The Outset of Dissension in Islam — Page 116
116 H A D RAT MIRZA BASHIR-UD-DIN MAHMUD AHMAD THE HOUSE OF H A D RAT ‘ UTHM A N RA BESIEGED After twenty days had elapsed, the rebels thought that a quick decision was required, lest the armies from the surrounding provinces arrive and they were made to suffer the consequences of their actions. For this reason they stopped Hadrat ‘ Uthm a n ra from leaving his house, and also forbade the transfer of food and drink into his house. They thought that perhaps in this manner, Hadrat ‘Uthm a n ra would be compelled to accept their demands. The administration of Madinah was now in their hands. The three armies collectively accepted Gh a fiq i , the commander of the Egyptian armies, as their commander in chief. So, it was as if, Gh a fiq i was the ruler of Madinah at the time; Ashtar commanded the army of Kufah and H ak i m bin Jabalah (the same robber who had been imprisoned in Basrah, on the order of Hadrat ‘Uthm a n ra , for robbing the wealth of non-Muslim subjects) commanded the army of Basrah, under the leadership of Gh a fiq i. Once again, this proves that the rebels of Egypt were the root cause of this conflict, where ‘ Abdull a h bin Sab a was at work. Gh a fiq i would lead the prayers in Masjid-e-Nabaw i while the companions of the Holy Prophet sa would either remain locked up in their homes or would be compelled to offer prayers behind him. 98 The rebels did not cause people much hindrance until 98. T a r i khu t-T abar i , vol. 5, pp. 155-156, Dhikru Mas i ri Mann S a ra Il a Dh i Khashabin Min Ahli Mi s ra. . . . . / p. 172, Dhikrul-Khabari ‘ An Qatlih i Wa Kaifa Qutila, Published by D a rul-Fikr, Beirut, 2002 edition [Publishers]