“Indeed, it is We who sent down the Qur’an, and indeed, We will be its guardian.” (Al-Hijr: 9). Allah has pledged to preserve the Quran after entrusting humanity with the preservation of previous messages, which were subsequently forgotten or altered. Allah has raised men to safeguard His Book in their hearts and transmit it from generation to generation without modification or distortion, ensuring its arrival intact on the Day of Judgment, just as it was revealed to Muhammad (peace be upon him). Among these great reciters was Uthman ibn Affan (may Allah be pleased with him). Imam Al-Dhahabi mentioned him as one of the first who recited the entire Quran to the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) (1) and one of those who compiled the Quran during the Prophet’s lifetime. He was also one of the ten promised Paradise and the third of the Rightly Guided Caliphs.
He was Uthman ibn Affan ibn Abi al-As ibn Umayyah ibn Abd Shams ibn Abd Manaf ibn Qusay, sharing lineage with the Prophet (peace be upon him) through Abd Manaf. (2) He was given the title Dhul-Nurayn (the Possessor of Two Lights) for marrying the Prophet’s two daughters, one after the other. Al-Hasan Al-Basri said: "He was called Dhul-Nurayn because we know of no one who closed his door upon two daughters of a prophet other than him." (3)
The life of Uthman ibn Affan was filled with great events, especially after his acceptance of Islam, and the Prophet (peace be upon him) eventually promised him martyrdom and breaking the fast with him in Paradise. The first generation of Companions grew up under the guidance of the Quran, which shaped their souls and formed their characters as they adhered to its path.
1. His Acceptance of Islam:
Uthman was a widely traveled merchant, skilled in discerning people and wise in his dealings. When he heard of the Prophet’s (peace be upon him) message, he was intrigued and contemplative until he met Abu Bakr, who spoke to him about the Prophet. Abu Bakr said, "Woe to you, O Uthman! You are a wise man who can distinguish truth from falsehood. What are these idols that our people worship? Are they not mere stones that neither hear nor see?" Uthman replied, "Indeed." Then Abu Bakr offered to take him to the Prophet (peace be upon him) to hear directly from him, and Uthman agreed.
The Prophet (peace be upon him) happened to pass by with Ali ibn Abi Talib, and they invited Uthman to Islam and to Paradise. Upon hearing this, Uthman embraced Islam, (4) thus becoming one of the early pioneers for Allah’s religion. He later married Ruqayyah, the Prophet’s daughter, his first "light." After her death, he married her sister, Umm Kulthum, thereby becoming Dhul-Nurayn.
2. The First to Migrate:
When the persecution of Muslims intensified, the Prophet (peace be upon him) instructed his Companions to migrate to Abyssinia, where there was a just ruler who did not oppress anyone. History records that Uthman ibn Affan and his wife Ruqayyah were the first to obey this instruction.
A total of 12 men and 4 women migrated. Al-Bayhaqi narrates from Qatadah: "The first to migrate to Allah with his family was Uthman ibn Affan (may Allah be pleased with him)." Qatadah added that he heard Al-Nadr ibn Anas say he heard Abu Hamza, meaning Anas ibn Malik, say: "Uthman ibn Affan set out with Ruqayyah, the daughter of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him), to Abyssinia. The Prophet (peace be upon him) did not receive news of them for a while. When a woman from Quraysh arrived, she said, 'O Muhammad, I saw your son-in-law with his wife.' The Prophet (peace be upon him) asked, 'How did you find them?' She replied, 'I saw him carrying his wife on a donkey, urging her on.' The Prophet (peace be upon him) said, 'May Allah accompany them. Uthman was the first to migrate with his family after Lot.'" (5)
3. His Companionship with the Prophet (peace be upon him):
Uthman devoted his life to pleasing Allah and emulating His Messenger (peace be upon him). Al-Bukhari narrates that Uthman said: "Verily Allah, may He be glorified and exalted, sent Muhammad with the truth and I was one of those who responded to (the call of) Allah and His Messenger, and I believed in that with which Muhammad (ﷺ) was sent. Then I migrated twice, and I also attained the honour of becoming the son-in law of the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ), I swore allegiance to the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ), and by Allah, I never disobeyed him or betrayed him until Allah, may He be glorified and exalted, took his soul in death."
He entrusted others with managing his vast business so he could dedicate himself to accompanying the Prophet (peace be upon him), learning the Quran, and dedicating his wealth to serving Muslims in peace and war. He memorized the Quran in full from the Prophet (peace be upon him) through direct instruction, then accompanied him on his travels and battles. Al-Hakim mentions in Al-Mustadrak that Abu Hurairah said: "I entered upon Ruqayyah, the daughter of the Messenger of Allah, the wife of Uthman ibn Affan, and in her hand was a comb. She said, 'The Messenger of Allah had just left, and I combed his hair.' The Prophet said, 'How do you find Abu Abdullah?' I replied, 'The best of men.' He said, 'Honor him, for he is the most similar to me in character among my Companions.'"
4. His Jihad with the Prophet (peace be upon him):
Despite Uthman’s bravery and strength in battle, he wasn’t as renowned in warfare as Khalid ibn al-Walid. This was due to his extreme modesty and reserved nature. He did not miss any of the Prophet’s (peace be upon him) battles unless the Prophet (peace be upon him) specifically appointed him to stay behind. For instance, he was asked to remain behind during the Battle of Badr to care for his wife, Ruqayyah, who was gravely ill and eventually passed away when news of the great victory at Badr reached Medina. (6) Yet the Prophet (peace be upon him) assigned Uthman a share of the spoils from Badr as if he had been present.
