Tarikh (al-Tabari) 2031
The Caliphate of ʿUthmān b. ʿAffān
فَصْلٌ ( كَيْفِيَّةُ قَتْلِ عُثْمَانَ بِالْمَدِينَةِ وَبِهَا جَمَاعَةٌ مِنْ كِبَارِ الصَّحَابَةِ ) إِنْ قَالَ قَائِلٌ: كَيْفَ وَقَعَ قَتْلُ عُثْمَانَ، ؓ، بِالْمَدِينَةِ وَفِيهَا جَمَاعَةٌ مِنْ كِبَارِ الصَّحَابَةِ، ؓ ؟ فَجَوَابُهُ مِنْ وُجُوهٍ: أَحَدُهَا، أَنَّ كَثِيرًا مِنْهُمْ، بَلْ أَكْثَرُهُمْ أَوْ كُلُّهُمْ، لَمْ يَكُنْ يَظُنُّ أَنَّهُ يَبْلُغُ الْأَمْرُ إِلَى قَتْلِهِ، فَإِنَّ أُولَئِكَ الْأَحْزَابَ لَمْ يَكُونُوا يُحَاوِلُونَ قَتْلَهُ عَيْنًا، بَلْ طَلَبُوا مِنْهُ أَحَدَ أُمُورٍ ثَلَاثَةٍ ; إِمَّا أَنْ يَعْزِلَ نَفْسَهُ، أَوْ يُسَلِّمَ إِلَيْهِمْ مَرْوَانَ بْنَ الْحَكَمِ، أَوْ يَقْتُلُوهُ، فَكَانُوا يَرْجُونَ أَنْ يُسَلِّمَ إِلَى النَّاسِ مَرْوَانَ، أَوْ أَنْ يَعْزِلَ نَفْسَهُ وَيَسْتَرِيحَ مِنْ هَذِهِ الضَّائِقَةِ الشَّدِيدَةِ. وَأَمَّا الْقَتْلُ فَمَا كَانَ يَظُنُّ أَحَدٌ أَنَّهُ يَقَعُ، وَلَا أَنَّ هَؤُلَاءِ يَجْتَرِئُونَ عَلَيْهِ إِلَى مَا هَذَا حَدُّهُ، حَتَّى وَقَعَ مَا وَقَعَ. وَاللَّهُ أَعْلَمُ. الثَّانِي، أَنَّ الصَّحَابَةَ مَانَعُوا دُونَهُ أَشَدَّ الْمُمَانَعَةِ، وَلَكِنْ لَمَّا وَقَعَ التَّضْيِيقُ الشَّدِيدُ عَزَمَ عُثْمَانُ عَلَى النَّاسِ أَنَّ يَكُفُّوا أَيْدِيَهُمْ وَيُغْمِدُوا أَسْلِحَتَهُمْ فَفَعَلُوا، فَتَمَكَّنَ أُولَئِكَ مِمَّا أَرَادُوا، وَمَعَ هَذَا مَا ظَنَّ أَحَدٌ مِنَ النَّاسِ أَنَّهُ يُقْتَلُ بِالْكُلِّيَّةِ. الثَّالِثُ، أَنَّ هَؤُلَاءِ الْخَوَارِجَ لَمَّا اغْتَنَمُوا غَيْبَةَ كَثِيرٍ مِنْ أَهْلِ الْمَدِينَةِ فِي أَيَّامِ الْحَجِّ، وَلَمْ تَقْدِمِ الْجُيُوشُ مِنَ الْآفَاقِ لِلنُّصْرَةِ، بَلْ لَمَّا اقْتَرَبَ مَجِيئُهُمْ، انْتَهَزُوا فُرْصَتَهُمْ، قَبَّحَهُمُ اللَّهُ، وَصَنَعُوا مَا صَنَعُوا مِنَ الْأَمْرِ الْعَظِيمِ. الرَّابِعُ، أَنَّ هَؤُلَاءِ الْخَوَارِجُ كَانُوا قَرِيبًا مِنْ أَلْفَيْ مُقَاتِلٍ مِنَ الْأَبْطَالِ، وَرُبَّمَا لَمْ يَكُنْ فِي أَهْلِ الْمَدِينَةِ هَذِهِ الْعِدَّةُ مِنَ الْمُقَاتِلَةِ ; لِأَنَّ النَّاسَ كَانُوا فِي الثُّغُورِ وَفِي الْأَقَالِيمِ فِي كُلِّ جِهَةٍ وَفِي الْحَجِّ. وَمَعَ هَذَا كَانَ كَثِيرٌ مِنَ الصَّحَابَةِ قَدِ اعْتَزَلَ هَذِهِ الْفِتْنَةَ وَلَزِمُوا بُيُوتَهُمْ، وَمَنْ كَانَ يَحْضُرُ مِنْهُمُ الْمَسْجِدَ لَا يَجِيءُ إِلَّا وَمَعَهُ السَّيْفُ يَضَعُهُ عَلَى حَبْوَتِهِ إِذَا احْتَبَى، وَالْخَوَارِجُ مُحْدِقُونَ بِدَارِ عُثْمَانَ، ؓ. وَرُبَّمَا لَوْ أَرَادُوا صَرْفَهُمْ عَنِ الدَّارِ لَمَا أَمْكَنَ ذَلِكَ. وَلَكِنَّ كِبَارَ الصَّحَابَةِ قَدْ بَعَثُوا أَوْلَادَهُمْ إِلَى الدَّارِ يُجَاحِفُونَ عَنْ عُثْمَانَ، ؓ، لِكَيْ تَقْدَمَ الْجُيُوشُ مِنَ الْأَمْصَارِ لِنُصْرَتِهِ، فَمَا فَجَأَ النَّاسَ إِلَّا وَقَدْ ظَفِرَ أُولَئِكَ بِالدَّارِ مِنْ خَارِجِهَا، وَأَحْرَقُوا بَابَهَا، وَتَسَوَّرُوا عَلَيْهِ حَتَّى قَتَلُوهُ. وَأَمَّا مَا يَذْكُرُهُ بَعْضُ النَّاسِ مِنْ أَنَّ بَعْضَ الصَّحَابَةِ أَسْلَمَهُ وَرَضِيَ بِقَتْلِهِ، فَهَذَا لَا يَصِحُّ عَنْ أَحَدٍ مِنَ الصَّحَابَةِ أَنَّهُ رَضِيَ بِقَتْلِ عُثْمَانَ، ؓ، بَلْ كُلُّهُمْ كَرِهَهُ، وَمَقَتَهُ، وَسَبَّ مَنْ فَعَلَهُ، وَلَكِنَّ بَعْضَهُمْ كَانَ يَوَدُّ لَوْ خَلَعَ نَفْسَهُ مِنَ الْأَمْرِ ; كَعَمَّارِ بْنِ يَاسِرٍ، وَمُحَمَّدِ بْنِ أَبِي بَكْرٍ، وَعَمْرِو بْنِ الْحَمِقِ وَغَيْرِهِمْ. قَالَ أَبُو عُمَرَ بْنُ عَبْدِ الْبَرِّ: دَفَنُوا عُثْمَانَ، ؓ بِحَشِّ كَوْكَبٍ، وَكَانَ قَدِ اشْتَرَاهُ وَزَادَهُ فِي الْبَقِيعِ. وَلَقَدْ أَحْسَنَ بَعْضُ السَّلَفِ حَيْثُ يَقُولُ وَقَدْ سُئِلَ عَنْ عُثْمَانَ: هُوَ أَمِيرُ الْبَرَرَةِ، وَقَتِيلُ الْفَجَرَةِ، مَخْذُولٌ مَنْ خَذَلَهُ، مَنْصُورٌ مَنْ نَصَرَهُ. وَقَالَ شَيْخُنَا أَبُو عَبْدِ اللَّهِ الذَّهَبِيُّ فِي آخِرِ تَرْجَمَةِ عُثْمَانَ وَفَضَائِلِهِ، بَعْدَ حِكَايَتِهِ هَذَا الْكَلَامَ: قُلْتُ: الَّذِينَ قَتَلُوهُ أَوْ أَلَّبُوا عَلَيْهِ قَتَلُوا إِلَى عَفْوِ اللَّهِ وَرَحْمَتِهِ، وَالَّذِينَ خَذَلُوهُ خَذَلُوا وَتَنَغَّصَ عَيْشُهُمْ، وَكَانَ الْمُلْكُ بَعْدَهُ فِي نَائِبِهِ مُعَاوِيَةَ وَابْنَيْهِ، ثُمَّ فِي وَزِيرِهِ مَرْوَانَ وَثَمَانِيَةٍ مِنْ ذُرِّيَّتِهِ، اسْتَطَالُوا حَيَاتَهُ وَمَلُّوهُ مَعَ فَضْلِهِ وَسَوَابِقِهِ، فَتَمَلَّكَ عَلَيْهِمْ مَنْ هُوَ مِنْ بَنِي عَمِّهِ بِضْعًا وَثَمَانِينَ سَنَةً، فَالْحُكْمُ لِلَّهِ الْعَلِيُّ الْكَبِيرُ. وَهَذَا لَفْظُهُ بِحُرُوفِهِ.
