Khalifa Uthman bin Affan - Exile of Abu Dhar Ghifari

In the accounts that have come down to us, there is a good deal of confusion in the matter of the relationship between Uthman and Abu Dhar Ghifari. In the books which have a critical stance with reference to Uthman it is made out that Uthman was too harsh with Abu Dhar Ghaffari and that he had exiled him. In the books generally favorable to Uthman it is stated that Uthman did not exile Abu Dhar Ghifari, and that Abu Dhar Ghifari had of his own accord chosen to reside at Rabza. If all the evidence is examined dispassionately the conclusion that emerges is that there is no truth in the story about the exile of Abu Dhar Ghifari by Uthman. Rabza was only three miles from Madinah and if Uthman had exiled him he would have exiled him to some remoter place in the interior of the country. Again there is evidence to the effect that Abu Dhar Ghifari came to Madinah from Rabza on some occasions. If he had been exiled he could not have gone to Madinah. There is also evidence to the effect that Uthman had gifted some camels to Abu Dhar and also placed a slave at his disposal. He had also sanctioned a stipend in favor of Abu Dhar Ghifari. If Abu Dhar Ghifari had been the victim of the hostility of Uthman, he would not have been allowed such privileges. The truth of the matter is that Abu Dhar Ghifari being of an ascetic bent of mind preferred the solitude of the desert to the busy life of Madinah which had developed into a metropolis. Both Uthman and Abu Dhar Ghifari were great Muslims, and although they had different outlooks on life, there was no ill will between the two.