(1) The third of the rightly-guided caliphs is ʿUthman ibn ʿAffan ibn Abi l-ʿAs al-Qurashi. He embraced Islam early in Mecca, migrated to Abyssinia twice, and married Ruqayya, the daughter of the Messenger of Allah. After her death he married her sister Umm Kulthum, which earned him the epithet Dhu al-Nurayn (“the possessor of two lights”). Upon returning from Abyssinia he settled in Medina. Because he remained behind from Badr to nurse Ruqayya, the Prophet nevertheless allotted him a share of the spoils and counted him among the people of Badr. He was present at Uhud and all subsequent campaigns; at Hudaybiyya the Prophet pledged on his behalf, making him one of “the People of the Tree.” He personally financed the “Army of Hardship,” placing one thousand dinars in the Prophet’s lap, whereupon the Prophet declared, “Nothing will harm ʿUthman after today.” The Prophet also named him among the ten promised Paradise. Renowned for modesty and generosity, he is the subject of many hadiths lauding his virtue. The consultative council chose him as caliph after ʿUmar, and he was wrongfully killed in 35 AH. See: Ibn Saʿd, al-Tabaqat al-kubra 3:53–84; Ibn Kathir, al-Bidaya wa-l-nihaya 7:199–223. (2) The printed edition reads: ikhtalafat (“differed”). (3) Manuscript A reads: al-ummah qablahum (“this community before them”); manuscript Ṭ has: al-umam min qablihim (“the nations before them”). (4) Reported by Bukhari with the wording: “This community will be overtaken before it disagrees as the Jews and Christians disagreed.” Sahih al-Bukhari, Book of the Virtues of the Quran, chapter “Compiling the Quran,” no. 4987 (Fath al-Bari 8:11). (5) The printed edition adds: “and the people of Iraq.” (6) The printed edition has: “the Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and his family).” Manuscripts A and Ṭ read: “the Prophet (may Allah bless him and his family) forbade it.”