(Lo! Allah commandeth you that ye restore deposits to their owners…) [4:58]. This verse was revealed about ‘Uthman ibn Talhah al-Hajabi, from the Banu ‘Abd al-Dar. This man was the caretaker of the Ka‘bah. When the Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and give him peace, entered Mecca upon its conquest. ‘Uthman rushed to lock the door of the Sacred House and climbed up to its roof. When the Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and give him peace, asked for the key, he was told that ‘Uthman had it. And when he asked him for it, ‘Uthman refused to give him the key, saying: “If I knew that he was the Messenger of Allah, I would not refuse to give him the key”. ‘Ali ibn Abi Talib then twisted the hand of ‘Uthman and took the key from him and opened the door of the Ka‘bah. The Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and give him peace, entered the House and performed inside it two units of prayers. When he came out, al-‘Abbas asked for the key of the Ka‘bah, so that he could combine the duty of giving water to the pilgrims and that of caretaker of the Sacred House. But Allah, exalted is He, revealed this verse, and the Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and give him peace, commanded ‘Ali to give the key back to ‘Uthman and apologize to him, and so he did. ‘Uthman said to him: “O ‘Ali, you forced and hurt me, and now you come to apologize”. ‘Ali said to him: “Allah, exalted is He, has revealed this verse about you”, and he recited it to him. Upon hearing, ‘Uthman said: “I bear witness that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah”. Gabriel, peace be upon him, then came and said: “As long as this House stands, its key and the duty of taking care of it will stay in the progeny of ‘Uthman”, and so it is up to this day. Abu Hassan al-Muzakki informed us> Harun ibn Muhammad al-Istrabadhi> Abu Muhammad al-Khuza‘i> Abu’l-Walid al-Azraqi> his grandfather> Sufyan> Sa‘id ibn Salim> Ibn Jurayj> Mujahid regarding the words of Allah, exalted is He (Lo! Allah commandeth you that ye restore deposits to their owners…): “This verse was revealed about ‘Uthman ibn Talhah. The Prophet, Allah bless him and give him peace, collected from him the key of the Ka‘bah upon the conquest of Mecca.
Asbab Al-Nuzul by Al-Wahidi , trans. Mokrane Guezzou
