In Tabaqat,1 Ibne Saad has narrated from Abu Hafasa, slave of Marwan that:
Marwan bin Hakam on that day was reciting Rajaz and saying: Who can
come to confront me? He came out of the house. Urwah bin Shayyim bin Baya
Laithi went after him and hit him behind his neck with a sword and Marwan fell
face down. Then Ubaid bin Rafaa bin Rafe Zarqi arose with a knife in his hand in
order to decapitate him, but the foster mother of Marwan arrived and said:
“If you want, you can kill him. Urwah has killed him, now what would you
get if you cut him into pieces?”
So Ubaid bin Rafaa felt ashamed from that woman and left Marwan.
The narrator says: People went after Uthman and scaled the wall of the
house of Bani Hazm Ansari adjacent to his house. Three persons from Quraish
were killed in defending Uthman: Abdullah bin Wahab bin Zama bin Aswad,
Abdullah bin Auf bin Sabbaq and Abdullah bin Abdur Rahman bin Awam, then
Abdur Rahman bin Abdullah Jamhi attacked Abdullah bin Abdur Rahman bin
Awam and killed him.
Some people attacked other two persons and killed them besides the house.
Malik Ashtar arrived till he reached Uthman and did not find anyone there.
Muslim bin Kareb Qabizi, who was from Hamadan, said:
“O Ashtar, you called us for killing a man and we gave a positive response
and when you looked at him, you turned back?”
Ashtar said: “Bravo, do you not see that he is not having any defender?”
Allamah Amini says: I mentioned these traditions to highlight that there
was no one with Uthman, who might have defended him. In spite of Umayyads
and his supporters, and corrupt and lowly people, who were followers of
Umayyads.
These were placed before the attack of Muhajireen and Ansar and some of
them were killed. And some of them hid behind the house of Umme Habiba.
Some of them ran through the narrow streets of Medina and escaped with their
life. No one remained, except Uthman and his family members till the turn came
for his killing and at that time, he did not have any defender.
Tradition of Uthman’s Assassination
Verily we belong to Allah and to Him we will return
Balazari and others have narrated: When a letter, which Uthman had written
to Ibne Aamir and Muawiyah fell into the hands of Egyptians and those who had
besieged him, it became the cause of attack upon him (Uthman) and the siege
turned violent.
Talha was the leader of those, who were besieging Uthman and he had
ensured that no one should be allowed to enter the place or leave it. He also
stopped the water supply. Umme Habiba, daughter of Abu Sufyan came with a
small vessel of water, but the besiegers did not allow her to enter. She said:
“Uthman is our guardian and caretaker of orphans and I want to speak him about
this matter.”
So they allowed her inside and she gave that vessel to Uthman.
Jubair bin Mutim says: Uthman was besieged and he used water from a
shallow well in his house. So I came to Ali (a.s.) and said: “Would you approve
that your cousin2 should be besieged till by God, he does not have water to drink,
except from a shallow wall inside the house?”
He said: “Very nice, have they conveyed him to this situation.”
“Yes,” I said. So he took containers of water and delivered them to Uthman
and he used them.
When this incident occurred and the battle erupted, and in the fight Ziyad
bin Nuaim Fehri and some supporters of Uthman were killed, people continued to
kill each other till Amr bin Hazm Ansari opened the door of his house, which was
adjacent to the house of Uthman and called people to attack through his house. They entered the house and started fighting till they were defeated and fled
through the part, which was opened for them.
Uthman remained with his family members and all of them including
Uthman was killed.
Ibne Saad and Tabari have narrated from Abdur Rahman bin Muhammad
that:
Muhammad bin Abu Bakr along with Kinan bin Bashar bin Itab and Saudan
bin Humran, Amr bin Hamaq scaled the wall of the house of Amr bin Hazm and
entered Uthman’s house. They found him with his wife, Naila and was reading
Surah Baqarah.
Muhammad bin Abu Bakr stepped forward, caught his beard and said: “O
old fool, may God disgrace you.”
Uthman said: “I am not an old fool, on the contrary I am a slave of Allah and
chief of believers.”
Muhammad said: “Muawiyah and so and so and so and so have no regard
for you ?”
Uthman replied: “O nephew, leave my beard, as your father would not have
approved such an act.”
Muhammad said: “What I have intended for you is more serious than
holding your beard.”
Uthman said: “I seek the help of God against you.” Then he hit upon the
forehead of Uthman with a bow.
Ibne Saad and Tabari have written that: Kinana bin Bashar raised an arrow
and hit it upon Uthman’s ear. It penetrated till it reached his throat. Then he hit
him with the sword, which killed him.
It is mentioned in the report of Abi Aun that: Kinana bin Bashar Tajidi hit
with an iron mace on the forehead of Uthman and he fell on his side. After
Uthman fell on his side Sudan bin Humran Muradi hit him and killed him.
As for Amr bin Hamaq, he grappled with Uthman and sat on his chest. Then
he hit him with the point of his spear and said: I hit you thrice for the sake of
Allah and six times for the malice I have in my heart. Umair bin Zabi attacked
Uthman and broke his teeth.3