Uthman ibn cAffan ibn Abi’l-cAs ibn Umayyah ibn cAbd Shams ibn cAbd Manaf ibn Qusayy ibn Kilab ibn Murrah ibn Kacb ibn Lu’ayy ibn Ghalib al-Qurashi al-Amawi (al- Makki and then later al-Madani) Abu cAmr, and it has been said Abu cAbdullah and Abu Layla.

He was born in the sixth year after the Elephant, and he accepted Islam very early on, being one of those whom as-Siddiq called to Islam. He emigrated on both emigrations: the first to Abyssinia and the second to Madinah.

He married Ruqayyah the daughter of the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, before prophethood, and she died with him during the nights of the Battle of Badr. He was held back from Badr, because of her becoming ill, with the permission of the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, who assigned a portion of the spoils to him and rewarded him, and so he is counted among the people of Badr because of that.

A messenger brought the good news of the victory of the Muslims at Badr on the same day that they buried her in Madinah. The Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, married him to her sister Umm Kulthum after her, and she later died [while married] with him in the ninth year of the Hijrah.

The men of knowledge said: We don’t know of anyone who married two daughters of a prophet apart from him, and for that reason he is known as Dhu’n-Nurayn - the Possessor of Two Lights.

He was one of the first outstrippers (as-Sabiqun al-Awwalun), the first of the Muhajirun, one of the ten for whom it was witnessed that they were destined for the Garden, and one of the six with whom the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, was pleased when he died. He was one of the Companions who memorised all of the Qur’an, and indeed Ibn cAbbad said, ‘None of the khulafa’ memorised all of the Qur’an except for him and al-Ma’mun.’ Ibn Sacd said: The Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, appointed him as his deputy in charge of Madinah during the military expeditions to Dhat ar-Riqac and Ghatafan.

One hundred and forty-six hadith of his have been narrated from the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace.

The following related hadith from him: Zaid ibn Khalid al-Juhani, Ibn az-Zubayr, as-Sa’ib ibn Yazid, Anas ibn Malik, Zaid ibn Thabit, Salamah ibn al-Akwac, Abu Umamah al-Bahili, Ibn cAbbas, Ibn cUmar, cAbdullah ibn Mughaffal, Abu Qatadah, Abu Hurayrah and other Companions, may Allah be pleased with them, and a great number of others of the Followers (of them Abban ibn cUthman, cUbaydullah ibn cAdi, Humran and others).

Ibn Sacd narrated that cAbd ar-Rahman ibn Hatib said: I saw none of the companions of the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, who, when he narrated a hadith, narrated it more completely and more excellently than cUthman ibn cAffan, unless it was a man who was in awe of the hadith.

He narrated that Muhammad ibn Sirin said that cUthman was the most knowledgeable of them in the rites of the Hajj, and then after him, Ibn cUmar.

Al-Bayhaqi narrated in his Sunan that cAbdullah ibn cUmar ibn Abban al-Jucfi said: My maternal uncle Hussein al-Jucfi said, ‘Do you realise why cUthman was called the Possessor of Two Lights?’ I said, ‘No.’ He said, ‘No-one has ever been united to two daughters of a prophet since Allah created Adam (nor will be) until the Hour n rises other than cUthman, and for that reason he was called the Possessor of Two Lights.’ Abu Nucaym narrated that al-Hasan said: cUthman was only called the Possessor of Two Lights because no-one is known of who closed his door upon two daughters of a prophet other than him.

Khaythamah narrated in Fada'ilas-Sahabah and Ibn cAsakir that 1 Ali ibn Abi Talib was asked about cUthman and he said: That was a man who is called in the Highest Assembly the Possessor of Two Lights. He was the son-in-law of the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, with two of his daughters.

Al-Malini narrated with an isnad in which there is some weakness that Sahl ibn Sacd said: It is said about cUthman ‘the Possessor of Two Lights’ because he will pass from one abode to another in the Garden and there will gleam forth for him two flashes of lightning, and it is for that reason that is said about him.

He said: He was given the kunyah of Abu cAmr in the Jahiliyyah, then in the time of Islam, Ruqayyah gave birth to cAbdullah for him, and he took his kunyah from him (Abu cAbdullah).

His mother was Arwa bint Kurayz ibn Rabicah ibn Habib ibn cAbd Shams (ibn cAbd Manaf) and her mother was Umm Hakim al-Bayda’ bint cAbd al-Muttalib ibn Hashim and she was the twin sister of the father of the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace. The mother of cUthman was the daughter of the paternal aunt of the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace.

Ibn Ishaq said: He was the first to accept Islam after Abu Bakr, 'Ali and Zaid ibn Harithah.

Ibn cAsakir narrated by various routes that cUthman was of middle stature - he was not short, nor was he tall - with a beautiful face, a fair complexion tinged with red, on his face the marks of smallpox, with a full beard, large-limbed, broad-shouldered, plump in the shank, long in the forearms, hair covering both his forearms, curly-haired but balding to the fore of his head, the most beautiful of people in the fore-teeth, his locks fell beneath his ears and he coloured them with yellow, and he had strengthened his teeth with gold.

Ibn cAsakir narrated that cAbdullah ibn Hazm al-Mazini said: I saw cUthman ibn cAffan and I have never seen a man or a woman! with a more beautiful face than him.

He narrated that Musa ibn Talhah said: cUthman ibn cAffan was the most beautiful of people.

Ibn cAsakir narrated that Usamah ibn Zaid said: The Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, sent me to cUthman’s house with a dish in which was meat. I went in, and there was Ruqayyah, may Allah be pleased with her, seated. 1

began to look at the face of Ruqayyah one time and another time at the face of cUthman. When I returned, the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, questioned me and asked me, ‘Did you go in to them?’ I said, ‘Yes.’ He said, ‘Have you seen a couple more beautiful than them?’ I said, ‘No, Messenger of Allah.’ Ibn Sacd narrated that Muhammad ibn Ibrahim ibn al-Harith at-Taymi said: When cUthman bin cAffan became a Muslim, his paternal uncle, al-Hakam ibn Abi’l-cAs ibn Umayyah took hold of him, bound him with rope, and said, ‘Do you wish to leave the religion of your fathers for an innovated deeni By Allah, I will not leave you until you give up that which you are involved in.’ cUthman said, ‘By Allah, I will not give it up nor abandon it.’ When al-Hakam saw his firmness in his deen he left him.

Abu Yacla narrated that Anas said: The first one to emigrate with his family to the Abyssinians was cUthman ibn cAffan. The Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, ‘May Allah accompany the two of them. cUthman is the first to emigrate with his family for the sake of Allah since Lut.’ Ibn cAdi narrated that CA’ ishah, may Allah be pleased with her, said: When the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, married away his daughter Umm Kulthum, he said to her, ‘Your husband, of all men, is the one who most resembles your grandfather Ibrahim and your father Muhammad.’ Ibn cAdi and Ibn cAsakir narrated Ibn cUmar said: The Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, ‘We find a resemblance in cUthman to our father Ibrahim.’