Before starting listing his ‘merits’, we make you aware of some issues,
which show the extent of Caliph’s knowledge, his nature and manners, his
personal qualities and his rank with regard to piety and faith, so that you may
study this with the eye of those, who recognize him and his excellence.
1. His judgment regarding one, who delivered after six months of pregnancy
Hafiz scholars have narrated from Boaja bin Abdullah Jehni that a man from
us married a woman from Jahina tribe and the wife gave birth to a child after six
months. The husband went to Uthman and he ordered the woman to be stoned to
death. This was reported to Ali (a.s.). He came to Uthman and asked:
“What are you doing? She must not be stoned to death. Almighty Allah has said:
وَحَمْلُهُ وَفِصْلُهُ ثَلْثُوْنَ شَهْرًا
“And the bearing of him and the weaning of him was thirty months.”1
وَالْوَالِدَتُ يُرْضِعْنَ أَوْلَا دَهُنَّ حَوْلَيْنِ كَامِلَيْنِ
“And the mothers should suckle their children for two whole years.”2
The period of suckling is twenty-four months and period of pregnancy is six
months.
Uthman said: “By God, I had not understood this.”
He ordered her to be freed. But they found that she was already stoned to
death. And among the statements she gave to her sister is as follows:
“My sister, don’t be distressed, because no one other than my husband has
ever had relations with me.”
The narrator says: That child grew up and that man admitted that he was his
son and he was most resembling to him; and I saw the body of that man
disintegrate into pieces on his deathbed
Malik, Ibne Mudhir, Ibne Abi Hatim, Baihaqi, Abu Umar, Ibne Kathir, Ibne
Dayba, Anini and Suyuti have narrated this report3 as was mentioned above.4
Allamah Amini says: If you are amazed, the surprising thing is that the
leader of Muslims was ignorant of Quran, which was needed in different
instances and then due to this ignorance, a sinless believer lady was killed and
alleged having committed fornication and she was insulted in the religious
society and before people!
Why when he did not know the solution to this problem, he did not seek
counsel from one of the companions, who were aware of it, so that he would not
have been guilty of that killing and degradation?
Why he did not remember such incident when it occurred a number of times
during his tenure? He wanted to stone to death a woman, who gave birth after six
months of pregnancy. But Ameerul Momineen (a.s.) as was mentioned
previously5 – and Ibne Abbas6 corrected him!
Furthermore, just suppose he was unaware of those two verses and had also
forgotten what occurred during the period of Umar, but what was his source on
giving judgment of stoning that poor woman to death? Was it Quran? From
where in Quran? Was the Sunnah his source? Who has narrated it? Was his
source personal belief and analogy? Where is the source of this belief? And how
is the sequence of analogy?
If it is a verdict without reasoning, may Almighty Allah keep the giver of
this verdict in health; and kudos to this verdict and blessed be this Caliphate and
this Caliph!
Yes, the house of Umayyah will not nurture a person higher in rank than him
and in that tree, a fruit better than him will not grow.