The Concise Oxford Dictionary of World Religions (2590 page)

n deprived these monopolists of control over divine revelation. The religious grievance over the Qur’
n now became allied to social, economic, and political discontent; anti-‘Uthm
n feeling spilled over into open rebellion. Rebel forces from Egypt, K
f
, and Basra advanced on Mad
na, declared ‘Uthm
n unfit to rule, and murdered him. The bloody end to ‘Uthm
n's rule marks a turning point in Islamic history: political and religious unity was at an end and the period of schisms and civil wars had begun. The murder of ‘Uthm
n raised the complex issue of just murder and unjust killing, and this too created further division amongst the Muslim community: had ‘Uthm
n acted in ways that contravened Islam, and, if so, had he so ceased to be a Muslim that he could be treated accordingly and be legitimately killed? For the main parties to this dispute, see
M
N
.

 
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