Uthman bestowed the taxes of Qaza-a [a tribe in Yemen] to his uncle,
Hakam bin Abil Aas, who was banished by the Prophet. First the Caliph made
him proximate and dressed him up on the day he came to Medina dressed in a
very old dress, which was also torn; and he was driving some goats.
People glanced at him and his companions, till he entered the residence of
Caliph, when he came out from there he was dressed in expensive silk garments
and turban etc.1
Balazari in Ansab2 has narrated from Ibne Abbas that: Among the
complaints they had against Uthman was that he appointed Hakam bin Abil Aas
as collector of taxes from Qaza-a tribe.3 [when taxes were collected] they came to
thirty thousand dirhams, and when he brought them, Uthman told him to keep it
for himself.
It is narrated from Abdur Rahman bin Yasar that: I saw the tax officer of
market in Medina that at the time of Asr, Uthman came to him and said: Give the
collections to Hakam bin Abil Aas. Whenever Uthman made any bestowal to one
of his clansmen, he paid it from share of Public Treasury.
The treasurer made excuses and said that when funds would arrive, he would
hand them over to them. But Uthman insisted, and at last said: You are only our
treasurer, when we give, you should take it and when we are silent, you should
also be silent.
The treasurer said: You are wrong, I am not the treasurer of you and your
family, I am only treasurer of Muslims.
When Uthman delivered the sermon on Friday, he brought the keys and said:
“People, Uthman thinks that I am his and his relatives’ treasurer, whereas I
am only a treasurer of Muslims. Take the keys of your treasury.”
Then he threw the keys to Uthman, who gave them to Zaid bin Thabit.4
Allamah Amini says: As would be mentioned, a similar incident is
mentioned about Zaid bin Arqam and Abdullah bin Masud, and perhaps this had
also occurred for others as well, who were in charge of taxes, Allah knows best.
This is Hakam and what do you know who Hakam is!
As Ibne Hisham has written in his Seerah5:
He used to castrate sheep.6 He was a neighbor of Messenger of Allah
(s.a.w.a.) in Mecca, who, like Abu Lahab harassed His Eminence much and did
not leave any effort to cause distress to the Prophet.
Tibrani7 has narrated from the tradition of Abdur Rahman bin Abu Bakr
that: Hakam sat near the Prophet and when His Eminence (s.a.w.a.) spoke, he
(Hakam) used to mimic and make faces behind him. The Prophet noticed that and
he said:
“May you remain like this only;” and after that he continued to shake his
eyes and eyebrows till the end of his life.
It is mentioned in the report of Malik bin Dinar that: Holy Prophet (s.a.w.a.)
passed by Hakam and he started to shake his fingers to make fun of His
Eminence [and mimicked him]; and when Messenger of Allah (s.a.w.a.) noticed
him, he (Prophet) said:
“O God, make him involved in trembling.”
Thus, he used to shake all the time after that.
Halabi has added: “After he remained unconscious for a month.”8