from Banū Makhzūm and Banū Zuhrah, and said to them, “Find out what they are after.” The two envoys had themselves once been disciplined by ʿUthmān, yet they had borne it patiently for the sake of truth and harboured no resentment toward him.
When the rebels saw the envoys, they spoke freely and told them everything. The envoys asked, “Who from the people of Medina stands with you in this?” They replied, “Three men.” The envoys said, “And what is your plan?” They answered, “We intend to raise with him certain matters we have already sown in the people’s hearts. Then we will return home and claim that we confronted him with them and that he neither disavowed them nor repented. After that we shall set out again, posing as pilgrims, surround him, and depose him; if he refuses, we will kill him.”
The two men went back to ʿUthmān with the report. He laughed and said, “O Allah, grant these people safety, for if You do not grant them safety they will be ruined. As for ʿAmmār, he places upon me the sin of Ibn Abī Lahab and the tussle he had with me; as for Muḥammad ibn Abī Bakr, vanity has led him to think that obligations do not bind him; and Ibn Sārah is courting tribulation.”
ʿUthmān then sent word to the Egyptians and Kufans and called out, “The congregational prayer!”—they were already with him at the foot of the pulpit. The Companions of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ gathered; he praised Allah, extolled Him, and informed them of the matter. The two envoys rose to speak, whereupon the people said, “Kill these men, for the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, ‘Whoever summons people to follow himself or another while the community already has an Imam is under the curse of Allah—kill him.’ ”
But ʿUthmān said, “No. We shall pardon and welcome them, and we shall explain matters to them as best we can. They claim that I completed the prayer while travelling, although it should be shortened. Indeed, I had arrived at a town where my family reside, so I completed the prayer for that reason.
“They also say that I set aside a protected pasture (ḥimā). By Allah, I have protected nothing except what was protected before me. Yes, I have held authority, and I once owned more camels and sheep than any Arab, yet today I possess nothing but two camels for my hajj. Is that not so?” They said, “Yes.”