Lives of Sahaba 27 - Uthman b. Affan 7 - Assassination: Fabricated letter & Siege - Yasir Qadhi

View all previous videos in this series here:    • Lives of the Sahaba - Series   In this video, Shaykh Dr. Yasir Qadhi continues to cover the assassination of Uthman Ibn 'Affan [r] by discussing the various groups that came from Egypt, Kufa and elsewhere, how Uthman [r] met their demands, and finally, how a letter was fabricated against Uthman [r] in order to attempt his resignation. A summary of topics covered are as follows: A large group came from Egypt, another group Kufa and others from Basra, AsSham, etc, also joined. The mob mentality increased as they approached the Khalifa. They met Uthman at the outskirts of Medina (Dhil Marwa) and petitioned with a number complaints. They referenced Verse Yunus:59, "Say, did Allah give you permission or are you lying against Allah?" This ayah was revealed regarding Pegans worshiping false gods but they asked about his policies instead. These new converts arrogantly presumed they are more knowledgeable of the Qur'an than the Sahaba [r]. This was also the beginnings and symptoms of Kharijite Islam. Some of the killers of Uthman [r] were, in fact, in the ranks of the Kharijites several years later. Initially they complained about political issues, later came personal attacks. Uthman [r] even asked them who they wanted as a governor and that he'd make the change. Uthman [r] sent Ali [r] to negotiate. They wanted: 1) Wealth to be distributed more equally and justly. 2) Exiled members to be returned 3) Employ only trustworthy governors. Ali [r] negotiated on behalf of Uthman [r] and rebels were given all of these things. So the delegates (rebels) agreed to go back to their cities. Then they saw a rider flee their camps. They captured him and the rider confessed he's a secret messenger for Uthman [r] to the current (soon-to-be replaced) governor of Egypt. The letter included the actual seal (ring) of Uthman and mentioned that when this delegation returns to Egypt, they should be punished, killed, etc. There are three positions on this: a) Letter is authentic - Shi'a groups take this position. Sunnis refute, since Uthman [r] swore by Allah that this letter is fabricated. Plus, Uthman [r] refused to unsheathe his sword. b) The cousin of Uthman [r] , Marwan Ibn AlHakam, likely had access to Uthman's seal and wrote the letter. It's possible he had best of intentions and wanted to punish the rebels. However, this does not seem to make sense due to Marwan's track record and character either. Who benefits? What is the motif? c) Someone from the rebels did this. Uthman [r] had lost his ring and leaders do not send actual seal/ring in messages. This was meant to rile up the rebels and supporters further. Medina could have defended Uthman [r] , but the rebel size was sizable and not insignificant. Rebels approached Medina to the house of Uthman [r]. Uthman swore against writing the letter. As well, he asked for 2 witnesses who saw him write the letter, or his oath and swearing against it should be sufficient [fiqh principle/rule based on hadith]. The rebels were silenced by this but settled outside of his large house, situated near the Baqi' and the Prophet [s]' masjid. The siege lasted 40+ days, and others came into town and joined. They demanded nothing less than Uthman [r]'s resignation. Uthman [r]'s council mostly advised him not to step down. Ibn Umar [son of last khalifa] advised "..I don't think you should take off the shirt that Allah has placed on you.." (a reference to the hadith by the Prophet [r]). Why didn't Uthman [r] have rebels taken care of? Because never has a Muslim been killed by another Muslim up to this point. This is why Uthman [r] refused to lift the sword on these rebels. When he heard of threats to kill him, he reflected on the hadith "life of a Muslim is not except for 3 cases, and I have not done any of these things.." He even reminded the rebels that "Do you not realize that if you shed my blood, the Ummah will never be united after this? .." Watch the full video to learn about these stories and much more. Presentation details: February 24, 2016 @ Memphis Islamic Center In this series, Lives of the Sahaba, Shaykh Dr. Yasir Qadhi discusses the lives of the noble companions, some of the greatest and most blessed human beings to ever live after the death of Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him [S]. While not a comprehensive history of the Khulafa Ar-Rashidoon, this series will provide a summarized biography of the men and women considered to be the Sahaba (companions of the Prophet [s]), including the Mothers of the Believers (the wives of the Prophet). Please help MIC produce additional beneficial and educational content such as this presentation by visiting us at www.MemphisIslamicCenter.org/d­onate Copyright MIC This presentation may not be modified or used without the explicit permission of MIC