Abu Dharr
…The other important person who became a pivotal figure during the declining years of ‘Uthman’s time in office was Muhammad, the son of Abu Bakr. His distinction is that he was the son of the Prophet’s constant companion Abu Bakr al-Siddiq as well as the brother of ‘A’ishah, one of the matriarchs of the committed Muslims. Besides that, he was a younger Quraishi who hailed from the preeminent scruples of Quraish.
The widespread treatment accorded him was due to his father’s close affiliation with the Prophet (ﷺ) as well as his sister being the Prophet’s endearing wife. He envisaged that ‘Uthman would see in him the dignity and integrity that comes from being the son of an undisputable companion and the brother of an indubitable wife of the Prophet (ﷺ).
‘Uthman favored others who fell significantly short of Muhammad ibn Abi Bakr’s associations and involvements. It appears that ‘Uthman did not pay him much attention.
In the grand strategy of disarming Makkah of its lifelong hostility and bringing it in line with al-Madinah, ‘Uthman could only employ a restricted number of young Makkan Muslim newcomers. There were more Muslim youth than there were positions for them to occupy.
It gradually became apparent that ‘Uthman’s choice of certain individuals from Makkah to the exclusion of others created a feeling of marginalization, omission, or rejection by those who were unwanted. It was in this social atmosphere that both Muhammad ibn Abi Bakr and Muhammad ibn Hudhaifah set out to Egypt where they started to worked together.
The governor of Egypt ‘Abdullah ibn Sa‘d was wary and distrustful of their presence in Egypt. He put them on notice and cautioned them against causing trouble. They ignored such warning. Muhammad ibn Hudhaifah was more vocal and more disapproving of the khalifah in al-Madinah and his governor in Egypt than Muhammad ibn Abi Bakr. He was not afraid to publically confront the governor with critique and comments that were not to ‘Abdullah’s liking.
One expression of contempt was his strident takbirat after the salat that was led by the governor. In so doing, he sought to turn public opinion against the latter and to face up to him at the same time. It is said that ‘Abdullah ibn Sa‘d summoned him and advised him to cease his provocations but to no avail. He told him “to watch his step”.
Still, such pressure did not deter Muhammad ibn Hudhaifah. When ‘Abdullah set out on his naval military anti-Byzantine campaign of Dhat al-Sawari, Muhammad ibn Hudhaifah and Muhammad ibn Abi Bakr joined in. But ‘Abdullah still had his doubts and put both of them on a ship that had no Muslim crew on it.
The crew comprised Egyptian Copts. In another version of this history, it was only Muhammad ibn Hudhaifah who joined the military campaign as Muhammad ibn Abi Bakr fell sick and stayed behind in Egypt. Some speculated that Muhammad ibn Abi Bakr stayed in Egypt to stir public opinion against ‘Abdullah while Muhammad ibn Hudhaifah joined the military force to constructively influence them against their commander.
Muslims scored a victory against the Byzantines and ‘Abdullah gained the stature of a victorious military commander. But he faced a serious setback due to the influence of Ibn Hudhaifah on the troops. He won over the troops and convinced them that a primary jihad awaits them in al-Madinah. ‘Uthman, he said, was mis-governing the Muslims and not closely adhering to Qur’anic instructions and Prophetic teachings. He also failed to pursue the policies of his two predecessors Abu Bakr and ‘Umar.
Ibn Hudhaifah accused ‘Uthman of turning his back on the Prophet’s companions while commissioning governors and administrators who were ethically compromised and who acted in ways that went against Islamic principles. He bluntly told the troops: just look at your commander (Ibn Abi Sarh) who is clearly unmasked by the Qur’an as an ex-denier of Allah and his Prophet (ﷺ). He (ﷺ) even “had a bounty on him” before he became a muslim. Yet ‘Uthman appointed him as governor because he was his breast-fed brother!
