help of notable Muslim personalities, incited the locals to register complaints and also forged evidence against a number of prominent governors, accusing them of various alleged crimes, abuses, injustices and plundering of State resources. As a result, Ibn Saba and his co-conspirators managed to remove a number of leading provincial governors, such as Abu Musa al-Ash’ari and Walid ibn Uqbah from their posts. Since he and his followers’ ultimate objective was to undo the vast Islamic State from within, targeting provincial Muslim leaders (especially those who opposed their insurgency activities) became one of their favourite political strategies.
On one occasion, they accused Walid ibn Uqbah, the governor of Kufah, of drinking liquor and they forced witnesses to testify against him. This prompted Caliph Uthman to recall Walid to Madinah and punish him for his alleged misdemeanour. As soon as the Caliph carried out what Ibn Saba and his supporters demanded, they turned round and accused the Caliph of punishing innocent Muslims. In reality, Walid did not drink liquor and he was innocent of all the charges levelled against him. Likewise, when Abu Musa al-Ash’ari was replaced by Abdullah ibn Amir as governor of Basrah, Ibn Saba and his cohorts began to spread rumours that the Caliph had recalled Abu Musa and replaced him with Abdullah as governor because the latter was related to the Caliph. Seeking to pacify the hypocrites (munafiqun) was like fighting a losing battle. Indeed, they were bent on wreaking havoc within the Islamic State, but Caliph Uthman failed to understand the gravity of the situation and thus continued his dangerous policy of appeasement, which only served to encourage the enemies of the Islamic State. Being a gentle-natured and compassionate man, he devoted all his time, wealth and energy to the cause of Islam. But, unlike Caliph Umar, he was neither firm nor decisive in his dealings with the mischief-makers, who were bent on creating socio-political disorder within the Islamic State. Since Caliph Uthman had no intention of shedding Muslim blood, he hoped to win over the troublemakers through love and compassion. Although one cannot fail to admire his good intentions and sublime qualities, in the circumstances the strategy he pursued against a determined enemy, bent on destroying the Islamic State from within, was a wrong one.
As it transpired, the enemies of Islam took advantage of the Caliph’s ‘softly-softly’ approach and intensified their designs against the Islamic State. It was not long before they began to falsify and fabricate evidence against the Caliph himself. Though he cogently refuted all their allegations publicly, his detractors were not satisfied with his explanations. As tension between the Caliph and the insurgents mounted, some of the leading companions of the Prophet urged Uthman to take action against the insurgents; but he refused to do so, saying he would rather die than shed Muslim blood. Caliph Uthman was a man of principles, and he decided to stick to his principles come what might. The insurgents were not willing to relent either. As it happens, they were not interested in peace at all; their foremost objective was to oust the Caliph from power. Thus one of the first major crises in Islamic history was now looming on the horizon. Ibn Saba, the ringleader of the hypocrites, eventually descended upon Madinah and openly laid siege to the frail Caliph’s residence. They demanded that Uthman resign forthwith, otherwise they would kill him. Uthman replied, “I do not fear death, but I do not want to shed Muslim blood.” Again, a number of eminent companions of the Prophet urged him to take action against the insurgents. Yet again, he made it clear that he had no desire to shed Muslim blood. The insurgents then invaded his house and brutally murdered him while he was busy reciting the Qur’an. He was eighty years old.
Caliph Uthman’s death was a watershed in Islamic history. His assassination sent an almighty shiver down the Islamic spine, signalling the end of Islam’s political unity. The Muslim world became divided, never to unify again. Caliph Uthman chose to lay down his own life rather than spill Muslim blood. That is what he will be remembered for; he lived by his principles and he died for his faith. Refering to him, the Prophet Muhammad once said: ‘Every Prophet has a friend and my friend is Uthman.’
