Is everything written on Islamweb's page about Marwan ibn al-Hakam correct?
The translation taken from Al-Dhahabi's "Siyar A'lam al-Nubala'" contains unverified statements for which there is no sound chain of narration, as Imam Ahmad said about tafsir (exegesis), history, and epics. Some of what Al-Dhahabi mentioned requires verification, such as the accusation against Marwan ibn al-Hakam of betraying Uthman, which Dr. Muhammad Al-Subhi deemed unlikely, suggesting that Abdullah ibn Saba' might have forged the book.
Moreover, Al-Dhahabi's statement that the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, expelled Al-Hakam to Ta'if, and then Uthman brought him back, is unproven. Sheikh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah refuted this claim, stating that the story of Al-Hakam's exile has no basis, and that Marwan was a young child during the time of the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him.
Dr. Muhammad Al-Sallabi clarified that Marwan was a scribe for Uthman, not an oppressive minister, and that Uthman was not weak-willed. He also emphasized that the report of the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, expelling Marwan's father is weak in both its chain of narration and its text, and that Marwan was a knowledgeable, righteous, and just scholar, whose jurisprudence Imam Malik attested to.
Similarly, Al-Dhahabi's statement regarding Marwan's killing has no chain of narration.
Summarized from the full answer at Ftawy · reviewed Sep 2, 2026
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