His style of governance over the Egyptians bore no resemblance to the Prophet (ﷺ) or his two companions Abu Bakr and ‘Umar. Ibn Hudhaifah spread this line of denouncement among the troops while Muhammad ibn Abi Bakr influenced Egyptian civilians.
After the Islamic forces returned to Egypt from their successful maritime military expedition against the Byzantines, the damaging information about Ibn Abi Sarh began to “catch on.” Muhammad ibn Abi Bakr and Muhammad ibn Hudhaifah became trendy public figures who were gradually gaining popularity.
At this point ‘Abdullah ibn Sa‘d became deeply disturbed. He complained to ‘Uthman and asked for permission to “rough them up.” It is said that ‘Uthman dispatched ‘Ammar ibn Yasir to Egypt to probe into the activities of these two men and if need be to advise them and calm them down and also look into and observe the behavior of ‘Abdullah ibn Sa‘d.
When ‘Ammar arrived in Egypt, the chronicles say he joined the two Muhammads (Ibn Abi Bakr and ibn Hudhaifah). ‘Ammar, too, began to stir public opinion against ‘Uthman. This was becoming unbearable to ‘Abdullah ibn Sa‘d who once again fervently corresponded with ‘Uthman to allow him to use “the power of the state” to silence the three of them.
‘Uthman responded by alerting, reprimanding and blaming ‘Abdullah and then ordering him to show respect to ‘Ammar and have him courteously sent back to al-Madinah. As for Muhammad ibn Abi Bakr, his advice was to leave him alone because of the loving memory of Abu Bakr and ‘A’ishah. Regarding Ibn Hudhaifah, the khalifah reportedly advised Abdullah to respect his independence as he was my (‘Uthman’s) adopted and foster child as well as a Quraishi nobleman.
Our history books that tell us that ‘Ammar was sent to Egypt may have been a fabrication by subsequent historians who sought to place ‘Uthman on a moral high ground. What appears to be authenticated is that Muhammad ibn Abi Bakr and Muhammad ibn Hudhaifah truly tried their best to challenge and weaken ‘Abdullah ibn Abi Sarh’s grip on Egypt and to destroy confidence in ‘Uthman as the khalifah of the Muslims. ‘Uthman, though, tried to peaceably placate them.
It is reported that ‘Uthman sent Muhammad ibn Hudhaifah money and clothing items. The latter, however, seized the opportunity, took the money and apparel to the masjid and said: O Muslims! Behold! This is what ‘Uthman has sent to me. He wants to mislead me away from my deen by bribing me.
The two Muhammads cotinued their anti-Uthman campaign in Egypt with an eventual groundswell of opposition to the khalifah and his administration. The Egyptians appeared to be the most tenacious in their opposition.
Most of this resentment against ‘Uthman can be traced to his favoritism of some and the exclusion of others. This could no longer be justified by a strategy that sought to thoroughly and decisively win over the ex-Makkan enemies-cum Muslims.
With hindsight, which is always 20-20, it would have behooved ‘Uthman to have won over Makkah by a system of meritocracy. The Makkan neo-muslim individuals should have been given ample opportunity to become part of the Islamic social, political and economic order based on their record of selflessness and sacrifices for the cause of Allah (swt).
Those who are committed to Allah, and who have forsaken the jurisdiction of evil and have striven hard for the cause of Allah with their possessions and their lives, have the highest rank in the sight of Allah; and it is they, they who shall triumph [in the end]! – Surat Al-Tawbah, verse 20.
The persons around the Prophet (pbuh) were the founding fathers of Islamic self-determination. While not all of the same ranking, they were ...
When the Prophet (pbuh) left this earthly abode, the vast majority of Muslims were newcomers to Islam, hence not fully immersed in the value...
The third Khalifah, Uthman’s deviation from the policy established by the Prophet and his two successors (Abu Bakr and ‘Umar) by apporti...
If the early Muslims had an opportunity to put in place a proper institutional framework, the tragedy that erupted during Uthman’s khilafa...
