Hazrat Usman (RA) was martyred by rebels on 18 Dhul Hijjah 35 AH (June 656 CE) while reciting the Quran in his home in Medina. He was 82 years old and had been Caliph for 12 years. A group of rebels from Egypt, Kufa, and Basra laid siege to his house and eventually broke in and killed him. His martyrdom was a tragic event that led to the first major civil conflict (fitna) in Islamic history.