Worrying about the dunya is a darkness in heart, while worrying about akhirah is a light in the heart. ..

Uthman (R.A) was born to Affan ibn Abi al-'As, of the Umayya, and to Arwa bint Kurayz, of the Abdshams, both wealthy clans of the Quraysh tribe in Mecca. Arwa's mother was Umm Hakim bint Abdul Muttalib, making Arwa the first cousin of Muhammad (S.A) and Uthman (R.A) his first cousin's son. Uthman (R.A) had one sister, Amina.

Uthman (R.A) was born in Ta'if. The exact date is disputed: both 576 AD and 583 AD are indicated. He is listed as one of the 22 Meccans "at the dawn of Islam" who knew how to write.

EARLY LIFE AND FAMILY

 His father, Affan, died at a young age while travelling abroad, leaving Uthman (R.A) with a large inheritance. He became a merchant like his father, and his business flourished, making him one of the richest men among the Quraysh.

CONVERSION TO ISLAM

On returning from a business trip to Syria in 611 AD , Uthman (R.A) learned of Muhammad (S.A)'s declared mission. After a discussion with Abu Bakr (R.A), Uthman (R.A) decided to convert to Islam, and Abu Bakr (R.A) brought him to Muhammad (S.A) to declare his faith. Uthman (R.A) thus became one of the earliest converts to Islam, following Ali (R.A), Zayd(R.A), Abu Bakr(R.A) and a few others. His conversion to Islam angered his clan, the Banu Ummayyah, who strongly opposed Muhammad(S.A)'s teachings.

In 622 AD , Uthman and his wife, Ruqayya, were among the third group of Muslims to migrate to Medina. Upon arrival, Uthman stayed with Abu Talha ibn Thabit before moving into the house he purchased a short time later. Uthman was one of the richest merchants of Mecca, with no need of financial help from his Ansari brothers, as he had brought the considerable fortune he had amassed with him to Medina. Most Muslims of Medina were farmers with little interest in trade, and Jews had conducted most trading in the town. Uthman realized there was a considerable commercial opportunity to promote trade among Muslims and soon established himself as a trader in Medina. With hard work and honesty, his business flourished, making him one of the richest men in Medina.

MIGRATION TO MEDINA

According to R. V. C. Bodley, during Muhammad's lifetime, Uthman was not an outstanding figure, was not assigned to any authority, and earned no distinction in any of Muhammad's campaigns.[22][23] Uthman had a reputation of favouring family members. One way he displayed this was his habit of splitting war booty among his relatives to the exclusion of the combatants.[24] During the Invasion of Hamra al-Asad a Meccan spy, Muawiyah bin Al Mugheerah, the cousin of Uthman ibn Affan, had been captured. 

Battles

According to the Muslim scholar Safiur Rahman Mubarakpuri, Uthman gave him shelter after getting permission from Muhammad, and Muhammad told him that if he was caught again after 3 days he would be executed. As such, Muawiyah was given a grace period of three days and arranged a camel and provisions for his return journey to Mecca. Uthman departed with Muhammad for Hamra-al-Asad, and Muawiyah overstayed his grace. Though he fled by the time the army returned, Muhammad ordered his pursuit and execution. The orders were carried out.

Election of Uthman

Umar, on his deathbed formed a committee of six people to choose the next caliph from amongst themselves. This committee was:

Ali

Uthman ibn Affan

Abdur Rahman bin Awf

Sa`d ibn Abi Waqqas

Al-Zubayr

Talhah

Umar asked that, after his death, the committee reach a final decision within three days, and the next caliph should take the oath of office on the fourth day.

. If Talhah joined the committee within this period, he was to take part in the deliberations, but if he did not return to Medina within this period, the other members of the committee could proceed with the decision. Abdur Rahman bin Awf withdrew his eligibility to be appointed as caliph in order to act as a moderator and began his task by interviewing every member of the committee separately. He asked them for whom they would cast their vote. When Ali was asked, he didn't reply. When Uthman was asked, he voted for Ali, Zubayr said for Ali or Uthman and Saad said for Uthman.

Uthman was a rich merchant who used his wealth to support Islam yet at no time before his caliphate had he displayed any qualities of leadership or actually led an army. But despite this, according to Wilferd Madelung, he was chosen by the electors as the only strong counter candidate to Ali as he alone could to some extent rival Ali's close kinship ties with Muhammad.

Uthman Quran

In about AD 650, Uthman began noticing slight differences in pronunciation of the Quran as Islam expanded beyond the Arabian Peninsula into Persia, the Levant, and North Africa. In order to preserve the sanctity of the text, he ordered a committee headed by Zayd ibn Thabit to use caliph Abu Bakr's copy and prepare a standard copy of the Qur'an.

Reign as Caliph (644–656)