Write an account of the martyrdom of ͑Uthman and the election of ͑Ali as caliph.

[10]

When the rebels revolted against Uthman(r.a) He refused to led his army to fight
them and said:"No! I do not want to spill the blood of Muslims, to save my
own neck."The rebellion in Madina surrounded the house of the caliph
Uthman(r.a). Ali, Talha and Zubair sent their sons to guard Uthman’s door. When
the rebels got the news that an elite force dispatched from Syria was 120 km
from Madina they decided to act. They first attacked the caliph’s house which
was bravely defended by Hasan, Ali’s son, and Muhammad, Talha’s son.

Moreover, the rebels led by Muhammad bin Abu Bakr reached Uthman just as
the call for Friday prayer was being given. He was alone in his room with his wife
Naila, reading the Qur’an. As the rebel’s sword pierced his forehead, drops of his
blood fell on Verse 137 of Sura al Baqarah. Uthman’s wife threw herself over his
body to protect it from indignity and did not move even after two of her fingers
were sliced off. After the assassination of Hazrat Usman(r.a), there was no
government, and a state of Anarchy came to prevail in the affairs of Madinah.
After four days, when the rebels decided to return to their homes, they felt it was
necessary that the new Caliph should be chosen before they left Medina.

Certainly, Regarding the elections, there were differences among the rebels. One
group favored the election of Ali (Egypt), another favored the election of Talha
(Kufa) while the third wanted Zubair (Basra). The rebels offered the Caliphate to
three companions, but they refused. They then gave the ultimatum that if the
Caliph was not chosen within the next 24 hours, they would be forced to take
some drastic action. So, some noted Companions went to Ali and requested him
to be the caliph. In the beginning, he refused but at last he accepted their
request. Hazrat Ali became Caliph at a very critical stage, and he knew well that
difficult times lay ahead.