4. I was popular with the Quraish ½'.hile its people were displeased

with Ali bin Abi Talib= 11 ,?; - Important events during Amir Muawiya's Caliphate When Amir Muawiya= 11..,..:,,J sat on the throne Caliphate there were found three kinds of people in respect of faith and action in the Islamic world. The first sect was of the partisans of Ali. They thought that Ali bin Abi Talib= 11 ,?; deserved the Caliphate and after him, his progeny was entitled to the Caliphate. This sect was found in Iraq and Iran even more. It was also found Egypt. But it dwindled after the renunciation of the throne by Imam Hasan -.......:.;. 11 ~; and his reconciliation with Amir Muawiya= 11 ,?;- The second sect was of the partisans of Muawiya or partisans of Banu Umayyah.

It included the whole of Syria and some Arabian tribes like Banu Kalb. Due to the assassination of Uthman bin Affan = 11 ,?;, these people believed that Amir Muawiya '--'>- 11 ~.; and Banu Umayyah were entitled to the Caliphate and were ready to extend all help to them. The third sect was called Khwarij. They considered the first two sects to have gone astray and into unbelief and thus they used all their powers against them. The hypocrites and conspirators who were unanimously the enemies of Islam remained mingled with this people. The majority of these Khwarij were in Iraq mostly in Basra and Kufa.

Besides these three sects, there was one more sect, which remained 'aloof from all these controversies and wanted to live a life of withdrawal. This group consisted mostly of the great Sahabas. These people were mostly found in Madinah Munawwara and Makkah Mukarama and lived in the rural areas of the Hijaz or the pastures of camels. After becoming caliph, Amir Muawiya = 11 ,?; first had to face the Khwarij. When the truce was signed in the last ten days of Rabia al-Awwal 41 Hegira and people in general took the oath at the The History of Islam hands of Amir Muawiya= .'iii cr"J· Farwa bin Naufil Ashjai, a Khwarij along with 500 other Khwarij readied themselves to oppose him, left Kufa and camped at a place named Nakhlia. Amir Muawiya ~ .'i,1 ~J instead of taking strong measures against them acted with commonsense.

He assembled the Kufis and exhorted them. He said, "These are your own kith and kin. You yourselves should make them understand and acquaint them with the horrible consequences of opposition or fighting." The people of the Ashja tribe were so impressed that they went and brought Farwa bin Naufil Ashja as a captive. The Khwarij made Abdullah bin Abil Hausa their leader and they did not show any inclination towards reconciliation. At last, the Kufis fought with them and Abdullah was killed. After that, their number was reduced to only 150.

Then they chose Abu Hausa Asadi as their leader. They were also appealed to for reconciliation, but they preferred to die fighting and paid no heed to death. Finally, Abu Hausa and his associates were killed while fighting and some of them fled to different towns of Iraq and Iran. That was the first confrontation that Amir Muawiya= .'i,1 cr"J had in Kufa after becoming caliph. Also, he became aware of different groups of Khwarij, which were present in the towns all over Iraq. Appointment of Officials Amir Muawiya = .'iii cr"J had already given the governorship of Egypt to Amr bin Al-Aas= .'iii cr"J· Now on becoming the caliph of the whole Islamic world he appointed Sayeed bin Al-Aas and Marwan bin Hakam L....-"' .'i,1 ~J governors of Makkah and Madinah respectively.

Sayeed and Marwan 4--:..- .'iii cr"J both were his relatives. He deputed them in Makkah and Madinah so that in these key cities of the Islamic world, no opposition group might rise up and to eliminate the possibility of any conspiracy. He did not go for Hajj every year he would appoint one of them as the Amir of Hajj. He was also very alive to the possibility that either of them could take advantage of the centrality and importance of Makkah and Madinah to gain power and influence. Because of this, he used to interchange their posts every year. After taking the ba'it for his Caliphate in Kufa, Amir Muawiya "---"" .'iii ~J made Mughira bin Shoba = .'i,1 cr"J the governor of Kufa and Caliphate of Banu Umayyah (First Phase) instructed him to crush the sedition of the Khwarij at any cost.

He sent a letter to the governors of the remaining provinces and territories to take ba'it from the people on his behalf and consider themselves assigned on his behalf. In Persia Ali bin Abi Talib 4....--"' .lil ,,,-:,,J had deputed Zeyad bin Abi Sufyan ~ 11 c?J who was considered to be from amongst partisans of Ali. Zeyad was known for his intelligence all over Arabia and had been ruling over Persia very successfully. Amir Muawiya= 11 c?J thought that if Zeyad betrayed him and made anyone from the progeny of Ali= 11 ..r"J the caliph and took ba'it at his hand and rebelled against him (Amir Muawiya ~ 11 c?J-), then it would pose a major problem. Therefore, he gave the priority to a plan to bring him under his control. Zeyad bin Abi Sufyan ~ k, ~) Zeyad' s mother Sumayya was the slave of Harith bin Kilab Thagafi.

People had doubts about who his real father was. In fact, Abu Sufyan married Sumayya before embracing Islam and Zeyad was born of them. Zeyad resembled Abu Sufyan but the members of Abu Sufyan' s family and Amir Muawiya ~ 11 ~J did not accept Zeyad as Abu Sufyan's son. When Zeyad heard that Amir Muawiya= 11 c?J was recognized as the caliph, he hesitated in taking ba'it, (the oath of allegiance) and accepting Amir Muawiya .......,... 11 c?J as the caliph. At that time, Amir Muawiya .__.,. 11 c?J thought it wise to give a latter of protection to Zeyad' s friend Mughira bin Shoba and send him to Zeyad and include him in his family and lineage by accepting him as Abu Sufyan's son. Mughira took the letter to Zeyad in Persia attested all the accounts of the treasury and brought him to Amir Muawiya c?J ~.'iii.

Amir Muawiya= 11 c?J received him warmly and accepted him as his brother. His name was officially written in all papers as ibn Abi Sufyan. Ali bin Abi Talib ~ 11 ~ J was sure that Zeyad was Abi Sufyan's son because Abi Sufyan once in his presence at a meeting with Umar bin Khattab = 11 c?J had admitted him as his son and so Umar '--"" 11 ~; made Zeyad the governor of Persia. Now Amir Muawiya Caliphate of Banu Umayyah (First Phase) Muslim holidays). Mughira sent an army of three thousand soldiers after them. In ensuing battle, the three hundred Khawarij defeated the three thousand soldiers from Kufa.

More men were sent and they also met the same fate. Al last, under the command of Ma' qi! bin Qais a large army set out. As a consequence, Ma' qi! bin Qais and Masturad bin Alqama were killed while facing each other and all the Khawarij except five were exterminated, the impact of this event was so great that Mughira bin Shoba paid more attention and was more cautious about the threat of the Khawarij . The northern borders of Syria always faced danger from the Roman Empire. There was also the danger of a naval attack on the Syrian coast. Egypt and North Africa were also under constant attack by the Romans.

Amir Muawiya = 11 ~ ) after settling the eastern problems, spent all his energy and resources confronting the danger from the Romans. He prepared a naval force and enhanced the salaries of the sailors to attract others to join. He had two thousand war boats prepared, made Junada bin Umayya the Admiral. He made the army more powerful, arranged separately the defensive and offensive armies besides enhancing the supply links. He divided the army into two parts. The first was called Shitiwi, meaning winter forces and the second was Saifia, meaning summer forces.

