Chapter 4: Part 3 - Uthman رَضِيَ ٱللَّٰهُ عَنْهُمْ - A Gentle Hand Upon a Vast Empire!
Only a generation earlier, the Muslims had struggled merely to survive within the valleys of Makkah. Now, by the decree of Allah سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَى, the Islamic state stretched across lands that had once belonged to the mightiest civilizations on earth.
THE BRIEF HISTORY OF ISLAM!
Danish Shafiq
6/12/20267 min read
Chapter 4: Part 3 - Uthman رضي الله عنه – A Gentle Hand Upon a Vast Empire!
When Uthman ibn Affan رضي الله عنه accepted the pledge of allegiance inside the Prophet's (صلى الله عليه وسلم) Mosque, he inherited far more than the title of Commander of the Believers.
He inherited an empire unlike any Arabia had ever known.
Only a generation earlier, the Muslims had struggled merely to survive within the valleys of Makkah. Now, by the decree of Allah سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَى, the Islamic state stretched across lands that had once belonged to the mightiest civilizations on earth.
To the east, the ancient Sasanian Empire had crumbled beneath the banners of Islam. Persia, which had ruled for centuries with unmatched splendor, had become part of the growing Muslim realm. Vast cities, fertile plains, and ancient centers of learning now looked toward Madinah for leadership.
To the west, Egypt had opened its gates. Syria and Palestine had embraced Muslim rule. Jerusalem—the city of so many Prophets—had entered the Islamic state not through massacre, but through justice and humility under Umar ibn al-Khattab رضي الله عنه.
Yet beyond these frontiers, the world had not grown silent.
The Byzantine Empire, though deeply wounded after Yarmuk, remained a formidable power. Across the Mediterranean, Roman fleets still dominated the seas. Along distant frontiers, tribes and kingdoms observed the astonishing rise of the Muslims with equal measures of fear, curiosity, and disbelief.
Many expected the remarkable expansion of Islam to slow after the passing of Umar رضي الله عنه.
Some imagined that the new Khalifa (Caliph), known more for his gentleness than for military command, would prove unable to preserve what his predecessors had built.
History, however... was preparing to surprise them once again. Unlike Umar رضي الله عنه, whose powerful presence naturally commanded attention, Uthman رضي الله عنه governed with remarkable calmness. He seldom raised his voice. He preferred consultation over command. Forgiveness over confrontation. Patience over haste. Some mistook this gentleness for weakness.
Those who knew him understood differently. They knew that true strength does not always appear in loud commands or drawn swords. Sometimes... the strongest heart is the one that remains patient when every voice demands anger.
The administrative system established by Abu Bakr رضي الله عنه and refined by Umar رضي الله عنه remained firmly in place. Governors continued overseeing the provinces. Judges administered justice according to the Book of Allah سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَى and the Sunnah of His Messenger صلى الله عليه وسلم.
The Bayt al-Mal distributed the wealth of the expanding state. Roads were secured. Caravan routes remained protected. The annual stipends established during Umar's (رضي الله عنه) time continued to reach widows, orphans, soldiers, and the needy.
Uthman رضي الله عنه understood an important principle of leadership. Not every ruler must rebuild what already stands firmly. Sometimes, wisdom lies in preserving what is good while preparing carefully for the challenges of tomorrow.
Yet the empire itself refused to stand still. Beyond every frontier lay new lands. New peoples. New languages. New civilizations. The message carried by the Messenger of Allah صلى الله عليه وسلم was never intended for Arabia alone. It was a mercy for all mankind.
As neighboring kingdoms watched the astonishing transformation of the Muslims, delegations continued arriving in Madinah. Some sought peace. Others requested treaties. Some embraced Islam willingly, while others preferred to remain under Muslim protection according to the covenants established by Islamic law.
