and hadith [and biographical works] (1) that the Prophet—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—appointed him to collect the charitable dues of some Arabs. When he drew near to them, they came out to meet him, but he thought they intended to fight him. He therefore sent word to the Prophet—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—reporting that they had taken up arms [against him] (2). The Prophet—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—then intended to send an army against them, whereupon Allah Most High revealed:

“O you who believe, if a wicked person brings you news, verify it, lest you unwittingly harm a people and then become remorseful for what you have done.” [Surah al-Hujurāt: 6] (3).

If the true circumstances of this man were hidden from the Prophet—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—how could they not have been hidden from Uthmān?

If it is said, “Uthmān appointed him after that,” the reply is: The door of repentance remains open. Abdullah ibn Saʿd [ibn Abī Sarh] (4) had apostatized from Islam, but he later came in repentance, and the Prophet—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—accepted his Islam and repentance after having declared his life forfeit.

Ali—may Allah be pleased with him—likewise discovered things about his officials that he had not suspected of them. This impugns neither Uthmān nor anyone else.

The most that can be said is that Uthmān appointed someone while knowing that another was better suited than he, and this is among the matters subject to considered judgment.

Or it may be said that his love for his relatives inclined him toward them until he came to regard them as more entitled than