In both seasons the army kept a strict vigil on the borders by eliminating and suppressing the Roman forces. The naval forces made the Island of Cyprus its headquarters, they dispossessed the Roman forces from the Mediterranean Sea and made the Egyptian and Syrian coasts safe from enemy naval invasion. The adjoining provinces of Sajistan like Rehaj were conquested. In the same year, the Islamic army made advances towards Barqah, (historic region of North Africa and Sudan) and thus the area of Islamic rule was considerably extended. Invasion of Constantinople In 48 A.H. after taking stock of the Roman emperor's power, Amir Muawiya = 11 ~) thought it necessary to launch a naval attack on the Roman capital of Constantinople and put an end to the air of invulnerability they enjoyed and shatter the future ambitions of the The History of Islam Christians in such a way that they would not dare to even look towards the Islamic borders. He made up his mind to invade Constantinople and made a declaration in Makkah and Madinah that the Muslims were going to attack Constantinople.

Since the Companions knew the Prophet's ~ tradition, "The first army that attacks the city of the Roman emperor, would be forgiven," the illustrious Sahabas like Abdullah bin Umart...+-,- 11 ~;, Abdullah bin Zubair, Abdullah bin Abbas, Husain bin Ali, and Abu Ayyub Ansari ~ 11 ~;, gladly participated in the hope of getting redemption. A large army was prepared and he sent it to Constantinople under the command of Sufyan bin Auf and a part of the army was commanded by his son Yazid who was an officer of the summer forces, this army proceeded by sea. Another part moved towards Constantinople by the land route. The Muslims laid siege to the city, because the ramparts and the location of the city were extremely strong, the siege and the attacks were unsuccessful. A few great and lion-hearted men from the Muslim side were martyred. Abu A yyub Ansari ,._:s, 11 ~; died during the siege and was buried under the city's ramparts.

Due to severe cold and natural impediments, the Muslims returned without conquesting Constantinople. Although the invasion was a failure and the city could not be brought under the control of the Muslims, the consequences of the invasion achieved an important objective. The Roman emperor and his army considered themselves as lucky to avoid conquest and they did not want to provoke another attack and put themselves in future danger so the Romans ceased to attack the Islamic borders and all the provinces under dispute between the Muslims and the Christian finally came under the control of the Muslims. In 50 A.H., Amir Muawiya ~ 11 ~) made Oqba bin Nafi the commander in chief of Egypt, Barqah and Sudan, and afterwards sent ten thousand more soldiers, he instructed his commander to advance westward .and capture all of North African. The Berbers used to obey the Muslims whenever the Islamic army,arrived there but as soon as they found the Muslims relaxed and engaged somewhere else, they rebelled and asserted their independence. Oqba bin Nafi passed through Egypt and Barqah and invaded Tunis and Tripoli and after capturing all these provinces, advanced towards Tlemcen, in the Caliphate of Banu Umayyah (First Phase) northwestern part of modern day Algeria near Morocco.

In the same year the administrator of Makran, (the coastal area of modern day Pakistan and Iran) and Baluchistan, (western most province of modern day Pakistan), Abdullah bin Sawar, attacked Sindh, (province of southeastern Pakistan), in order to discipline the Sindhis. The Sindhis, who were fully prepared, faced him firmly. Abdullah bin Sawar was martyred in the battle. Mahlab bin Abi Safra was determined to be victorious and captured a large part of Sindh. Yazid the Heir Apparent During the same year, 50 A.H., Mughira left Kufa and came to Damascus and told Amir Muawiya~ ..11 ~ J that he had seen the events of Uthrnan bin Affan' s = ..11 .._? J martyrdom in Madinah and all those scenes of the subsequent horrors were passing before his eyes, the malicious kinds of upheaval and disturbances that it created were for the sake of gaining the Caliphate.

"So I think is proper that you should nominate your son, Yazid to be Caliph after you and in it lies the security and welfare of the Muslims". Amir Muawiya= ..11 .._?J had never planned to make his son the caliph. Mughira's words turned his attention to it and gave him this idea. He said to Mughira, "Is it possible that people would take ba'it for the Caliphate of my son?" Mughira said, "This is quite possible. I shall persuade the people of Kufa. Zayed bin Sufyan will force the people of Basra and in Makkah and Madinah Marwan bin Hakam and Sayeed bin Aas will make the people do so and as for Syria, there is no possibility of any opposition." Hearing this Amir Muawiya '---'>- ..11 .._?J sent Mughira to Kufa to execute the plan.

This same incident has been found recorded elsewhere as follows: "Amir Muawiya= ..11 .._?J wrote to Mughira bin Shoba, the governor of Kufa, "that you should been yourself deposed immediately after reading this letter." However, when that letter was received by Mughira, he delayed its execution. When he reached Amir Muawiya '---'>- ..11 .._?;, he enquired about the cause of delay in execution of his orders. Mughira said, "I was engaged in getting ready for a plan." Amir Muawiya = .'»1 ,..?J said, "What was that plan?" Mughira said, "I was taking ba'it from the people for the future Caliphate of your son. Amir Muawiya = ..11 .._?J was pleased to hear that and sent him back to Kufa. When Mughira arrived in Kufa, the Kufis asked him The History of Islam about the affair, he said, "I have thrown him in such a mire that he won't come out of it until doomsday." It is clearly known that it was Mughira bin Shoba who was instrumental in persuading Amir Muawiya ~ 11 ~ J for the idea of making his son the future Caliph, which led to it becoming the convention of the reign of succession among the Muslims, that the son succeeded his father or king and the practice of selection by consultation was done away with. Yazid was Amir Muawiya 's son and it was only natural for a father to love his son and try to enhance his prestige and make him king.

Amir Muawiya=.;;,,.._,.;, J may to some extent be taken as helpless or weak but no excuse can be offered on behalf of Mughira bin Shoba. Mughira arrived in Kufa, called all the noblemen and those who were influential among the Arabs to him and tried to convince them to accept Yazid as the heir apparent. The influential people of Kufa showed willingness and agreed with the intention of saving the Muslims from all kinds of riots and disturbances and that the Amir ulMuminin should nominate his son to be Caliph after him. Mughira then sent a delegation of illustrious Kufis along with his son to Amir Muawiya = .\.,1 Caliphate of Banu Umayyah (First ~hase) Amir ulMuminin has taken a hasty step in this affair. He has not thought over it deeply because Yazid is a youth who leads a life of entertainment. People know very well that he is fond of touring and hunting and so they would certainly cause hesitation in taking ba'it.

Obadiah bin Kab said to him, "You need not express your disagreement to the Amir ulMuminin's view. Simply send me to Damascus and I shall see Yazid and make him see reason and that he should reform himself so that there will not be any hitch in the way of taking ba'it for him. I am sure he will accept this advice. When his conditions undergo a pleasant change, the people will also not hesitate in taking ba'it, and the Amir ul-Muminin's wish will be fulfilled." Zeyad appreciated the idea and immediately sent Obaid to Damascus. Obaid made Yazid understand all the subtleties of the matter and Yazid respected this advice, he reformed himself remarkabJy and silenced the people on this point. When the letter reached Marwan in Madinah, he assembled the noblemen there and read to them this much, "the Amir ul-Muminin has the intention of saving the Muslims from all possible riots and disturbances by nominating someone to be caliph after him." All appreciated the idea and expressed their willingness to support it.