The Islamic state continued to grow... not merely through military victories... but through justice that many conquered peoples had never experienced under their former rulers. For countless ordinary men and women living beneath oppressive taxation, corrupt officials, and endless wars between emperors, Muslim rule often brought something unexpected:
Security. Religious freedom. Fair taxation. And judges who answered not to kings... but to Allah سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَى.
Still... a new challenge now stood before the Commander of the Believers. It was a challenge that Abu Bakr رضي الله عنه and Umar رضي الله عنه had encountered only in its earliest form. The Muslims had become masters of vast stretches of land... but one realm remained almost entirely beyond their reach.
The sea.
For generations, the Mediterranean had been known as the "Roman Sea." Its waters belonged to the Byzantine fleets. Their ships controlled its trade. Their admirals guarded its islands. No Arab power had ever truly challenged Roman supremacy upon those waters. Some believed it impossible. Others believed it unnecessary.
But soon, one of Islam's greatest military commanders would arrive before the Caliph with a proposal that seemed almost unimaginable. It came from the governor of Syria...
Mu'awiyah ibn Abi Sufyan رضي الله عنه.
He requested permission to build something the Muslims had never possessed before. A navy. Not merely a handful of boats... but a fleet capable of carrying Islam across the seas themselves.
At first, Uthman رضي الله عنه did not answer immediately.
He remembered the caution of Umar رضي الله عنه, who had once refused similar proposals out of concern for the lives of Muslim soldiers unfamiliar with the dangers of the sea. The Khalifa (Caliph) knew that the ocean was unlike the desert. A horseman who could survive beneath the blazing Arabian sun might perish upon restless waves he had never before encountered.
And so, true to his nature, Uthman رضي الله عنه chose consultation before decision. The future of Islam... was about to sail into waters it had never known before.
When the Sea Opened Before Islam!
For centuries, the Mediterranean had belonged to Rome.
Its vast blue waters carried the ships of emperors, merchants, soldiers, and admirals. Great fleets sailed between Constantinople, Alexandria, Cyprus, Rhodes, Sicily, and countless coastal cities that had remained under Byzantine influence for generations.
To the Romans, the sea was a fortress. To the Arabs... it had always been something different.
Most of the Muslims who had grown up in the Arabian Peninsula had lived far from great oceans. Their lives revolved around deserts, wells, mountains, and caravan routes. They understood the stars above the dunes better than the winds upon the sea.
Even Umar ibn al-Khattab رضي الله عنه, despite all his military brilliance, had hesitated whenever proposals for naval expeditions reached him. According to the early historical narrations, when the governor of Syria, Mu'awiyah ibn Abi Sufyan رضي الله عنه, requested permission to build a Muslim fleet, Umar رضي الله عنه did not reject the idea because he doubted its military value. He rejected it because he feared for the lives of the believers.
When he asked his governor, Amr ibn al-'As رضي الله عنه, to describe the sea, the famous commander replied with words that captured both its beauty and its terror.
He described it as:
"A mighty creature upon which weak creatures ride. If it is calm, hearts become anxious; and if it becomes turbulent, minds are overwhelmed. Those upon it are like worms upon a piece of wood. If it tilts slightly, they drown; if they survive, they are terrified."
Upon hearing this description, Umar رضي الله عنه famously declared that he would never compel Muslims to venture upon such waters. For him... the life of even one believer weighed heavier than the conquest of distant islands.
Years passed. The circumstances changed. The Islamic state had grown immensely. Syria had become secure. Egypt had entered the Muslim realm. Muslim ports now stretched along long sections of the eastern Mediterranean coastline. Yet a serious problem remained.
The Byzantine Empire still ruled the sea. Its fleets launched sudden raids upon coastal settlements. Merchant ships remained vulnerable. Entire towns along the Syrian and Egyptian shores lived under the constant possibility of attack.
The Muslims had mastered the land... but as long as another power controlled the sea... their frontiers would never truly be secure. Mu'awiyah رضي الله عنه understood this better than anyone. As governor of Syria, he watched Byzantine ships appear and disappear along the horizon. He realized that the empire could not permanently defend its coasts while surrendering the sea entirely to its enemies.
