^Uthman and the well of Rumah

والصَّلَاةُ والسَّلاَمُ عَلَى سَيّدِنَا مُحَمَّدٍ أَشْرَفِ اْلمُرْسَلِيْنَ وَعَلَى آلِهِ وَصَحْبِهِ الطَّيّبِيْنَ الطَّاهِرِيْن

In Medina, the Muslims were facing a scarcity of fresh and tasty water. There was only one well available, but its water was being sold at an exorbitant price. To alleviate the situation, the Prophet encouraged the wealthy companions to buy the well and promised them a reward in paradise for providing the Muslims with water to drink. Responding to the call, ^Uthman swiftly purchased the well and made it accessible to the Muslims.

Priceless drops: the value of water from the sole Well

God authorised Prophet Muhammad ﷺ and his companions to emigrate from Mecca to Medina the Illuminated.

Upon their arrival in Madinah, the locals warmly welcomed the Meccan emigrants. However, when they wanted to quench their thirst, they found that the taste of the water in Madinah was different and difficult to drink. It was nothing like the water they had in Mecca, which they held in high regard, which saddened them.

The people of Madinah had to endure a shortage of sweet and delicious water. They had to buy water at a high price from the only well available, called "the well of Rumah".

This particular well was owned by a non-Muslim from Banu Isra'il who had an intense desire for wealth and was very greedy. He was only concerned with accumulating gold and silver and did not care about the needs of others. If someone were to request a drink of water from his well, he would refuse to provide it unless they paid a high price for it.

^Uthman's generosity: a lifelong commitment to the Muslim Community

The chosen Prophet ﷺ, who was merciful and cared for the believers, gathered some wealthy companions, including ^Uthman Ibnu ^Affan, and announced that whoever purchased the well of Rumah and gave Muslims access to drink from it would be rewarded with Paradise.

Our master ^Uthman thought about it and quickly took action. He visited the owner of the well to negotiate a mutually beneficial transaction. ^Uthman expressed his interest in buying the well of Rumah from its owner, who was known to be miserly. However, when the owner realized that ^Uthman was serious about buying the well, he raised the price considerably.

Despite initial setbacks, our master ^Uthman remained steadfast and finally negotiated to acquire half of the well. His goal was to provide Muslims with free access to water, as a way of seeking Allah's reward.

He attempted to devise a water distribution plan that would benefit Muslims. Should each side draw a bucket every other time? How could it be accomplished?

After cogitating and reflecting on the situation, Allah inspired him to alternate the use of the well with his co-owner, taking turns daily.

The Muslims would draw all the fresh water they needed on a ^Uthman ’s day. As a result, the other owner would have to wait for customers the next day, but no one would come because the Muslims had already taken what they needed.

As time passed, the Muslim families enjoyed many blessings thanks to the actions of our leader ^Uthman.

When the co-owner realized that the well was no longer profitable, he approached our master ^Uthman to sell him his share. However, our master ^Uthman only agreed to pay a lower price than the first time. The seller accepted the offer, and the entire well became the property of our master ^Uthman. He made sure that the water supply was available free of charge for all Muslims. May Allah reward him for his noble act that served the greater good of the Muslim community.