A few days after Marwan again assembled the people and read to them, . "Another letter from Amir Muawiya '-'->-11 ,_,:,,; has come from Damascus. He has written that in view of the betterment of Muslims he has nominated Yazid as the heir apparent." At this time Abdur Rahman bin Abi Bakr, Abdullah bin Umar, Abdullah bin Zubair and Husain bin Ali~ 11 -11 ~ ;, Amir Muawiya= 11 Caliphate of Banu Umayyah (First Phase) Zeyad bin Abi Sufyan in Kufa In handing over to Zeyad bin Abi Sufyan the governorship of Basra and Kufa the practical benefit was that he could persuade all the people of Iraq to take ba'it for Yazid's caliphate and nobody else could have performed this task so well. Besides, Mughira was somewhat soft hearted and forgiving. However, Zeyad bin Abi Sufyan was more familiar with the nature of Iraqis. He knew that if they were not dealt with sternly, they could not be expected to be on the right path.

That was why the tenure of his rule was highly successful and he was the first person who was made the governor of Kufa and Basra both and later on the whole of Iran and Khorasan up to Turkistan was handed over to him. Zeyad bin Abi Sufyan made Samura bin Jundub his deputy in Basra and he himself, along with two thousand people, set out for Kufa. When he started giving the Khutba (the Friday sermon) in the Central Mosque in Kufa, the Kufis who were accustomed to humiliate their officers and disobey the government officials, started mocking him, they began to shower pebbles over him. He stopped the Khutba and ordered his men to surround the mosque and not to let anyone out of it. Then he sat in the chair at the door of the mosque and by calling four persons at a time, began to ask whether they had thrown the pebbles. Thirty people were found to have done so.

He let off the others and had the hands of the thirty guilty ones cut off. Similar punishments were awarded to the other Kufis for their faults. Consequently, in a matter of days they were humbled. Zeyad began to live in Kufa and Basra alternatively for six months each. Amir Muawiya ,.___..;s. :,.1 c?J issued a declaretion to all his officials to the effect that they should narrate Yazid's good traits and send delegations of the influential people of their respective territories to him (Amir Muawiya '---"" :i.1 c?J) in order that he might also talk to the people regarding Yazid's ba'it. Afterwards, delegations from all the territories arrived in Damascus.

Amir Muawiya ~ .'"i.1 -?_; talked to them separately and then arranged a meeting and asked them to attend it. He then stood up and read a Khutba in which after praising Allah and the Prophet ii, dwelt at length on the virtues of Islam, rights and duties of caliphs, obedience to the rulers and duties of the masses. The History of Islam He then talked about Yazid's manliness, gener.osity, wisdom, thinking power and his ability for administration. At the end, he expressed his wish that they should take ba'it for Yazid's caliphate. Among the delegates from Madinah was Mohammad bin Amr bin Hazam, he stood up and said," Amir ulMuminin ! You are going to make Yazid Caliph but kindly think over it a little that you will have to answer to Allah on the Day of Judgement for this act of yours." Amir Muawiya ~ .11 ~ J said, "I am thankful to you that you wished me well according to your view.

But the fact is that there in none but young boys at this hour and my son among them deserves it most." Then Dhahak bin Qais stood up and in an eloquent speech, he strongly supported Amir Muawiya= ...';,1 Caliphate of Banu Umayyah (First Phase) and not part with the Jarnat." Abdullah bin Zubair = 11 ._,.;,J said, "I put before you a few points. You are at liberty to choose whichever suits you (1) You must act upon the Sunnah of the Prophet * and leave the issue of Caliphate without nominating anyone on the Muslims so that they might elect the caliph whom they want. If you do not like it, then you act upon the Sunnah of Abu Bakr= ..11._,.;,J and depute to your post a man who comes neither from your tribe nor your family and if this is also not to your liking, then emulate Umar bin Khattab = 11 ._,.;,J by nominating six persons who are neither of your family or tribe nor your own son. Those six persons should be at liberty to choose anyone as caliph from among themselves. There is no fourth alternative except these three to which we may agree." Others also seconded Abdullah. After Hajj Amir Muawiya ~ 11 ~J took bay'ah for the caliphate of Yazid from all the people of Makkah except the four persons mentioned above.

He gave money to the general people. There is no doubt that Amir Muawiya= 11 ._,.;,J, in order to convert the people to his opinion, used his wealth and it is just possible that he might have had the conviction that Yazid's nomination was really beneficial to the world of Islam and its harmful aspect might have been hidden from him. When he returned to Damascus after Hajj, he heard of the demise of Abu Musa Ashari ~ 11 ._,.;,J in Kufa. Amir Muawiya ~ 11 ~ ) had already made Zeyad the ruler of Basra and Kufa and moreover the area up to Sajistan was under him. Now he thought it proper to put under Zeyad's control all the eastern countries up to Sindh, Kabul, Balkh, Khorasan and Turkistan. Zeyad's stature became so high that he began to appoint the governors of Persia and Khorasan according to his own choice and depose who ever he wanted.

Zeyad managed and administrated these eastern countries very efficiently and did not give any chance to the Khwarij to rebel. Zeyad was a great asset and help to Amir Muawiya= 11 ._,.;,J and he was fortunate to have had such an able and qualified person at his disposal. If Zeyad had not been able to maintain peace in the eastern territories, uprisings of the Khwarij and mischief of the Munafiqin, (hypocrites) would not have given him enough time to make the many arrangements for Yazid's bay'ah. Besides, the impact of disturbances in the eastern territories would also have had a bad affect on the western territories and would not have given him any The History of Islam peace and security to accomplish his other projects. Amir Muawiya = .:iii ,.?J had made Maslama bin Mukhallad governor of Egypt and Africa after Abdullah bin Amr. Oqba bin Nafe Fihri who was advancing towards the west, Tripoli, Tlemcen and Morocco and whom Amir Muawiya ~ .:ill ..,,----;,J himself had deputed on that expedition was now brought under the command of the Egyptian governor Maslama bin Mukhallad.

Makkah and Madinah were under the governorship of Sayeed bin Aas and Marwan bin Hakam. Syria and Palestine were under the direct administration of Amir Muawiya ~ .:iii ..,,----;,JOqba bin Nafe Fihri in view of the requirements of North Africa, laid the foundation of the city of Qairwan by cutting down the forest. The cantonment for Africa at Qairwan was as indispensable to North Africa as Basra and Kufa was to Iraq. As soon as the population of Qairwan reached its peak in 55 A.H., Maslama bin Mukhallad deposed Oqba bin Nafe and appointed his slave Abul Muhajir the commander-in-chief. Oqba bin Nafe then was reassigned to Amir Muawiya = ..:ill ,.?J in Damascus. When the great advisers like Marwan, Sayeed, and Oqba and the valiant chiefs from the Arabs were assembled in Damascus and while Zeyad bin Abi Sufyan kept the flag of victory flying over the Islamic cities, the bay' ah for Yazid was taken by the whole Islamic world in 56 A.H.

Only four persons, Abdullah bin Zubair, Abdullah bin Umar, Abdullah bin Abbas and Husain bin Ali r+" ..:ill ,.?J did not take the ba'it. Amir Muawiya ,.?J = .:ill left them on their own and did not think it proper to force them. The death of Zeyad bin Abi Sufyan In 53 A. H., Zeyad bin Abu Sufyan died of plague. His death dealt a hard blow to Amir Muawiya = .:iii ,.?J· Zeyad had requested to be made the governor of the Hijaz and the rest of the Arabs besides Iraq and Persia. Amir Muawiya ~ .:ill ..,,----;, J granted his request.