Translation
✧ Section (How ʿUthmān was killed in Madinah while a group of the leading Companions was present) If someone asks: How did the killing of ʿUthmān ؓ occur in Madinah while there was a group of the leading Companions ؓ? The answer is from several aspects: One of them is that many of them, indeed most or all of them, did not imagine that the matter would reach the point of killing him. For those factions were not seeking to kill him specifically; rather they asked him for one of three things: either that he remove himself, or that he hand over Marwān b. al-Ḥakam to them, or they would kill him. They were hoping that he would hand Marwān over to the people, or that he would remove himself and find relief from this severe distress. As for killing, no one thought that it would occur, nor that they would dare to go to that extent against him, until what happened happened. And God knows best. The second is that the Companions defended him most strongly, but when the severe siege occurred, ʿUthmān insisted that the people restrain their hands and sheathe their weapons, and they did so. Then those men were able to do what they wanted, and despite that, no one imagined that he would be killed outright. The third is that those Kharijites seized the opportunity of the absence of many of the people of Madinah during the days of the Ḥajj, and the armies had not yet arrived from the regions to help; rather, when their arrival drew near, they seized their chance—may God disfigure them—and committed what they committed of the heinous act. The fourth is that those Kharijites were nearly two thousand warriors among the heroes, and perhaps the people of Madinah did not have that number of fighters; for the people were at the frontiers and in the provinces in every direction and at the Ḥajj. Moreover, many of the Companions had withdrawn from this turmoil and kept to their houses. Whoever of them attended the mosque came only with a sword, which he placed on his knees when he sat cross-legged, and the Kharijites were surrounding the house of ʿUthmān ؓ. Even if they had wanted to drive them away from the house, it would not have been possible. But the leading Companions had sent their sons to the house to fight in defense of ʿUthmān ؓ, in order that the armies from the garrison cities might arrive to aid him. But the people were taken by surprise when those assailants seized the house from outside, burned its gate, and climbed over it until they killed him. As for what some people mention, that some of the Companions abandoned him and were content with his killing, this is not authentically reported from any of the Companions that he was content with the killing of ʿUthmān ؓ. Rather, all of them detested it, abhorred it, and cursed those who did it. However, some of them wished that he had stepped down from the affair, such as ʿAmmār b. Yāsir, Muḥammad b. Abī Bakr, ʿAmr b. al-Ḥamiq, and others. Abū ʿUmar b. ʿAbd al-Barr said: They buried ʿUthmān ؓ at Ḥashsh Kawkab, which he had purchased and added to al-Baqīʿ. And one of the predecessors spoke well when he was asked about ʿUthmān: He is the commander of the righteous and the slain of the wicked; forsaken is he who forsook him, and helped is he who helped him. Our shaykh Abū ʿAbd Allāh al-Dhahabī said at the end of the biography of ʿUthmān and his virtues, after relating this statement: I say: Those who killed him or incited against him have gone to God's pardon and mercy. Those who forsook him were forsaken and their lives became bitter. Kingship after him passed to his deputy Muʿāwiyah and his two sons, then to his minister Marwān and eight of his descendants. They found his life too long and grew weary of him despite his virtue and prior merits, so one of his cousins ruled over them for eighty-odd years. Judgment belongs to God, the Most High, the Most Great. This is his wording verbatim.
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