1427 — Ibrāhīm ibn al-Haytham al-Nāqid informed us: Dāwūd ibn Rushayd narrated to us: Abd Allah ibn Kathīr narrated to us, from al-Awzā'ī, who said: Muhammad ibn Abd al-Malik narrated to me, saying:

When Uthmān (may Allah be pleased with him) was besieged, al-Mughīra ibn Shu'ba, ⦗1955⦘ came in to see him and said, “You see what has befallen you. I offer you three courses of action: If you wish, we shall break open another door of the house for you, apart from the one they are guarding, and set you upon your mounts so that you may make your way to Mecca. They will not consider it lawful to attack you while you are there. Or you may go to Syria, for its people are the people of Syria, and Mu'āwiya is among them. Or, if you wish, go out with those who are with you and fight them. You have the means and strength; you are upon the truth, while they are upon falsehood.”

Uthmān (may Allah be pleased with him) replied, “As for your suggestion of breaking open another door of the house, setting me upon my mounts, and having me go to Mecca because they will not consider it lawful to attack me while I am there, I heard the Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) say, ‘A man from Quraysh will violate Mecca’s sanctity, and half the punishment of all mankind will be upon him.’ I will never be that man.

“As for your suggestion that I go to Syria because its people are the people of Syria and Mu'āwiya is among them, I say: Am I to leave the abode to which I emigrated and relinquish dwelling there beside the Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace)?

“And as for your statement that I have the means and strength to go out and fight them, since I am upon the truth while they are upon ⦗1956⦘ falsehood, I will never be the first of those who succeeded the Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) over his community to shed, without right, so much blood as would fill a cupping glass.”