The election of Uthman
Encyclopedia
Uthman ibn Affan, the third caliph
, was chosen by a council meeting in Medina
, in northwestern Arabia, in .
The second caliph, Umar ibn al-Khattab, was stabbed by an angry Persian
slave named Feroz. Mindful of the tumults that had occurred after the death of Muhammad
(see Succession to Muhammad
), on his deathbed Umar appointed a committee of six men, to choose a new leader.
, to survive the strictest criticism. The six men were:
Umar's expectation seems to have been that the group should choose one among themselves who would be acceptable to all.
Talha was absent and did not reach Medina until after the decision had been made. The choice of a new ruler for the new Islamic empire fell to five men.
. The group consisted of Sad Ibn Abi Waqqas, Abd al-Rahman ibn Awf, Zubayr ibn al-Awwam, Talha ibn Ubayd Allah, Ali ibn Abi Talib and Uthman ibn Affan. To regulate the group and ensure that no single person would stop the process, Umar said that they should all agree unanimously on the next caliph
and he ordered his son, Abdullah bin Umar to kill any one person whose opinion would differ from the rest of the group.
Out of the six members, Zubair withdrew his candidature in favor of Ali. Talha withdrew in favor of Uthman and Sad ibn Abi Waqas withdrew in favor of Abd al-Rahman. Out of the three remaining candidates Abd al-Rahman decided to withdraw, leaving Uthman and Ali. Abd al-Rahman was appointed as the arbitrator to choose between the remaining two candidates. Contacting the two candidates separately, he put to them the question whether they would follow in the footsteps of the previous caliphs. Ali said that he would follow the Quran and the Sunnah of Mohammed. Uthman replied to the question in the affirmative without any reservation. Thereupon, Abd al-Rahman gave his verdict in favor of The election of Uthman.
Accounts of this consultation vary widely.
An accepted sunni version of this account shows a tie in votes between all three Uthman, Abd Al Rahman and Ali where Uthman and Ali voted in favor of their respective partner in the elections. Then Abd Al Rahman suggested to allow him to withdraw his candidature at the cost of the choice for leadership between the two remaining candidates. He was allowed to do so and he chose Uthman as the new caliph.
, only Uthman and Ali were willing to take the burden of the caliphate. Each of them said that he was willing to swear allegiance to the other if not chosen. It was up to the three remaining members to make the choice. Sa'd is said to have slightly favored Ali. Al-Zubayr supported Uthman. 'Abd al-Rahman thus had the deciding vote. According to Madelung's account of the shura, 'Abd al-Rahman delayed announcing his choice until he faced a public meeting at the mosque, where he announced his choice of Uthman. Ali, who was present, was thus under pressure to immediately give his allegiance, his bay'ah, to Uthman, which he did accordingly.
) and that every successive choice of a different caliph was defiance of Muhammad's wishes. Ali did not desire power; he wanted to carry out the duties he had been given by his cousin Muhammad. Shi'a also deny that Ali gave his allegiance to Uthman. Ali is quoted saying:
and:
writes:
Aalimnetwork on Al-islam.org quotes:
Caliph
The Caliph is the head of state in a Caliphate, and the title for the ruler of the Islamic Ummah, an Islamic community ruled by the Shari'ah. It is a transcribed version of the Arabic word which means "successor" or "representative"...
, was chosen by a council meeting in Medina
Medina
Medina , or ; also transliterated as Madinah, or madinat al-nabi "the city of the prophet") is a city in the Hejaz region of western Saudi Arabia, and serves as the capital of the Al Madinah Province. It is the second holiest city in Islam, and the burial place of the Islamic Prophet Muhammad, and...
, in northwestern Arabia, in .
The second caliph, Umar ibn al-Khattab, was stabbed by an angry Persian
Persian people
The Persian people are part of the Iranian peoples who speak the modern Persian language and closely akin Iranian dialects and languages. The origin of the ethnic Iranian/Persian peoples are traced to the Ancient Iranian peoples, who were part of the ancient Indo-Iranians and themselves part of...
slave named Feroz. Mindful of the tumults that had occurred after the death of Muhammad
Muhammad
Muhammad |ligature]] at U+FDF4 ;Arabic pronunciation varies regionally; the first vowel ranges from ~~; the second and the last vowel: ~~~. There are dialects which have no stress. In Egypt, it is pronounced not in religious contexts...
(see Succession to Muhammad
Succession to Muhammad
The Succession to Muhammad concerns the various aspects of successorship of Muhammad after his death, comprising who might be considered as his successor to lead the Muslims, how that person should be elected, the conditions of legitimacy, and the role of successor...
), on his deathbed Umar appointed a committee of six men, to choose a new leader.
Preparation
He wished this consultation, or shuraShura
Shura is an Arabic word for "consultation". The Quran and Muhammad encourage Muslims to decide their affairs in consultation with those who will be affected by that decision....
, to survive the strictest criticism. The six men were:
- Abd al-Rahman ibn Awf
- Sad ibn Abi Waqqas
- Uthman ibn Affan
- Ali ibn Abi Talib
- Zubayr ibn al-Awwam
- Talhah
Umar's expectation seems to have been that the group should choose one among themselves who would be acceptable to all.
