The second is that the near relatives (1) are the ruler’s own relatives.

The third is that they were a large tribe, unlike the tribes of Abū Bakr and Umar—may Allah be pleased with them both. Uthmān therefore had a greater need to give them wealth and appoint them to office than Abū Bakr and Umar had to appoint their own relatives and give them wealth. This is one of the arguments that Uthmān is reported to have advanced.

We have already stated that we do not claim that anyone after the Messenger of Allah—peace and blessings be upon him—was immune from sin, much less from error in exercising independent judgment.

Allah—Glorified and Exalted—is He—said:

“And the one who brought the truth and believed in it—it is they who are mindful of Allah. They will have whatever they desire with their Lord. That is the reward of those who do good, so that Allah may absolve them of the worst of what they did and reward them according to the best of what they used to do.”

[Surat al-Zumar: 33, 35].

He—the Exalted—also said:

“Those are the ones from whom We accept the best of what they did and whose misdeeds We overlook. They will be among the people of Paradise—a true promise that they were given.”

[Surat al-Ahqāf: 16].

[Response to the Rāfidī’s claim that Uthmān sheltered Ibn Abī Sarh and appointed him governor of Egypt after the Prophet—peace and blessings be upon him—had declared his life forfeit]

As for his statement (2): “Among these things was his sheltering (3) Abd Allah ibn Sa‘d ibn Abī Sarh after the Prophet—peace and blessings be upon him—had declared his life forfeit, and his appointment of him as governor of Egypt,” (4).

The response (5) is this: If what is meant is that his life remained forfeit until Uthmān appointed him to office, as