HAZRAT USMAN GHANI (RDA)

HAZRAT USMAN GHANI (RDA)

Iqbal Hussain Ansari

Hazrat Usman Ghani (RDA) occupies the fourth position in the list of the earliest converts to Islam and is one of the 'Ashrah-i-Mubashsharah, i.e those ten fortunate Companions of the Holy Prophet (ﷺ) who had been given in their lifetime the glad tiding of their title to enter Paradise. Hazrat Usman (RDA) also enjoyed the unique honour and distinction of being the husband, one after the other, of two daughters of the Holy Prophet (ﷺ). They were Hazrat Ruqaiyyah and Umm-e Kulsoom (RDA). The former died immediately after the battle of Badr and the latter passed away in the ninth year of the Hijra. The Holy Prophet (ﷺ) often said after their death that if he had a third daughter he would have given her hand in marriage to Hazrat Usman (RDA).

 

His Election As The Third Caliph

 

After the sad and tragic demise of the second Caliph, Hazrat Umar Farooq (RDA) Hazrat Usman Ghani (RDA) succeeded him as the third orthodox caliph of Islam. On account of his countless qualities of head and heart and his most valuable services to Islam the Muslims unanimously elected him caliph. Hazrat Ali, Abdur Rahman bin Auf, Talha, Zubair (RDA) were among the prominent Companions who chose him as caliph in difference to the wishes of the Muslim Ummah. He took upon his shoulders the huge responsibility of an expanding Empire with its complicated problems when he was an old man of about seventy years. Yet he discharged his responsibilities with a spirit of juvenile enthusiasm, endurance and courage to the last moment of his life.

 

Generosity

 

Probably the most outstanding of his innumerable qualities was generosity. The Holy Prophet (ﷺ) highly praised Hazrat Usman (RDA) for this quality in him which came to the help of Islam and the Muslims on many critical occasions. It was due to his exemplary generosity that he was called "Ghani" meaning "Affluent". Only a few specimens of his generosity and philanthropic dealings in the path of Allah, His Prophet and Islam in general are touched upon in the following paragraphs.

 

Bi'r-e-Roomah

 

When the Muslims migrated from Makkah to Madinah they were faced with great shortage of water. Wells were few and far between. The land being rocky, it was not easy to dig out new wells to solve the water problem. In order to relieve the Muslims of this water shortage Hazrat Usman Ghani (RDA) purchased a well, named Bi'r-e-Roomah, which was the property of a Jew of Madinah at an exorbitant price and donated it to the Muslims. This was indeed a magnificent work of charity done only to earn the pleasure of Allah and His Messenger.

 

The Famine

 

During the Caliphate of Hazrat Abu Bakr (RDA) the people suffered from severe famine for about a year. At that time Hazrat Usman Ghani had about 1000 bags of food grains for which the people were prepared to pay any price. Hazrat Usman was however, too generous to take advantage of this situation to make a bargain to swell his purse. He seized the opportunity to make a bargain not for this transitory world but for the blissful and eternal home of the Hereafter by distributing the foodgrain among the people of Madinah free of cost. He proudly used to say that he attached no importance to the enjoyment and comforts of this world.

 

The Battle Of Tabook

When on the occasion of the Battle of Tabook the Holy Prophet (ﷺ) made an appeal to the Muslims to contribute their mite to the war fund, Hazrat Usman lost no time in responding to the call of the Holy Prophet (ﷺ) and donated a large amount in the cause of Allah. Seeing this liberal contribution the Holy Prophet (ﷺ) was so much pleased with Hazrat Usman that he is reported to have said: Allah will accept whatever Usman does from today onward. In fact the Holy Prophet (ﷺ) showed great regard and love for Hazrat Usman not only because he was the Prophet's son-in-law but because of the invaluable services he rendered and the torture he suffered for the cause of Islam.

 

Hazrat Usman And The Holy Qur'an

 

Hazrat Usman (RDA) was one of the transcribers of the Holy Qur'an an honour which the Holy Prophet (ﷺ) is reported to have explained to him through the following question which he once put to Hazrat Usman (RDA).

 

"Are you aware of the place and status of the transcriber of revelation (Vahi). The transcriber of "Vahi" is looked upon as a very important and respectable personality."