Talha was absent and did not reach Medina until after the decision had been made. The choice of a new ruler for the new Islamic empire fell to five men.
Accounts
At his death bed, Umar ibn al-Khattab (d.644) nominated a board of six members who were required to elect one of themselves as the next caliphCaliph
The Caliph is the head of state in a Caliphate, and the title for the ruler of the Islamic Ummah, an Islamic community ruled by the Shari'ah. It is a transcribed version of the Arabic word which means "successor" or "representative"...
. The group consisted of Sad Ibn Abi Waqqas, Abd al-Rahman ibn Awf, Zubayr ibn al-Awwam, Talha ibn Ubayd Allah, Ali ibn Abi Talib and Uthman ibn Affan. To regulate the group and ensure that no single person would stop the process, Umar said that they should all agree unanimously on the next caliph
Caliph
The Caliph is the head of state in a Caliphate, and the title for the ruler of the Islamic Ummah, an Islamic community ruled by the Shari'ah. It is a transcribed version of the Arabic word which means "successor" or "representative"...
and he ordered his son, Abdullah bin Umar to kill any one person whose opinion would differ from the rest of the group.
Out of the six members, Zubair withdrew his candidature in favor of Ali. Talha withdrew in favor of Uthman and Sad ibn Abi Waqas withdrew in favor of Abd al-Rahman. Out of the three remaining candidates Abd al-Rahman decided to withdraw, leaving Uthman and Ali. Abd al-Rahman was appointed as the arbitrator to choose between the remaining two candidates. Contacting the two candidates separately, he put to them the question whether they would follow in the footsteps of the previous caliphs. Ali said that he would follow the Quran and the Sunnah of Mohammed. Uthman replied to the question in the affirmative without any reservation. Thereupon, Abd al-Rahman gave his verdict in favor of The election of Uthman.
Accounts of this consultation vary widely.
An accepted sunni version of this account shows a tie in votes between all three Uthman, Abd Al Rahman and Ali where Uthman and Ali voted in favor of their respective partner in the elections. Then Abd Al Rahman suggested to allow him to withdraw his candidature at the cost of the choice for leadership between the two remaining candidates. He was allowed to do so and he chose Uthman as the new caliph.
Wilferd Madelung
According to the Institute for Shia Ismaili Studies in London's Shia'ism researcher Wilferd MadelungWilferd Madelung
Wilferd Ferdinand Madelung is a scholar of Islam. He was born in Stuttgart, Germany, where he completed his early education at Eberhard-Ludwigs-Gymnasium....
, only Uthman and Ali were willing to take the burden of the caliphate. Each of them said that he was willing to swear allegiance to the other if not chosen. It was up to the three remaining members to make the choice. Sa'd is said to have slightly favored Ali. Al-Zubayr supported Uthman. 'Abd al-Rahman thus had the deciding vote. According to Madelung's account of the shura, 'Abd al-Rahman delayed announcing his choice until he faced a public meeting at the mosque, where he announced his choice of Uthman. Ali, who was present, was thus under pressure to immediately give his allegiance, his bay'ah, to Uthman, which he did accordingly.
Al-Tabari
The early Muslim historian Al-Tabari gives a more detailed version of Umar's supposed words setting up the consultation.John Glubb
The British historian John Glubb summarizes the matter thus:Suyuti
Suyuti quotes the following:Shia view
Shi'a Muslims argue that the election should not have happened at all. They say that Muhammad had clearly indicated that he wished Ali to succeed him (see Succession to MuhammadSuccession to Muhammad
The Succession to Muhammad concerns the various aspects of successorship of Muhammad after his death, comprising who might be considered as his successor to lead the Muslims, how that person should be elected, the conditions of legitimacy, and the role of successor...
) and that every successive choice of a different caliph was defiance of Muhammad's wishes. Ali did not desire power; he wanted to carry out the duties he had been given by his cousin Muhammad. Shi'a also deny that Ali gave his allegiance to Uthman. Ali is quoted saying:
- But good Heavens! what had I to do with this "consultation"? Where was any doubt about me with regard to the first of them (caliphCaliphThe Caliph is the head of state in a Caliphate, and the title for the ruler of the Islamic Ummah, an Islamic community ruled by the Shari'ah. It is a transcribed version of the Arabic word which means "successor" or "representative"...
s) that I was now considered akin to these ones (in this consultation)? Sermon of ash-Shiqshiqiyyah
and:
- "You (Uthman) know very well that I deserve the caliphate more than anyone else" (Nahj al BalaghaNahj al BalaghaThe Nahj al-Balagha is the most famous collection of sermons, letters, tafsirs and narrations attributed to Ali , cousin and son-in-law of Muhammad...
sermon 77)
writes:
Aalimnetwork on Al-islam.org quotes:
Works cited
- Aslan, Reza – No God But God, Random House, 2005.
- Glubb, Sir John Bagot – The Great Arab Conquests, 1967.
- Madelung, W. – The Succession to Muhammad, Cambridge University Press, 1997.