their language. In this year, the Prophet's seal (peace be upon him) fell from Uthman's hand. It was made of agate, with three lines inscribed: "Muhammad, the Messenger of God." The Prophet used to seal it and use it for the letters he sent to the kings. After him, Abu Bakr and Umar sealed it during their caliphates, and then Uthman. The people of Medina were drinking water. Uthman sat at the well, intending to seal a letter, when it fell from his hand into the well. They searched for it, and they drained the water from it, but they could not find it. He offered a great reward to whoever brought it to him and was greatly saddened by this. When he recovered from it, he made another seal and inscribed on it: "You will surely be patient and regretful." It was also said that he inscribed on it: "I believed in Him who fashioned you." Due to the extreme ill omen that Muslims associated with the fall of the seal, some of their scribes later claimed that it was the cause of the disruption of the caliphate, and that if the Prophet's seal had not fallen into the well, the caliphate would have been organized until the Day of Resurrection.

"The Killing of Uthman ibn Affan" Also, from Kufa came, and from Egypt came with a thousand, or it was said eighty, in the year 656 CE, and also from Basra. The Egyptians favored Ali, the Kufans favored Zubayr, and the Basrans favored Talha. They entered Medina. When the week following their entry into Medina arrived, Uthman went out and prayed with the people, then stood on the pulpit and said to the mentioned crowds: "O people, God knows that you are cursed by the tongue of Muhammad, peace be upon him." Then stood Abdullah ibn Masamah al-Ansari and said: "I bear witness to that." The people rose up in their entirety, killed the two, expelled them from the mosque, and stoned Uthman until he fell from the pulpit, unconscious. They took him to his house. A group of the people of Medina fought for Uthman, including Sa'd ibn Abi Waqqas, Al-Hasan ibn Ali ibn Abi Talib, Zayd ibn Thabit, and Abu Hurayrah, may God be pleased with them. Uthman sent to them, commanding them to leave. So they left. Uthman prayed with the people in the mosque for thirty days after the mentioned incident. Then they prevented him from praying. Their leader, Al-Ghafiqi, the commander of the Egyptian army, prayed with the people. The people of Medina remained in their homes, and Uthman was confined to his house. This lasted for forty days, or it was said fifty. Then Ali agreed with Uthman on what the people demanded of him, namely the dismissal of Marwan from his scribal duties and Abdullah ibn Sa'd ibn Abi Sarh from Egypt. Uthman agreed to this, and Ali dispersed the people from him. Then Uthman met with Marwan and dissuaded him from that. Then the situation worsened until he dismissed Ibn Abi Sarh from Egypt and appointed Muhammad ibn Abi Bakr al-Siddiq in his place. He sent Muhammad ibn Abi Bakr with several of the Emigrants and Helpers. Then, on the way, they encountered a messenger on a camel who was hurrying. They asked him where he was going. He said, "To the Caliph."