However, the inhabitants of the Hijaz were extremely terrified when they heard this and they went to Abdullah bin Umar to seek a way to be safe from Zeyad's rule. They made a dua (prayer or supplication to Allah) by turning their faces to Ka'bah and all Caliphate of Banu Umayyah (First Phase) together, they said Amen. That prayer resulted in the appearance of a pimple on Zeyad's finger ultimately leading to his death. He died in Kufa during the sacred month of Ramadan. Zeyad had given the governorship of Kufa to Khalid bin Usaid on his own accord. When he died, his son Obaidullah was 25 years old.

Amir Muawiya .:i.il ,..?; ~ asked him about the governorships that his father had given to the people. Abdullah replied that Samura bin Jundub was made the governor of Basra and Khalid bin Usaid was appointed governor of Kufa, Amir Muawiya = .:r.,1 ,..?; asked him "What governorship did you get?" Obaidullah said, "I have not been given the governorship of any territory." Amir Muawiya = .:r.,1 ,..?; said, "Since your father did not give you the governorship of any territory, I shall also not make you the governor of any territory either." Obaidullah said, "What greater humiliation is there for me than that neither my father appointed me governor nor you, my uncle would do so." Amir Muawiya= .:r.,1 ,..?; pondered over it for some time and then he appointed him supreme officer of Basra, Khorasan (northeastern Iran, southern Turkamanistan, and northern Afghanistan) and Persia. Sayeed bin Uthman bin Affan = .:r.,1 ,..?; had taken bay'ah, (oath of allegiance) for Yazid. When he came to know that Abdullah bin Zubair, Abdullah bin Abbas, and Husain bin Ali~ .:i.i1 ,..?;, did not take the bay'ah, he said, "My father was not inferior to the fathers of these people. I have unjustly taken ba'it for Yazid." Then he went to Amir Muawiya = .:r.,1 ,..?J and said to him, "My father had not done any wrong to you. Tell me what is your obligation on me?" Amir Muawiya '---.:,$, .:i.i1 ~; then took away the province of Khorasan from Obaidullah bin Zeyad and gave it to Sayeed bin Uthman.

He then made Muhallab bin Abu Sufra Sayeed's helper and commander-in-chief. He sent Marwan and Sayeed to Madinah and Makkah to govern. No sooner had Zeyad bin Abi Sufyan died than the Khawarij raised their heads and Obaidullah bin Zeyad, immediately after taking over the reins of Basra, had to face them. The groups of Khawarij started launching attacks incessantly and up to the time of Amir Muawiya's ~ .:r.,1 ~; death, Obaidullah bin Zeyad remained engaged in disciplining and humbling them. The History of Islam The death of Aisha ~ 1», ~) After the death in 58 A. H., Ummul-Muminin Aisha ~ .11 ~; was buried in Jannat al-Baqi.

She used to oppose Marwan because his deeds were not good. In 59 A. H. Abu Huraira = .1, ,?; died. He often made the Du'a, "O Allah! I seek your protection against the rule of young boys." His prayer was accepted and he died before 60 A.

H. The death of Amir Muawiya ;.;.s, k, ~) Amir Muawiya ~ .11 ~; fell ill in the beginning of Rajab 60 A.H. During that illness when he was sure that his time had come, he called for Yazid. Yazid at that time was on a hunting trip or expedition outside of Damascus. At once, a messenger was sent to bring him. When Yazid came, he addressed him thus: "O my son!

Listen to my words attentively and answer my questions. Now the Decree of Allah, the time of my death, has come. Tell me, how do you want to treat the Muslims?" Yazid said, "I shall follow the Book of Allah and the Sunnah of the Prophet :l/$." Amir Muawiya ,.__;.;. .11 ~ ; said, "You should also follow the Sunnah of Abu Bakr ~ .11 ~ ; who fought with the apostates and died such a death that people were pleased with him." Yazid said, "No, I shall follow the Book of Allah and the Sunnah of the Prophet~." Amir Muawiya ""'.1, ,?; said again, "O my son! Follow the conduct of Umar bin Khattab ~ .1, ~ ; he populated cities, improved the capability of the army and distributed the spoils of war among the soldiers." Yazid said, "No, following the Book of Allah and the Sunnah of the Prophet ~ is enough." Amir Muawiya ""'.11 ~; said, "O my son! Follow the way of Uthman Caliphate of Banu Umayyah (First Phase) bin Affan ~ :.1 ,?J he did good to the people during his life time and was generous." Yazid said, "No, the Book of Allah and the Sunnah of the Prophet ~ are enough for me." When Amir Muawiya Caliphate of Banu Umayyah (First Phase) to the emperor, "You should not be deceived by our infighting. If you turn towards Ali = 11 er" J the first chief who advances to punish you under Ali's flag, will be Muawiya." The impact of that letter was far more than an army and the Christians gave up the idea.

The nature of the difference or opposition that existed between Ali Caliphate of Banu Umayyah (First Phase) because the countless benefits, which are present in this complicated process and series of efforts, are hidden from our short sight and imperfect understanding. Keeping this concept in mind and you contemplate it, you must admit that the venerable Sahaba' s internecine conflicts were in reality arrangements made by Allah for the safety and protection of the Shari' ah, confirmation of the wisdom. The significant point is that the differences of opinion among Amir Muawiya ~ .11 ..?J, Ali bin Abi Talib ....s .iii ..?J and other illustrious Sahabas were based on their Ijtihad (the pronouncement or understanding of the learned on an issue when Qur' an, Hadith, and Sunnah have not clarified this issue). If any of them were wrong, it was not intentional. None of them were the type of Muslims who could be persuaded to knowingly oppose the Islamic Shari' ah, Allah's Commands or the Prophet's sayings. Whatever Ali bin Abi Talib 4-C>- .iii ,._,:.,J did he thought it was right.

Similarly, what Amir Muawiya -= .11 ..?J has done, he did it thinking himself justified. The same was the case with the other Sahabah. Whosoever they found justified, they favored that one, and all these occurrences happened in accordance with the Will of Allah. By creating these inner conflicts and disputes, Allah reserved a group of Sahabas for these affairs while the other group, disliked all of the dissension and infighting and cut themselves off from governmental affairs and took to an ascetic life. When there were no internal disputes, all efforts of the Sahabas were put into resisting and facing the disbelievers and making victories on the battlefield. The regimes of Abu Bakr and Umar bin Khattab ~ .11 ,._,:.,J were full of such skirmishes and battles.

All the Sahabas had their eyes fixed on the battlefield and the conquesting of territory. Though during the caliphate of these two Sahabas, the work of the compilation of the Quran was done, it should have been completed at the beginning of the period. However, it was not feasible at that time for the required group of illustrious Sahabas to retire from jihad and concentrate all their attention and energy on ordering and organizing the Fiqh (science of the application of the Shariah), and protecting and propagating the Prophet's traditions. Madinah Munawwara had turned into a military cantonment with a camp that had its ruler sitting on a mat and before whom was always spread the maps of The History of Islam war-strategies and great governors were seen engaged in determining specific martial policies and making plans and keeping watch on the movements of their commanders of the many armies that were deployed. As Jhe circle of victories widened, these martial engagements increased, those who were teachers and gave lessons on the Shari' ah and explained its subtleties, became busy sharpening swords and straightening the feathers of arrows and making themselves prepared to face the blades of their enemies' spears. Those martial displays were very essential at that time in order to safeguard Islam and keep the Muslims fearless.

