He was a great man. His legacy is not mentioned as often as some of the other companions of the Prophet (peace be upon him) such as Abu Bakr and Umar bin Al-Khattab (may Allah be pleased with them all), but his legacy was no less stellar than theirs and he was, in all that the word entails, a true hero of Islam.

The first two Rightly Guided Caliphs left large shoes to fill, and historical accounts of them tend to overshadow the achievements of their successors. Yet, the exemplary life of Uthman ibn Affan is one to be emulated, for he is one of the ten Companions who has been promised Paradise. Of him, the Prophet SAW said "Every prophet has a companion in paradise. My companion there is Uthman."

His charitable acts and modesty earned him prominence in the early Islamic community, and he was among the favorite and most loyal companions of Prophet Muhammad. Throughout his life he was known as a kind, generous man and even before his reversion to Islam he would freely give money to help those in need.

Uthman was born in 576/583 CE in Taif, a resort Arabian town in the Hejaz region,to Affan ibn Abi al-'As, a successful merchant of the Umayyad, and to Arwa bint Kurayz, of the Abdshams, both wealthy clans of the Quraysh tribe in Mecca. Arwa's mother was Umm Hakim bint Abdul Muttalib, making Arwa the first cousin of Muhammad SAW and Uthman his first cousin's son. Uthman was well educated and soon found himself in his father's position who had passed away, leaving Uthman with a large inheritance. He became a merchant like his father, and his business flourished, making him one of the richest men in Mecca. He is listed as one of the 22 Meccans "at the dawn of Islam" who knew how to write.

When the Prophet SAW declared his mission, a mutual friend, Abu Bakr persuaded Uthman to accept Islam in 611 CE, making him one of the early followers to do so.His conversion to Islam angered his clan,the Banu Ummayyah, who strongly opposed Muhammad's teachings.

Uthman married Ruqayyah, the daughter of the Prophet (prayers and peace be upon him), The couple had one son, who died at the age of six.

Allah's decree that all are to be tested is applied constantly to individuals, communities, peoples and nations. This applied to the Companions too, and they underwent trials and tribulations that would shake the foundation of lofty mountains. They spent their wealth and shed their blood for the sake of Allah, and this suffering became as severe as Allah willed that it should. The prominent Muslims were not spared these trials.

Uthman was persecuted and tortured for the sake of Allah at the hands of his

paternal uncle al-Hakam ibn Abi'l-'Aas.

The persecution intensified and affected all the Muslims, the Prophet (prayers and peace be upon him) was deeply grieved, and wondered where could the Muslims go?.

Then the Messenger of Allah (prayers and peace be upon him) thought of Abyssinia (Ethiopia) and said to the Muslims: "Why don't you go to Abyssinia, for in (that land) there is a righteous king in whose land no one is wronged." Among those who migrated during the first and second migration to Abyssinia was Uthman ibn Affan, and on both occasions he was accompanied by his wife Ruqayyah, the daughter of the Messenger of Allah (prayers and peace be upon him). They arrived in Abyssinia in Rajab in the fifth year after the Prophet's mission began, and they found safety, security and freedom of worship.

The Qur'an speaks of the migration of the early Muslims to Abyssinia, as Allah says:

"And as for those who emigrated for the Cause of Allah, after they had been wronged, We shall certainly give them goodly residence in this world, but indeed the reward of the Hereafter will be greater; if they but knew!"(Al-Nahl 16:41).

After four years, the news spread among the Muslims in Abyssinia that the Quraysh of Mecca had accepted Islam, and this acceptance persuaded Uthman, Ruqayya and other Muslims to return. However, when they reached Mecca, they found that the news about the Quraysh's acceptance of Islam was false. Nevertheless, Uthman and Ruqayya re-settled in Mecca. Uthman had to start his business afresh, but the contacts that he had already established in Abyssinia worked in his favour and his business prospered once again.

Again, the Prophet had asked his companions and other Muslims to migrate, this time to Medina, to save themselves from enduring further evil plots of the Quraish. Among the emigrants to Medina were Uthman and Ruqayya.Upon arrival, Uthman stayed with Abu Talha ibn Thabit before moving into the house he purchased a short time later. Uthman was one of the richest merchants of Mecca, with no need of financial help from his Ansari brothers, as he had brought the considerable fortune he had amassed with him to Medina.

