al-Miswar ibn Makhramah and said, “Are you asleep, Miswar? By Allah, I have scarcely closed my eyes in sleep these last three nights. Go and summon for me (1) ʿAlī and ʿUthmān.”

Miswar continues: “I asked, ‘Which of them should I fetch first?’ He answered, ‘Whichever you choose.’ So I went to ʿAlī and said, ‘My uncle calls you.’

“‘Did he tell you to bring anyone else with me?’ ʿAlī asked.

“‘Yes,’ I replied.

“‘Who?’

“‘ʿUthmān ibn ʿAffān.’

“‘Which of us did he mention first?’

“‘He gave me no such instruction,’ I said. ‘He only told me, “Call whichever of the two you wish first.” I therefore came to you.’ ʿAlī rose and went with me. When we passed the house of ʿUthmān ibn ʿAffān, ʿAlī sat down while I went inside. I found ʿUthmān performing the witr prayer at dawn; he spoke to me exactly as ʿAlī had done, then came out. I brought them both to my uncle, who was standing in prayer. When he had finished (2) he turned to ʿAlī and ʿUthmān and said, ‘I have asked the people about you and found no one whom they prefer above either of you.’ He then extracted from each a renewed covenant: if authority were given to him he would rule with justice, and if the other were appointed he would listen and obey. (3)

After that he led them into the mosque. ʿAbd al-Raḥmān had wrapped himself in the turban with which the Messenger of Allah ﷺ had once turbaned him, and he had girded on a sword. He sent for the leading men of the Emigrants and the Helpers, and a general proclamation rang out: “al-ṣalātu jāmiʿah” (the prayer is about to begin). The mosque filled until it overflowed; the people pressed together so tightly that ʿUthmān—whose modesty was well known (may Allah be pleased with him)—found no place to sit except at the very back.

ʿAbd al-Raḥmān ibn ʿAwf then ascended the pulpit of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, stood there for a long time, and offered a lengthy supplication that the people could not hear. He then spoke: “O people, I have consulted you both privately and publicly concerning your wishes, and I have found that you set no one above these two men: either ʿAlī or ʿUthmān. Rise to me, O ʿAlī! (4)”

ʿAlī rose and stood beneath the pulpit. ʿAbd al-Raḥmān took him by the hand and said, “Do you pledge allegiance to me upon the Book of Allah, the sunnah of His Prophet ﷺ, and the practice of Abū Bakr and ʿUmar?”

He replied, “By Allah, no—but according to the utmost of my ability and strength.”

ʿAbd al-Raḥmān thereupon released his hand and said, “Come to me, O ʿUthmān.” He took ʿUthmān’s hand and said, “Do you pledge allegiance to me upon the Book of Allah, the sunnah of His Prophet ﷺ, and the practice of Abū Bakr and ʿUmar?”

He answered, “By Allah, yes!” ʿAbd al-Raḥmān then lifted his gaze to the roof of the mosque while his hand was still clasped in ʿUthmān’s and declared, “O Allah, hear and bear witness! O Allah, hear and bear witness! O Allah, hear and bear witness! O Allah, I have placed (5) what rested upon my neck into the neck of ʿUthmān.”

The people thronged forward to pledge allegiance to ʿUthmān, crowding him beneath the pulpit. ʿAbd al-Raḥmān seated himself in the place of the Prophet ﷺ and sat ʿUthmān on the second step below him. The people came to give their pledge; ʿAlī ibn Abī Ṭālib pledged first—though some say he pledged last.

As for the report repeated by many historians, such as Ibn Jarīr (6) and others, from transmitters of no known standing, that ʿAlī said to ʿAbd al-Raḥmān