When the rebels, who exploited the pilgrimage season to travel to Madinah in the guise of pilgrims, arrived in Madinah, they remained outside it until their forces coming from Basra, Kufah and Egypt grouped together. Uthman did not want to let things come to a head. Therefore, he met them and asked them about their complaint. Justice ibn Al-Arabi gives a very brief account of what took place in that meeting. He mentions that they wanted Uthman to bring a copy of the Qur’an, and told him to read out Surah 10, Jonah, which he read aloud up to Verse 59 when they asked him to stop. This verse reads: “Say: ‘Do but consider all the means of sustenance that God has bestowed on you! Some of it you then made unlawful, and some lawful.’ Say: ‘Has God given you leave to do so, or do you fabricate lies against God?’” When he stopped, they asked him: “You have made certain areas a protected reserve. Would you say of this action of yours that God has given you leave to do so, or you have fabricated lies against God?” He said: “How you doubt! This verse was revealed in connection with something else. Umar initiated the protected area, and when the camels increased, I increased the area.” This is a reference to the land protected as meadows where the camels given as zakah or charity to be used for jihad grazed. Uthman did nothing more than to increase the area reserved for them when the number of camels multiplied.
They continued to voice their grievances, which we discussed over several weeks, but Uthman made his case very strong and they could not argue with him. Ibn Al-Arabi writes: “At last, he asked them what they wanted. They accepted his pledge and committed him to five or six conditions including returning those sent into exile, giving grants to the deprived, making the spoils available to those in need, maintaining fair division of allowances, and appointing only those who were known to be honest and having strong character.
They committed that to writing. In return they pledged not to be disobedient and not cause division within the Muslim community. They then went on their way back, satisfied with the result they achieved. It is reported that Uthman had sent them Ali to negotiate with them and they agreed to these conditions and went back.”
Al-Khateeb comments that the rebels were of two types: Chiefs who were plotters and deceivers in varying degrees, and masses who were generally deceived. The latter were subjected to an onslaught of propaganda speaking about numerous people sent into exile or deprived of their allowances and denied their rights. Yet some of the best authorities, like the three great scholars Al-Hasan Al-Basri, Muhammad ibn Sireen and Amir Al-Shaabi speak of the affluence that Iraq experienced at the time, with even slaves enjoying very comfortable living. Indeed Uthman appointed heralds to call people to take what they wanted. When people listened to Uthman answering the accusations against him, they were convinced and they went back home. Inevitably they took two different routes, with one group heading northwest toward Egypt and the other northeast toward Iraq.
This could have meant the end of the rebellion, and this was what the bulk of the people who were tricked into joining the rebellion believed. But the conspirators, who wanted to cause a rupture in the unity of the Muslims, were not to be deterred. Ibn Al-Arabi writes that as the Egyptian groups were on their way, “a rider came very close to them and moved away several times.
They then asked him who he was and what was the matter with him. He said: ‘I am a messenger from the caliph to the governor of Egypt.’ They searched him and found with him a letter pertaining to be written by Uthman and carrying his stamp, giving instructions to the governor of Egypt to crucify these people and cut their limbs. They immediately returned to Madinah and went to see Ali. They said to him: ‘Do you realize what this enemy of God has done? He wrote this about us. For this God makes it lawful to kill him. Come with us to him.’ He said: ‘By God, I will not come with you.’ They said: ‘Why did you write to us, then?’ He said: ‘By God, I wrote nothing to you.’ They looked at one another, baffled. Then Ali left Madinah.”
Al-Khateeb explains that the rider tried hard to draw attention to himself, by coming close to the returning rebels and moving away from them, and repeating this several times. He then said to them what raised further suspicion by pointing out that he was carrying a message from the caliph to the governor. This gives the plot away, because if he was truly sent by the caliph, and if he was carrying a message to punish the leaders of the rebellion, he would not have come close to them or raised their suspicion by his behavior. He would have moved away from them. Should he have been stopped nevertheless, he would have pretended to be heading to some other place, such as Syria, on personal business. Had he done so, they would not have searched him. But his brief, given by those who hired him, was to get himself searched so that the fabricated letter would be found.
Moreover, the governor of Egypt had written to Uthman seeking his permission to come and see him in Madinah. He was already on his way there. So, had Uthman wanted to given him any instructions, he would not send anyone to carry them. Instead he would await his arrival in Madinah.
The reports about the letter found with the rider are all poor in authenticity. These reports claim that the rider was a servant of Uthman and his camel was one of charity camels and that Uthman admitted that. But all this is untrue. The transmitters of these reports are graded as liars or unreliable. Moreover, the contents of this letter have been given in several versions. One of them instructs the governor to flog Abd Al-Rahman ibn Udays, shave his head and beard and put him in jail until further instructions. It then names Amr ibn Al-Hamaq, Sudan ibn Humran and Urwah ibn Al-Tabba’ for similar punishment. a second version of the contents names Muhammad ibn Abi Bakr and several others, requiring the governor to execute them. A third version suggests that the governor was instructed to crucify them and cut their limbs.
Al-Khateeb also points out that the two groups of rebels returned to Madinah, having interrupted their journeys at the same time. This is very strange considering that their routes would take them further and further apart, as one group headed northwest and the other northeast. How could they time their return so as to arrive back in Madinah at the same time? The only explanation is that those who sent the rider to expose himself to the Egyptian group, so that the letter might be found with him, also sent another rider to the Iraqi groups to inform them that the Egyptians discovered the letter and that they were on their way back.
According to Al-Tabari, an early Muslim historian, Ali was the first to point this out. He said to them: “You, people of Kufah and Basra, how did you know of what the Egyptians discovered when you have already covered a good distance, and now you are back with us? This is indeed something that has been concocted in Madinah.” This is a reference to the fact that Al-Ashtar and Hukaym stayed behind in Madinah to fabricate this story.
The Iraqi rebel leaders said to him: “Place him wherever you wish, but we have no need for him. Let him retire.” Al-Khateeb considers this to be an admission by the Iraqi rebel leaders that the whole story of the letter was a fabrication and that the aim was to remove Uthman from power or to kill him.