Caliph Uthman bin Affan was the third caliph after the caliph Umar bin Khattab. He is generous and shy. Unfortunately, however, some historians describe him as a weak man who was unable to fight against his family's ambitions. He appointed them as governors, and replaced the governors who were appointed during the Caliphate of Umar bin Khattab. Which in the end provoked an unpleasant reaction for him.
Seeing the actions of the Caliph Uthman which was considered
inappropriate, the friends who originally supported the Caliph began to
leave him. People who originally wanted the position of caliph began to
dive into the murky water at that time. Feelings of displeasure began to
emerge in various regions. In Egypt, supporters of Umar Ibn Al - As
gathered about five hundred people, wanting to rebel against Medina.
Which in its development led to the killing of Caliph Uthman by the
rebel leaders from Egypt.
So, is it true that Caliph Uthman was weak and nepotic? Islam teaches us to pay more attention to our relatives, Allah says:
"And
give rights to close relatives, also to the poor and those who travel
and not waste (property) lavishly." (Surah Al-Isra: 26)
In the
book Leadership and Exemplary Uthman bin Affan by Fariq Gasim Anuz
mentioned the generosity of the caliph Uthman to his relatives.
First, Uthman gave his uncle Abbas bin Abdul Muttalib the wealth he got from Bahraini land.
Second,
Uthman gave a fifth of the fifth of the spoils of war to his relative,
Abdullah bin Said bin Abi Sarh. But there are groups who disagree and
accuse Caliph Uthman of not - no, because they are afraid there will be
trouble. Caliph Uthman ordered his relatives to return the booty.
Third,
Uthman gave one hundred thousand dirhams to Harith and Marwan bin
Hakam. Previously Uthman was reported to have handed over 100,000
dirhams each from Baitul Mal to both of them. But what actually happened
was that Caliph Uthman married his son to Harith bin Hakam's daughter
by handing over more than 100,000 dirhams of his own property as aid.
And married his daughter to his son Marwan bin Hakam accompanied by
assistance from his own property of 100,000 dirhams as well.
Based on the available explanations, I believe that the allegations of weakness and nepotism of the Caliph Uthman bin Affan are not true. Because all the attention of the Caliph Uthman to his relatives is the order of Allah SWT. It's just that at that time, the bishop's caliph paid more attention to his relatives, being used by people who wanted the position of caliph, to give a bad image to the caliph.
Then why did the caliph draw his relatives to power and replace the governor during Umar's caliphate. The author's opinion, because as we know, Caliph Uthman and his family were wealthy merchants. The relatives consisted of the Meccan aristocrats who due to their trading experience had good administrative knowledge. This knowledge was very useful in leading governments in areas outside the Arabian Peninsula which were increasingly entering the era of Islamic rule at that time. So that all the decisions of the Caliph Uthman at that time were not due to considerations, but because of the best considerations. Allah knows best.