10:23.220
faced a journey that was

00:10:23.220 --> 00:10:25.220
exceedingly long, with provisions that were

00:10:25.220 --> 00:10:27.220
meager and mounts that were

00:10:27.220 --> 00:10:29.220
fewer still.

00:10:29.220 --> 00:10:31.220
Moreover, they were enduring a severe drought,

00:10:31.220 --> 00:10:33.220
the likes of which the Arabian Peninsula

00:10:33.220 --> 00:10:35.220
had rarely witnessed.

00:10:35.220 --> 00:10:37.220
The Messenger, peace and blessings

00:10:37.220 --> 00:10:39.220
of Allah be upon him, was thus compelled to turn back

00:10:39.220 --> 00:10:41.220
a large number of them from joining the jihad,

00:10:41.220 --> 00:10:43.220
denying them the opportunity

00:10:43.220 --> 00:10:45.220
for martyrdom, simply because

00:10:45.220 --> 00:10:47.220
they possessed no mounts

00:10:47.220 --> 00:10:49.220
to carry them; so they turned away

00:10:49.220 --> 00:10:51.220
with their eyes overflowing

00:10:51.220 --> 00:10:53.220
with tears.

00:10:53.220 --> 00:10:55.220
Thereupon, the Messenger,

00:10:55.220 --> 00:10:57.220
peace and blessings be upon him, ascended

00:10:57.220 --> 00:10:59.220
the pulpit, praised Allah,

00:10:59.220 --> 00:11:01.220
and extolled Him as He deserved

00:11:01.220 --> 00:11:03.220
to be praised. Then he began

00:11:03.220 --> 00:11:05.220
urging the Muslims to give generously,

00:11:05.220 --> 00:11:07.220
heartening them with the promise of a magnificent reward.

00:11:07.220 --> 00:11:09.220
At that, 'Uthman

00:11:09.220 --> 00:11:11.220
ibn 'Affan stood up and said:

00:11:11.220 --> 00:11:13.220
"Mine are one hundred camels,

00:11:13.220 --> 00:11:15.220
fully equipped with their saddles and packframes,

00:11:15.220 --> 00:11:17.250
O Messenger of Allah!"

00:11:17.250 --> 00:11:19.250
The Messenger, peace and blessings

00:11:19.250 --> 00:11:21.250
of Allah be upon him, descended from the pulpit

00:11:21.250 --> 00:11:23.250
by one step, but then

00:11:23.250 --> 00:11:25.250
paused and began exhorting the people to give

00:11:25.250 --> 00:11:27.250
once again. 'Uthman

00:11:27.250 --> 00:11:29.250
ibn 'Affan rose a second time

00:11:29.250 --> 00:11:31.250
and said:

00:11:31.250 --> 00:11:33.250
"Mine are another one hundred camels,

00:11:33.250 --> 00:11:35.250
fully equipped with their saddles and packframes,

00:11:35.250 --> 00:11:37.250
O Messenger of Allah!"

00:11:37.250 --> 00:11:39.250
The face of the noble Messenger,

00:11:39.250 --> 00:11:41.250
peace be upon him, beamed

00:11:41.250 --> 00:11:43.250
with joy,

00:11:43.250 --> 00:11:45.250
and he stepped down another stair from the pulpit.

00:11:45.250 --> 00:11:47.250
Yet soon he paused once more

00:11:47.250 --> 00:11:49.250
and began urging the people to donate

00:11:49.250 --> 00:11:51.250
a third time.

00:11:51.250 --> 00:11:53.250
'Uthman ibn 'Affan stood up yet again

00:11:53.250 --> 00:11:55.250
and said: "[Mine are another hundred,]

00:11:55.250 --> 00:11:57.250
fully equipped with their saddles and packframes,

00:11:57.250 --> 00:11:59.250
O Messenger of Allah!"

00:11:59.250 --> 00:12:01.340
At that moment,

00:12:01.340 --> 00:12:03.340
the Messenger, peace and blessings be upon him,

00:12:03.340 --> 00:12:05.340
began gesturing with his noble hand

00:12:05.340 --> 00:12:07.340
in sheer satisfaction with what

00:12:07.340 --> 00:12:09.340
'Uthman ibn 'Affan had done,

00:12:09.340 --> 00:12:11.340
saying: "Nothing can harm 'Uthman,

00:12:11.340 --> 00:12:13.340
whatever he does after this day!

