MOSQUE OF OTHMAN IBN AFFAN (CENTER)
The pious caliph of the two lights.
Othman (رضي الله عنه)
Othman ibn Affan (رضي الله عنه) was the third caliph of Islam (23-35 AH / 644-656 CE). He was nicknamed Dhu an-Nurayn — "The One of the Two Lights" — because he successively married two daughters of the Prophet ﷺ: Ruqayyah, and then Umm Kulthum after the death of the first.
The Prophet ﷺ said to him during the second marriage: "If I had a third daughter, I would have married her to you as well." (Tabaqat Ibn Sa'd)
The man whom the angels are shy of
One day, the Prophet ﷺ said in the presence of Aisha (رضي الله عنها): "The angels themselves are shy of Othman." (Sahih Muslim no. 2401)
Such was Othman's modesty. He was one of the ten promised Paradise during his lifetime.
His immense works
Othman notably:
1. Purchased the well of Rumah (see site 72) — free water for the community
2. Bought the extension of the Prophet's Mosque (from his own funds)
3. Compiled the Quran in its definitive version (the Mushaf 'Uthmani)
4. Financed the Army of Distress during the Battle of Tabuk