Uthman funds the army of hardship
إنفاق عثمان على جيش العسرة
October 630 CE · Rajab 9 AH
The Prophet urged the wealthy to spend and provide mounts in God's path, and men among them did. Uthman ibn Affan spent a vast sum such as no one else spent, in Ibn Ishaq's account; Ibn Hisham adds, from 'one who is trusted', that it was a thousand dinars and that the Prophet said: God, be pleased with Uthman, for I am pleased with him.
At a glance
- Era
- The Prophetic Era
- Region
- Arabia
- Review
- Draft Completeness 1/5 · Help complete it
In time
In space
Map: Natural Earth, public domain · places and route from the graph
Summary
The Prophet urged the wealthy to spend and provide mounts for God's cause; men of them provided mounts, and Uthman ibn Affan spent a great sum none matched per Ibn Ishaq — to which Ibn Hisham adds, from "one he trusted", that it was a thousand dinars, and that the Prophet said: O God, be pleased with Uthman, for I am pleased with him. 1
The account
The Prophet pressed on in his journey's preparation, ordered the people to equip themselves and gather close, and urged the wealthy to spend and provide mounts for God's cause. 1
Men of the wealthy provided mounts seeking reward, and Uthman ibn Affan spent a great sum none spent the like of. 1
Ibn Hisham said: one I trust told me that Uthman spent on the Army of Hardship on the Tabuk expedition a thousand dinars — and the Prophet spoke his prayer for him: O God, be pleased with Uthman, for I am pleased with him. 1
Markers of weakness and doubt
- Ibn Hisham says "one I trust told me" for the thousand dinars and the prayer; this addition is Ibn Hisham's from an unnamed narrator, not Ibn Ishaq's account (p. 161).
Connections
- Part of
- The expedition to Tabuk
- Occurred at
- Medina
- Had participant
- Uthman ibn AffanMuhammad
People and things also explored
Medinaal-Jadd ibn Qays asks leave to stay behindThe death of Umm Kulthum bint MuhammadThe HijraThe builders of the mosque ask the Prophet to pray in itThe Prophet orders the people to prepare to fight the ByzantinesThe three who were left behind after TabukThe Weepers: seven who asked to be carried
Sources
- al-Sira al-Nabawiyya — Ibn Hisham, al-Saqqa edition (1355/1936), 4/161
Cite this page
islam.museum contributors. “Uthman funds the army of hardship”. islam.museum, https://islam.museum/en/event/uthman-funds-the-army-of-hardship/. CC BY-SA 4.0. Accessed 2026-10-12.