00:12:13.340 --> 00:12:15.340
Nothing can harm 'Uthman,

00:12:15.340 --> 00:12:17.600
whatever he does after this day!"

00:12:17.600 --> 00:12:19.600
Furthermore, no sooner had the Messenger, peace

00:12:19.600 --> 00:12:21.600
and blessings of Allah be upon him,

00:12:21.600 --> 00:12:23.600
stepped down from his pulpit,

00:12:23.600 --> 00:12:25.600
than 'Uthman ibn 'Affan hurried off

00:12:25.600 --> 00:12:27.600
to his home

00:12:27.600 --> 00:12:29.600
and dispatched to him, alongside the camels,

00:12:29.600 --> 00:12:31.820
a thousand gold dinars.

00:12:31.820 --> 00:12:33.820
When the dinars were poured

00:12:33.820 --> 00:12:35.820
into the lap of the noble Messenger,

00:12:35.820 --> 00:12:37.820
upon whom be the highest blessings

00:12:37.820 --> 00:12:39.820
and purest peace,

00:12:39.820 --> 00:12:41.820
he began turning them over with his pure hands,

00:12:41.820 --> 00:12:43.820
top over bottom

00:12:43.820 --> 00:12:45.820
and bottom over top,

00:12:45.820 --> 00:12:47.820
while saying:

00:12:47.820 --> 00:12:49.820
"May Allah forgive you, O 'Uthman,

00:12:49.820 --> 00:12:51.820
for whatever you have kept secret and whatever you have made public,

00:12:51.820 --> 00:12:53.820
for whatever has come from you and whatever shall come to pass,

00:12:53.820 --> 00:12:55.820
until the Hour is established!"

00:12:55.820 --> 00:12:58.049
During the caliphate of al-Faruq,

00:12:58.049 --> 00:13:00.049
may Allah be pleased with him,

00:13:00.049 --> 00:13:02.049
the people were struck by

00:13:02.049 --> 00:13:04.049
a year of devastating drought that ruined

00:13:04.049 --> 00:13:06.049
crops and livestock alike,

00:13:06.049 --> 00:13:08.049
such that, owing to its severe famine,

00:13:08.049 --> 00:13:10.049
it came to be known as the Year of the Ashes.

00:13:10.049 --> 00:13:12.139
The distress

00:13:12.139 --> 00:13:14.139
continued to intensify for the people,

00:13:14.139 --> 00:13:16.139
until their souls

00:13:16.139 --> 00:13:18.179
reached their throats.

00:13:18.179 --> 00:13:20.179
One morning, they came before 'Umar

00:13:20.179 --> 00:13:22.179
and said: "O Successor of

00:13:22.179 --> 00:13:24.179
the Messenger of Allah!

00:13:24.179 --> 00:13:26.179
The sky has withheld its rain,

00:13:26.179 --> 00:13:28.179
the earth has yielded no vegetation,

00:13:28.179 --> 00:13:30.179
and the people are on the very brink of ruin.

00:13:30.179 --> 00:13:32.179
What, then, shall we do?"

00:13:32.179 --> 00:13:34.179
'Umar looked at them

00:13:34.179 --> 00:13:36.179
with a face deeply wrung

00:13:36.179 --> 00:13:38.179
by grief and sorrow, and said:

00:13:38.179 --> 00:13:40.179
"Be patient and seek Allah's reward,

00:13:40.179 --> 00:13:42.179
for I truly hope that you will not see evening

00:13:42.179 --> 00:13:44.179
before Allah grants you relief."

00:13:44.179 --> 00:13:46.370
Towards the end

00:13:46.370 --> 00:13:48.370
of the day, news arrived

00:13:48.370 --> 00:13:50.370
that a caravan belonging to 'Uthman

00:13:50.370 --> 00:13:52.370
ibn 'Affan had come from the Levant,

00:13:52.370 --> 00:13:54.370
and that it would reach

00:13:54.370 --> 00:13:56.620
Medina by morning.