During the caliphate of Umar bin Khattab = 11 -..? J these necessary military requirements were done and Islam came to be known as a victorious religion and the greatest military power. After that, the immediate requirement was to protect the perfect system of Islam and all aspects of the Shari' ah, and make available to the group of venerable Sahabas, the Companions of the Prophet ~, the opportunity and free time necessary to prepare a group of Taba'yeen, those who saw the Companions but did not see the Prophet ~, in order to educate the future generations, and thereby preserving the Islamic way of life. Allah with His Divine Power, created Abdullah bin Saba and his followers, a group of Jews appearing to be Muslims and made provision for the martyrdom of Omar "--'S11 ~J, the battle of Jamal and the battle of Siffin each event after the other. The consequence was that many of the Sahabas who were the conquering heroes of their enemies like Rustam and Asfandyar on the battlefield, put away their bows and swords and retired, and left the work of commanding military expeditions and became engaged in teaching. In the previous pages we have read how Sad bin Abi Waqas "--'S11 ~J, the victor of Iran and under whose command the Muslims attained victory in the battle of Qadisiya, which had witnessed so much blood-shed, preferred to retire and take to tending flocks of goats and camels instead of participating in internecine disputes.

This was also the case with many other Sahabas. When the series of victories stopped and internal differences appeared, many of the Sahabas began to regard the use of swords and arrows as bad. If this was not the case, there was no other possible way to remove them from the front row of the battlefield and bring them back to the rearguard. Caliphate of Banu Umayyah (First Phase) Abdullah bin Umar = 11 ,?; was the one person whose caliphate the entire Islamic world would have agreed to but the internal clashes forced him to live a life of withdrawal. In this book, we have read the same names of certain people many times, who were somehow involved in these disputes. However, there were a great number of Sahabas who did not take part in them and so their names are not mentioned in connection with these historical events.

This dignified group, during that tumultuous times, enabled the people, who visited them with great respect in their hearts, to understand the reality of the Islamic Shari' ah and acquainted them with the character of the Prophet ~- Each of them became a teacher in their own right and became busy educating others in the understanding of the Shari' ah. Madinah Munawwara was the cradle of the Muhajirin and Ansar and Makkah was the second center of Islam due to Ka'bah. As long as the Sahaba did not have time for learning and teaching, Madinah remained the capital. When Allah wanted to use the Sahaba for teaching Islam, He shifted the capital of the caliphate from Madinah, and Madinah, which only a short time before, was the center of martial power and military cantonments turned into a Dar ul-Ulum (Center of Knowledge). If we critically and minutely read the books on Hadith and Fiqh, the truth will be revealed that the primary material on Hadith, Fiqh and Tafseer is the gift of that age during which there were differences among the believers. Had these differences not appeared and had Amir Muawiya and Ali bin Abi Talib ~ 11 ,?; not fought with each other, wewould have been deprived of a major and essential part of the Islamic Shariah.

But why did it start taking place? Allah Himself is the Protector of this religion and He Himself makes provision for its safely. He decreed that there would be differences between Ali and Amir Muawiya 11 ,? ; ~ and the opportunities that followed. Now we look at another aspect of this issue. Almost all the examples of obstacles, difficulties and complications that are possible for a government, sultanate or a system of culture to face, which have been witnessed in the world until now were present in the clashes between Amir Muawiya and Ali bin Abi Talib ~ 11 ~;- In view of the emergence of these hardships, the morals and efforts that have been The History of Islam displayed by the various rulers, ruling dynasties and kings, the most praiseworthy and the best of these morals and efforts are those of the venerable Sahaba in such situations. The history of the world is replete with the rise and fall of governments and nations, successes and failures.

No age or regime is free from cunningness, conspiracies or deceits. When we make research about these things, we find that the accounts of the clashes of Ali bin Abi Talib and Amir Muawiya ..'i.1 .;?,- ~ present the most honorable examples of all, and we can succeed by choosing the best style of functioning and the best guidelines for us. It is our blindness and misfortune that instead of making the Sahaba's differences in Ijtihad and the clashes of Amir Muawiya ..'i.1 .;?J = and Ali bin Abi Talib = ..'i.1 .? J a source of important lessons, insight and profit, we have turned them into tools for our disunity, bestiality, poverty and misfortune. The lines mentioned above may raise the objection that the limitations of the writing of history have been trespassed. But I have already admitted that I am writing this book not as an atheist empirical historian but as a Muslim.

I am a Muslim and it is for the Muslims that I have begun to write this book. Therefore, nothing can deter me from expressing this idea. Now before closing the chapter on Amir Muawiya= ..'i.1 .;?J we would like to quote the Honorable Syed Amir Ali, former chief justice of the ., High Court in Calcutta from his book entitled 'The History of Islam' using Masoodi as his reference: "Amir Muawiya= ..'i.1 .;?.; daily after Fajr prayer used to hear reports of the local superintendents of the military police or police captains. After. that, he used to come to see the ministers, advisors, and chief associates of the government in connection with foreign expeditions. In this meeting the sub-ordinate court officials and administrators would read to him the reports and letters that came from the provinces. At Noon time he would come out of the palace to lead the prayer and sit down in the mosque itself.

There he would listen to the complaints of the people, receive their requests and then go back to the palace and meet other dignitaries. Then he would take the midday meal and then take a short nap. After 'Asr prayer, he would meet the ministers, associates and advisors. He used to take supper in the court together with them all and give them Caliphate of Banu Umayyah (First Phase) one more opportunity to see him and this ended the day's work." An interesting note about quoting the Honorable Amir Ali is that he has been considered as leaning towards the Shia faith and would in that case not normally attribute anything favorable to Amir Muawiya. On the whole, during Amir Muawiya's regime, the series of conquests continued both within and without. 'Amr bin Aas ~ 11 ~ j says: "I have not seen a man of greater perseverance and humility than Amir Muawiya= 11 i?j· One day it so happened that I was present in his court and he was sitting with a pillow at his back.

He received a report that the Roman emperor was about to attack with a huge army. Having read that paper, he threw it to me. I read it and waited to watch his reaction. However, he kept sitting in the same posture. He said nothing. A few minutes after that another report came that Nayel bfn Qais, the leader of the Khawarij, had collected an army and was about to invade Palestine.

This report was also passed to me and he said nothing. I read it and kept waiting for his order all the more anxious but he continued to remain in the same position. There was no trace of any change on his face. It was not long when a third report came to the effect that the Khawarij captives at Mosul broke open the jail and fled away and that they were collecting near Mosel. Amir Muawiya= 11 i?j read it also and threw it towards me and kept sitting with the support of the pillow at the back. A few minutes more and then another letter arrived with the news that Ali bin Abi Talib= ./;;1 i?j with a large army, was about to launch an attack on Syria.

That letter was also thrown towards me. He maintained his position as before". "My patience grew thin. I said to him, 'Pieces of bad news are pouring in from all sides. What will you do now?' He said, 'Though the Roman emperor commands a big army, he will return after signing an agreement with me. Nayel bin Qais fights for the cause of his religion.

