When news of the martyrdom of Hazrat ‘Uthman(ra) reached the companions they were devastated. When Hazrat Zubair(ra) heard this news he said:
[meaning, surely, to Allah we belong and to Him shall we return].1
Then, he said, “O God have mercy on ‘Uthman(ra) and avenge him.”
When he was told that the rebels were now ashamed and felt remorse for what they had done, he retorted, “This was a conspiracy,” and then he recited the following verse:
“God the Exalted placed obstacles in the fulfilment of their desires.”2
In other words, since there was very little chance that now the wishes of the rebels would materialise and they could see that the entire Muslim world was in fury against them, they were now displaying remorse. When Hazrat Talhah(ra) received the news he said the same, “May God have mercy on ‘Uthman(ra) and avenge him and Islam.” When he was told that they were now repentant he said, “May destruction befall them,” and he recited this verse:
“They shall not even be able to make a will, and they shall not be able to return to their families.”3
In the same manner, when Hazrat ‘Ali(ra) received this news he said, “May Allah the Exalted have mercy on ‘Uthman(ra) and appoint a successor after him who is better for us.”
When he was also told that they were now repentant, he recited the following verse:
“Their example is of that Satan, who tells the people, ‘Disbelieve,’ but when they disbelieve, he says, ‘I am averse to you; I fear Allah.’”4
When the armies that were coming to aid Hazrat ‘Uthman(ra) learned that he had been martyred, they turned back from distance of only a few miles from Madinah. They did not wish to enter Madinah because their doing was no longer any use to Hazrat ‘Uthman(ra); in fact, it was apprehended that conflict may have escalated. Moreover, the Muslims were generally never keen to fight without an Imam.
Now Madinah was in the possession of the rebels and their behaviour during those days was extremely shocking. They had already martyred Hazrat ‘Uthman(ra) but now they also had an objection with his burial; for three days, he could not be buried. Finally, a group of companions showed courage and buried Hazrat ‘Uthman(ra) at night. The rebels placed hindrances in the path of these companions as well, but when some of them threatened to fight them fiercely, they gave in. The rebels took the corpses of the two servants of Hazrat ‘Uthman(ra) and placed them in the jungle and fed them to the dogs.5
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