Uthman ibn Affan

Uthman ibn Affan, nicknamed Dhu an-Nurayn ('the one of two lights'), was the third caliph of Islam and one of the closest Companions of the Prophet ﷺ, whose two daughters he married. Renowned for his immense generosity, he left Islam a capital legacy: it was under his order that the mushaf was unified — the standardised transcription of the Quran as it has reached us. He was assassinated, besieged in his home, in year 35 of the Hijra.

Uthman ibn Affan belonged to the Banu Umayya of Quraysh and was one of the very first to embrace Islam. He married Ruqayya, daughter of the Prophet ﷺ; at her death, the Prophet ﷺ gave him her sister Umm Kulthum in marriage. It is for this that he was nicknamed Dhu an-Nurayn — 'the one of two lights.'

His generosity became legendary. When he was besieged, he himself recalled two of his deeds: he had equipped the army of hardship that set out for Tabuk, and purchased the Ruma well to offer its water to the Muslims.

But his deepest connection to the Quran came from his caliphate. Faced with the divergences appearing in the reading of the Book across regions, Hudhayfa came to alert him: 'O Commander of the Believers, save this community.' Uthman then ordered the unification of the Quran's transcription into a single reference copy, from which copies were sent to the provinces. This is the mushaf as it has reached us.

Third caliph after Umar, he was swept away by the discord that tore the community: besieged in his home, he was killed in year 35 of the Hijra. We report these facts without adjudicating the disputes of that time.

Uthman is not named in the Quran. But his connection to the Book is unique: it was under his order that the Quran's transcription was unified (Bukhari no. 4987). Verse 15:9 promises the preservation of the Reminder; Uthman's work was one of the human means of that preservation — the verse does not name him, it illuminates the significance. He is also one of the ten promised Paradise (Tirmidhi no. 3747). His caliphate and martyrdom belong to historical narrative: we report the facts without taking sides.

The life of Uthman unites two greatnesses: a generosity that never counts, and service to the Book. Thanks to him, countless generations recite a unified Quran. His end also recalls, with gravity, how heavy discord among believers can be.

C’est Nous, en vérité, qui avons révélé le Coran et c’est Nous qui veillons à son intégrité[3].

15:9

Les tout premiers croyants parmi ceux qui ont émigré[38] et ceux qui leur ont apporté leur soutien[39], ainsi que ceux qui ont fidèlement suivi leur voie, sont entièrement satisfaits d’Allah qui Lui-même est satisfait d’eux. Il leur a préparé des jardins traversés de rivières où ils demeureront à jamais. Voilà le bonheur suprême.

9:100