Uthman ibn al-Huwayrith ( ar, عثمان بن الحويرث) was an

Arab The Arabs (singular: Arab; singular ar, عَرَبِيٌّ, DIN 31635: , , plural ar, عَرَب, DIN 31635: , Arabic pronunciation: ), also known as the Arab people, are an ethnic group mainly inhabiting the Arab world in Western Asia, ...

of the

Quraysh The Quraysh ( ar, قُرَيْشٌ) were a grouping of Arab clans that historically inhabited and controlled the city of Mecca and its Kaaba. The Islamic prophet Muhammad was born into the Hashim clan of the tribe. Despite this, many of the Qur ...

who was one of the four major

hanifs In Islam, a ( ar, حنيف, ḥanīf; plural: , ), meaning "renunciate", is someone who maintains the pure monotheism of the patriarch Abraham. More specifically, in Islamic thought, renunciates were the people who, during the pre-Islamic perio ...

(followers of the Abrahamic tradition) during the time of the

Islamic prophet Prophets in Islam ( ar, الأنبياء في الإسلام, translit=al-ʾAnbiyāʾ fī al-ʾIslām) are individuals in Islam who are believed to spread God in Islam, God's message on Earth and to serve as models of ideal human behaviour. So ...

Muhammad Muhammad ( ar, مُحَمَّد; 570 – 8 June 632 Common Era, CE) was an Arab religious, social, and political leader and the founder of Islam. According to Muhammad in Islam, Islamic doctrine, he was a prophet Divine inspiration, di ...

, and converted to

Christianity Christianity is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth. It is the world's largest and most widespread religion with roughly 2.38 billion followers representing one-third of the global pop ...

. After revolting against idol worship in

Mecca Mecca (; officially Makkah al-Mukarramah, commonly shortened to Makkah ()) is a city and administrative center of the Mecca Province of Saudi Arabia, and the Holiest sites in Islam, holiest city in Islam. It is inland from Jeddah on the Red ...

in favor of

monotheism Monotheism is the belief that there is only one deity, an all-supreme being that is universally referred to as God. Cross, F.L.; Livingstone, E.A., eds. (1974). "Monotheism". The Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church (2 ed.). Oxford: Oxford ...

during the late 6th century, he sought assistance from the

Byzantine Empire The Byzantine Empire, also referred to as the Eastern Roman Empire or Byzantium, was the continuation of the Roman Empire primarily in its eastern provinces during Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, when its capital city was Constantinopl ...

in 590 in a ploy to install himself as king of Mecca. While in Byzantium, he converted to Christianity. He is also known for having compiled poetic works.

Biography

Uthman was born into the clan of

Asad ibn Abd-al-Uzza Asad ibn Abd al-Uzza ( ar, أسد بن عبدالعزى, Asad ibn ʿAbd al-ʿUzzā) was a grandson of Qusai ibn Kilab and the matrilineal great-great-grandfather of the prophet of Islam Muhammad. Note that Asad was of the Banu Quraish. His clan sho ...

who belonged to the

tribe of

. He converted to

while he was young – during a religious feast held by the Quraysh in celebration of their sacrifices made to the idol, Uthman and three of his relatives entered into a secret oath in which they agreed to renounce idol worship in favor of the

Abrahamic religion The Abrahamic religions are a group of religions centered around worship of the God of Abraham. Abraham, a Hebrew patriarch, is extensively mentioned throughout Abrahamic religious scriptures such as the Bible and the Quran. Jewish tradition ...

s. They based their decision on the belief that idol worship had no textual or spiritual basis. In 590, he sought intervention from the

in an attempt to have himself installed as king of Mecca and to bring its inhabitants under the Abrahamic religions. After arriving in

Byzantium Byzantium () or Byzantion ( grc, Βυζάντιον) was an ancient Greek city in classical antiquity that became known as Constantinople in late antiquity and Istanbul today. The Greek name ''Byzantion'' and its Latinization ''Byzantium'' cont ...

, he met with a high-ranking government official known as Caesar. In his plea to Caesar, he attempted to convince him that, with Byzantine support, he would help suppress the advance of the

Sasanian Empire The Sasanian () or Sassanid Empire, officially known as the Empire of Iranians (, ) and also referred to by historians as the Neo-Persian Empire, was the History of Iran, last Iranian empire before the early Muslim conquests of the 7th-8th cen ...

, with whom the Byzantines were at war. Caesar accepted his request, and bestowed upon him the title of ''al-Bitriq'', an Arabic designation which is reserved for those with military prowess. Uthman also converted to Christianity while in Casear's court. Uthman also addressed the people of Mecca, stating that under his kingship, the merchant class would flourish as they would be able to secure trade routes to areas under Byzantine control. Although his plan was initially met with success, the ascension came to a dramatic halt after the Meccans suddenly decided to reject his proposition. It is unknown whether he heard Muhammad's message. It was said that he left the area most likely before the birth of Muhammad. This is because he left around the time Waraqah was in his 20s (Waraqah was 80 when the Prophet was about 40). He traveled to

Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus (legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...

and eventually became an interpreter. It is mentioned that because of this he eventually accepted Christianity, and held a substantial position amongst the society in Rome.

9th century historigraphy

Muhammad ibn Habib, a 9th-century Muslim historian, lists Uthman as one of the only two practicing Christians in Mecca during the lifetime of

. Another 9th-century historian,

Ya'qubi ʾAbū l-ʿAbbās ʾAḥmad bin ʾAbī Yaʿqūb bin Ǧaʿfar bin Wahb bin Waḍīḥ al-Yaʿqūbī (died 897/8), commonly referred to simply by his nisba al-Yaʿqūbī, was an Arab Muslim geographer and perhaps the first historian of world cultu ...

, compiled a list to the same effect several years later. Uthman's son was a

polytheist Polytheism is the belief in multiple deities, which are usually assembled into a pantheon of gods and goddesses, along with their own religious sects and rituals. Polytheism is a type of theism. Within theism, it contrasts with monotheism, the b ...

who joined the Quraysh tribe in their campaign against the Muslims in the

Battle of Badr The Battle of Badr ( ar, غَزْوَةُ بَدِرْ ), also referred to as The Day of the Criterion (, ) in the Quran, Qur'an and by Muslims, was fought on 13 March 624 CE (17 Ramadan (calendar month), Ramadan, 2 Anno Hegirae, AH), near the ...

in 624.

References

{{reflist Quraysh 6th-century Arabic-language poets Arab Christians 6th-century Christians