DEDICATED TO THE BLESSED MEMORY OF SAYYEDNA USMAN (R.A), THE 3RD CALIPH OF RASUL-ALLAH (SAW) WHO WAS MERCILESSLY MURDERED IN COLD BLOOD ON FRIDAY, THE 18TH ZILHAJ 35 H IN A STATE OF FASTING BY THE SABAI REBELS WHO LATER BECAME THE FOUNDERS/ POLITICAL FATHERS OF SHIAISM. THE CIRCUMSTANCES LEADING TO THE MARTYRDOM OF SAYYADNA USMAN (R.A) ARE SUCH HEART-READING AND BLOOD-CUDDLING THAT THE INCIDENT OF KARBALA PALES INTO INSIGNIFICANCE BEFORE THE SHAHADAT (MARTYRDOM) OF THIS SHAHEED AZAM (GREAT MARTYR). SAYYENDA USMAN WAS SO PIOUS THAT INSPITE OF BEING IN AUTHORITY HE PREFERRED TO ENDANGER HIS OWN LIFE INSTEAD OF ALLOWING THE SHEDDING OF MUSLIM BLOOD. HIS KINDNESS AND COMPASSION WAS MANIFEST ALL AROUND SO WAS HIS GENEROISITY AND CLEMENCY TOWARDS OPPONENTS.
TODAY PEOPLE HAVE FORGOTTEN THE SUPREME SACRIFICES MADE BY SAYYEDNA USMAN (R.A) FOR THE GLORY OF ISLAM. SAYYENDA USMAN'S CALIPHATE WAS A PERIOD OF EXTRA-ORDINARY PROSPERITY FOR ISLAM AND MUSLIMS. HIS REIGN WITNESSED EXPANSION OF THE ISLAMIC EMPIRE TO NEW HEIGHTS AND FOR THE FIRST TIME NAVAL FLEET WAS INTRODUCED AND INDUCTED IN MUSLIM ARMY TO SMASH THE ROMAN FLEET WHICH HAD AGGRESSIVE DESIGNS AGAINST THE EXPANDING ISLAMIC EMPIRE. SAYYEDNA USMAN TOOK UTMOST CARE IN THE OBSERVANCE OF HAYA AND TAHARAH. HE WAS RENOWNED FOR HIS VOLUNTARY FASTING AND TAHAJJID PRAYER. HE MIGRATED TWICE; FIRST TO ETHIOPIA AT THE DIRECTION OF RASUL-ALLAH (SAW) AND THEN TO MADINAH. RASUL-ALLAH (SAW) SAID: "EVERY PROPHET HAS A COMPANION IN PARADISE, AND MY COMPANION WILL BE USMAN." (IBN MAJAH). ALTHOUGH SAYYEDNA USMAN (R.A) WAS RICH AND AFFLUENT, HE HAD DEDICATED ALL HIS WEALTH FOR THE PROPAGATION OF ISLAM AND WELFARE OF MUSLIMS. HE PURCHASED SWEET-WATER WELL FROM THE JEWS IN MADINAH (SOON AFTER HIJRAH) AND EARMARKED IT FOR THE EXCLUSIVE USE OF MUSLIMS. HE CONTRIBUTED HEAVILY FOR THE EXPENDITION OF TABUK AND RECEIVED A WRIT FROM RASUL-ALLAH (SAW) "NOTHING WILL HARM USMAN HENCEFORTH WHATEVER HE DOES" (TIRMIDHI) RASUL-ALLAH (SAW) TOOK OATH OF ALLEGIANCE FOR HIM FROM 1400 SAHABAH AT HUDDIYBIAH TO AVENGE HIS ALLEGED MURDER. ALMIGHTY ALLAH AUTHENTICATED THIS OATH OF ALLEGIANCE CALLED "BAIT RIZWAN" BY THE FOLLOWING WORDS OF THE QUR'AN: "THE HAND OF ALLAH IS ABOVE THEIR HANDS." (AL-QUR'AN, 48:10). SAYYENDA USMAN (R.A) HAD THE PROUD PRIVILEGE OF BEING (ZUNOORIAN)-HAVING TWO LIGHTS AS TWO OF THE PROPHET'S DAUGHTERS WERE GIVEN IN MARRIAGE TO HIM ONE AFTER THE DEATH OF AN OTHER. AFTER THE DEATH OF THE SECOND DAUGHTER, RASUL-ALLAH (SAW) SAID THAT HAD I HAD A THIRD DAUGHTER I WOULD HAVE GIVEN HER IN MARRIAGE OF USMAN-SO HIGH WAS THE HONOUR BESTOWED ON HIM BY RASUL-ALLAH (SAW). SUCH A GLORIOUS STAR AND LUMINARY OF ISLAM AND CONQUEROR AND LIBERATOR OF 800,000 MILES OF TERRITORY WAS CONFINED TO HIS HOUSE BY THE SABBAI REBELS FOR 40 DAYS WHO WOULD NOT ALLOW HIM TO LOAD THE PRAYERS IN THE MASJID EVEN DENYING HIM FOOD AND DRINK & STABBED HIM TO DEATH AT THE OLD AGE OF 82 WHILE HE WAS RECITING THE HOLY QUR'AN. THE IRONY OF FATE IS THAT THEY (I.E. REBELS) PREVENTED THE BURIAL OF SUCH OF MAGNANIMOUS CALIPH IN THE MUSLIM GRAVE YARD. IT WAS AFTER MOUNTING DIFFICULTIES THAT HIS FUNERAL PRAYER WAS LED BY HADHRAT JABIR BIN MOTHAHAM AND HE WAS BURIED BY ABDULLAH BIN ZUBAIR IN THE DARKNESS OF NIGHT! __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around http://mail.yahoo.com *************************************************************************** {Invite (mankind, O Muhammad ) to the Way of your Lord (i.e. Islam) with wisdom (i.e. with the Divine Inspiration and the Qur'an) and fair preaching, and argue with them in a way that is better. Truly, your Lord knows best who has gone astray from His Path, and He is the Best Aware of those who are guided.} (Holy Quran-16:125) {And who is better in speech than he who [says: "My Lord is Allah (believes in His Oneness)," and then stands straight (acts upon His Order), and] invites (men) to Allah's (Islamic Monotheism), and does righteous deeds, and says: "I am one of the Muslims."} (Holy Quran-41:33) The prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: "By Allah, if Allah guides one person by you, it is better for you than the best types of camels." [al-Bukhaaree, Muslim] The prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) also said, "Whoever calls to guidance will have a reward similar to the reward of the one who follows him, without the reward of either of them being lessened at all." [Muslim, Ahmad, Aboo Daawood, an-Nasaa'ee, at-Tirmidhee, Ibn Maajah] -------------------------------------------------------------------------- All views expressed herein belong to the individuals concerned and do not in any way reflect the official views of IslamCity unless sanctioned or approved otherwise. If your mailbox clogged with mails from IslamCity, you may wish to get a daily digest of emails by logging-on to http://www.yahoogroups.com to change your mail delivery settings or email the moderators at [EMAIL PROTECTED] with the title "change to daily digest". Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/islamcity/ <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/