Abu Dharr
It took some time but as the months and years went by, it became clear that ‘Abdullah ibn Sa‘d ibn Abi Sarh (‘Uthman’s brother by breast feeding) was less than a reformed and rehabilitated person as ‘Uthman and others had thought. Islamic public opinion became dissatisfied with him. He had been one of those who had formerly criticized and some would say even ridiculed the Prophet (ﷺ) in earlier times. Islam, however, annuls all offenses committed before a person becomes a Muslim.
The Quran’s ayats had previously revealed his true contrarian character when he had claimed that he could receive revelation as the Prophet (ﷺ) did! This is the ayah that unmasked him in his jahiliyah along with Musailimah al-Kadh-dhab and al-Aswad al-‘Ansi:
And who could be more offensive than the one who attributes untruths to Allah, or says, “This has been revealed to me,” the while nothing has been revealed to him; or the one who says, “I, too, can confer from on high the like of what Allah has bestowed”? If you could see [how it will be] when these offenders find themselves in the inundating anxieties of death, and the angels stretch forth their hands [and call], “Let go of yourselves (accept the inevitability of death)! Today you shall be requited with the suffering of humiliation for having attributed to Allah something that is not true, and for having persistently scorned His [miraculous] messages in your arrogance!” (Surat al-An‘am, verse 93)
The Prophet (ﷺ) sought to punish him on the day Makkah was liberated but ‘Uthman managed to escort him to the Prophet (ﷺ) to proclaim his Islam. Thus, he was amnestied from a plausible death sentence.
‘Abdullah’s political behavior in Egypt was not popular among the people there. He burdened the local population by imposing runaway levies as ‘Amr ibn al-‘As pointed out. It appears that ‘Abdullah projected a public image of self-importance and condescension towards non-Quraishi Arabs in Egypt which, of course, resulted in a backlash against him.
It grew so much that the Egyptians complained about him to ‘Uthman. Thus, ‘Uthman was compelled to write to him to warn and tell him to diffuse the popular resentment building up against him. ‘Abdullah, however, paid no heed. Instead, he punished those who had reported him to ‘Uthman. He even went so far as to execute one of them.
The repercussion of these developments went beyond Egypt. The Prophet’s companions became incensed with these occurrences. They put so much pressure on ‘Uthman that he had to relieve ‘Abdullah of his position. He assigned the governorship of Egypt to Muhammad, the son of Abu Bakr.
Accordingly, ‘Uthman dispatched a taskforce of Muhajireen and Ansar with Muhammad ibn Abi Bakr to look into the tense relationship between the people of Egypt and ‘Abdullah ibn Abi Sarh. Beforehand, Imam ‘Ali had urged ‘Uthman to terminate ‘Abdullah ibn Abi Sarh and to investigate ‘Abdullah’s execution of an Egyptian opposition figure. If it turned out that the execution was extra-judicial, then ‘Abdullah would have to bear the lawful consequences of such an illegal act.
With hindsight, it became clear that ‘Uthman’s choice of ‘Abdullah to be the governor of Egypt was not appropriate and a bad omen. It was from Egypt that the first rebellious opposition to ‘Uthman began, to be augmented by protesters and objectors from ‘Iraq.
Withal ‘Abdullah ibn Sa‘d ibn Abi Sarh showed his notable soldierly credentials as he was triumphant in his military campaigns. To his credit, he pushed back and defeated the Roman Empire in North Africa, he participated in the deliverance of Cyprus and vanquished the Roman fleet in the maritime battle of Dhat al-Sawari. Despite these battlefield achievements, he turned out to be more “world-centric” than “God-centric.”
Describing and analyzing ‘Uthman’s time in office would be incomplete without explaining two other prominent figures who played a part in what was to become the bloodstained revulsion and revolt against ‘Uthman himself. These two public figures were Muhammad ibn Hudhaifah and Muhammad ibn Abi Bakr. The former became visible as a noble young man—the grandson of a recognized figure among Quraish, ‘Utbah ibn Rabi‘ah. This latter person was the father of Hind, the wife of Abu Sufyan and the mother of Mu‘awiyah. ‘Utbah was killed by Hamza in the battle of Badr.
Abu Hudhaifah (Muhammad’s father) was one of the few primary followers of the Prophet (ﷺ). He became a muslim prior to the Prophet (ﷺ) choosing to assemble his followers in Dar al-Arqam. He, along with his wife Sahlah bint Suhail ibn ‘Amr, were among those who escaped the persecution in Makkah to find refuge in al-Habashah (the Greater Horn of Africa).
Later, he joined the Muhajireen who were forced out of Makkah to settle in al-Madinah. In addition to all that, he proved his mettle and demonstrated his strength of character, courage, and ability to perform well, especially when faced with difficult or challenging circumstances.
He was a distinguished veteran of the battle of Badr. He even confronted his own kafer father on the battlefield. He also joined all the other major Islamic military campaigns alongside the Prophet (ﷺ). He achieved martyrdom during the confrontation known as Mawqi‘at al-Yamamah when Abu Bakr was the Khalifah.
His son Muhammad was born during his hijrah to al-Habashah. Muhammad was relatively young when his father passed on. He must have been in his mid-teens when ‘Uthman personally began looking after him and took care of him.
When ‘Uthman became the Khalifah, Muhammad believed that he would gain an official position on par with the other family members from the Umayyad branch of Quraish. Some narrators mention that Muhammad was not one who was particularly steadfast or unwavering in his Islamic commitment.
One such news item says that he consumed alcohol and ‘Uthman had to administer the Islamic punishment for that. How reliable this news item is, we may never know for sure. Unfortunately, the writing of our early Islamic history got bifurcated by a deep sectarian bias.
He requested ‘Uthman to favor him with some high ranking position, but ‘Uthman refused. ‘Uthman told him that he saw no particular qualifications that would make him eligible for an important position. Then he asked ‘Uthman to help him climb the ladder of eligibility.
‘Uthman helped him financially and permitted him to travel to wherever may prove to be to his advantage. So this young man traveled to Egypt. It appears that he quit ‘Uthman’s company in a state of exasperation and resentment either because ‘Uthman had punished him for consuming alcohol, if that is truly what happened, or because ‘Uthman did not give him preferential treatment as ‘Uthman did with al-Walid and Sa‘id and ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Amer.
Once Muhammad reached Egypt he joined the opposition against ‘Uthman’s policies and went up against ‘Abdullah ibn Sa‘d ibn Abi Sarh, ‘Uthman’s second-in-command in Egypt.
Al-Walid ibn ‘Uqbah was ‘Uthman’s appointed ruler in al-Kufah (he was ‘Uthman’s maternal brother). Sa‘id ibn al-‘As was ‘Uthman’s maternal uncle and at one time the governor of al-Kufah, and ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Amer was ‘Uthman’s appointed governor in al-Basrah – also his maternal uncle.
The power-grab that began to take hold during ‘Uthman’s leadership is reproachable. The Prophet (ﷺ) said:
إنا لا نولي هذا من سأله ولا من حرص عليه (We do not delegate this [official position] to anyone who is asking/demanding it or who is bent on having it.) –Bukhari and Muslim.
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