00:13:56.620 --> 00:13:58.620
No sooner was the Fajr prayer concluded

00:13:58.620 --> 00:14:00.620
than the people rushed out

00:14:00.620 --> 00:14:02.620
to meet the caravan, gathering group

00:14:02.620 --> 00:14:04.620
after group,

00:14:04.620 --> 00:14:06.620
and the merchants set out to receive it.

00:14:06.620 --> 00:14:08.620
It was a train of one thousand camels,

00:14:08.620 --> 00:14:10.620
laden with wheat,

00:14:10.620 --> 00:14:12.620
along with olive oil and raisins.

00:14:12.620 --> 00:14:14.620
The caravan knelt at the door

00:14:14.620 --> 00:14:16.620
of 'Uthman ibn 'Affan, may Allah be pleased with him,

00:14:16.620 --> 00:14:18.620
and the servants began

00:14:18.620 --> 00:14:20.620
unloading its cargo.

00:14:20.620 --> 00:14:22.620
The merchants then came in

00:14:22.620 --> 00:14:24.620
to 'Uthman and said,

00:14:24.620 --> 00:14:26.620
"Sell us what has arrived to you, O

00:14:26.620 --> 00:14:28.659
Abu 'Amr."

00:14:28.659 --> 00:14:30.659
He replied, "With great pleasure,

00:14:30.659 --> 00:14:32.659
but how much profit will you give me

00:14:32.659 --> 00:14:34.659
over my purchase price?"

00:14:34.659 --> 00:14:36.659
They said, "We will give you two dirhams

00:14:36.659 --> 00:14:38.659
for every dirham."

00:14:38.659 --> 00:14:40.659
He said, "I have been offered more than this."

00:14:40.659 --> 00:14:42.659
So they increased their offer,

00:14:42.659 --> 00:14:44.659
but he said, "I have been offered

00:14:44.659 --> 00:14:46.659
more than what you have added."

00:14:46.659 --> 00:14:48.659
They raised it further,

00:14:48.659 --> 00:14:50.659
yet he said, "I have been offered more

00:14:50.659 --> 00:14:52.720
than this."

00:14:52.720 --> 00:14:54.720
They said, "O Abu 'Amr,

00:14:54.720 --> 00:14:56.720
there are no merchants in Medina

00:14:56.720 --> 00:14:58.720
besides us, and no one

00:14:58.720 --> 00:15:00.720
has preceded us to you!

00:15:00.720 --> 00:15:02.720
Who, then, has offered you more

00:15:02.720 --> 00:15:04.720
than what we offered?"

00:15:04.720 --> 00:15:06.720
He said, "Allah

00:15:06.720 --> 00:15:08.720
has granted me ten for every dirham!

00:15:08.720 --> 00:15:10.720
Can you offer more than that?"

00:15:10.720 --> 00:15:12.720
They said, "No,

00:15:12.720 --> 00:15:14.720
O Abu 'Amr."

00:15:14.720 --> 00:15:16.720
He said, "Then I call Allah,

00:15:16.720 --> 00:15:18.720
the Exalted, to witness that I have dedicated

00:15:18.720 --> 00:15:20.720
whatever this caravan carried

00:15:20.720 --> 00:15:22.720
as charity for the poor of the Muslims.

00:15:22.720 --> 00:15:24.720
I desire

00:15:24.720 --> 00:15:26.720
neither a dirham nor a dinar from anyone;

00:15:26.720 --> 00:15:28.720
I seek only

00:15:28.720 --> 00:15:30.879
Allah's reward and His pleasure."

00:15:30.879 --> 00:15:32.879
When the caliphate passed

00:15:32.879 --> 00:15:34.879
to 'Uthman ibn 'Affan,

00:15:34.879 --> 00:15:36.879
may Allah be pleased with him, Allah opened

00:15:36.879 --> 00:15:38.879
through his hands Armenia,

00:15:38.879 --> 00:15:40.879
the Caucasus, and granted victory

00:15:40.879 --> 00:15:42.879
to the Muslims, giving them mastery over

00:15:42.879 --> 00:15:44.879
Khorasan, Kirman,

00:15:44.879 --> 00:15:46.879
Sijistan, Cyprus,

00:15:46.879 --> 00:15:48.879
and a considerable portion

00:15:48.879 --> 00:15:51.039
of North Africa.