At Hudaybiyyah and during the Pledge of Ridwan, Uthman’s stand is well-remembered. In the sixth year of the Hijra, the Prophet (peace be upon him) instructed the Muslims to prepare for ‘Umrah, with about 1,400 to 1,500 Companions accompanying him (according to Al-Bukhari and Muslim). The Quraysh, however, were angered and determined to prevent the Muslims from performing ‘Umrah. Uthman offered to go to Quraysh to convey the Prophet’s intentions and assure them that they had come solely for ‘Umrah, not to confront the Quraysh.
Upon reaching the Quraysh, they urged Uthman to perform Tawaf, but he refused to do so before his beloved Prophet (peace be upon him). Quraysh then detained him, and a rumor of his death spread. When the Prophet (peace be upon him) heard this, he said, “We shall not leave until we fight the people,” and he called his Companions to pledge allegiance to him, placing his other hand in place of Uthman’s as if Uthman himself had pledged. The verses of the Quran were revealed regarding this pledge, with Allah saying: “Indeed, those who pledge allegiance to you, [O Muhammad] - they are actually pledging allegiance to Allah. The hand of Allah is over their hands. So he who breaks his word only breaks it to the detriment of himself, and he who fulfills that which he has promised Allah - He will give him a great reward.” (Al-Fath: 10) (7)
5. His Spending in the Cause of Allah:
Among Uthman’s many virtues, his immense generosity for the fledgling Muslim state stood out. He dedicated his profitable business to support various causes whenever needed. Examples of Uthman’s (may Allah be pleased with him) generosity include purchasing the “Well of Rumah” and making it accessible to all Muslims and expanding the Prophet’s Mosque when it became overcrowded. He purchased nearby lands and donated them to the mosque, all of which are mentioned in authentic Hadiths.
The Companions all contributed to equipping the Army of Distress, each according to his means. Uthman, however, stood out in his generosity. Abd al-Rahman ibn Khabbab said: "I witnessed the Prophet (peace be upon him) encouraging the equipping of the Army of Distress, so Uthman stood and said, 'O Messenger of Allah! I will take the responsibility of one-hundred camels, including their saddles and water-skins, in the path of Allah.' Then he [(ﷺ) again] urged support for the army. So 'Uthman [bin 'Affan] stood and said: 'O Messenger of Allah! I will take the responsibility of two-hundred camels, including their saddles and water-skins, in the path of Allah.' Then he [(ﷺ) again] urged support for the army. So 'Uthman bin 'Affan stood and said: '[O Messenger of Allah] I will take the responsibility of three-hundred camels, including their saddles and water-skins, in the path of Allah.' So I saw the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) descend from the Minbar while he was saying: 'It does not matter what 'Uthman does after this, it does not matter what 'Uthman does after this.'" (Narrated by Al-Tirmidhi).
6. Compilation of the Quran:
One of Uthman’s most significant accomplishments was unifying the Muslims on a single, approved version of the Quran, with the agreement of the Companions. The Quran had been compiled during the caliphate of Abu Bakr al-Siddiq. Anas ibn Malik narrated the reason for Uthman’s decision, saying: "Hudhayfah ibn al-Yaman came to Uthman after fighting alongside the people of Syria in the conquests of Armenia and Azerbaijan with the people of Iraq. Hudhayfah was alarmed by their differing recitations, so he told Uthman, 'O Commander of the Faithful, save this nation before they differ in the Book as the Jews and Christians did.' So Uthman sent for Hafsah and requested the manuscripts, saying, 'Send us the sheets so we may copy them into codices, then we shall return them to you.' Hafsah sent them, and Uthman instructed Zayd ibn Thabit, Abdullah ibn al-Zubayr, Sa’id ibn al-‘As, and Abdur-Rahman ibn Harith ibn Hisham to copy them into codices."
He advised the three Qurayshi scribes: "If you differ with Zayd ibn Thabit on any part of the Quran, write it in the Qurayshi dialect, for it was revealed in their language." After they completed copying the manuscripts, Uthman returned the originals to Hafsah, distributed the official copies to each region, and ordered that all other versions and individual manuscripts of the Quran be burned. (8)
7. Prophetic Hadiths on the Virtues of Uthman:
Numerous Hadiths express Uthman’s virtues and his esteemed status with the Prophet (peace be upon him), though we will only mention a few here. Aisha, the Mother of the Believers, reported that the Prophet (peace be upon him) said of Uthman: "Shall I not feel shy before a man whom even the angels are shy before?" (Narrated by Muslim, Ahmad, and Ibn Hibban).
Abu Hurairah narrated that the Prophet (peace be upon him) stood at the grave of his daughter who was married to Uthman—referring to Umm Kulthum—and said: "if I had ten, I would marry them off to Uthman. I only marry them off by revelation from the heavens." (Narrated by Al-Tabarani and Ibn Asakir, with Al-Haythami classifying it as hasan due to its various chains).
Aisha narrated that the Prophet (peace be upon him) raised his hands and said: "O Allah, I am pleased with Uthman, so be pleased with him." He repeated this three times. (Narrated by Ibn Asakir).
This is a brief account of the life of Uthman, Commander of the Faithful (may Allah be pleased with him). For those who wish to delve further, the references provide a deeper understanding of one of the foremost Quranic figures among the Companions.
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1. Ma'rifat al-Qurra al-Kibar ala al-Tabaqat wal-A'sar, p. 23.
2. Uthman ibn Affan by Abdul-Sattar al-Sheikh, p. 21.
3. Ibid.
4. Ibid, adapted.
5. Ibid, p. 49, adapted.
6. Ibid, adapted.
7. Uthman ibn Affan by al-Sallabi.
8. Ibid, adapted.
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