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Hazrat
Usman (May Allah be pleased with him)
Name
and Pedigree: Usman ibn Affan ibn Abul Aas ibn Umayyah ibn Abd Shams.
Titles and Patronymics:
His title is Zun-Noorain (Possessor of Two Lights), and his patronymics are Abu
Abdullah, Abu Amr, and Abu Laila.
Accepting Islam:
Hazrat Usman narrates the event of his embracing Islam. He says, "I went
to visit a patient at my aunt Arwa's house. As I approached, the Prophet
Muhammad (peace be upon him) had arrived. In those days, Islam had just begun
to flourish in Makkah. I started gazing at him attentively. He noticed me and
said, 'O Usman, why are you looking at me so intently?' I replied, 'I am amazed
by your greatness among us.'"
"Then,
the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said, 'Laa ilaaha illallah' (There is
none worthy of worship except Almighty Allah). At these words, my whole body
trembled. Afterward, the Prophet recited this verse: 'And in the heaven is your
provision and whatever you are promised. Then by the Lord of the heaven and
earth, indeed, it is truth - just as [sure as] it is that you are speaking.'
(Surah Adh-Dhariyat, 51:22-23)"
"After
that, the Prophet (peace be upon him) started to leave, and I followed him and
embraced Islam."
Service to Islam:
Hazrat Usman served Islam in every way he could. Whenever Islam and Muslims
were in need, he was ever generous in helping them for the sake of Allah.
During the Ghazwah Tabuk, he devoted one thousand camels, seventy horses for
Muslim soldiers to ride, and extended his generous hands with one thousand
Ashrafi to be spent for the sake of Allah and the Prophet's pleasure. The
Prophet (peace be upon him) accepted his contribution and prayed to Almighty
Allah for Hazrat Usman Ghani (May Allah be pleased with him), "O Allah! Be
pleased with Usman, for I am pleased with him." Additionally, he bought a
well and donated it for Muslims and liberated slaves in the way of Almighty
Allah.
His Caliphate:
When Hazrat Umar realized he was about to take last breath, he considered appointing his
successor and said to the Companions, "I nominate some Companions' names;
you should choose anyone as Caliph, for they are extraordinary among you:
Hazrat Usman, Hazrat Ali, Hazrat Abdur Rahman ibn Auf, Hazrat Talha, Hazrat
Zubair, and Hazrat Sa'ad ibn Abi Waqqas (May Allah be pleased with them). The
decision will pass by majority vote. If two parties' opinions are equal, the
judgment will come according to Abdullah ibn Umar's opinion. If you do not
accept his opinion, then the party with Abdur Rahman ibn Auf will
prevail." He instructed them to make a decision within three days. On the
third day, Hazrat Usman (May Allah be pleased with him) was chosen as the
Caliph.
Characteristic:
Zun-Noorain: None in the world was as fortunate as Usman Ghani. He married the
two blessed daughters of the beloved Rasool (peace be upon him), one after the
other.
Demise:
The enemies of Islam did not like the Rightly Guided Caliphs. They wanted the
Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) to act like the world's kings and appoint
his minister. However, when the Companions appointed Hazrat Abu Bakr and Hazrat
Umar (May Allah be pleased with them) as Caliphs respectively after the demise
of the Prophet (peace be upon him), the hypocrites (Munafiqun) plotted to kill
Hazrat Usman. When he was appointed as Caliph, they besieged the Caliph's house
while the Companions had gone to Makkah to perform Hajj. He was imprisoned for
forty days. The enemies of Islam entered the Caliph's house and killed him
while he was reciting the Holy Quran on the 18th of Dhul-Hijjah. After three
days, he was buried in Jannat-ul-Baqi.
O Allah, shower Your mercy upon Hazrat Usman
ibn Affan, the Possessor of Two Lights. He embraced Islam wholeheartedly and
spent generously in Your cause. Grant him an elevated station in Paradise for
his services to Islam. Make us among those who follow the path of the Rightly
Guided Caliphs and the Companions. Protect us from the plots of the hypocrites
and the enemies of Islam. Ameen.