to You. O Allah, I am the first to repent of what I have done.” Tears streamed from his eyes and all the Muslims wept with him; a deep tenderness for their leader filled the gathering. ʿUthmān then made the people bear witness against himself that he was now obliged to follow the course of the two Shaykhs, Abū Bakr and ʿUmar (may Allah be pleased with them), and that he had thrown his door open (1) to anyone who wished to enter upon him, denying no one access. He stepped down, led the congregational prayer, and returned to his house, where for some time anyone who had a need, a request, or a question for the Commander of the Believers was allowed in without hindrance.
Al-Wāqidī said: ʿAlī ibn ʿUmar related to me from his father:
After the Egyptians had departed, ʿAlī came to ʿUthmān and said, “Utter some words that the people can hear directly from you (2) so that they may testify for you, and so that Allah may witness what is in your heart of withdrawal and repentance. The provinces have already risen against you, and I fear other parties (3) may soon arrive from Kūfah; you will say, ‘ʿAlī, ride out to them.’ Others will come from Basrah and you will say, ‘ʿAlī, ride out to them.’ If I do not comply you will accuse me of severing the ties of kinship and slighting your right.”
ʿUthmān therefore went out and delivered the sermon in which he retracted his former course and announced his repentance. He stood, praised Allah, and extolled Him as He deserves, then said:
“To proceed: O people, by Allah, nothing of what my critics censure is something of which I was ignorant; I have done nothing but with full knowledge, yet my right guidance has strayed. I heard the Messenger of Allah ﷺ say:
‘Whoever slips, let him repent; whoever errs, let him repent, and let him not persist in destruction. Whoever persists in tyranny is furthest from the path.’ (4)
I am therefore (5) the first to take admonition: I seek Allah’s forgiveness for what I have done and I repent. One such as I should indeed withdraw and repent. When I descend, let your notables come to me, for by Allah I shall be like a slave: if kept in servitude, he is patient, and if set free, he is grateful. There is no escape from Allah except to Him.”
The people were moved to compassion for him that day (6) and many wept. Saʿīd ibn Zayd rose and said, “O Commander of the Believers, fear Allah with regard to yourself and complete what you have pledged.”
When ʿUthmān returned to his house he found a group of the leading men already there. Marwān ibn al-Ḥakam arrived and said, “Shall I speak, O Commander of the Believers, or remain silent?” ʿUthmān’s wife, Nāʾilah bint al-Farāfiṣah al-Kalbiyyah, called out from behind the curtain, “Be silent! By Allah, they will kill him, and he has said words that must not be withdrawn.”
Marwān replied, “And what concern is that of yours? By Allah, your father died not even knowing how to perform wuḍūʾ.” She answered, “Leave fathers out of this,” and she spoke disparagingly of his father al-Ḥakam, so Marwān turned away from her.
He then said to ʿUthmān, “O Commander of the Believers, shall I speak or keep silent?” ʿUthmān said, “Speak.” Marwān said, “May my father and mother be ransomed for you! I would that these words of yours had been spoken while you were still holding fast (7)…"