CHANGES OF GOVERNORS OF SOME PROVINCES AND TOWNS, AND NARRATIVE OF SOME EVENTS BY WAY OF ABRIDG­MENT.

O’thmân B. O’ffan removed during his sway Moghyrah B. Sha’bah from the governorship of Kûfah, appointed to it Sa’d B. Abu Woqqâss, and said: ‘O’mar has told me that whoever sits on the masnad of the Khalifate must consider it his duty to favour Sa’d, saying: “I have not removed Sa’d for weakness or treachery.”’ He nevertheless himself likewise recalled Sa’d after the expiration of one year, and appointed his own maternal brother, Wolyd B. O’tbah B. Abu Mo’ytt, to the governorship of Kûfah. The people of Kûfah, being displeased with this arrangement, said: ‘O’thmân has removed Sa’d, who was a man of noble character, good lineage, and pleasing conversation, and has appointed his lascivious, profligate brother to govern us.’ Wolyd, however, behaved during his incumbency for some time in such a manner as to gain the approval of the inhabitants of Kûfah, living during five years of his govern­ment in a house without doors, so that needy persons might have easy access to him. After the expiration of the said period, however, according to the distich of Khosrû Dehlawy:

Morning time is but a brief season
Spent in abstinence, but also in sin.

Having indulged in matutinal potations, he went to the mosque in a state of intoxication, and performed, instead of the two prescribed prayer-flexions, four, adding: ‘O friends, thy time is pleasant. If you like, I shall make four more prayer-flexions for you.’ This behaviour having been reported to Madinah, O’thmân recalled him, ordering A’bdullah B. Ja’fer and A’li B. Abu Ttâleb to scourge and to admonish him, so that he afterwards conformed himself to the ordi­nances of the religion. After the recall of Wolyd, he again appointed Sa’d B. Abu Woqqâss to the post.

In the beginning of his reign he ordered the levy of the tribute of Egypt to be in charge of A’bdullah B. Sa’d Abu Sarj, and the military administration, with the commander­ship of the army, to be carried on by A’mru B. A´ass, without meddling with the revenue department. Some time afterwards, O’thmân despatched A’bdullah B. Râfi’ with a brave army to reinforce A’bdullah and A’mru B. A´ass, ordering the notables of the army of Islâm to march in the direction of Africa and Andalûs [Spain], and to endeavour to subjugate those countries. They obeyed, engaged in the conquest of countries, the gaining of booty, and raising the glorious standards to the zenith of the sky. The intention of A’mru B. A´ass being to bring also the public treasury under his own management, he became recalcitrant and dilatory in aiding and co-operating with A’bdullah, who, becoming aware of this state of affairs, lodged a complaint in writing with O’thmân. Hereon an order of recall was issued from the seat of government, removing A’mru B. A´ass from his post, and appointing A’bdullah also to the commandership of the army. A’mru B. A´ass returned, disgusted and sorrowful, to Madinah, and, associating with Sa’d B. Abu Woqqâss, who was like­wise one of the degraded officials, both of them lengthened their tongues of blame towards O’thmân, and spoke dis­paragingly of him, his enmity increasing to such a degree that he divorced his wife, who was the maternal sister of O’thmân. About this time the people of Bossrah com­plained of Abu Mûsa Asha’ry, who had for a long time been their governor; wherefore O’thmân removed him, and appointed the son of his maternal aunt, who was known by the name of A’bdullah B. A´amer, to govern in his stead. The recall of Abu Mûsa and the installation of A’bdullah took place in the year A.H. 28,* in which year also Othmân went on pilgrimage to the glorious Ka’bah [of Mekkah], engaging in prolonged orisons at Menâ and A’rafât. The companions, displeased with this proceeding, said: ‘We went on pilgrimage with the apostle of Allah, with Abu Bakr, and with O’mar, and performed under their leader­ship the prescribed morning and evening prayers, but with not more than two flexions.’ On this subject a controversy arose between O’thmân and A’bdu-r-rahman, the latter saying: ‘Thou hast accepted the Khalifate on condition of demeaning thyself in conformity with the book of Allah, the Sonna of the apostle of Allah, and the behaviour of the two Sheikhs [sic],* but hast acted according to none of them.’ The details, however, of this occurrence are recorded in some histories. In this journey O’thmân ordered couches and a large tent to be prepared, in which he dis­pensed repasts to the notables among the pilgrims; but the companions of his holy and prophetic lordship found fault also with this proceeding. When he had returned to Madinah, he ordered a deep well to be excavated for the sake of convenience; but the ring of the prophet—u. w. bl. —which he wore on his finger, like his two predecessors, happened to fall into the well, and could, despite the greatest efforts, not be recovered.