 

We all know full well that the Holy Qur'an was revealed during the lifetime of the Holy Prophet (ﷺ) and it was collected and compiled in the form of a book during the caliphate of Hazrat Abu Bakr Siddiq (RDA). It was seen that during Hazrat Usman's caliphate various differences had arisen concerning the accent of the words of the Qur'anic text as well as the style of its recitation which might lead to rifts among the various sections of the Ummah. To forestall such a situation Hazrat Usman decided to withdraw all the copies of the Holy Qur'an then in use in various parts of the Muslim Empire and replaced them by standardized version of the Qur'anic text. Eight standardized copies of the Qur'anic text were therefore made out and distributed among the various parts of the Muslim Empire. The copies of the Holy Qur'an we have today with us are true copies of the same Usmani Qur'an. This was indeed a most magnificent service to Islam.

 

His Piety And Devotion To Allah

 

Hazrat Usman (RDA) is renowned for his piety, sincerity in faith, unrelenting perseverance in carrying out the injunctions of the Qur'an and the Sunnah. He remained extremely abstemious and God-­fearing (Muttaqi) throughout his life. The Holy Prophet (ﷺ) as well the entire group of companions (RDA) held Hazrat Usman in high esteem. Of his many qualities of head and heart the quality of "Haya". (bashfulness) is so outstanding that he is  generally cited as an example in this behalf. It is said that Hazrat Usman was more bashful than a young damsel. We have already seen in the foregoing paragraphs that he had no corner in his pious heart for worldly temptations. All his thoughts and movements were concentrated on the blessings and temptations of the Hereafter. The Holy Prophet (ﷺ) was pleased with him and prayed to Allah that may He too be pleased with Usman. In a word, Hazrat Usman was a model of piety, godliness, "Taqwa" and modesty and it is not possible to recount all the qualities of Hazrat Usman in the limited space at our disposal at the moment.

 

Hazrat Usman As An Administrator

 

He was a man of cool temperament and humble disposition, far from being affected even in the least degree by the dignity and high honour of the position he held by virtue of his appointment as the third caliph of the quickly expanding Islamic Empire. Yet he was a great disciplinarian an efficient administrator and above all a just ruler. In order to provide to the people justice and to guarantee their rights irrespective of colour, cast, creed or language, he had employed Muhtasibs (Ombudsmen) and efficient spies to report to him cases of corruption, mal-administration and injustice. He was never slack and hesitant in punishing the wrongdoers and restoring to the wronged their usurped rights. He dismissed from their posts high dignitaries like Hazrat Amr bin-al-Ass and Walid bin Aqabah who were Governors of Egypt and Koofah respectively on complaints of irregularities against them. Hazrat Usman (RDA) imparted a new tone to the Islamic Empire almost in every direction — public works, administration of justice, commerce and trade, establishment of law and order, eradication of bribery, and corruption. He was particularly anxious about his non-Muslim subject (Dimmis) and took every care to ensure that they were not molested simply because there were non-Muslims and that full justice was done to them according to the injunctions in the Holy Qur'an and the Sunnah. In short, during his caliphate there was peace and prosperity everywhere. There was co­operation and fellow-feeling among the people. The enemies of Islam and of the Muslim Empire dared not raise their heads in rebellion - so strong and effective was the caliph's control over the affairs of the state. According to Hazrat Hasan Basri (RDA) this was all due to that feeling of affection, sympathy and goodwill which Hazrat Usman nourished in his heart for the Muslims in general.

 

Martyrdom

It would look very strange, rather a queer paradox, that a personality so magnificent, so pious and God fearing, so dear to the Holy Prophet (ﷺ) and acceptable to Allah and so popular among the people whom he governed should fall an easy pray to the murderer's violence. It was so pre-destined by the Creator. Sad, awfully deplorable and lamentable was the end of the life of this great hero of Islam.

 

Through all the grandeur, progress and prosperity of the Muslim Empire, an underhand conspiracy was being hatched by a group of perverted persons headed by Abdullah bin Saba, a Jew under the guise of a Muslim. This hypocrite played his nefarious role so cunningly and efficiently by means of treachery and by circulating letters under forged signatures of the Caliph that he was able to incite a mob of disgruntled persons who decided to put an end to this pious and dedicated life that was Usman's, the third Caliph of Islam.

 

When surrounded by the relentless insurgents, the Caliph was advised to call the army to protect himself and arrest the miscreants but he did not listen to the advice. He did not want to shed Muslim blood nor did he want to become in any way a cause of rift and disunity among the Ummah. He, therefore, calmly submitted to the will of Allah. The rebels mercilessly murdered him while he was reciting the Holy Qur'an.