The Prophet's paternal uncles are the offspring of ‘Abdul-Mutallib ibn Hashim. These are:

Abu Talib. His mother was Fatima al-Quraishiya daughter of ‘Amr ibn Makhzum. She was the mother of the Prophet's father ‘Abdullah and also the mother of Zubair and of all daughters of ‘Abdul-Mutallib. Called “al-Mumalliq’, he undertook the guardianship of the Prophet (s.a.w). He was son of ‘Abdul-Mutallib.

On the following Friday, Uthman addressed the congregation in the Prophet's mosque. After praising God and the Holy Prophet, Uthman said:

"It has come to my notice that many false things are being said against me and my administration. You know after the Holy Prophet, Abu Bakr became the Caliph and after him Umar became the Caliph. I served both of them, and they were happy with me. After Umar I was chosen as the Caliph. I swear

Uthman listened patiently to the talk of Ali and then said:

When the crisis deepened, Ali saw Uthman and talked to him in diplomatic terms. He said:

On return to Madina, Muawiyah saw Uthman. He said that although on the occasion of the Hajj the seditionist had not been able to declare any grievance, that did not mean the end of their opposition. He feared that they would resort to other means to harm Uthman.

Muawiyah suggested that Uthman should accompany him to Syria. He said that the people of Syria were devoted to the Caliphate and the Caliph would have an atmosphere of peace there. Uthman said that as the Caliph of the Holy Prophet, he could not leave the city of the Holy Prophet.

Muawiyah observed that in the alternative he should be allowed to send some Syrian force to keep a guard on the Caliph. Uthman said that the presence of the Syrian force in Madina would be an incitement to a civil war, and he could not be a party to such a move.

In response to the call of Uthman, the followers of Ibn Saba sent large delegations from various cities. They were thoroughly briefed and were armed with a catalogue of imaginary wrongs which they were requited to present before the gathering.

Investigation into the state of affairs in the provinces

'Aamir b Abdullah Tamimi in pressing the demand for the abdication of Uthman had advanced no arguments. Uthman had turned down the demand for cogent reasons. Nevertheless these altercations poisoned the political atmosphere in Madina. Barring a few persons who espoused the cause of Uthman strongly, the other companions were either critical or preferred to remain indifferent.

'Aamir in Kufa

'Aamir b Abdullah in Basra'
'Aamir b Abdullah Tamimi was an eminent Muslim. He settled at Basra. He was intensely religious, and would pray the whole night. Being too much absorbed in religious devotions, he was cut off from the world around him. He became critical of the irreligious ways of life of the people around him, and the people felt unhappy at his biting criticism. The Governor of Basra complained against him to Uthman, and Uthman directed that 'Aamir b Abdullah be sent to Syria.

'Aamir b Abdullah in Syria
In Syria, Abdullah Tamimi was lodged in the main mosque at Damascus, and Muawiyah the Governor of Syria kept a watch over him. One of the complaints against 'Aamir was that he did not eat meat. One day Muawiyah invited 'Aamir to dinner at which meat was served. 'Aamir duly partook of the dish of meat. That convinced Muawiyah that this allegation against 'Aamir was false.

Ibn Saba won some allies from among the Muslims who had some grievance against Uthman right or wrong. 'Amr b Al 'Aas had been deposed by Uthman from the governorship of Egypt. He had a personal grievance against Uthman, and in some way or the other he played into the hands of the Ibn Sabaites.