He was well-known as someone who was blessed with wealth. However, it did not make him arrogant or stingy. Instead, he was very generous and donated most of his wealth for the betterment of the community.

In a famous narration, it was reported that when the Prophet (prayers and peace be upon him) came to Madinah he found that there was very little fresh water there and there was no source of fresh water in Madinah except the well of Bi'r Roomah.

The Messenger of Allah (prayers and peace be upon him) said: "Who will buy Bi'r Roomah and share it with the Muslims in return for reward in Paradise?" And he said: "!Who will dig the well of Bi'r Roomah and Paradise will be his?"

Before the arrival of the Prophet (prayers and peace be upon him), no one could drink from Bi'r Roomah except in return for payment.

A man from Banu Ghifar had a well called Roomah and he used to sell water from it by the bucketful. The Prophet (prayers and peace be upon him) said: "Will you sell it in return for a spring in Paradise?" He said: O Messenger of Allah, my family and I do not have anything else. News of that reached Uthman and he bought it for thirty-five thousand dirhams, then he came to the Prophet (prayers and peace be upon him) and he said: Will you promise me in return for it the same as you promised him? He said: "Yes." He said: Then I give it to the Muslims.

In another narration, it was reported that Saidina Uthman r.a. donated hundreds of camels and trading goods to the poor and needy in Madinah. Such was the spirit of giving that was displayed by this noble companion of the Prophet s.a.w.

When the Muslims went out to fight the Battle of Badr, Uthman's (R.A.) wife Ruqayyah (R.A.) was sick and was confined to her bed at the time when her father Mohammad (S.A.W.) called on the Muslims to intercept the caravan of Quraish. Uthman hastened to go out with the Messenger of Allah (S.A.W.) but he did not allowed Uthman to go with them and ordered him to stay with Ruqayyah (R.A.) and nurse her by saying:

"You [Uthman]will receive the same reward and share (of the booty) as anyone of those who participated in the battle of Badr (if you stay with her)." (Bukhari: 3699)

Uthman obeyed willingly and stayed with his wife Ruqayyah. When she breathed her last breaths, she was longing to see her Father who had gone out to Badr. Her grieving husband, Uthman, buried his beloved wife in Al-Baqee (sacred graveyard of Muslims near Masjid Al-Nabawi in Madinah). After returning victories from the Battle of Badr, Messenger (S.A.W.) learned about the death of his daughter Ruqayyah (R.A.), he went out to Al-Baqee and stood over the grave of his daughter and prayed for forgiveness for her.

After the death of Ruqayyah ,Prophet Mohammad (S.A.W) married his daughter Umm Kulthum (R.A.) with Uthman, who stayed with Uthman (R.A.) unitl her death in Shaban, 9 AH.

It has been said that marriage to two daughters of the Prophet SAW had earned Uthman the nickname Dhun-Noorayn (the possessor with the two lights) as there was no one else had the privilege of having the Prophet SAW as a father-in-law twice over.

This is inductive of the love of the Prophet Mohammad (S.A.W.) for Uthman and of Uthman's loyalty and respect towards his Prophet (S.A.W.)

When the Messenger of Allah (prayers and peace be upon him) halted at al-Hudaybiyah, he deemed it essential to send a representative to Quraysh, to tell them of his peaceful intentions and that he had no desire to fight, and he wanted to respect the holy places; he wanted to perform Umrah and then return to Madinah.

The Messenger of Allah (prayers and peace be upon him) called Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him) and said: "Go to Quraysh and tell them that we have not come to fight, rather we have only come as visitors to this House, respecting its sanctity. We have our sacrificial animals with us; we will slaughter them and depart." Uthman set out and came to Makkah, he met Aban ibn Sa'eed ibn Al-'Aas, who stood up and welcomed him and offered him protection and said: I think you w!ill get what you want.

The Quraish offered him the opportunity to make tawaf but he refused for as long as the Prophet had been prevented to do so. The Quraish then decided to detain Uthman, perhaps wanting to ensure they had a "card to play" in negotiations with the Muslims but this resulted in rumours that he had suffered death in the hands of the Quraish.

The death of a messenger is often deemed as a declaration of war and the Prophet went about to prepare for a confrontation in Mecca. The Prophet SAW called upon his followers to take an oath that they will remain on the battlefield and to fight unto death, that they would not flee and will stand or fall together to avenge Uthman's death.

