Affan ibn Abi al-As | |
|---|---|
| Personal details | |
| Born | Mecca, Arabia |
| Died | Arabia |
| Spouse | Arwa bint Kurayz |
| Relations | |
| Children |
|
| Parent | Abu al-As ibn Umayya |
ʿAffān ibn Abī al-ʿĀṣ (Arabic:عفان بن أبي العاص) was a famous 6th-centuryArab merchant, a contemporary of the youngMuhammad (c. 570–632) and the father ofUthman ibn Affan, the thirdRashidun caliph (r. 644–656).
His father wasAbu al-As ibn Umayya. His nephew wasMarwan ibn al-Hakam. His sister wasSafiyya bint Abi al-As, who was the mother ofRamla bint Abi Sufyan (a wife of Muhammad).
Affan marriedArwa bint Kurayz, who was the daughter of Kurayz ibn Rabi'ah andUmm Hakim bint Abd Al-Muttalib ibn Hashim. She was also a cousin of Muhammad.
His son Uthman was born inTa'if. The exact date is disputed: both 576 and 583 are indicated.[1]: 57 He is listed as one of the 22 Meccans "at the dawn of Islam" who knew how to write.[2]
Affan died at a young age while travelling abroad, leaving Uthman with a large inheritance. He became a merchant like his father, and his business flourished, making him one of the richest men among the Quraysh.[3]
Uthman (aka Uthman ibn Affan) is known as the Possessor of Two Lights. This is because he was greatly loved by Muhammad and was married to two of his daughters. He was first married to Ruqayyah bint Muhammad (Muhammad's second eldest daughter), and when she died, Hafsa bint Umar came to be the wife of Muhammad, while Umm Kulthum came to be the wife of Uthman.
Umm Kulthum, the third daughter of Muhammad, was married to Uthman after the death of her older sister Ruqayyah. Muhammad had four daughters: Zaynab bint Muhammad, who married Abu al-As ibn al-Rabi'; Ruqqayah bint Muhammad, who married Uthman ibn Affan; Umm Kulthum bint Muhammad, who also married Uthman ibn Affan; and Fatimah al-Zahrah (Fatima bint Muhammad), who married Ali ibn Abu Talib.
