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Companions of the Prophet ﷺ · 3 of 8
عثمان بن عفان
Uthman ibn Affan
Dhun-Nurayn — possessor of two lights — and the third caliph
d. 35 AH / 656 CE · Madinah
Relationship to the Prophet ﷺ
Twice the Prophet’s ﷺ son-in-law: he married his daughter Ruqayyah, and after her death, her sister Umm Kulthum — the source of his title "Dhun-Nurayn."
Known for
The wealthy merchant who financed Islam at its poorest hours, and the caliph under whom the Quran’s standard written copy was fixed for all time.
Caliphate
Third caliph, 23–35 AH (644–656 CE)
Their story
Uthman of Banu Umayyah was among the very first converts, brought to Islam by Abu Bakr. A rich and modest trader, he twice gave up everything to migrate — first to Abyssinia with Ruqayyah, then to Madinah.
He missed Badr only because the Prophet ﷺ himself ordered him to stay and nurse the dying Ruqayyah — and the Prophet ﷺ assigned him a full share of its reward and spoils nonetheless. Widowed, he was then married to the Prophet’s ﷺ next daughter, Umm Kulthum: no other companion married two daughters of a prophet.
At Hudaybiyyah (6 AH) the Prophet ﷺ sent Uthman as envoy into hostile Makkah. When a rumour spread that he had been killed, the Prophet ﷺ took the famous Pledge of Ridwan under the tree — clasping his own left hand with his right and declaring "this is for Uthman." The Quran records Allah’s pleasure with everyone who gave that pledge (48:18).
His wealth repeatedly carried the community: he bought the well of Rumah and made it free for all Madinah, expanded the Prophet’s ﷺ mosque at his own cost, and single-handedly equipped a great part of the "army of hardship" for Tabuk.
Quran — the Pledge of Ridwan, sworn for Uthman's sake
"Certainly was Allah pleased with the believers when they pledged allegiance to you under the tree, and He knew what was in their hearts, so He sent down tranquillity upon them and rewarded them with an imminent conquest."
As caliph he completed the conquests of Persia, extended into North Africa, and — facing recitation disputes as Islam spread among new peoples — commissioned the definitive written standard of the Quran, copied from the collection made under Abu Bakr and sent to every province. Every printed mushaf today descends from that project: arguably the single most consequential administrative act in Islamic history.
His last years were consumed by the first great internal strife. Rebels besieged his house in Madinah; he refused to let blood be shed in his defence, and was martyred in 35 AH while reading the Quran. He was 82.
Battles & campaigns
Badr (2 AH) — excused by the Prophet ﷺ to nurse his dying wife Ruqayyah; granted a full share as if present.
Uhud (3 AH), the Trench (5 AH), Khaybar (7 AH), Conquest of Makkah (8 AH), Tabuk (9 AH) — present, and at Tabuk its chief financier.
Hudaybiyyah (6 AH) — the envoy whose rumoured death triggered the Pledge of Ridwan.
Drawn from the Quran, the Sahih collections (each hadith citation verified against the copies hosted on this site), and the established sirah literature. Events of the later fitna era are mentioned only briefly, with respect for all the companions — may Allah be pleased with them all.