Uthman bin  `Affan was one of the companions of Islamic prophet, Muhammad. He played a major role in early Islamic history as the third Caliph. he married 2 daughters of prophet muhammed (sa)

Uthman ibn Affan was one of the very first followers of the prophet Muhammad, who started the Muslim religion. He was a very wealthy man who was known far and wide for his generosity. In fact, he was so generous with his money and possessions that people still tell stories about him today, more than a thousand years later!



Uthman lived in Medinah, which is in modern day Saudi Arabia. This is a very dry part of the world where there isn't a lot of rainfall. One year, in the year 640, to be precise, the rains did not come and there was a drought.

*drought

 Without any rain, food crops withered. There were no figs on the fig trees, no olives on the olive branches. The people of Medinah and all of their animals were running out of food. In fact, things got so bad that the people had to eat the leaves from the trees in order to survive. Without food, the people knew they could starve.

You can imagine how happy the people were the day they learned that a caravan of 1,000 camels was approaching Medinah. Each camel was laden down with food. The people began to imagine the smells that would fill their kitchens when they were cooking their favorite meals. Their mouths watered as they imagined the tastes of their favorite foods. Best of all, they imagined going to bed with full bellies for the first time in weeks.

Knowing that the caravan belonged to Uthman ibn Affan made the people rejoice even more, for they knew of his reputation for generosity. Surely he would give them a good price on the food he had for sale.

The merchants also rejoiced to hear that the caravan was approaching. For months business had been slow because they had no food to sell. The people of Medinah had stopped spending money in their shops. The merchants began to imagine their shops filled with hungry people, willing to spend any amount of money in order to eat and feed their families.

Knowing that the caravan belonged to Uthman ibn Affan was not welcome news for the merchants, however, for he had a reputation for being a very sharp businessman. Although he was fair, Uthman ibn Affan drove a very hard bargain.