The Outset of Dissension in Islam — Page 138
138 H A D RAT MIRZA BASHIR-UD-DIN MAHMUD AHMAD been killed or injured, a small party continued to guard the door without fail. Since the rebels had apparently gained victory already, they sent someone to Hadrat ‘Uthm a n ra again, as a final strategy, to have him resign from Khilafat. They felt that if he resigned himself then the Muslims would have no authority or opportunity to punish the rebels. When the messenger reached Hadrat ‘Uthm a n ra , he said: “I have refrained from vices even in the days of jahiliyyah and have not violated the injunctions [of God] after accepting Islam. Why and for what crime should I leave the office which God the Exalted has conferred upon me? I shall never remove the garment which God the Exalted has clothed me with. ” The messenger returned after hearing this reply and addressed his people in the following words: “By God! We have fallen into grave trial. By God! We cannot escape the clutches of the Muslims without killing ‘ Uthm a n ra (because in this case the government would topple and its administration would crumble and there would be no one to question them) but killing him is in no way permissible. ” 119 Not only do the words of this person highlight the anxiety of the rebels, but they also establish that Hadrat ‘Uthm a n ra had still not allowed anything to arise which the rebels could have used as an excuse. In their hearts, the rebels 119. T a r i khu t-T abar i , vol. 5, pp. 178-180, Dhikrul-Khabari ‘ An Qatlih i Wa Kaifa Qutila, Published by D a rul-Fikr, Beirut, 2002 edition [Publishers]