Overview
I'm working on a political science discussion question and need an explanation and answer to help me learn.
1. Based on the source, "The Four 'Rightly Guided' Caliphs in Their Own Words. what political principles and ideas can you draw from the orations and writings of the Rightly Guided Caliphs themselves?
2. The source, "The Account of the Murder of 'Uthman was written by the well-renowned, 9th-century Muslim historian al-Tabari (839-923). It is part of his monumental historical work written in Arabic titled The History of Prophets and Kings (38 volumes long in English translation). The account here details the events leading up to the murder of the 3rd Rightly Guided Caliph 'Uthman (reigned 644-656). I strongly suggest reading pp. 80-83 of the Lapidus textbook before proceeding with this reading to better understand what happened during 'Uthman's and 'Ali's caliphates. Based on 'Uthman's own statements and actions as recorded in the account, what kind of ruler does the account make him out to be?
- You will notice that al-Tabari provides several narrations of particular event. Recurring names like al-Waqidi (e.g., "According to Muhammad (b. 'Umar al-Waqidi)) usually indicates a single cluster of narrations. If you want to challenge yourself beyond this question, try figuring out if there are any differences in the various narrations he provides.
- You will encounter many names in the accounts. Try not to be bogged down by them and focus on grasping the general gist of what exactly happened to 'Uthman.