He has captured a city and wants to keep it under his control. I shall spare him so that he might be pre-occupied with it. The Khawarij who fled from the jail cannot escape from Allah's jail. But as for Ali's affair, we have to think and plan how to avenge Uthman bin Affan's blood.' Then he sat up and immediately issued orders for the settlement of each issue, and then sat down with the pillow at his back." The History of Islam Having watched Amir Muawiya's ~ 11 ~; pomp and grandeur in Syria, Umar bin Khattab ..,_ 11 ~) observed, "Just as there are Kisra in Persia and Caesar in Rome, similarly there is Amir Muawiya= 11 ~) in the Arab land." Yazid bin Muawiya When Amir Muawiya= ii!I ~) was the governer of the whole of Syria, Abu Khalid Yazid bin Muawiya bin Abu Sufyan was born in 25 A.H. or 26 A.H. His mother's name was Maisoon hint Bahdal who came from the tribe of Banu Kalab. He was very fat.

His body was covered with a thick growth of hair. He was born into kingship and wealth. Amir Muawiya = 11 ~; was a very scrupulous and far-sighted man. He paid special attention to Yazid's upbringing and education. He sent him to Hajj as Amir-ul-Hajj (Hajj group leader) once or twice and gave him the command of an army. He was commander of a part of the army at the time of the attack and siege of Syria.

He was very fond of hunting. At the time of Amir Muawiya's death, he was not present in Damascus. He was sent for by messenger but failing to realize the seriousness of his illness, he went back to his hunting expedition. He returned after several days and offered the funeral prayer at his father's grave. He was also well versed in composing poems. In Amir Muawiya's lifetime bay'at for him was taken.

But most people were unhappy with for this. A few great persons in Madinah Munawwara even refused to take bay' at for him. Amir Muawiya ~ iu1 .,,.---;,; committed a blunder by taking bay'at for Yazid in his lifetime that was probably the result of his paternal affection for him. But Mughira bin Shoba's blunder exceeded his, because the idea and the courage to act upon it came from Mughira bin Shoba' s instigation. Hasan Basri has therefore said: Mughira bin Shoba created the opportunity of introducing a practice that put an end to consultation and the son started succeeding his father as king. After Amir Muawiya ~ iu1 .,,.---;,;, the Syrians, without any hesitation, took bay'at at Yazid's hands.

The people of other provinces also followed their officials and dared not refuse for fear of the government. Immediately after taking the reins in his hands, Yazid wrote to the officials of all the provinces to take bay'at from the people Caliphate of Banu Umayyah (First Phase) in his name. On that occasion Madinah and Kufa were governed by Waleed bin Utba bin Abi Sufyan and Noman bin Bashir respectively both were noble-minded and peace-loving persons; compared to other officials, they were less strict. When Yazid's instructions were received in Madinah, Waleed bin Utba called the influential people of Madinah and read Yazid's letter to them. Imam Husain ~ 11 ~J heard of Amir Muawiya's death and expressed his sense of grief and prayed for his forgiveness and asked Waleed not to make haste in taking his bay'at for Yazid. "I shall think it over and then decide." Marwan bin Hakam, the former governor of Madinah and advisor to Wale.ed bin Utba, encouraged Waleed to take Imam Husain's ba'it then and there and not to let him go.

But Waleed did not agree with Marwan's counsel and postponed it to the next day. Abdullah bin Zubair = .1>1._,;,J did not come to take bay'at for Yazid. He was called but he refused to come and asked to be granted time for one night. Waleed allowed him. Finding the situation compelling he, along with his family, departed from Madinah and leaving the main road, he set out along a little known path. The next day Marwan and Waleed took thirty armed persons with them and went to arrest ibn Zubair.

But they did not find any trace of him. They returned in the evening because the whole day was spent in searching for ibn Zubair .._;... 11 1 ~J went to Makkah after a few days. Yazid had already sent Harith as an official to Makkah. The History of Islam Abdullah bin Zubair and Husain bin Ali 1...p .'i.1 Caliphate of Banu Umayyah (First Phase) victorious. The commander of the Madinah army was caught and imprisoned. The inhabitants of Kufa, since the time of Amir Muawiya= 11 1 1 1 Caliphate of Banu Umayyah (First Phase) supporters of Ali = .'i.1 ,.?

J lived in Basra, sent a confidant of his with a letter to Ahnaf bin Malik and letters to the nobles of Basra, stating that they should take ba'it and proceed to Kufa at once. When the news of Muslim bin Aqil's arrival in Kufa and people taking ba'it spread, Abdullah bin Muslim Al-Hadharmi called on Noman bin Bashir and said to him, 0 Amir! You should not show slackness in the caliph's affairs. Several days have passed since Muslim bin Aqil arrived in Kufa and he has been taking bay'at for the Caliphate of Imam Husain '----CS- .'i.1 ~J· You should kill Muslim bin Aqil or arrest him and send him to Yazid and punish those who have taken ba'it." Noman bin Bashir= .'i.1 ,.?J said, "I do not want to expose the work which they are doing secretly. I shall not attack them unless they come out for a fight." Hearing this Abdullah wrote the following letter to Yazid. Muslim bin Aqil '----CS- .'i.1 ~J has arrived in Kufa and has been taking ba'it for the caliphate of Husain bin Ali= .'i.1 ,.?J and the people have been responding favorably.

Husain bin Ali= .'i.1 ,.?J is also expected to come. Noman bin Bashir is showing weakness in this affair. If you want to keep Kufa under your control, send some strict governor to Kufa so that he might slay Muslim bin Aqil and suppress the ba'it and stop Husain bin Ali '----CS- .'i.1 ~ J from entering Kufa. If you delay, then deem Kufa to have gone out of your control. Ammara bin Oqba bin Abi Moeet also sent a letter to Yazid of similar content. These letters made him thoughtful and disturbed him very much.

There was a man named Sarjoon who was a liberated slave of Amir Muawiya "----CS-.'i,1 ~ JAmir Muawiya = .'i.1 ,.?J used to seek his counsel on some complicated and important affairs to his great advantage. Yazid called him, and showing him Abdullah bin AlHadhrasmis letter he sought his opinion. Here at this point, as a parenthesis it is worth mentioning that Yazid had always been displeased with Zeyad bin Abi Sufyan. After Zeyad, he resented and hated Obaidullah bin Zeyad. Amir Muawiya '----..,.;.;. .'i.1 ~ J made Obaidullah bin Zeyad the governor of Basra. Yazid was thinking of removing him from that post and installing somebody else instead.

When the horrible news from Kufa came, Yazid consulted Amir Muawiya's liberated slave, he said: The History of Islam "At this moment, Iraq is about to go out of your hands. If you want to save Iraq, none other than Obaidullah bin Zeyad can help you. I know that you will dislike my counsel. But who ever other than Obaidullah bin Zeyad you send to Kufa as governor, he will not be able to save it. Furthermore, just as Amir Muawiya ~ 11 ~ ) had assigned the governorship of both Basra and Kufa together similarly you should also assign him the dual charge and you need not select any other governor for Basra." Yazid hesitated a moment after hearing this advice, and then wrote instructions to Obaidullah bin Zeyad. "I hereby assign you the governorship of Kufa along with that of Basra.

You should leave someone as your deputy in Basra and go to Kufa at once Muslim bin Aqil has been there taking ba'it for Imam Husain= 11 t.?J· Make him a captive or kill him and if those who took ba'it from him, refuse to recant their ba'it they should be put to death and by this way we will ward off all further dangers." Obaidullah bin Zeyad was sure that Yazid was going to remove him from the governorship of Basra. He was surprised to read the contents of the letter. He was pleased as well as wary because that order obviously indicated a danger that Yazid might be trying to get him out of Basra by this pretext. Yet, he thought it necessary to obey the order. He made up his mind to leave his brother Uthman bin Zeyad in his place in Basra and he set out for Kufa the next day. Meanwhile Mundhir bin Al-Harith came running to him saying that Husain bin Ali's messenger had come and had been taking ba'it for Imam Husain '--'>-11 ~ J and was doing it secretly.

