Editing Uthman (section)

== Revolt against Uthman ==
The politics of Egypt played the major role in the propaganda war against the caliphate, so Uthman summoned Abdullah ibn Saad, the governor of Egypt, to Medina to consult with him as to the course of action that should be adopted. Abd Allah ibn Sa'd came to Medina, leaving the affairs of Egypt to his deputy, and in his absence, [[Muhammad ibn Abi Hudhayfa]] staged a [[coup d'état]] and took power. On hearing of the revolt in Egypt, Abd Allah hastened back, but Uthman was not in a position to offer him any military assistance, and so Abd Allah was unable to suppress the revolt.<ref>Abu Nu'aym, Hilya al-Awliya' 1:92–100 #3; al-Dhahabi, Siyar A'lam al-Nubala' 1/2: 566–614 #4.</ref>

Several Sunni scholars, such as [[Ibn Qutaybah]], Ali Ibn Burhanuddin al-Halabi, Ibne Abi-al-Hadeed and Ibne Manzur, reported that there were several leading [[Sahaba]] among those who called upon Uthman to step down for reasons such as nepotism and profligacy.

=== Rebels in Medina ===
From Egypt, Kufa, and Basra, contingents of about 1,000 people apiece were sent to Medina, each with instructions to assassinate Uthman and overthrow the government.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://sunnah.org/publication/khulafa_rashideen/caliph3.htm |title=Uthman ibn Affan |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070929091309/http://sunnah.org/publication/khulafa_rashideen/caliph3.htm |archive-date=29 September 2007}}</ref> Representatives of the Egyptian contingent waited on Ali and offered him the Caliphate, but he turned them down. Representatives of the contingent from Kufa waited on Al-Zubayr, and those from Basra waited on [[Talhah|Talha]], each offering them their allegiance as the next Caliph, but both were similarly turned down. By proposing alternatives to Uthman as Caliph, the rebels swayed public opinion in Medina to the point where Uthman's faction could no longer offer a united front. Uthman had the active support of the Umayyads and a few other people in Medina.<ref name="Gabrieli">''Muhammad and the Conquests of Islam'', Francesco Gabrieli, London, 1968</ref>

=== Siege of Uthman ===
The early stage of the siege of Uthman's house was not severe, but, as the days passed, the rebels intensified the pressure against Uthman.<ref name="Hinds">"The Murder of the Caliph Uthman," M. Hinds, in ''International Journal of Middle East Studies'', 1972</ref> With the departure of the pilgrims from Medina to Mecca, the rebel position was strengthened further, and as a consequence the crisis deepened. The rebels understood that, after the Hajj, the Muslims, gathered at Mecca from all parts of the [[Muslim world]], might march to Medina to relieve Uthman. They therefore decided to take action against Uthman before the pilgrimage was over. During the siege, Uthman was asked by his supporters, who outnumbered the rebels, to let them fight, but Uthman refused in an effort to avoid bloodshed among Muslims. Unfortunately for Uthman, violence still occurred. The gates of the house of Uthman were shut and guarded by the warrior Abd-Allah ibn al-Zubayr,<ref name="Hinds" /> along with Ali's sons, [[Hasan ibn Ali]] and [[Husayn ibn Ali]].<ref>''Prophets and Princes - Saudi Arabia from Muhammad to the Present'', p. 63, by Mark Weston</ref><ref>Al Nahaya, Volume 5, page 80; Qamus, page 500; "lughut Nathal" by Firozabadi; Lisan al Arab, Volume 11 Chapter "Lughuth Nathal" page 670; Sharh Nahjul Balagha Ibn al Hadeed Volume 2 page 122; Sheikh al-Mudhira, by Mahmoud Abu Raya, p. 170 (foot note); Al-Imama wa al-Siyasa, Volume 1 page 52; Tarikh Mukhtasar al-Duwal, by Ibn Al-Ebrei, vol. 1, p. 55; Al-Mahsol, by al-Razi, v. 4 p. 343; Ansab al-Ashraf, Volume 6 pages 192–193, Tarikh e Tibri by Tibri, v. 8 p. 343.</ref>