00:15:51.039 --> 00:15:53.039
During his reign, the people enjoyed such prosperity

00:15:53.039 --> 00:15:55.039
as had never been attained

00:15:55.039 --> 00:15:57.100
by any nation on the face of the earth.

00:15:57.100 --> 00:15:59.100
Al-Hasan al-Basri,

00:15:59.100 --> 00:16:01.100
may Allah be pleased with him, recounted the blessings

00:16:01.100 --> 00:16:03.100
the people enjoyed under the reign of Dhu al-Nurayn—

00:16:03.100 --> 00:16:05.100
of abundant prosperity, luxurious

00:16:05.100 --> 00:16:07.100
living, and the overwhelming bliss

00:16:07.100 --> 00:16:09.100
and tranquility they experienced.

00:16:09.100 --> 00:16:11.100
He said,

00:16:11.100 --> 00:16:13.100
"I saw the crier of 'Uthman ibn 'Affan,

00:16:13.100 --> 00:16:15.100
may Allah be pleased with him, calling out,

00:16:15.100 --> 00:16:17.100
saying,

00:16:17.100 --> 00:16:19.100
'O people, come forth early to receive

00:16:19.100 --> 00:16:21.100
your stipends!'

00:16:21.100 --> 00:16:23.100
And the people would go early

00:16:23.100 --> 00:16:25.100
and take them in full.

00:16:25.100 --> 00:16:27.100
Then he would call out and say,

00:16:27.100 --> 00:16:29.100
'O people,

00:16:29.100 --> 00:16:31.100
come and collect your food provisions!'

00:16:31.100 --> 00:16:33.100
And they would come and collect them,

00:16:33.100 --> 00:16:35.100
being given them in bountiful

00:16:35.100 --> 00:16:37.139
and complete measure.

00:16:37.139 --> 00:16:39.139
By Allah, my own two ears

00:16:39.139 --> 00:16:41.139
heard him say,

00:16:41.139 --> 00:16:43.139
'Come forth early to receive your garments!'

00:16:43.139 --> 00:16:45.139
And they would receive ample,

00:16:45.139 --> 00:16:47.139
flowing robes.

00:16:47.139 --> 00:16:49.139
And he used to say,

00:16:49.139 --> 00:16:51.139
'Come partake of clarified butter and honey as well!' Nor is this surprising,

00:16:51.139 --> 00:16:53.139
for provisions during

00:16:53.139 --> 00:16:55.139
'Uthman's reign flowed continuously,

00:16:55.139 --> 00:16:57.139
goodness was abundant,

00:16:57.139 --> 00:16:59.139
mutual relations were harmonious,

00:16:59.139 --> 00:17:01.139
and there was not a single believer

00:17:01.139 --> 00:17:03.139
on the face of the earth

00:17:03.139 --> 00:17:05.140
who was fearful.

00:17:05.140 --> 00:17:07.140
Rather, a Muslim

00:17:07.140 --> 00:17:09.140
was friendly toward his fellow Muslim,

00:17:09.140 --> 00:17:11.140
loving him and supporting him.

00:17:11.140 --> 00:17:13.140
Yet some people,

00:17:13.140 --> 00:17:15.140
when they are sated, become insolent,

00:17:15.140 --> 00:17:17.140
and when Allah blesses them,

00:17:17.140 --> 00:17:19.140
they are ungrateful.

00:17:19.140 --> 00:17:21.140
Thus, these people found fault with 'Uthman

00:17:21.140 --> 00:17:23.140
over matters for which, had anyone else done them,

00:17:23.140 --> 00:17:25.140
they would never have blamed him.

00:17:25.140 --> 00:17:27.140
Nor were they content merely with finding fault—

00:17:27.140 --> 00:17:29.140
for had they

00:17:29.140 --> 00:17:31.140
stopped at that, the matter would have been trivial.

