Uthman ibn Saeed al-Amri: The First Special Deputy of Imam Mahdi (AS)

Imam Mahdi’s first special deputy was Uthman ibn Saeed al-Amri, a companion of Imam Hadi since Uthman ibn Saeed al-Amri was eleven years old. He was Imam Hadi’s loyal and deeply trusted companion. During Imam Hadi’s life in Samarra, the Abbasid Capital, he was under intense surveillance by the Abbasid government. The Imam could not always manage the hidden network organization of his representatives, so he had appointed Uthman ibn Saeed to secretly manage the affairs of this organization from Samarra during the last 10 years of the Imam’s life. Uthman ibn Saeed’s role continued during the Imamat of Imam Askari. He was Imam Askari’s top representative in Samarra, and managed the other representatives in the Imam’s network organization. He was often the point of contact for the Imam’s representatives who wanted to transfer the collected Islamic dues, and the letters to and from the Imam. His cover job was as an oil salesman. He would often hide the dues and letters to the Imam inside the oil containers, and would transfer them to the Imam’s house. Imam Askari had announced Uthman ibn Saeed as his trusted representative to the Shias on various occasions. When Imam Askari was martyred, Uthman ibn Saeed managed his burial. His high status in the eyes of Imam Hadi and Imam Askari was well known among the Shias, so they readily accepted his selection as Imam Mahdi’s special deputy.
Uthman ibn Saeed took control of the hidden network organization of representatives among the Shia communities across the Islamic territory. By this time, the Shia communities had spread widely across the Islamic territory. They were present in Iraq, Iran, Hijaz, Yemen, and Egypt. Uthman ibn Saeed began his role as the Imam’s special deputy in Samarra immediately after Imam Askari’s martyrdom. Historical records suggest that, while Imam Mahdi had just begun his Imamat with the minor occultation, his hidden primary residence was still in Samarra. After a while, with the Imam’s approval, Uthman ibn Saeed permanently moved from Samarra to Baghdad and continued his activities from there. Mu’tamid, the Abbasid Caliph, moved the Capital of the Abbasids from Samarra to Baghdad, too, and Samarra lost its significance.
There are limited historical records about the activities of Uthman ibn Saeed as the Imam’s special deputy. This could be attributed to the excessive pressure from the government on the Shias and their representatives. Uthman ibn Saeed continued his activities undercover, and used his career as an oil seller to conceal his role. In addition, since Imam Askari’s martyrdom, the government was looking for any trace of his successor, Imam Mahdi. Thus, Uthman ibn Saeed advised the Shias not to mention the name of Imam Mahdi, as this could incite the government into increasing surveillance of the Shias and their hidden network of representatives.