by Abd-Allah ibn Uthman was the son Uthman ibn Affan, and Ruqayyah bint Muhammad (ﷺ), making him the grandson of Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ).[1][2]
Birth and Death: References to Age
It is said that Abd-Allah was born two years prior to Hijrah in Abyssinia the eleventh year of Prophethood and died at the age of six.[3] in 4 AH.[4][5] This places Abd-Allah’s death two years after the Battle of Badr which occurred in 2 AH. Which is also the time his mother Ruqayyah died.
Muhammad ‘Ali Qutb in his book Women Around the Messenger places Abd-Allah’s birth at two years prior to Hijrah and that his death affected his mother so deeply she became ill and died shortly after[6] while the battle of Badr occurred. This would place Abd-Allah’s death in 2AH, making him four years old.
The detail of age is of minor importance, however, it is an example reminding us that precise dates and times were of minor concern to historians of the time. They were often inaccurate, inconsistent or not recorded at all. Most dates we have were backdated when the Hijrah calendar was established.
Death
Shortly after being brought to Madinah by his parents, Abd-Allah was pecked by a rooster[7] near his eye. Although a small injury, it became infected and spread until it covered his entire face. The infection ultimately lead to his death.[8]
References
- Jump up↑ al-Tamheed wa’l-Bayan fi Maqtal al-Shaheed ‘Uthman, p.19
- Jump up↑ The Biography of ‘Uthman Ibn’ Affan, Dhun-Noorayn, by Dr. Ali Muhammad As-Sallabi, Translated by Nasir Khattab, pg.12
- Jump up↑ Luminaries of Islam, by Dr. Araft K. Al-Ashi, pg.92
- Jump up↑ al-Ameen Dhu’l-Noorayn, by Mahmoud Shakir, p. 365; al-Tamheed wa’l-Bayan fi Maqtal al-Shaheed ‘Uthman, p. 19
- Jump up↑ As-Sallabi, op. cit., pg.14
- Jump up↑ Women Around the Messenger by Muhammad Ali Qutb pg.308
- Jump up↑ Ali Qutb, op. cit., pg.305
- Jump up↑ As-Sallabi, op. cit., pg.14