1460 — Abū Bakr ibn Sayf al-Sijistānī narrated to us, saying: al-Sarī ibn Yahyā narrated to us, saying: Shuayb ibn Ibrāhīm narrated to us, saying: Sayf ibn Umar narrated to us, from Abū Hāritha, from Abū Uthmān, and from Muhammad and Talha ibn al-Alam, who said:

Uthmān ibn Affān—may Allah be pleased with him—wrote the people a letter concerning what had happened and everything he had patiently endured from them up to that day:

“In the name of Allah, the Most Compassionate, the Most Merciful.

“To the believers and Muslims: Peace be upon you. To proceed:

“I remind you of Allah—Mighty and Majestic—who bestowed His blessings upon you, taught you Islam, guided you out of misguidance, delivered you from disbelief, showed you clear signs, granted you victory over your enemies, provided for you abundantly, and lavished His blessings upon you. Allah—Mighty and Majestic—said: ‘If you tried to count Allah’s blessings, you could never enumerate them. Indeed, man is most unjust and ungrateful.’” ⦗1990⦘

Muhammad ibn al-Husayn—may Allah have mercy on him—said: He then commanded them to obey, forbade them from division, and cited for them in that letter every verse in which Allah—Mighty and Majestic—commanded obedience and forbade division.

He also wrote another letter:

“To proceed: Allah—Mighty and Majestic—has approved hearing and obedience for you and has disapproved disobedience, division, and dissension. He has informed you of what those before you did and forewarned you concerning it, so that His proof may stand against you if you disobey Him. Therefore, accept Allah’s counsel—Mighty and Majestic—and beware of His punishment. You will never find a nation that was destroyed except after it fell into discord and no longer had an imam to unite it. Whenever you do that, communal prayer will cease to be upheld, your enemy will be given power over you, and some of you will violate the sanctities of others. Whenever you do that, you will divide your religion and become factions. Allah—Mighty and Majestic—has said: ‘Indeed, you have nothing to do with those who have divided their religion and become factions. Their affair rests only with Allah; then He will inform them of what they used to do.’ [al-Anām: 159]

“I counsel you with that which Allah—Mighty and Majestic—has counselled you and warn you of His punishment. The Quran was revealed so that lessons might be drawn from it and it might be treated as the final authority. Do you not see what Shuayb—peace be upon him—said to his people: ‘O my people, do not let your opposition to me cause you to suffer what befell the people of Noah, the people of Hūd, or the people of Sālih. Nor are the people of Lot far removed from you. Seek your Lord’s forgiveness, then turn to Him in repentance. Indeed, my Lord is Most Merciful, Most Loving.’ [Hūd: 90]”

He wrote in another letter:

“To proceed: Some of those who had been speaking about this affair made it appear to the people that they were calling only to the Book of Allah—Mighty and Majestic—and to the truth, and that they intended neither evil nor any contest for power. Yet when the truth was presented to them, the people proved divided concerning it. Some accepted the truth and defended the one to whom authority had been entrusted, while others abandoned the truth out of desire for power, seeking to seize it unjustly. My life has seemed too long to them, their hopes concerning power have been too slow to materialize, and they have sought to hasten the divine decree.” He then related the rest of the report.

They said: When Shawwāl began in the twelfth year, they set out in the guise of pilgrims. They encamped near Medina in Shawwāl of the year 35 AH. The people of Egypt had set out in four companies under four commanders; the lowest estimate placed them at 600 and the highest at 1,000. The people of Kufa set out in four companies, and the people of Basra likewise set out in four companies.

They said: The Egyptians favored Ali—may Allah be pleased with him; the people of Basra favored Talha; and the people of Kufa favored al-Zubayr.

Muhammad ibn al-Husayn—may Allah have mercy on him—said: Allah—Mighty and Majestic—absolved Ali ibn Abī Tālib—may Allah be pleased with him—and Talha and al-Zubayr—may Allah be pleased with them—of any involvement with these factions. The rebels merely professed these allegiances to deceive the people and sow discord among the Companions, but Allah the Generous protected the Companions from that.

