Q. & A. 711 to 1707 with solved Papers css 1971 to date

Hazrat Usman (Rad. A.)
291
Islam, and the good of his subjects can easily be called a true patriot and a benign ruler.
In his book Early Heroes of Islam, S.A. Salik observes as follows: ”Such was the tragic end of one of the most generous, pious, pure and heroic souls of early Islam. In spite of his opulence he led a simple life, but with a magnificent liberality he spent his money in charity. He purchased the well named Rauma, and assigned it for the benefit of the public; subscribed liberally for the force which eventually took part in the battle of Tabuk; distributed to the needy a large quantity of grain in a period or famine at his own expense, acquired lands and extended the apostolic mosques of Medina and Makkah, and performed the duties of the Caliphate without any remuneration. To his recension of the Quran we owe the present correct edrtion of the Book. On account of a verse in the Holy Quran he considered it a sacred duty to help his relatives. He put them in important public offices and gave them large sums of money out of the public treasury. Taking advantage of his kind and mild nature his unworthy relatives, several of whom were governors of provinces, committed acts of high handedness and injustice which caused discontent. Being faced by strong and even armed opposition he would at times consent to their dismissal, though not convinced of ;the necessity of the step. As soon as such opposition ceased he would withdraw his consent. He was however willing to punish those responsible for specific complaints though he declined to dismiss them wholesale or to deliver them to blind fury. With equal magnanimity he declined to employ force against the malcontents and cause unnecessary bloodshed among Muslims, but with awful coolness, uncommon courage and exemplary self-sacrifice he laid down his own life to allay the fury of the rebels. But for his mildness which leaned to the virtue’s side, he would have been an ideal ruler of men. As a private individual his character was simply adorable.”
In his book History of the Caliphs, Jalaluddin Suyuti observes: ”Usman (Rad.A) ruled the Caliphate twelve years. For six years, he governed the people without the people having anything to reproach against him, and he was more beloved by the Quraysh than Umar (Rad.A), for Umar (Rad.A) was stern with them, and when Usman (Rad.A) ruled them, he treated them with leniency and was attached to them. But afterwards he became heedless of their affairs, and appointed his kinsmen to high offices during the last six years, and bestowed upon Marwan a fifth of the revenues of Africa, and

292 Political and Cultural History of Islam

lavished on his kindred and family the property of the State, and explained it as the assistance to kindred which the Lord had enjoined, and said, ”Verily Abu Bakr and Umar (Rad.A) have neglected in that matter, and I have taken it and divided it among my kindred but the people disapproved of it.”
In his book, ”Development of Islamic State and Society” Mazharuddin Siddiqi observes: ”There were too many interests to be reconciled, the Ansar against the Muhajreen; the Hashimites against the Umayyads; the Bedouin tribes against the aristocracy of Medina. In a democratic set up which did not provide for a regular constitutional machinery with well defined rights and duties, everything depended on the personal quality of the ruler. Usman (Rad.A) would have succeeded if he had been a dictator either temperamentally or constitutionally, or if there had been an adequate constitutional machinery behind the social democracy of Islam. But it was clearly a dangerous solution to have democratic liberties such as the Arabs had without a strong hand like Umar (Rad.A), or without a full fledged democratic constitution which was inconceivable in an age like that or in a country like Arabia.”
In his book History of the Caliphs, Professor Muhammad Khizri Bek has expressed the view that all the allegations that were levied against Hazrat Usman (Rad.A) were frivolous, and were with regard to matters which vested in the authority of Hazrat Usman (Rad.A), and with regard to which he was competent to act in his discretion. The main charge against him was about the behalf. Islam authorised and those Holy Prophet made no restrictions in that behalf. Islam enjoined equality, and Hazrat Usman (Rad.A) was free to choose any one from among his relatives for any appointment if he considered him fit for such appointment. Professor Khizri has expressed the view that in Shariah the demand for the deposition of the Caliph was not authorised and those who raised the demand betrayed Islam.
In his book Usman b Allan, Raza Misri observes that in the Caliphate of Hazrat Usman (Rad.A) there was great discontentment against Hazrat Usman (Rad.A) on account of the appointment of his relatives. In the course of time the discontent multiplied. If Hazrat Usman (Rad.A) had wished he could have made amends What happened was that he would repent and would promise the deposition of his relatives, but v\ould do nothing to implement or fulfill his promise. If he wanted to favour his relatives there could have been other ways of doing so. They could have been appointed