=== Causes of anti-Uthman revolt ===
{{Main|Abd Allah ibn Saba'}}

The actual reason for the anti-Uthman movement is disputed among the Shia and Sunni Muslims.<ref name="Gabrieli" />  Under Uthman, the people became more prosperous and on the [[Politics|political]] plane, they came to enjoy a larger degree of freedom. No institutions were devised to channel political activity, and, in their absence, the [[Pre-Islamic Arabia|pre-Islamic]] tribal jealousies and rivalries, which had been suppressed under earlier caliphs, erupted once again. The people took advantage of Uthman's leniency, which became a headache for the state, culminating in Uthman's assassination.<ref name="Aadil" />

According to [[Wilferd Madelung]], during Uthman's reign, "grievances against his arbitrary acts were substantial by standards of his time. Historical sources mention a lengthy account of the wrongdoings he was accused of... It was only his violent death that came to absolve him in Sunni ideology from any ''ahdath'' and make him a martyr and the third Rightly Guided Caliph".<ref>{{Cite book |last=Madelung |first=Wilfred |title=The Succession to Muhammad |title-link=The Succession to Muhammad |page=78}}</ref> According to Heather Keaney, Uthman, as a caliph, relied solely on his own volition in picking his cabinet, which led to decisions that bred resistance within the Muslim community. Indeed, his style of governance made Uthman one of the most controversial figures in Islamic history.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Keaney |first1=Heather |date=2011 |title=Confronting the Caliph - Uthmân b. Affân in Three Abbasid Chronicles |journal=[[Studia Islamica]] |volume=106 |issue=1 |doi=10.1163/19585705-12341251 |doi-access=free}}</ref>

The resistance against Uthman arose because he favoured family members when choosing governors, reasoning that, by doing this, he would be able to exact more influence on how the caliphate was run and consequently improve the feudal system he worked to establish. The contrary turned out to be true and his appointees had more control over how he conducted business than he had originally planned.<ref name="EI2">{{Cite encyclopedia |date=2012 |title=Ut̲h̲mān b. Affān |encyclopedia=Encyclopaedia of Islam |publisher=[[Brill Publishers|Brill]] |editor=P. Bearman |edition=2nd |doi=10.1163/1573-3912_islam_COM_1315 |author2=R.G. Khoury |author1=G. Levi Della Vida |editor2=Th. Bianquis |editor3=C.E. Bosworth |editor4=E. van Donzel |editor5=W.P. Heinrichs}}</ref> They went so far as to impose authoritarianism over their provinces. Indeed, many anonymous letters were written to the leading companions of Muhammad, complaining about the alleged tyranny of Uthman's appointed governors. Moreover, letters were sent to the leaders of public opinion in different provinces concerning the reported mishandling of power by Uthman's family. This contributed to unrest in the empire and finally Uthman had to investigate the matter in an attempt to ascertain the authenticity of the rumours.<ref>''A Chronology of Islamic History, 570–1000 CE'' by Habibur U. Rahman. {{ISBN|978-0-8161-9067-6}}</ref> [[Wilferd Madelung]] discredits the alleged role of [[Abd Allah ibn Saba'|Abdullah ibn Saba]] in the rebellion against Uthman and observes that ''few if any modern historians would accept Sayf's legend of Ibn Saba''.<ref>''The Succession to Muhammad'', p. 2</ref>

[[Bernard Lewis]], a 20th-century [[scholar]], says of Uthman:
{{blockquote|''Uthman'', like [[Mu'awiya I]], was a member of the leading [[Mecca]]n [[Umayyad|family of Ummaya]] and was indeed the sole representative of the Meccan patricians among the [[Sahabah|early companions]] of the Prophet with sufficient prestige to rank as a candidate. His election was at once their victory and their opportunity. That opportunity was not neglected. Uthman soon fell under the influence of the dominant Meccan families and one after another, the high posts of the Empire went to members of those families.<br /><br />The weakness and nepotism of Uthman brought to a head the resentment which had for some time been stirring obscurely among the Arab warriors. The Muslim tradition attribute the breakdown which occurred during his reign to the personal defects of Uthman. But, the causes lie far deeper and the guilt of Uthman lay in his failure to recognize, control or remedy them.<ref>''[[The Arabs in History]]'', p. 59, [[Oxford University Press]], 2002</ref>}}