1457 — Al-Abbās ibn Ahmad al-Khuttalī, known as Ibn Abī Shahma, narrated to us, saying ⦗1981⦘: Dahtam ibn al-Fadl Abū Saīd al-Ramlī narrated to us, saying: Al-Muammal ibn Ismāīl narrated to us, saying: Hammād ibn Zayd narrated to us, from Ayyūb and Hishām, from Muhammad ibn Sīrīn, who said: “There was indeed in the house a group of the Muhājirūn and Ansār and their sons, including Abd Allāh ibn Umar, al-Hasan, al-Husayn, Abd Allāh ibn al-Zubayr, and Muhammad ibn Talha—each one of them was worth so many others. They were saying, ‘O Commander of the Faithful, let us deal with these people.’ He replied, ‘I firmly charge every man among you—and I do have a right over him—not to shed blood on my behalf. I solemnly charge every one of you to spare me the loss of his life today.’”

If someone asks, “They knew that he had been wronged and was on the verge of being killed. They therefore ought to have fought in his defense, even though he had forbidden them,” he is told: What you have said is not sound, for you have spoken without proper discernment. If he asks, “Why?” ⦗1982⦘ he is told: Because these men were committed to obedience, and Allah Most High guided them to what was right in word and deed. They fulfilled their duty by denouncing the evil in their hearts and with their tongues, and they offered themselves to defend him to the extent of their ability. When Uthmān—may Allah be pleased with him—forbade them from defending him, they knew that it was their duty to hear and obey him, and that it would not be permissible for them to disobey him. They believed the right course was what Uthmān—may Allah be pleased with him and with them—had judged best.

If someone asks, “Why did Uthmān forbid them from defending him when he was being wronged and knew that their fighting in his defense would constitute forbidding evil and upholding a right?” he is told: This, too, is heedlessness on your part. If he asks, “How so?” he is told: His forbidding them from defending him admits of several explanations, all of which are praiseworthy.

The first is that he knew beyond doubt that he would be killed while wronged, because the Prophet—peace and blessings be upon him—had informed him: “You will be killed while wronged, so be patient.” He replied, “I will be patient.” When they surrounded him, he knew that he would be killed and that what the Prophet—peace and blessings be upon him—had told him was true and would inevitably happen just as he had said. He also knew that he had promised him that he would remain patient, so he was patient as he had promised. In his judgment, one who sought victory for himself and defended himself could not be considered patient after having promised to remain patient. This is one explanation.

Another is that he knew the Companions—may Allah be pleased with them—were few in number, whereas those seeking to kill him were numerous. Had he permitted them to fight, he could not be certain that some of the Prophet’s Companions would not perish because of him. Out of concern for them, he therefore shielded them with his own life. He was a shepherd, and a shepherd ⦗1983⦘ is obliged to protect his flock by every means available to him. Moreover, he knew that he would be killed, so he protected them at the cost of his own life. This is another explanation.

Yet another is that, knowing this was civil strife and that once the sword was drawn amid such strife, those who did not deserve to die might be killed, he did not wish his companions to draw the sword. This, too, arose from his concern for them. It was a tribulation that would engulf everyone, in which property would be lost and women’s sanctity violated, so he protected them from all of that.

Another possible explanation is that he patiently refrained from seeking redress so that the Companions—may Allah be pleased with them—would bear witness against those who wronged him, disobeyed his command, and shed his blood without right, for the believers are Allah’s—Glorified and Exalted—witnesses on earth. At the same time, he did not wish a Muslim’s blood to be shed because of him, nor did he wish, as the Prophet’s successor over his community, to shed a Muslim’s blood. That is what he himself said—may Allah be pleased with him. Thus, by acting as he did, Uthmān—may Allah be pleased with him—was divinely guided, excused, and sound in judgment; the Companions—may Allah be pleased with them—were likewise excused, and wretched was his killer.