Uthmaan : His Early Life and Acceptance of Islam

The early life of ‘Uthmaan his involvement with the poor, and his acceptance of the invitation to embrace Islam.

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• ‘Uthmaan ibn ‘Affaan proved to be unique in his generosity to the poor and needy. He was modest, shy, and carried out the laws of Islam fully. At the time of suffering, his donations in support of Islam made him a respected person. No one among the Companions of the Prophet ﷺ gave more financial support for Islam. He did great things during his rule, especially the collection of the Qur’aan. During his reign, the Islamic State expanded. The study of his early life and acceptance of Islam will shed light on the wonderful character of Al-Khaleefah ‘Uthmaan ibn ‘Affaan
• ‘Uthmaan was born in the year 576 C.E. The Prophet ﷺ was only six years old at the time of ‘Uthmaan’s birth. ‘Uthmaan came from a wealthy family and his father was a well-known merchant. His trade went as far as Damascus and many other parts of the Arabian Peninsula. His wealthy father provided him with everything to help him lead a comfortable life. ‘Uthmaan, however, had a personality that could see beyond the riches of this short life. ‘Uthmaan was still young when his father passed away during a journey to Damascus. This meant that he was left in charge of his father’s business which he ran very efficiently. The money left to him by his father grew tremendously and he himself became a well-known trader and successful businessman.
• ‘Uthmaan spent most of his wealth on feeding the poor and needy. It was because of his good character that the people respected him and loved him so much. ‘Uthmaan traveled to Damascus and Yemen most of his time. During his long journeys he dealt with people from different nations. He heard many different things being discussed about religion that were different from his beliefs.
• After a long journey to Damascus, ‘Uthmaan returned to Makkah to find it charged with emotion and turmoil. All the people were speaking of Muhammad ibn ‘Abdullaah. This man had presented himself to them as “The Prophet of Islam” and had brought them new ideas and principles. ‘Uthmaan knew Muhammad very well and was aware of his good personality and morals. He therefore did not oppose the new religion like the other chiefs of the Quraysh tribe. ‘Uthmaan always thought about the Prophet that he had heard would come to change the lives of the Arabs. He heard that this Prophet would take the Arabs out of the gloomy life that they were leading, into one of knowledge and guidance.
• After thinking about this new religion, ‘Uthmaan made his way straight to the house of his friend Aboo Bakr Aboo Bakr was very close to the Prophet and he had already accepted Islam. Aboo Bakr told ‘Uthmaan that Islam called people to worship Allah ﷻ alone. He also said to ‘Uthmaan that Islam called upon people to give up the worship of false and meaningless idols. Aboo Bakr urged ‘Uthmaan to accept Islam, the true religion of Allah and to give up the worship of idols. ‘Uthmaan knew in his heart that Islam is the true religion of Allah ﷻ . He accepted the invitation and immediately embraced Islam. He was one of the early people to convert to Islam and was full of spirit. He went to the Prophet ﷺ and declared his submission to the new religion (Islam).
• ‘Uthmaan suffered great hardship after he adopted Islam. His uncle, Al Hakam Aboo Al-‘Aas was very angry because ‘Uthmaan had left the religion of his forefathers. He tied ‘Uthmaan up and swore that he would not set him free until he abandons Islam. ‘Uthmaan suffered for several days but stayed firm on his beliefs. When his uncle eventually realized that ‘Uthmaan would never submit to his will, he set him free. Since the day ‘Uthmaan adopted Islam, he always kept close to the Prophet ﷺ and was a strong supporter of Islam.

What we learn from the lesson:

1. ‘Uthmaan was born in the year 576 C.E.
2. He belonged to the influential Banoo Umayyah clan of the Quraysh tribe
3. ‘Uthmaan came from a wealthy family and his father was a well-known merchant.
4. He himself became a well-known trader and successful businessman.
5. ‘Uthmaan spent most of his wealth on feeding the poor and the needy.
6. Aboo Bakr invited ‘Uthmaan to adopt Islam.
7. ‘Uthmaan accepted the invitation, went to the Prophet ﷺ and embraced Islam.