We now return to the report. They said: They set out, all united in rebellion, though they differed as to which man they supported. Each faction was certain that victory would be theirs and that its own cause would prevail to the exclusion of the others. When they came within three stages of Medina, some of the Basrans advanced and encamped at Dhū Khushub, while some of the Kufans encamped at al-Awas. Some Egyptians came to them, ⦗1992⦘ while the majority of the Egyptians encamped at Dhū al-Marwa.

Ziyād ibn al-Nadr and Abd Allah ibn al-Asamm went back and forth between the Egyptians and the Basrans and said, “Do not be hasty, and do not rush us, until we enter Medina on your behalf and investigate. We have heard that they have mustered forces against us. By Allah, if the people of Medina have grown afraid of us, they have deemed it lawful to fight us without yet knowing our true intentions toward them. Once they know them, their grounds against us will be stronger, for this undertaking of ours is surely false. But if they do not deem it lawful to fight us and we find the report that reached us to be false, we shall certainly return to you with the news.”

They said, “Go.” The two men entered Medina and went to the wives of the Prophet—may Allah bless and grant him peace—and to Ali ibn Abī Tālib, Talha, and al-Zubayr—may Allah be pleased with them. They said, “We are bound only for this House and wish to ask this ruler to relieve us of some of the governors appointed over us. We have come for nothing else.” They sought their permission for the people to enter the city, but every one of them refused and forbade it.

The two men returned to their companions. A group of Egyptians then assembled and went to Ali—may Allah be pleased with him; a group of Basrans went to Talha—may Allah be pleased with him; and a group of Kufans went to al-Zubayr—may Allah be pleased with him. Each faction said, “If our man accepts our pledge, well and good; otherwise, we shall outwit them, break their unity, then turn back upon them and take them by surprise.”

The Egyptians came to Ali—may Allah be pleased with him—at a camp beside Ahjār al-Zayt. He wore a two-piece garment, had wrapped a red Yemeni strip around his head as a turban, and had his sword slung over him; he wore no shirt. He had dispatched al-Hasan—may Allah be pleased with him—to Uthmān—may Allah be pleased with him—together with those who had rallied to him. Thus al-Hasan was sitting with Uthmān—may Allah be pleased with him—while Ali—may Allah be pleased with him—was at Ahjār al-Zayt.

The Egyptians greeted Ali and broached their proposal to him, but he shouted at them and drove them away, saying, “The righteous know that the armies of Dhū al-Marwa, Dhū Khushub, and al-Awas were declared accursed by Muhammad—may Allah bless and grant him peace. Go back! May Allah not accompany you!”

They replied, “Very well,” and departed from him on that understanding. ⦗1993⦘

The Basrans came to Talha, who was with another group beside Ali and had sent his sons to Uthmān. They greeted him and broached their proposal, but he shouted at them, drove them away, and said, “The believers know that the armies of Dhū al-Marwa, Dhū Khushub, and al-Awas were declared accursed by Muhammad—may Allah bless and grant him peace.”

The Kufans came to al-Zubayr, who was with another group and had dispatched Abd Allah—meaning his son—to Uthmān. They greeted him and broached their proposal, but he shouted at them, drove them away, and said, “The Muslims know that the armies of Dhū al-Marwa, Dhū Khushub, and al-Awas were declared accursed by Muhammad—may Allah bless and grant him peace.”

The rebels departed and made the people believe that they were returning home. They dispersed from Dhū Khushub and al-Awas until they reached their forces, which were three stages away, so that the people of Medina would disperse. The people of Medina did indeed disperse when they saw them depart. When the rebels reached their forces, they turned them back toward Medina. Before the people of Medina knew it, cries of “Allah is the Greatest” were resounding throughout the city. The rebels took up their positions and surrounded Uthmān—may Allah be pleased with him—and did not withdraw until they had killed him.

Muhammad ibn al-Husayn—may Allah have mercy on him—said: The accounts of how they unjustly killed him would be lengthy. The Companions and the children of the Companions—may Allah be pleased with them—strove their utmost to prevent what befell him. When those wretched men who marched against Uthmān—may Allah be pleased with him—and killed him saw the strenuous efforts of the Companions and their children to prevent Uthmān from being killed, they said to them, “Were it not that you would become proof against us before the Muslim community, we would kill you after him.”