00:17:31.140 --> 00:17:33.140
But Satan continued

00:17:33.140 --> 00:17:35.140
breathing his malice into their souls

00:17:35.140 --> 00:17:37.140
and spreading his evil

00:17:37.140 --> 00:17:39.140
within their hearts,

00:17:39.140 --> 00:17:41.140
until a large mob

00:17:41.140 --> 00:17:43.140
of the rabble of the garrison towns

00:17:43.140 --> 00:17:45.140
rallied against him.

00:17:45.140 --> 00:17:47.140
They besieged him in his home for about

00:17:47.140 --> 00:17:49.140
forty nights,

00:17:49.140 --> 00:17:51.140
depriving him of fresh water.

00:17:51.140 --> 00:17:53.140
These tyrannical

00:17:53.140 --> 00:17:55.140
oppressors had forgotten

00:17:55.140 --> 00:17:57.140
that he was the one who bought the well of Rumah

00:17:57.140 --> 00:17:59.140
from his own wealth

00:17:59.140 --> 00:18:01.140
so that the inhabitants of Medina,

00:18:01.140 --> 00:18:03.140
its residents, and its visitors could drink from it,

00:18:03.140 --> 00:18:05.140
when prior to that they had no

00:18:05.140 --> 00:18:07.140
fresh water to quench

00:18:07.140 --> 00:18:09.140
their thirst. Moreover,

00:18:09.140 --> 00:18:11.140
they barred him

00:18:11.140 --> 00:18:13.140
from praying in the mosque of the Messenger of Allah,

00:18:13.140 --> 00:18:15.140
peace and blessings of Allah

00:18:15.140 --> 00:18:17.140
be upon him. These people turned a blind eye

00:18:17.140 --> 00:18:19.140
to the fact

00:18:19.140 --> 00:18:21.140
that Dhu al-Nurayn was the one who expanded

00:18:21.140 --> 00:18:23.140
the second of the Two Holy Sanctuaries solely

00:18:23.140 --> 00:18:25.140
from his own wealth, to accommodate

00:18:25.140 --> 00:18:27.140
the Muslims after it had become

00:18:27.140 --> 00:18:29.140
too constrained for them.

00:18:29.140 --> 00:18:31.140
The distress intensified for 'Uthman,

00:18:31.140 --> 00:18:33.140
and the evil grew grave against him.

00:18:33.140 --> 00:18:35.140
About seven hundred of

00:18:35.140 --> 00:18:37.140
the Companions and their sons

00:18:37.140 --> 00:18:39.140
rushed to his defense,

00:18:39.140 --> 00:18:41.140
among them 'Abdullah ibn 'Umar

00:18:41.140 --> 00:18:43.140
ibn al-Khattab,

00:18:43.140 --> 00:18:45.140
'Abdullah ibn al-Zubayr ibn al-'Awwam,

00:18:45.140 --> 00:18:47.140
al-Hasan and al-Husayn,

00:18:47.140 --> 00:18:49.140
the sons of 'Ali ibn Abi Talib,

00:18:49.140 --> 00:18:51.140
Abu Hurayrah,

00:18:51.140 --> 00:18:53.259
and many, many others.

00:18:53.259 --> 00:18:55.259
But 'Uthman, the possessor of the two lights,

00:18:55.259 --> 00:18:57.259
the veteran of the two migrations,

00:18:57.259 --> 00:18:59.259
and the bestower of charity,

00:18:59.259 --> 00:19:01.259
preferred that his own blood be shed

00:19:01.259 --> 00:19:03.259
rather than the blood of Muslims

00:19:03.259 --> 00:19:05.259
being spilt in his defense.

00:19:05.259 --> 00:19:07.259
He preferred to lose

00:19:07.259 --> 00:19:09.259
his own life rather than having

00:19:09.259 --> 00:19:11.299
the Muslims fight one another over him.

00:19:11.299 --> 00:19:13.299
So he adjured those who had rushed

00:19:13.299 --> 00:19:15.299
to protect him to leave him

00:19:15.299 --> 00:19:17.299
to the decree of Allah.

00:19:17.299 --> 00:19:19.299
He said to them, "I adjure

00:19:19.299 --> 00:19:21.299
everyone over whom I have a right

00:19:21.299 --> 00:19:23.299
to stay his hand."

