all other religions; and sufficient is Allah as a witness.” And His words, Most High:
“Allah has promised those of you who believe and do righteous deeds that He will surely grant them succession on earth, as He granted it to those before them; that He will surely establish for them their religion which He has chosen for them; and that He will surely replace their fear with security. They will worship Me, associating nothing with Me.”
And the words of the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace):
“When Chosroes perishes, there will be no Chosroes after him, and when Caesar perishes, there will be no Caesar after him. By Him in Whose Hand is my soul, you will surely spend the treasures of them both in Allah’s cause.”
It was ʿUmar (may Allah be pleased with him) who spent their treasures. It is therefore clear that he spent them in Allah’s cause and that he was a rightly guided caliph, guided by Allah. He then entrusted the choice of his successor to a council of six. The Emigrants and Helpers agreed to appoint ʿUthmān ibn ʿAffān, without his offering them any inducement or intimidating them with any threat. They all pledged allegiance to him willingly and without reluctance.
Toward the end of his reign, circumstances arose in which the ignorant and aggressive gained the upper hand over the learned through evil deeds. They continued stirring up strife until the caliph was wrongfully killed as a martyr, without any grounds that would permit his killing. He remained patient, seeking Allah’s reward, and did not fight any Muslim.
When he was killed (may Allah be pleased with him), hearts became divided, distress intensified, evil people rose to prominence, and the good were humbled. Those who had previously been unable to foment strife now worked to do so, while those who wished to establish goodness and righteousness found themselves unable to do so. They then pledged allegiance to the Commander of the Faithful, ʿAlī ibn Abī Tālib (may Allah be pleased with him), who was then the person most entitled to the caliphate