Uthman ibn Affan

Uthman ibn Affan (577-656 CE) was the third of the four Rightly-Guided Caliphs and one of the ten companions promised Paradise. A wealthy merchant from the Umayyad clan of the Quraysh, Uthman was among the earliest converts to Islam, accepting the faith through Abu Bakr. He was known for his modesty, generosity, and gentle character, earning the title Dhun-Nurayn (Possessor of Two Lights) for having married two of the Prophet's daughters: first Ruqayyah, and after her death, Umm Kulthum.

Uthman's generosity was legendary. He purchased the well of Rumah in Medina and made it freely available to all Muslims. He financed the expansion of the Prophet's Mosque and equipped the entire Muslim army for the expedition to Tabuk with his own wealth, an act that prompted the Prophet to say, 'Nothing Uthman does after today will harm him.' He participated in the migration to Abyssinia and later to Medina.

As caliph (644-656 CE), Uthman's most enduring achievement was the compilation and standardization of the Quran into a single, authoritative text (the Uthmani codex), which remains the standard Quran used by Muslims worldwide. He expanded the Muslim state significantly, with conquests reaching into North Africa, the Caucasus, and Central Asia. His caliphate also saw the expansion of the Prophet's Mosque. Uthman was assassinated by rebels in his own home while reading the Quran, dying as a martyr in 35 AH (656 CE).