Uthman funds the army of hardship

إنفاق عثمان على جيش العسرة

October 630 CE · Rajab 9 AH

Medina

The Prophet urged the wealthy to spend and provide mounts in God's path, and men among them did. Uthman ibn Affan (may God be pleased with him) spent a vast sum such as no one else spent, in Ibn Ishaq's account; Ibn Hisham adds, from 'one who is trusted', that it was a thousand dinars and that the Prophet ﷺ said: God, be pleased with Uthman, for I am pleased with him.

Depth

At a glance

Era
The Prophetic Era
Region
Arabia
Review
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In time

620630640
The Prophetic Era · The Rashidun Caliphate

In space

Medina

Map: Natural Earth, public domain · places and route from the graph

Summary

The Prophet urged the wealthy to spend and provide mounts for God's cause; men of them provided mounts, and Uthman ibn Affan spent a great sum none matched per Ibn Ishaq — to which Ibn Hisham adds, from "one he trusted", that it was a thousand dinars, and that the Prophet said: O God, be pleased with Uthman, for I am pleased with him. 1

The account

The Prophet pressed on in his journey's preparation, ordered the people to equip themselves and gather close, and urged the wealthy to spend and provide mounts for God's cause. 1

Men of the wealthy provided mounts seeking reward, and Uthman ibn Affan spent a great sum none spent the like of. 1

Ibn Hisham said: one I trust told me that Uthman spent on the Army of Hardship on the Tabuk expedition a thousand dinars — and the Prophet spoke his prayer for him: O God, be pleased with Uthman, for I am pleased with him. 1

Markers of weakness and doubt

  • Ibn Hisham says "one I trust told me" for the thousand dinars and the prayer; this addition is Ibn Hisham's from an unnamed narrator, not Ibn Ishaq's account (p. 161).

Connections

Explore the connections

Part of
The expedition to Tabuk
Occurred at
Medina
Had participant
Uthman ibn Affan· Muhammad

People and things also explored

Medina· al-Jadd ibn Qays asks leave to stay behind· The death of Umm Kulthum bint Muhammad· The Hijra· The builders of the mosque ask the Prophet to pray in it· The Prophet orders the people to prepare to fight the Byzantines· The three who were left behind after Tabuk· The Weepers: seven who asked to be carried

Sources

  1. al-Sira al-Nabawiyya — Ibn Hisham, al-Saqqa edition (1355/1936) , 4/161
Cite this page

islam.museum contributors. “Uthman funds the army of hardship”. islam.museum, https://islam.museum/en/event/uthman-funds-the-army-of-hardship/. CC BY-SA 4.0. Last updated 2026-10-16.

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Related

Medina

City in the Hejaz to which the Prophet migrated in 622 CE; site of the Prophet's Mosque and the first Muslim community. The Prophet declared it a sanctuary as Abraham declared Mecca — its bounds 'between 'Ayr and Thawr' (or 'to Uhud' in the reading Abu 'Ubayd and al-Hazimi preferred) and 'between its two lava fields'; within them hunting and tree-cutting are forbidden and the bloodwit for unintended killing is heavier. Samhudi counts nearly ninety-five names for it, among them Tayba, Taba and Yathrib.