In the year 63 A.H. Yazid bin Muawiyah ordered his army
to mercilessly slaughter the people of Madinah because they rejected Yazid’s
oppressive rule. Yazid personally ordered this carnage and gave those 3 days to
kill every man in Madinah and also gave a free hand to loot the belongings and permitted
to do whatever they wished to do. Consequently,
it resulted in wholesale violation of female folks and thousands of children
were born whose fathers were not known and these children later became known as
“The Children of Harrah” (al-Imama wal Siysah, Tarikh al-Khulafa, Al-Futuh,
Wafayat al-Ayan)
Causes of the
revolution: The uprising was the
people’s unanimous rejection of Yazid’s authoritative rule and Bani Umiyyah’s
overall tyrannical mode of governance.
Madinah was the City of the Messenger of Allah and the
people loved it because of the growth and development of Islam in that city. It
was the city whose people were the first to voice their objections to Usman bin
Iffan, the third caliph. Yazid failed to uphold the tenets of religion. The
governor of Madinah had sent a group of men consisting of Immigrants (Muhajir)
and Helpers (Ansar) to meet with Yazid. Yazid tried to win them over by gifts
and proved his incompetence. On return from Damascus, they gathered other
Muslims and shouted saying: “We have
come from meeting a person who is depraved of religion, drinks wine, spends
night with slave girls and has abandoned prayers.” Suyuti writes: “The reason for the uprising of the people of Madinah
was that Yazid had exceeded all bounds and every limit in committing sins.”
(Tarikh al-Khuafa)
Ibn Khaldun
writes: “When Yazid’s tyranny and oppressions by his deputies became
widespread, and after he killed Prophet
(s.a.w.a.s.)’s son, the people of Madinah started a rebellion and uprising.”
When Bashir brought the news of the martyrdom of Imam Husayn (a.s.), men, women
and children, came out of their houses barefooted shouting “O Muhammad, O
Husayn”. It was similar to the day when the Noble Messenger (s.a.w.a.s.) had
passed away. Imam Zain al-Abideen (a.s.)
gave a strong sermon which affected the people of Madinah. Sayyida Zaynab
(s.a.) and other women, who had lost their loved ones in Karbala, gave public
speeches detailing the events at Karbala and their captivity. These speeches
had an impact on the people.
Another
contributing factor was the immoral behavior and corruption that characterized
political decisions. Abdullah ibn Zubayr wrote to Yazid about the harsh and
brutal governor of Madinah, Walid ibn Aqaba. Later, Yazid replaced him with
Usman bin Muhammad bin Abu Sufiyan, who was also an arrogant inexperienced
youth.
All the
above-mentioned factors laid the ground work for an explosion which was
provided; Ibn Mina, the tax collector of Yazid intended to take all the wealth
collected for Yazid. A group of protestors blocked his way and confiscated the
wealth. When Yazid heard about the incident, he became very angry and said: “I
will send an army and crush them under the feet of horses.”
The people of Madinah elected Abdullah ibn Hanzala as the
new governor, expelled Yazid’s agent, imprisoned all members of Bani Umayyad
but did not harm them in any way.
Yazid sent Muslim
bin Aqabah with the clear instructions: “Invite the people of Madinah to pay
allegiance to me 3 times. If they do not respond positively, then fight them
and if you triumph over them continue the massacre for 3 days. After 3 days,
again ask for allegiance from the people. They should promise to be Yazid’s
slaves and servants. When you leave Madinah go to Makkah for another attack and
confrontation.”
In Madinah, Abdullah
ibn Hanzalah addressed the people: “We have rebelled for no other reason save
that Yazid is a fornicating and adulterous man. He is a drunkard who does not
pray. Tolerating his reign will bring Allah’s punishment.” Marwan helped
the invading army by showing a secret entrance into the city. After a few hours
fight, the Yazidi army prevailed and did exactly what Yazid told them to do.
Eighty companions of the Messenger were killed. The Muslims who sought refuge in the Prophet’s Mosque were also
mercilessly killed in the Mosque and the blood reached the Prophet’s sacred
grave! For 3 days, the invading Shami forces tied their horses with the pillars
of the Mosque and further destroyed the sanctity of the Prophet’s Mosque. Can any
Muslim think of committing such acts?
As per Sahih
Muslim: “Anyone who terrorizes and intimidates the people of Madinah will be
terrorized by Allah and may the curse of Allah, the angels and all the people
be upon him.” (Tarikh al-Khulafa)
Source:
The Uprising of Ashura and Responses to Doubts By Allama
Ali Asghar Ridwani
The Battle of Harrah By Muhammad Ali Chenarani
No comments:
Post a Comment