Obaidullah bin Zeyad through deception arrested Imam Husain's messenger and the next day collected the people and made this speech. Husain bin Ali's emissary has come to Basra with his letters to a number of people here. I have arrested them. I have extracted the names of those people here who have received these letters and I have also prepared a list of those who have taken ba'it for Imam Husain t.?J .= 11. You know I am Zeyad bin Abi Sufyan's son. Muslim bin Aqil t.?J = 11 is in Kufa.

I am going to him. I shall kill all those have taken ba'it Caliphate of Banu Umayyah (First Phase) at his hands. If the whole of Kufa has entered into his ba'it, I shall spare none. At this moment, I make a concession to you that except for Husain bin Ali's emissary, I will not say anything to anybody. But if anyone speaks anything after I have left, it will not be good for him. Saying this he brought Imam Husain's messenger and killed him in front of them all.

No one made a sign indicative of disapproval. Satisfied with this act, he went to Kufa. Imam Husain-.... 11 ,.?j sitting in Makkah thought that the people were taking ba'it for him in Basra but instead his messenger was actually being killed. Obaidullah bin Zeyad reached Qadisya and left his cavalry there, and along with his father's liberated slave rode a camel and rushed to Kufa and entered it in between Maghrib and Isha time. He purposely put on a turban like the people of the Hijaz. In the mean time, the people wer~ waiting for the arrival of Imam Husain -.... 11 ,.? j · The dominance of the followers of Ali and Husain were too great and Noman bin Bashir locked the doors of his court on that same evening, he sat with a selected few of those close to him and posted slaves at the door with instructions to first ask any visitor's name and address and if they deserved entry, they should be let in, if not, they should be refused.

When Obaidullah bin Zeyad entered Kufa, the people thought that the man for whom they were waiting for, Imam Husain ~ 11 ,.?j had arrived in Kufa. Wherever Obaidullah's camel passed by, the people they said: "Peace be upon you, 0 son of the Prophet r-1--) ""-# .;;,1 J-,,." Obaidullah reached the court on his camel. He found the door closed. He knocked at the door and said nothing. Noman bin Bashir-.... 11 ~j was sitting on the roof with his friends. He rose and coming to the edge of the roof, looked down.

As the entire city was awaiting Imam Husain= 11 ,.?j, he also mistook Obaidullah to be Imam Husain= 11 Caliphate of Banu Umayyah (First Phase) Hearing his message, he took him to Muslim bin Aqil. Muslim bin Aqil was glad to receive the purse and hearing the message saw Maqal off. Maqal came direct back to Obaidullah and told him that he had given the purse to Muslim bin Aqil and that he had talked to him. He was present in Hani's house. Obaidullah bin Zeyad called Hani and inquired about Muslim bin Aqil's whereabouts. He called Maqal and made him repeat his statement in front of everybody.

Hani was ashamed and said, "Yes, Muslim bin Aqil has taken refuge with me but I cannot bear the insult of handing him over to you". Obaidullah arrested Hani then and there. The news spread in the city that Obaidullah killed Hani. Hani' s women folk started lamenting. When Muslim bin Aqil witnessed all of this, he could bear it no more, he came out with sword in hand and he called all those who had taken bay'at at his hands. Only four thousand people out of eighteen thousand collected.

He called the rest also but each of them answered. "At the time of ba'it it was agreed that we would not fight until Imam Husain ~ .1i1 ~ j arrived. You should also wait and watch until he comes." As Muslim bin Aqil came out, he could not go back into hiding again. He surrounded Obaidullah bin Zeyad with the four thousand people who responded to his call. ObaiduJlah bin Zeyad was at the governor's headquarters with thirty or forty people. They climbed on the roof and started showering arrows on those surrounding the place.

The relatives and friends of Muslim bin Aqil's supporters began to persuade them to desist from their selfdestruction. In short, all of them parted little by little until only thirty or forty supporters remained with Muslim bin Aqil. Muslim bin Aqil and Hani bin Urwa Murdered Muslim bin Aqil = 11 c?j in this situation fled from the place and took refuge in someone's house in Kufa. Obaidullah bin Zeyad sent Amr bin Jarir Makhzumi to arrest him. Seeing no way out Muslim bin Aqil "----'-" .1,1 c?j drew out his sword. But Amr bin Jarir said to him, "Why do you ruin your life unnecessarily?

Just surrender yourself to me and at my own risk, I will take you to Obaidullah bin Zeyad and promise that I shall get you pardoned." Muslim bin Aqil = 11 c?j laid down the The History of Islam sword and put his hands into those of Amr. He took him to Obaidullah. Obaidullah imprisoned him in the same room in which he had imprisoned Hani bin Urwa. The next day about ten thousand people who had taken bay'at collected and surrounded Obaidullah bin Zeyad's house. They demanded that Muslim bin Aqil and Hani bin Urwa should be released willingly otherwise, they would snatch them away by force. Obaidullah bin Zeyad ordered them to be taken to the roof and executed before their eyes.

Both were therefore killed. Seeing the execution all of them dispersed as if they had only come for the purpose of getting their leaders killed. Obaidullah ordered the gate of the palace to be opened, their bodies were hung on a stake and their heads were carried off to Yazid in Damascus. Yazid wrote to Obaidullah bin Zeyad, "Imam Husain ~ .'iii ~ J has set out from Makkah and is about to reach Kufa very soon. Protect yourself fully and depute the army to stop him on the way so that he may not reach Kufa." Imam Husain '--S, ..11, ~ J Leaves Makkah Imam Husain '-'-'" .\.,1 ._..;, J prepared himself to leave Makkah. When everything was ready and the news spread that he was going to Kufa, all those who had love and sympathy with him came and insisted on his giving up his intention and tried to make him understand that leaving for Kufa was not free from danger.

First Abdur Rahman bin Harith came and requested him not to go to Kufa because the governor of Iraq, Obaidullah bin Zeyad was present there. The inhabitants of Kufa are greedy and it is just possible that those who called you might come out to fight against you. Abdullah bin Umar ~ .\.,1 -.?J came and said to him, "Don't go out of Makkah to take ba'it and leadership, Allah gave the Holy Prophet r-1-,-J ..,i., .\.,1 J.., the option to select either this world or the Hereafter. He chose the Hereafter. You also belong to the family of the Prophet r-1--., ..,i., 11 J..,. Don't yearn after this world.

Don't let yourself be contaminated with worldly filth." Having exhorted thus Abdullah bin Umar = .\.,1 -.?J burst into tears. Imam Husain = 11 -.?J also began to weep but refused to act upon his advice. Being helpless Abdullah bin Umar = .\.,1 -.?J parted from him. Then Abdullah bin Abbas= .\.,1 -.?J said to him, "Don't leave Makkah. Don't be away from the House of Allah. Your Caliphate of Banu Umayyah (First Phase) respected father preferred Kufa to Makkah and Madinah but don't you know how the inhabitants of Kufa treated him?

They martyred him. They robbed your brother Hasan ~ .'ii, ~ J and ultimately poisoned him to death. You must not rely on them. Neither their bay'at nor their promise is believable nor are their letters and messages trustworthy." Hearing this Imam Husain '--'->- .'ii, ._..;,J said, "You are a hundred percent justified in what you say. But Muslim bin Aqil's letter has come. Twelve thousand people have taken ba'it.