WOMEN HAVE PLAYED a critical role in Islamic history. Some became famous for their courage and learning, while others contributed immensely to the development of Islam as a faith, culture and civilisation. Islamic history is replete with heroic deeds performed by Muslim women. In addition to being wives, mothers and sisters, they distinguished themselves as advisors to caliphs, sultans and military leaders, as well as teachers of some of the most renowned and acclaimed thinkers of the Muslim world. Of all the illustrious Muslim women who had played an instrumental role in the emergence and development of Islam as a religion, culture and civilisation, one stands out over all others. That outstanding woman was Aishah bint Abu Bakr. She was a truly gifted lady who, by the strength of her multi-dimensional personality, prodigious learning and unusual intellectual ability carved out a unique position for herself in the annals of Islam. Aishah was an all-rounder, and her achievements were so varied and startling that no other woman in Islamic history can be compared to her. She is, therefore, the most influential single Muslim woman in history.
Aishah bint Abi Bakr ibn Abi Quhafah was born into the Banu Taym clan of the Quraysh tribe of Makkah. Her father, Abu Bakr al-Siddiq, and her mother, Umm Ruman, became Muslims very early on. After Muhammad announced his Prophethood in 610, Abu Bakr was one of the first people to embrace Islam and, as such, Aishah grew up in a Muslim family. Even as a youngster, she became known for her remarkable ability to learn poetry and narrate genealogical information about her ancestors. She was so intelligent that one day while the Prophet was passing by Abu Bakr’s house, he saw her playing with her dolls and a winged horse. When the Prophet asked her what it was that she was playing with, she replied that it was her favourite winged horse. When the Prophet told her that horses did not have wings, she responded saying that Prophet Solomon’s horses had wings. Aishah’s quick thinking, sharp intellect and apt reply brought a bright smile to the Prophet’s face.
Furthermore, Aishah became well known for her sublime personal qualities and attributes even when she was in her early teens. She not only possessed a photographic memory; she was also a gentle and cultured lady. Her memory power was such that she could even recollect some of the most remote incidents which happened during her early years. For instance, she related that verse 46 of chapter 55 (Surat al-Qamar) of the Qur’an was revealed to the Prophet while she was playing with her toys. And, if the popular saying that all marriages are made in heaven is true, then one cannot blame Aishah for being proud of the fact that her marriage was literally decreed by God. According to a hadith (Prophetic tradition) recorded in the Mustadrak of al-Hakim, on one occasion the Prophet saw a vision in which an angel brought him a present wrapped up in silk. When he asked the angel what it was, he was informed that it was his wife. After opening the wrapping, the Prophet discovered that it was none other than Aishah.
Aishah was married to the Prophet when she was very young, although at the time she had matured both intellectually and physically way beyond her age. Later, she related that her marriage dowry (mahr) was around five hundred dirhams. Her marriage to the Prophet had profound socio-cultural ramifications within the Makkan society of the time. It directly led to the abolition of a number of Arab customs and taboos. For instance, according to the custom of the day, the Arabs refused to marry their daughters to those they considered to be their brothers for cultural reasons, even though they were not biological brothers. Since Abu Bakr used to call the Prophet a brother, this marriage clarified that a brother in faith was not same as a real blood-brother. The Arabs also considered the month of Shawwal (the tenth month of the Islamic calendar) to be an inappropriate time for the bride to move into her husband’s house. Aishah’s marriage to the Prophet also consigned this taboo to the dustbin of history. After her marriage, Aishah became the youngest wife of the Prophet; she was also much wiser than, and intellectually far superior to, the others. She was the only wife of the Prophet who was a maiden. Being literate and having also learned Arab history and genealogy from her father, she became a highly respected authority on those subjects. In short, she was the jewel in the Prophet’s crown. Though the Prophet always treated his wives fairly and equitably, he could not hide his affection for Aishah because it was a natural feeling. God, he said, has implanted such love and affection within all human beings and we all experience such feelings, and do so without being aware of them.
When Aishah went to live with the Prophet in the