Uthman ibn Affan
عثمان بن عفان
c. 576 CE – 17 June 656 CE · 18 Dhu al-Hijja 35 AH
Third caliph (644–656); the early community married him to two of the Prophet's daughters in succession. Under him the Qur'an was standardized into a single recension; he was killed by rebels in Medina, opening the first civil war.
At a glance
- Roles
- Companion · Caliph
- Tradition
- Sunni · Shia (Twelver)
- Era
- The Prophetic Era · The Rashidun Caliphate
- Region
- Arabia
- Review
- Draft Completeness 3/5 · Help complete it
In time
In space
Map: Natural Earth, public domain · places and route from the graph
Scripture and its sciencesCivil wars and revoltsDevelopment of law, theology and institutions
Place in the story
- Convert to Islam · c. 611 CETradition
- Companion · c. 611 CETradition
- SuccessortowardUmar ibn al-Khattab · November 644 CE · Muharram 24 AH†Historical
- RulertowardRashidun Caliphate · 644 CE · 23 AH† – 656 CE · 35 AH†Historical
- Victim · 17 June 656 CE · 18 Dhu al-Hijja 35 AH†Historical
Sunni (transmitted)
How others named them
- “Dhu al-Nurayn (Possessor of the Two Lights)” — Islamic tradition, for marrying two daughters of the Prophet in succession
Roles are dated and sourced; the museum describes the act and attributes the judgement.
Brief
Uthman ibn Affan was the third caliph (644–656 CE). Twice the Prophet's son-in-law, he ordered the single standard recension of the Qur'an — and died besieged by rebels in his own house in Medina.
Life
Of the wealthy Banu Umayya clan, Uthman was among the earliest converts, brought in by Abu Bakr 1. He married two daughters of the Prophet in succession — Ruqayya, then Umm Kulthum — whence the tradition's title, "Possessor of the Two Lights." He migrated with The Hijra and served as envoy at The Treaty of Hudaybiyya 4.
Elected by the committee Umar appointed, he ruled twelve years. Under him the conquest continued into Armenia and North Africa, and — his lasting act — a committee under Zayd ibn Thabit produced one written recension of the Qur'an, sent to the garrison cities 1. In his later years grievances grew over appointments of his kinsmen and fiscal policy; in June 656 rebel contingents from Egypt and Iraq besieged and killed him in Medina — the event that opened the first civil war 2.
Legacy
Every copy of the Qur'an opened today descends from the recension his committee set. Every debate about where a caliph's duty ends and his family's claim begins runs through his murder.
For young visitors
Uthman gathered all the scattered pages of the Qur'an and had them made into one official book — the book Muslims still read. His death started the community's first civil war.
Opinions on the question
The question: How is Uthman ibn Affan's caliphate and his killing assessed?
First opinion · Sunni tradition (the museum's frame)Main reference
More opinions (2)
Academic viewSecondary opinion
Twelver Shia viewOther opinion
Connections
- Sibling of
- al-Walid ibn Uqba ibn Abi Mu'ayt
- Spouse of
- Ruqayya bint MuhammadUmm Kulthum bint Muhammad
- Born in
- Ta'if
- Died in
- Medina
- Member of
- Banu Umayya ibn Abd ShamsQuraysh
- Converted under
- Abu Bakr al-Siddiq
- Participated in
- The HijraThe Treaty of HudaybiyyaThe first migration to Abyssiniamurder-of-uthmanThe three years of the secret callThe Pledge of the Tree (Bay'at al-Ridwan)The death of Abu Dharr at al-RabadhaThe death of Umm Kulthum bint MuhammadExpedition of Dhu AmarrUthman funds the army of hardship
- Successor of
- Umar ibn al-Khattab
- Commissioned
- The Uthmanic recension of the Qur'an
People and things also explored
MuhammadMeccaThe Prophetic EraUmar ibn al-KhattabMedinaAbdullah ibn Mas'udUmm Salama (Hind bint Abi Umayya)The Muhajirun
Sources
- Ibn Sa'd, Kitab al-Tabaqat al-Kabir (Bewley translation, Ta-Ha)
- Watt, Muhammad at Medina (1956)
- Momen, An Introduction to Shi'i Islam (1985)
- Ibn Ishaq / Guillaume, The Life of Muhammad (1955)
Cite this page
islam.museum contributors. “Uthman ibn Affan”. islam.museum, https://islam.museum/en/person/uthman-ibn-affan/. CC BY-SA 4.0. Accessed 2026-10-12.