The Prophet (prayers and peace be upon him) said of his right hand, "This is the hand of Uthman", and he put it on his other hand. The number of Companions from whom the Messenger of Allah (prayers and peace be upon him) accepted the oath of allegiance beneath the tree was one thousand and four hundred.

The pledge had pleased Allah but thankfully it need not be acted upon for Uthman emerged soon after. Allah revealed a verse in Surat Al-Fath referring to the sanctity of the covenant:

"Verily, those who give Bay'ah (pledge) to you (o Muhammad) they are giving Bay'ah to Allah. The Hand of Allah is over their hands. Then whosoever breaks his pledge, breaks it only to his own harm; and whosoever fulfils what he has covenanted with Allah, He will bestow on him a great reward." [Qur'an 48:10]

Ibn Shihab az-Zuhri said: Uthman supplied the army of Tabook with nine hundred and forty camels, and sixty horses to bring the number to one thousand. Uthman brought ten thousand dinars to equip the army and placed the money before the Messenger of Allah (prayers and peace be upon him) and the Messenger (prayers and peace be upon him) began turning it over with his hand saying, "No deed can harm Uthman after today" twice.

Umar ibn Al-Khattab, the second caliph of Islam, was stabbed by a Persian slave Abu Lu'lu'ah, a Persian Magian, while leading the Fajr Prayer. As Umar was lying on his death bed, the people around him asked him to appoint a successor. Umar appointed a committee of six people to choose the next caliph from among themselves.

This committee comprised Ali ibn Abi Talib, Uthman ibn Affan, Abdur-Rahman ibn Awf, Sad ibn Abi Waqqas, Az-Zubayr ibn Al-Awam, and Talhah ibn Ubayd Allah, (May Allah be pleased with all of them),who were among the most eminent Companions of the Prophet, may God send His praises upon him, and who had received in their lifetime the tidings of Paradise.

The instructions of Umar were that the Election Committee should choose the successor within three days, and he should assume office on the fourth day. As two days passed by without a decision, the members felt anxious that the time was running out fast, and still no solution to the problem appeared to be in sight. Abdur-Rahman ibn Awf offered to forgo his own claim if others agreed to abide by his decision. All agreed to let Abdur-Rahman choose the new caliph. He interviewed each nominee and went about Medinah asking the people for their choice. He finally selected Uthman as the new caliph, as the majority of the people chose him.

When the oath of allegiance was sworn to Uthman as caliph, he stood before the people and said:

"I have been given a responsibility and I have accepted it. Verily I am a follower (of the Sunnah) and not an innovator. I promise you that in addition to following the Book of Allah and the Sunnah of His Prophet (prayers and peace be upon him), I will do three other things:

following the examples of those who came before me with regard to what you have agreed upon and decided, and what is decided by good people openly, and not interfering with you except when a punishment is required. This world is tempting and it makes itself attractive to people, so that many people are inclined towards it. Do not be content with this world and so not put your trust in it, for it is not trustworthy. Understand that these worldly temptations will not go away unless you ignore them.""

During Uthman's rule, the characteristics of Abu Bakr's and Umar's caliphate, comprehensive justice for аll, and humane policies where adhered to. He continued to strive in the Cause of Allah and the expansion of Islam continued.

Uthman (R.A.) was deeply attached to the Holy Quran. It was narrated that Abu Abd Al-Rahman Al-Sulami said:

"Those who taught the Quran, such as Uthman ibn Affan, Abd-Allah ibn Masood and others, told us that when they learned ten verses from the Prophet (S.A.W.), they would not go beyond them until they had learned the knowledge contained in them and how to apply it in deed. They said: So we learned the Quran and knowledge and its application together. Hence they would spend a while to memorize a surah."

It was narrated from Anas ibn Maalik that Hudhayfah ibn al- Yamaan came to Uthman when he was on campaign with the people of Syria and the people of Iraq in the conquest of Armenia and Azerbaijan. Hudhayfah was very alarmed by the differences in their recitation, so Hudhayfah said to Uthman: O Amir of Believers, save this nation before they differ concerning the Book (Qur'an) as the Jews and the Christians did.

Uthman set word to Hafsah saying: "Send us the manuscript so that we may make copies of it, then we will return it to you". So Hafsah sent it to Uthman, and he ordered four of the Companions to make copies of it. They did that, until they had made many copies, then Uthman returned the manuscript to Hafsah, and he sent a copied Book (Mus-haf) to every reign and ordered that all other Qur'nic material, whether it was manuscripts or entire copies, be burnt. This ingenious move, driven by the care for his faith, was twisted into an accusation of blasphemy by his enemies, but he was redeemed of this blame after his death.

