Uthmān ibn Affān << ooth MAN IHB uhn af FAHN >> (575?-656) served as caliph (ruler) of the Islamic Empire from A.D. 644 until 656. He was the third caliph after the death of the Prophet Muhammad in 632. The life and teachings of Muhammad became the basis of the religion of Islam. Most Muslims know the first four caliphs as the Rāshidūn, or rightly guided.
Uthmān was born around 575 in the city of Mecca, in what is now Saudi Arabia. A distant relative of Muhammad, he was a member of the powerful Umayyad family. Uthmān was a wealthy merchant known for his good looks, elegance, and generosity. He was one of the earliest converts to Islam. Uthmān joined Muhammad and other Muslims when they moved to Medina from Mecca in 622. He also married two of Muhammad’s daughters—first Ruqayyah and later, after Ruqayyah’s death, Umm Kulthūm.
As caliph, Uthmān completed the conquest of Persia. His armies advanced through what is now eastern Turkey and into the Caucasus region between the Black and Caspian seas. His navy raided lands in the eastern Mediterranean, including the islands of Cyprus and Rhodes. Uthmān also worked to unify the empire’s increasingly diverse population. A devout Muslim, Uthmān was responsible for the creation of the standard version of the Qur’ān, the sacred book of the Muslims.
Scholars typically divide the 12 years of Uthmān’s rule into two parts. The first six years were a time of stable government and internal peace, but the later six were marked by poor government and rebellion. Uthmān continued many of the policies of Umar ibn al-Khattāb, the second caliph. The economy worsened over time as his government failed to adjust to changing conditions and mismanaged finances.
From about 650 onward, Uthmān faced a series of rebellions in the empire’s provinces. Many people were upset that he had appointed his own family members as governors and given them money and treasures from the empire’s conquests. Many religious scholars of the time turned against him when he ordered the destruction of copies of the Qur’ān from the provinces in an effort to eliminate incorrect versions. In June 656, Uthmān was murdered after protesters broke into his home.
