and he submitted to Allah’s decree—exalted is He—and (1) withheld his hand from fighting. He instructed the people, even binding them by oath, not to fight on his behalf; had it not been for this insistence they would have defended him against his enemies, yet Allah’s command is an irrevocable decree.

Hishām ibn ʿUrwah related from his father that ʿUthmān—may Allah be pleased with him—made al-Zubayr his executor.

Al-Aṣmaʿī reported, on the authority of al-ʿAlāʾ ibn al-Faḍl, from his father, who said (2): When ʿUthmān was killed they searched his storeroom and found a locked chest. They opened it and inside was a small casket containing a sheet of paper on which was written:

“This is the testament of ʿUthmān. In the name of Allah, the Most Merciful, the Most Compassionate. ʿUthmān ibn ʿAffān bears witness that there is no god but Allah alone without partner, that Muhammad is His servant and Messenger, that Paradise is true, that Hell is true, and that Allah will resurrect those in the graves for a Day about which there is no doubt; verily Allah never fails in His promise. Upon this he lives (3), upon this he dies, and upon this he shall be raised—if Allah, the Exalted, so wills.”

Ibn ʿAsākir (4) narrates that ʿUthmān—may Allah be pleased with him—recited on the day they burst in and slew him:

[al-Ṭawīl]
“I see that death spares no man of honor, nor has it left…
for the tribe of ʿĀd a refuge in the land or a height to scale.” (5)

He also said:

[al-Ṭawīl]
“He steals upon (6) the folk of a fortress while its gates are shut…
and death reaches the mountains, even their lofty peaks.” (7)

The manner of his killing—may Allah be pleased with him—

Khalīfah ibn Khayyāṭ (8) said: Ibn ʿUlayyah narrated to us; Ibn ʿAwn narrated to us, from al-Ḥasan who said: Waththāb informed me: ʿUthmān sent me, and I summoned al-Ashtar. He (ʿUthmān) asked, “What do the people want?” He replied, “Three demands from which there is no escape.” He asked, “What are they?” He said, “They give you a choice: either you depose yourself from this authority, saying, ‘This affair is yours—choose for it whom you wish,’ or you allow retaliation (9) to be taken from your own person; and if you refuse, the people will fight you.” He replied, “As for removing from myself this garment (of authority), I would never take off a shirt…"