Uthman led a simple life even after becoming the leader of the Islamic state. It would have been easy for a successful businessman such as him to lead a luxurious life, but he never aimed at leading such in this world. His only aim was to taste the pleasure of the hereafter, as he knew that this world is a test and temporary. Uthman's generosity continued after he became caliph.

The caliphs were paid for their services from the treasury, but Uthman never took any salary for his service to Islam. Not only this, he also developed a custom to free slaves every Friday, look after widows and orphans, and give unlimited charity. His patience and endurance were among the characteristics that made him a successful leader.

Uthman achieved much during his reign. He pushed forward with the pacification of Persia, continued to defend the Muslim state against the Byzantines, added what is now Libya to the empire, and subjugated most of Armenia. Uthman also, through his cousin Mu'awiyah ibn Abi Sufyan, the governor of Syria, established an Arab navy which fought a series of important engagements with the Byzantines.

Uthman ruled for twelve years. While the first six years were marked by internal реасе and tranquillity, rebellion rose during the second half of his caliphate. As the Islamic state expanded greatly under his rule, so did the pool of hypocrites who had pretended to accept Islam but sought to disrupt and destroy the state. Rebels had gathered thousands to revolt against Uthman's rule.

Uthman, despite facing a lack of support within his realm, could have used the battle-hardened and loyal Syrian army to crush the renegades. The Syrian governor Muawiya was his cousin and had earned the office in the tenure of his predecessor. He was willing to send over a detachment but was forbidden from doing so by him. Uthman (r.a) preferred to persuade with kindness and generosity for he always remembered the words of Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w.w): "Once the sword is unsheathed among my followers, it will not be sheathed until the Last Day."

Vicious allegations abounded and were rampantly circulated against Uthman. The ripple of discontent and dissension spread, but Uthman refused to acknowledge such reports and his advisors' request to quell the riots. Because of his honesty and forthright personality, he did not use the funds from the treasury to employ additional guards to him and his home.

Shortly after this, when it was the time for Hajj, the group of rebels wore the Ihram pretending that they were performing Hajj. And they said that they were going to the Rauwda of the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم but their intention was something else. The news reached Uthman and he ascended the pulpit and said, "The news has reached me that some rebels are marching in Madinah."

The Sahabah said, "Don't worry O' Ameer ul-Mu'minin when they'll come, we'll sort them out." Uthman, said, "No, when they will come I will explain the truth to them if they want to accept then " .

Upon the occasion 'Uthman was in Masjid and these rebels came in and they stood up and began to object from 'Uthman. The first of their objections was, "O' 'Uthman! You are a mubtadi'! Because when you came for Hajj and when you came to Mina instead of performing 2 Raka'at, you performed 4 Raka'at although we saw the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلمperform 2 Raka'at, Abu Bakr perform 2 Raka'at we saw 'Umar perform 2 Raka'at."

And 'Uthman said, "I have a wife who lives in Mina so I am not a traveller I am a resident so therefore I prayed 4 Raka'at" And he turned around to the Sahabah and said, "Isn't it so?" They said, "Allahu Man'aam!" "Indeed it is so!"

They (the rebels) said, "O' 'Uthman! You took the land around Madinah for yourself and for your camels to graze and you used the property of the believers for you personal use!" And 'Uthman replied, "Before I became the Khalifah, there was no 'Arab who had more camels than I had and today I only have two camels." And he turned around to the Sahabah and said, "Isn't it so?" They said, "Allahu Man'aam!" "Indeed it is so!"

They then said, "O' 'Uthman! The Qur'an was in many dialects and you brought it into one." And 'Uthman replied, "Allah سبحانه و تعالى is one and His book is one." And he turned to the Sahabah and said, "Isn't it so?" They said, "Allahu Man'aam!" "Indeed it is so!"

They said, "O' 'Uthman! You gave priority to young over the old. You made young the leaders over the old." And 'Uthman

turned around and said, "Didn't Prophet

made Usamah bin Zayd the leader over an army in which Abu Bakr, 'Umar, 'Uthman and many others eminent Sahabah were?" And he turned around to the Sahabah and said, "Wasn't it so?" They said, "Allahu Man'aam!" "Indeed it is so!"