Questioning the legality of `Uthman's caliphate

Q: An author wrote that `Uthman ibn `Affan, the Man with Two Lights, (may Allah be pleased with him) was killed when he ruled unjustly and that no one offered the Funeral Prayer for him and that he was not buried until three days after his death, after his body had decayed and it had begun to smell. My question is: Is this true and what is the ruling on those who propagate such stories? Is it permissible for a Muslim to hate these people?

A: What this author wrote is all lies and falsehood. It is not permissible to spread this, because it is a revilement to the Sahabah (Companions) of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him). The Prophet (peace be upon him) said, “Do not revile my Sahabah.” ‘Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him) was one of the best Sahabah, the third of the Rightly-Guided Caliphs, and one of the first to enter Islam. He was assassinated and died as a Shahid (martyr), and a wronged man (may Allah be pleased with him and please him).May Allah grant us success. May peace and blessings be upon our Prophet Muhammad, his family, and Companions.