00:19:23.299 --> 00:19:25.299
And he said to his slaves, "Whoever

00:19:25.299 --> 00:19:27.299
sheathes his sword is a free man."

00:19:27.299 --> 00:19:29.579
Then the eyes of the successor

00:19:29.579 --> 00:19:31.579
of the Messenger of Allah,

00:19:31.579 --> 00:19:33.579
peace be upon him,

00:19:33.579 --> 00:19:35.579
slumbered for a few moments shortly before his assassination,

00:19:35.579 --> 00:19:37.579
and he saw the noble Prophet,

00:19:37.579 --> 00:19:39.579
upon him be the best of prayers

00:19:39.579 --> 00:19:41.579
and the purest blessings,

00:19:41.579 --> 00:19:43.579
accompanied by his two companions, Abu Bakr

00:19:43.579 --> 00:19:45.579
al-Siddiq and 'Umar ibn al-Khattab.

00:19:45.579 --> 00:19:47.579
And he heard the Messenger,

00:19:47.579 --> 00:19:49.579
peace be upon him,

00:19:49.579 --> 00:19:51.579
saying to him,

00:19:51.579 --> 00:19:53.619
"Break your fast with us tonight, O 'Uthman."

00:19:53.619 --> 00:19:55.619
Thereupon, 'Uthman knew with certainty that

00:19:55.619 --> 00:19:57.619
he was about to join his Lord

00:19:57.619 --> 00:19:59.619
and meet his Prophet.

00:19:59.619 --> 00:20:01.779
In the morning, 'Uthman,

00:20:01.779 --> 00:20:03.779
may Allah be pleased with him, was fasting,

00:20:03.779 --> 00:20:05.779
and he asked for a pair of long trousers

00:20:05.779 --> 00:20:07.779
and put them on,

00:20:07.779 --> 00:20:09.779
lest his nakedness be exposed

00:20:09.779 --> 00:20:11.779
when the murderous sinners

00:20:11.779 --> 00:20:14.000
killed him.

00:20:14.000 --> 00:20:16.000
And on Friday,

00:20:16.000 --> 00:20:18.000
when eighteen nights

00:20:18.000 --> 00:20:20.000
had passed of Dhu al-Hijjah,

00:20:20.000 --> 00:20:22.000
the devout worshipper and ascetic,

00:20:22.000 --> 00:20:24.000
who spent his nights in prayer and days in fasting,

00:20:24.000 --> 00:20:26.000
the compiler of the Noble Qur'an,

00:20:26.000 --> 00:20:28.000
the son-in-law of the Messenger of Allah,

00:20:28.000 --> 00:20:30.000
peace be upon him, was slain.

00:20:30.000 --> 00:20:32.059
Thus he returned to the proximity

00:20:32.059 --> 00:20:34.059
of his Lord while thirsty and fasting,

00:20:34.059 --> 00:20:36.059
with the Book of Allah

00:20:36.059 --> 00:20:38.059
spread open before him.

00:20:38.059 --> 00:20:40.059
It is sufficient solace for the Muslims

00:20:40.059 --> 00:20:42.059
that there was not

00:20:42.059 --> 00:20:44.059
among the killers of 'Uthman, may Allah's good pleasure

00:20:44.059 --> 00:20:46.059
and mercies be upon him, a single Companion

00:20:46.059 --> 00:20:48.059
nor the son of a Companion,

00:20:48.059 --> 00:20:50.059
except for a single man

00:20:50.059 --> 00:20:52.059
who had initially joined the tyrannical rebels

00:20:52.059 --> 00:20:54.059
at the very beginning,

00:20:54.059 --> 00:20:56.059
but then felt ashamed and drew back.

00:20:56.059 --> 00:21:00.589
Indeed, the history of prophethood

00:21:00.589 --> 00:21:02.589
has never known anyone

00:21:02.589 --> 00:21:04.589
to marry two daughters of a prophet

00:21:04.589 --> 00:21:06.589
other than 'Uthman

00:21:06.589 --> 00:21:08.589
Ibn 'Affan,

00:21:08.589 --> 00:21:10.589
may Allah be pleased with him.