ʿUthmān ibn Saʿīd al-Asadī al-ʿAmrī | |
|---|---|
عثمان بن سعيد الأسدي العمري | |
| Deputy of ImamMuhammad al-Mahdi | |
| In office 874–881 | |
| Succeeded by | Abu Ja'far Muhammad ibn Uthman |
| Personal life | |
| Died | before 881 CE |
| Region | Iraq |
| Known for |
|
| Religious life | |
| Religion | Islam |
| Denomination | Shia |
| Jurisprudence | Ja'fari |
| Creed | Twelver |
| Muslim leader | |
| Disciple of | Ali al-Hadi,Hasan al-Askari,Muhammad al-Mahdi |
| Part ofa series on Shia Islam |
|---|
 |
 Shia Islam portal |
| Part ofa series onShia Islam |
| Twelver Shi'ism |
|---|
Other practices |
Other related sects and groups |
Related topics |
| Shia Islam portal |
ʿUthmān ibn Saʿīd alʾAsadī al-ʿAmrī (Arabic:عثمان بن سعيد الأسدي العمري) was the first of theFour Deputies, whomTwelverShia Muslims believe have successively represented their twelfth Imam,Muhammad al-Mahdi, during hisMinor Occultation (874–941 CE). Uthman is also said to have been a trusted representative (wakīl orsafīr orbāb) of the tenth and eleventh ImamsAli al-Hadi (835–868) andHasan al-Askari (868–874) respectively. The date of his death is not certain, but most Shia scholars agree that it was in 880-81.[citation needed]
Until their deaths, the tenth and eleventh Shia Imams (Ali al-Hadi andHasan al-Askari, respectively) were held under close surveillance in the garrison town ofSamarra by the Abbasids,[1][2] who are often responsible in Shia sources for poisoning the two Imams.[3] The two Imams witnessed the deterioration of the Abbasid caliphate,[4] as the imperial authority rapidly transitioned into the hands of the Turks,[5] particularly afteral-Mutawakkil.[6]
Contemporary to the tenth Imam, the Abbasidal-Mutawakkil violently prosecuted the Shia,[7][8] partly due to the renewedZaydi opposition.[9] The restrictive policies of al-Mutawakkil towards the tenth Imam were later adopted by his son,al-Mu'tamid, who is reported to have kept the eleventh Imam under house arrest without any visitors.[10] Instead, al-Askari is known to have mainly communicated with his followers through a network of representatives.[8][11] Among them was Uthman ibn Sa'id,[12] who is said to have disguised himself as a seller of cooking fat to avoid the Abbasid agents, hence his nickname al-Samman ("the one who sellssamn").[13]Tabatabai suggests that these restrictions were placed on al-Askari because the caliphate had come to know about traditions among the Shia elite, predicting that the eleventh Imam would father the eschatologicalMahdi.[14]
The underground network of representatives might date back toJa'far al-Sadiq, the sixth Imam, in response to the Abbasid restrictions on him. At the time, the main purpose of this network was to collect the Islamic alms, such askhums andzakat.[15] The Abbasid al-Rashid is said to have carried out a campaign of arrests in 179 (795) to decimate this underground network which ultimately led to the arrest of Musa al-Kazim, the seventh Imam, and his death in prison.[16]
By the time ofMuhammad al-Jawad, the ninth Imam, some of the representatives took administrative and military roles in the caliphate by practicing religious dissimulation (taqiya).[17] The underground network of Ali al-Hadi, the tenth Imam, was highly developed, especially in Samarra,Baghdad,Mada'in, and Sawad. However, a campaign of arrests and the subsequent tortures by the Abbasidal-Mutawakkil (r. 847–861) might have led the caliph to discover that the Imam was behind their activities. Al-Mutawakkil then summoned the Imam to Samarra, where he was kept under close surveillance and possibly house arrest.[18] According to Hussain, restrictions on the later Imams inevitably expanded the role and authority of their representatives, particularly their main agent.[19] By performing certain functions of the Imams, these representatives might have hoped to save the Imams from the political pressure of the Abbasids.[20]
Uthman was a close associate of the tenth Imam, Ali al-Hadi. It is reported that he was eleven when he first served as an agent for this Imam.[21]
After the death of al-Hadi in 254 (868), his successor, Hasan al-Askari, appointed Uthman as a representative in 256 (869-70).[21] It also seems certain that Uthman became the closest associate of the eleventh Imam.[22] Both al-Hadi and al-Askari are said to have praised Uthman as highly trustworthy.[23] As a representative of the two Imams, Uthman disguised himself as a seller of cooking fat to avoid the Abbasid agents, hence his nickname al-Samman.[13] It is reported that he collected religious donations, hid them in the containers of cooking fat, and delivered them to al-Askari.[24] After the death of al-Askari in 260 (874),[25] Uthman performed the funeral rites of the eleventh Imam, an honor for which he must have received the permission of al-Askari beforehand.[24]
Immediately after the death of al-Askari in 260 (874),[25] Uthman claimed that the eleventh Imam had a young son, named Muhammad, who had entered a state ofoccultation (ghayba) due to the Abbasid threat to his life.[26] As the special agent of al-Askari, Uthman also claimed that he had been appointed to represent the son of the eleventh Imam.[27] Twelver sources detail that Muhammad al-Mahdi made his only public appearance to lead the funeral prayer for his father instead of his uncle,Ja'far.[28][29]
As the closest associate of al-Askari,[22] the local representatives and the Shia community largely recognized Uthman's claim to be the agent of the Hidden Imam.[30] However, there were possibly doubts among the Shia about Uthman's authority to collect and distribute the religious donations.[22] In his new capacity as the caretaker of the office of imamate,[31] Uthman also received petitions and made available their responses, sometimes in writing.[32]
The date of his death is not certain,[33] but it is believed that Uthman did not survive al-Askari for long.[24][32] Klemm holds that Uthman died in 880 CE.[34] Uthman was succeeded by his son,Abu Ja'far Muhammad, as the next agent of the Hidden Imam.[35]Tusi in hisRijal reports that the eleventh Imam had appointed Uthman and his son as agents of his son, Muhammad, in the presence of a group ofYemeni followers.[36]
