Yazid in light of history

[Yazid didn't do this.  Yazid didn't do that.  What did he actually do?  Here, we present a dispassionate analysis of Yazid in light of the canons of history]

Yazid himself ordered Ibn Zyad to martyr Imam Hussain (May Allah be well pleased with him) - A confession by Ibn Zyad

Ibn Zyad himself said that Yazid ordered him to martyr Imam Hussain (May Allah be well pleased with him) on pain of death.  Imam Ibn Atheer (May Allah shower His mercy on him) records the confession of Ibn Zyad:

 

Translation: Now, about my martyring Hussain (May Allah be well pleased with him), the fact is that Yazid ordered me to do this.  He threatened to kill me if I didn’t, so I martyred Imam Hussain (May Allah be well pleased with him).  (Al Tarikh Al Kamil, Vol. 3, Pg No. 474)

 

According to Islamic Law, if any person murders anybody else, then as a punishment, the murderer is killed.  But Yazid neither killed Ibn Zyad, Shimar or other officials nor dismissed them from their offices.  Instead, he expressed his happiness.  Afterwards, out of fear that the situation might go out of control, he expressed some sorrow in a formal, political manner.  In fact, this wretched man used his stick to poke at the teeth of Imam Hussain (May Allah be well pleased with him), those teeth which the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) kissed.

 

Yazeed poked at the teeth of Imam Hussain

 

Imam Ibn Atheer (May Allah shower His mercy on him) has written in "Tarikh Kamil", Imam Ibn Katheer (May Allah shower His Mercy on him) in Bidayah wan Nihayah, Imam Tabari (May Allah shower His Mercy on him) in "Tarikh Tabari":

 

Translation: Abu Mikhnaf relates on the authority of Abu Hamza Thumali, who relates on the authority of Abdullah Yamaani, who relates on the authority of Qasim Bin Bukhait, who said: When the blessed head of Imam Hussain (May Allah be well pleased with him) was placed before Yazid, he had a stick in his hands with which he started poking at the teeth of Imam Hussain (May Allah be well pleased with him).  Then he said: Verily, ours and his example is as said by Hussain bin Hammam Murri (a poet): Our swords smash the skulls of those who had strength and domination over us; and of those who were really disobedient and oppressors.

 

Hadhrat Abu Barzah Aslami (May Allah be well pleased with him) said: Listen O Yazid!  By Allah!  Your stick is touching that very spot, which I saw that the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) used to kiss.  Then he said: Beware, O Yazid!  On the Day of Judgment, Imam Hussain (May Allah be well pleased with him) will arrive with such grandeur that his intercessor will be the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) and you will arrive in such a state that yours will be Ibn Zyad.  (Bidayah wan Nihayah, Vol. 8, Pg No. 209; Tarikh Tabari, Vol. 1, Pg No. 382/383; Al Tarikh Al Kamil, Vol. 3, Pg No. 437/438)

 

In Bidayah Wan Nihayah, Vol. 8, Pg No. 215, at the end of the aforementioned Tradition, it is mentioned:

Translation:  At that time, Hadhrat Abu Barzah Aslami (May Allah be well pleased with him) said: Remove your stick!  By Allah!  I have often seen the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) place His mouth on the mouth of Imam Hussain (May Allah be well pleased with him) and kiss it.

 

We feared that stones would fall from the sky

 

Due to the martyrdom of Imam Hussain (May Allah be well pleased with him), the people of Madina became strongly opposed to Yazid and pledged their allegiance to Hadhrat ‘Abdullah bin Hanzlah (May Allah be well pleased with him).  Yazid sent an army to attack Madina, which attacked the people of Madina and persecuted its citizens.  On that occasion, Hadhrat ‘Abdullah bin Hanzlah (May Allah be well pleased with him) spoke to the people of Makkah and described the unislamic activities of Yazid.  Hadhrat Muhammad bin Sa’ad (May Allah be well pleased with him) who is a Hadith-expert as well as a historian, has written in Tabaqaat e Kubra, Vol. 5 Pg No. 66.

 

Translation: The people of Madina agreed to pledge their allegiance to Hadhrat ‘Abdullah bin Hanzlah (May Allah be well pleased with him) and gave him authority over their affairs.  He took the pledge from them to fight till their last breath.  Then he said: O my community!  Fear Allah, who has no equal.  By Allah! We stood up against Yazid, when we feared that stones would be rained on us from the sky.  He is such a person, who declares marriage with mothers, daughters and sisters as permissible, who drinks wine and abandons Salaat.  By Allah!  If no one from the people supported me, even then I will use my courage and bravery in this matter for the sake of Allah.  (Tarikh Ul Khulafa, Pg No. 167, As Sawaaiq Al Muhriqa, