HISTORY - ~ Hazrat Uthman (ra)

Hazrat Uthman (ra), one ofthe handful of people who first embraced
Islam, had been one of the closest people to our Prophet (saas)
throughouthis life. He was the son-in-law of our Prophet (saas) and
the third Caliph. Because he was twice honored with being the
son-in-law of our Prophet (saas), he was called "Thun-Nurayn"
(Zunnorain), meaning "the possessor of two lights." He participated in
all the struggles of our Prophet (saas) except for the Battleof Badr.
When Hazrat Uthman (ra) embraced Islam, he was subjected to torture by
the idolaters. When migration to Ethiopia was allowed, he became one
of the first immigrants to Ethiopia together with his wife
Mrs.Ruquayyah, our Prophet's (saas) daughter.
Hazrat Abu Bakr's (ra) communication of Islam became instrumental in
Hazrat Uthman's (ra) embracing Islam. He was one of the precious
companions of our Prophet (saas) who was exemplary to all Muslims with
his superior moral qualities and beautiful speech.
Apart from his refined andinfluential manner of speaking , he had an
extraordinarily retentive memory and he committed the Holy Qur'an to
memory. Having a very profound knowledge of hadith, he also made great
services to Islam by writing and recording the revelations.
Hazrat Uthman's (ra) spending in the way of Allah
Hazrat Uthman (ra), who was engaged in commercebefore converting to
Islam, was a wealthy and greatly respected merchant of his tribe. When
he was honored with Islam, he spent his entire wealth which Allah had
granted him for the spread of Islam and the welfare of Muslims.
In a time when there was a water shortage in Medina, he paid twenty
thousand dirhems, which was quite a sum of moneyfor that time, to buy
the Well of Ruma and donated it to the service of Muslims who were
paying for the water takenfrom this well. He was alsothe person who
met all the needs of the army, consisting of ten thousandMuslims, who
would participate in the expedition to Tabuk. This aside, in a time
when there was famine in Medina, Hazrat Uthman (ra) purchased a
hundred loads of wheat that arrived from Damascus by camel and
distributed them to the needy and thecompanions of our Prophet (saas)
in Medina.
Hazrat Uthman's (ra) Superior Services as a Caliphate
Following the martyrdom of Hazrat Umar (ra), HazratUthman (ra) was
chosen as Caliph by a committee. Because he was considered deserving
of this duty by the Islamic community, nobody objected to this
decision and everyone offered allegiance to him. Hazrat Uthman (ra) no
doubt rendered one of his most important services in spreading the
morality of Islam during his Caliphate by ordering the production of
multiple copies of the text of the Qur'an as it exists today, and
sending them to all the Muslim provinces. During the time of Hazrat
Uthman (ra), the copies of the Qur'an were produced,a copy was left in
Medina and others were sent to Mecca, Damascus, Kufa, Basra, Egypt and
other provinces. Due to this honorable and great service of Hazrat
Uthman (ra), he was given the name "Nashri al-Qur'an", meaning "the
one who spreads the Qur'an."
During his Caliphate, Hazrat Uthman (ra) achieved many other great
accomplishments, one of which was the establishment of the first
Muslim navy on the coasts of Syria that made its first expedition to
Cyprus. Following this first naval triumph, other expeditions were
made to other islands in the Mediterranean in the following years,
with great victories following these expeditions.
During his military expeditions both on land and sea, and as a
requisite of the morality of Islam, Hazrat Uthman (ra) alwaysassumed a
just and compassionate attitude. He observed the rights of the People
of the Book and treated them with compassion and justice.
During the conquest of Dabil (Dvin), which was an Armenian city during
the Caliphate of Hazrat Uthman (ra), he granted indemnity to the
Christians, Jews and zoroastrians living in the city and guaranteed
the protection of their sanctuaries.
The following letter whichHazrat Uthman (ra) wrote to the financial
and administrative authorities when he became the Caliph reveals his
understanding, which was in full conformity with the morality of the
Qur'an:
"Almighty Allah had created nothing for a vain purpose. He created
everything as right. Therefore He accepts nothing but the right. Take
whatever you take asright; and give those things you give away to the
needy. Be especially attentive to honesty. Conduct yourself honestly
and don't be the one violating it, for those violating it also
undertakes the sins of those coming later. Be attentive to be loyal;
do not violate the rights of the orphan and comply with the
conventions.

--
:-> :->

A New Course for the World

The Quran was also a message that the time had come to change
humanity'smeandering course. Humanbeings all over the world had been
creating societies,customs and laws based onsuperstition. Some
societieswere based on artificial castes. Others were based on worship
of human beings, or worship of the dead, or cult-like religions, or
collections of taboos andmyths.
The revelation of the Quransignified the beginning of anew course for
the world, alighted path based on scholarship, science and
thesystematization of knowledge. The engines of this new period would
be literacy, scholarship, Tawheed (Oneness of God), and righteousness.
Human history, with its long and bleak stretches of ignorance and
suffering, like a vast desert with only a few small oases, was given a
permanent garden in the form of a book: the Quran.
A book is a garden in your pocket. It's natural, inspiring, and
life-changing. It's your ownpersonal haven. But only if you read it
and let it into your heart.

--
:-> :->

“A book is like a garden carried in the pocket.” – Arab proverb

A book in your pocket is like a secret treasure. It is amagical means
of transportation, a source of knowledge, a historical record, and a
treasure chestcontaining the knowledge of human minds and hearts, or
in the case of theQuran, the message of Allah to humanity.
You can take the book out of your pocket and lose yourself in it,
forgetting about all the worries of theworld, just as you can do ina
beautiful garden.
Fozia, a Muslim sister from the UK, points out that a book helps one
develop through acquiring knowledge, as a garden blossoms through the
growth of its flowers and creatures…
Making the Impossible Possible
Indeed, to carry a garden inone's pocket is impossible, but that's the
thing about books, they make the impossible possible. A family that
has been stuck in poverty for generations can break that cycle by
sending one child to highereducation. Someone who comes from the most
desperate circumstances can achieve the seemingly impossible and
become a doctor, engineer, or even President, all through the power of
education. The power of books.
That reminds me of a quote by Cesar Chavez, the famous campaigner for
farm workers' rights, who is now deceased. He said,
"Once social change begins,it cannot be reversed. You cannot uneducate
the person who has learned to read. You cannot humiliate the person
who feels pride.You cannot oppress the people who are not afraid
anymore. We have seen the future, and the future isours."
This process of social change that he describes starts with a book. It
starts with education. The ultimate Book is the Quran,and it is a
world-changing book. It brings light where there was darkness, and
changes human beings from the inside out.
The First Revelation of the Quran
Does anyone need proof that the processes of personal growth and
socialchange both start with books? Consider the first revealed verses
of the Quran itself, in Surah 96, Al-'Alaq:
1. Read in the name of your Lord Who created.
2. He created humankind from a clot.
3. Read and your Lord is Most Honorable,
4. Who taught (to write) with the pen
5. Taught the human being what he knew not.
The moment of the first revelation of the Quran to the Prophet
Muhammad (pbuh) was a moment of immense significance for all humanity,
possibly the most significant moment inhuman history. It follows that
the message is one of great significance as well.
What is this message of great significance, these first few profound
and powerful words?
Read, and write, and do it in the name of Allah.
Allah exalted and honored human beings by giving us knowledge, the
capacity to acquire more knowledge, and the tools to record andshare
our knowledge, whether verbally or in print. He commanded us tomake
use of these tools, and to do it in Allah's nameso that our motives
and methods remain pure, and so that the results will be beneficial to
humanity and not destructive or oppressive.
We are supposed to use our knowledge to create vaccines for diseases,
not to create deadly viruses forbiological warfare. We should use
nuclear power to generate clean energy, not to design bombs that can
destroy nations. We must use robotic technologies to create artificial
limbs for victims of war or accidents, or to explore the depths of the
sea, or to clear old minefields without loss of life, or to rescue
miners trapped deep underground… not to build hunter-killer drones
that destroy innocent human lives while the operator moves a joystick
a thousand miles away.
Knowledge must be employed "in the name ofyour Lord Who created," not
in the name of greed or vengeance.
This is especially importanttoday, when fantastically powerful
technologies are being developed every day.Supercomputers,
nanotechnology, genetic engineering, cloning, quantum physics… If
these technologies are not tempered with faith and wisdom, humanity
could unleash horrors on the world that will make previous wars and
genocides look like a bad case of the measles (no disrespect intended
to victims of past conflicts).
A New Course for the World
The Quran was also a message that the time had come to change
humanity'smeandering course. Humanbeings all over the world had been
creating societies,customs and laws based onsuperstition. Some
societieswere based on artificial castes. Others were based on worship
of human beings, or worship of the dead, or cult-like religions, or
collections of taboos andmyths.
The revelation of the Quransignified the beginning of anew course for
the world, alighted path based on scholarship, science and
thesystematization of knowledge. The engines of this new period would
be literacy, scholarship, Tawheed (Oneness of God), and righteousness.

--
:-> :->

“Five minutes of health comfort the ill one.” – Bengali proverb.

In other words, a person who is ill would get comfort and relief from
justfive minutes of health.
This reminds me of my friend Hisham, who has an autoimmune disorder
and has been confined to a wheelchair for many years. He is the same
age as me, and we grew up riding our bicycles together. He was an avid
cyclist and even participated in a ride all theway across the United
States and back. In his twenties he was diagnosedwith MS, and his
health began to go downhill.
Recently a physical therapist has been workingwith him, and last week
hestood on his feet and took five steps for the first time in three
years, Alhamdulillah! He said he felt very tall, being on his feet
again. It was an inspiring moment for him…SubhanAllah. He literally
got comfort from "five minutes of health."
That's really something to think about, for those of uswho have our
health and fitness and take them for granted as if they were nothing.
We moan and complain about small things, while ignoring the huge
blessings in our lives. "Then which of the favors of your Lord will
you deny?" – Surat Ar-Rahman. Allah has givenus so much, so much.
And let me add that although I used my friend Hisham as an
illustration ofthe proverb, that does not mean that I pity him. He
also has many gifts, for example he is highly intelligent and
articulate, and he has accomplished a lot in his life. I am overjoyed
for him that he was able to stand again. Allahu Akbar!
Of course we must be grateful for every blessing, and thank Allah from
the bottom of our hearts. But it's important to understand that
gratitude is not just a feeling in the heart. It is expressed through
action.
*. Are you grateful for your healthy body? Then use itto bow down in prayer.
*. Are you grateful for the ability to see? Then look at that which is
beautiful and halal.
*. Grateful for the ability to speak? Then praise Allah, recite Quran
and spread the message of Islam.
*. Grateful that you are mentally and emotionallyhealthy? Then use
your gifts to do good in the world. Show love to those who are grief
stricken, and kindness to those in pain. Spend your money in Allah's
cause, don't hold on it it until it can do you no good!
That's why the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) said, in the famous hadith
that we have all heard:
"Take benefit of five before five:
your youth before your old age,
your health before your sickness,
your wealth before your poverty,
your free-time before your preoccupation,
and your life before your death."
( Narrated by Ibn Abbas and reported by Al Hakim)
Right? He didn't only say, "be grateful," he said, "takebenefit"! That
means USE what you have been given,while you still can, before the end
of this brief life that is but a moment between a sleep and a sleep,
or a desert flower blooming and then fading away.
Glory to Allah the Most High.

--
:-> :->