FROM THE EDITORIAL DIRECTOR

Usman ibn Affan—The Third Caliph (644-656) Usman was born six years after the Prophet and he belonged to the Umayyad tribe of the Quraysh. He was a cloth merchant and was so rich that he was known as Al-Ghani (the rich). He was Abu Bakr’s friend and it was Abu Bakr who had introduced Islam to him. Usman accepted Islam without questioning. He was the only member of the Umayyads to become a Muslim during the time of the persecution of Muslims. He was married to the Prophet’s daughter Ruqayya. On being persecuted by the Quraysh due to his conversion, he asked Prophet’s permission to migrate to Abyssinia, the land of the kind Christian king, Najashi (Negus). He and his wife Ruqayya were thus among the first to give up their home in the cause of God. When Muslims began to emigrate to Madinah, Usman too, along with his wife, came to Madinah and settled there. Ruqayya took ill in Madinah and died thereafter. Usman was very sad. So the Prophet married his second daughter to Usman. This was a great honour. Usman came to be known as “Zun Noorain”, the possessor of two lights. He acted as the Prophet’s emissary during the Hudaybiya peace treaty. Usman was also one of the scribes of the Prophet. He wrote portions of the Quran as and when they were revealed. He was also one of the ten Companions whom the Prophet had given the good news of Paradise. Umar, on his deathbed, had nominated a six-man council to choose a Caliph from among its members. These members were Ali, Usman, Abdur Rahman ibn Auf, Saad ibn Abi Waqqas, Zubair ibn Awam, Talha ibn Obaidullah. After great deliberations, Usman was offered the Caliphate. Usman ibn Affan became the third Caliph of Islam. Azerbaijan and Armenia were conquered during the rule of Umar. But after the dismissal of Saad ibn Abi Waqqas’ governorship, Azerbaijan revolted. Usman ordered military action against it and the Province was brought again under the Caliphate. Muawiya, Governor of Syria with the help of Abi Sarah, the Governor of Egypt, invaded Cyprus and brought it under Islamic rule. Cyprus served as a military base for the Muslims. Usman was a simple and kind-hearted man, because of which many of his subordinates holding key positions did not fear being taken to task. No one conceals something in his heart, but God causes it to be seen on his face or in the slip of the tongue. — Usman ibn Affan