Before that one hundred and fifty letters from the noblemen of Kufa have also come. Now there is no danger. My visit to that place is the right ·thing." Hearing this Abdullah bin Abbas-= ..111 ._..;,J said," All right, at least let this month of Dhul Hijja end and the new year begin and then think of undertaking the journey. Now the season of Hajj is approaching and people from a far are coming to Makkah, and you are leaving Makkah and going out only for the sake of ruling over the worldly people and bringing into your possession the fortunes of the world. It is proper for you to participate in the Hajj and let the people return after performing Hajj, and even after that if you think it necessary, then you may set out." Imam Husain= ..111 ._..;,J said, ''The issue is such as I cannot defer it. I must set out at once." Abdullah bin Abbas '--'->-1, ._..;,J said, "Well, if you don't agree with me, at least don' t take the women and children with you because the inhabitants of Kufa are absolutely unreliable.

It was the duty of the twelve thousand people who have taken ba'it for your Caliphate to have first turned Yazid's administrator out of Kufa, taken the treasury in their possession and then called you. But in the present situation, it seems that they are incapable of doing anything against Yazid's administrator in Kufa. Now as they have neither the treasury nor the courage to drive the administrator out, this administrator might frighten or tempt them and use them according to his own will, and it is just possible that these people who are calling you, might jump onto the battlefield on Yazid's side to fight against you. Considered from this angle your life seems to be in danger. If women and children are also with you, then, just as Uthman bin Affan = .'ii, ._..;,J was slain under the very eyes of the members of his family similarly your family will also have to witness you being murdered and there is apprehension of their becoming slaves and slave girls after being arrested by your The History of Islam enemies." When Imam Husain = 11-?; did not accept his advice, he said, "If you are so much interested in leadership and the caliphate, first go to Yemen. Your sympathizers also live there in good number.

The chain of mountains can also be of great help in your protection. If you want the kingdom of Hijaz, you can get it very easily." At last, Abdullah bin Abbas .:.s-11 -?J became quite helpless and Imam Husain Caliphate of Banu Urnayyah (First Phase) not gone far when Abdullah bin Jafar's letter, sent through his sons Aun and Mohammad from Madinah, reached him in which he requested him, in the name of Allah, to desist from going to Kufa and come to Madinah instead because he apprehended danger to his life and because of this he must not be hasty in the matter. The messenger also handed over to him the letter from the governor of Madinah that said that if he wished to go to Madinah and settle there, he would be given all protection. But Imam Husain u11 ._?J absolutely refused to return. He took Mohammad and Aun along with him and asked the escort, an inhabitant of Basra, to bring him to Kufa as soon as possible, so that he might enter the city before Obaidullah bin Zeyad's arrival there and because the people there were anxiously waiting his arrival. By chance on the same day Yazid's letter was also received by Obaidullah bin Zeyad asking him to protect himself and depute armed forces on every road and path because Imam Husain u11 ._?J might be moving towards him and that he should be stopped from reaching Kufa.

Imam Husain = 11 ._?Jon the other hand, went ahead thinking that people were taking ba'it at Muslim bin Aqil's hands everyday and the group supporting him would be getting bigger. But the reality was that in Kufa Obaidullah bin Zeyad was busy selecting armed personnel for his arrest or execution. After a few days journey he met Abdullah bin Mu tie. Finding out his intention, he insisted to stop Imam Husain= 11 ._?J from executing his plan and tried to make him swear to turn back to Makkah. He tried to make him understand that he should not be deceived by the Iraqis because if he wanted to take the caliphate from Banu Umayya, they would instantly kill him and feel encouraged in killing every Hashmite every Arab and every Muslim who supported him, and by destroying himself, he could dishonor Islam, the Arabs and the Quraish. But his speech was ignored by Imam Husain ~ 11 ..? ) and he continued his journey to Kufa.

From Hajr through Qais bin Mishar he sent a letter to the people of Kufa that he had reached near and that they should continue to wait for him. As soon as Qais reached Qadisiya, he was arrested by ibn Zeyad's soldiers. He was taken to him with the letter. He had him taken up to the roof of the palace of the Amir and thrown down. Qais died on the spot. Again, from the next stage of his journey, he sent his foster brother Abdullah bin Yaqtur, with a letter.

He also met the same The History of Islam fate. When that caravan reached Salba, they found out that Muslim bin Aqil ....__;.s. .'iii ..,;,1 had been killed in Kufa, and that not even a single supporter of Imam Husain= 11 ._?.1 was left in Kufa. That news threw a pall of gloom over the entire caravan and it intended to retrace its steps because in moving towards Kufa there was strong probability that the caravan would meet the same fate which Muslim bin Aqil had met. Hearing this Muslim bin Aqil's sons said, "We must not go back. We will avenge Muslim bin Aqil's murder or we will die as he died. Secondly, Husain bin Ali= 11 ..,;,1 is not like Muslim bin Aqil = .iii1 ..,;,1 .

When the people of Kufa see him, they will accompany him and arrest Ibn Zeyad." Several honored people were with the caravan and had joined it on the journey, they kept multiplying at each stage. However, after the news moved through the caravan the people of the tribes began slowly and gradually to take leave until only the members of Husain bin Ali's family and tribe were left. They were said to number seventy or eighty by some sources and about two hundred and fifty by other authorities. The Disaster at Karbala Obaidullah bin Zeyad named Amr bin Sad bin Abi Waqas the governor of Rayy and gave him four thousand soldiers to keep watch on all paths and roads into Kufa and to find out by which route Husain bin Ali = .'iii ._?.1 was coming and where was he camping. He also gave Hur bin Yazid Tamimi one thousand soldiers and put him on patrol. Amr bin Sad started collecting information of different sources while he was camped at Qadisiya.

Husain bin Ali= .'iii ..,;,1 was in a dilemma and in that state, he reached Saraf. When he moved forward, Hur blocked him with his one thousand soldiers. Imam Husain ....__;.s. .\ii ..,;,1 went forward and said to him, "I have come here at your call. If you stick to your pledge, I will enter the city otherwise I shall go the way by which I have come." Hur said, "I have been ordered by Obaidullah bin Zeyad to.stay with you and take you to him in our custody." Husain= 11 ._?.1 said, "It is impossible to bear the humiliation of going to him in custody." He then wanted to go back. Hur, out of fear of lbn Zeyad, wanted to stop him and stood with his army on the way of his retreat. Imam Husain = .i1 _,.;, 1 moved to north Caliphate of Banu Umayyah (First Phase) and reached Qadisiya.

He became aware that Amr bin Sad, along with a large army, was camping there. Hur followed Husain bin Ali .11 0') '--'->- . Following this discovery, Imam Husain= .11 0'J left Qadisiya and after covering ten miles halted at Karbala. Amr bin Sad was informed of his arrival and set out with his army and following him arrived at Karbala. After camping in same vicinity Amr bin Sad left his army and came toward Imam Husain's camp and called for him. After exchanging greetings, lbn Sad said, "Undoubtedly, you deserve the caliphate more than Yazid does but it is not the intention of Allah to let both prophethood and caliphate come into your family. You have seen the circumstances and conditions of Ali bin Abi Talib= .11 0') and Hasan bin Ali= .11 0')· If you give up the thought of this sultanate and rule, you can easily become free otherwise your life will be in jeopardy and we have been ordered to arrest you." Imam Husain= .11 0') said, "I put three alternatives before you, you may choose any of them for me.