Once again... he wrote to the Commander of the Believers.
But this time... the Commander of the Believers was Uthman ibn Affan رضي الله عنه. True to his character, Uthman رضي الله عنه did not rush toward a decision. He remembered the caution of Umar رضي الله عنه. He understood that courage should never become recklessness. Yet he also recognized that every generation faces challenges different from the one before it.
What had been unsuitable yesterday... might become necessary today.
After careful consultation with the senior Companions and his experienced governors, Uthman رضي الله عنه granted permission. But he attached an important condition. No Muslim would be forced to sail. Every sailor would embark willingly. No one would be compelled to face dangers for which he possessed neither ability nor readiness.
It was another reminder that Islamic leadership never treated soldiers as expendable instruments. Even in war... human life remained an Amanah.
Soon... something entirely unprecedented began to appear along the shores of Syria and Egypt. Shipyards echoed with the sound of craftsmen shaping timber. Massive cedar beams arrived from the mountains of Lebanon. Experienced shipbuilders from newly incorporated coastal regions worked alongside Arab craftsmen.
Sails were woven. Masts were raised. Hull after hull slowly emerged from the docks. For the first time in Islamic history... a Muslim navy was taking shape. The companions who had once crossed the scorching deserts of Arabia would now entrust themselves to waves they had scarcely known in earlier years.
Many looked toward the sea with awe. Others with apprehension. Some had never stepped aboard a vessel before. Yet all understood that the message of Islam had never been confined by deserts or mountains.
If Allah had opened the land before them... then perhaps He was now opening the sea as well. Among those who joined the first naval expedition was one whose presence filled hearts with reverence.
Umm Haram bint Milhan رضي الله عنها.
According to authentic narrations in Sahih al-Bukhari and Muslim, the Prophet Muhammad frequently visited the home of Umm Haram and her husband, Ubadah ibn as-Samit, in Quba. She was the companion of the Prophetصلى الله عليه وسلم as well as his distant maternal aunt. During one visit, the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم took a nap and woke up smiling.
When Umm Haram رضي الله عنها asked him what made him smile, he replied that he saw a dream where his followers were sailing across the green sea to fight in the cause of Allah, looking like "kings on thrones".
Umm Haram رضي الله عنها immediately asked, "O Messenger of Allah صلى الله عليه وسلم, pray that Allah سُبْحَانَهُ makes me one of them." The Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم prayed for her and confirmed, "You will be among the very first ones."
Now... years after his passing... that prayer was unfolding before the eyes of history. She boarded one of the ships alongside her husband, Ubadah ibn al-Samit رضي الله عنه.
The prophecy of the Messenger of Allah سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَى had begun to unfold. The fleet sailed westward across the Mediterranean. Its destination... the island of Cyprus.
Long regarded as one of Byzantium's important naval bases, Cyprus served as a launching point for raids against Muslim shores. Securing the island would not only weaken Byzantine influence but also provide greater protection for the growing Muslim territories.
When the Muslim fleet reached Cyprus, the island's rulers soon recognized the determination of their visitors. After negotiations, an agreement was reached. The inhabitants accepted peaceful terms and agreed to pay tribute while retaining security for their lives, property, and places of worship according to the principles established under Islamic governance.
It became one of the earliest great successes of the Muslim navy. But far greater events still lay ahead. The Emperor in Constantinople watched these developments with growing alarm.
For centuries... Rome had ruled the Mediterranean without serious challenge. Now... a nation that had scarcely known the sea only a generation earlier had begun sailing confidently across its waters.
The empire could no longer ignore this new reality. Soon... the greatest naval armada Byzantium could assemble would set sail. Its destination... the Muslim fleet.
The waves of the Mediterranean... were about to witness a battle that would forever change the balance of power between East and West.
End of Chapter 4: Part 3
Chapter 4: Part 4 - Uthman رضي الله عنه - The Battle That Changed the Mediterranean!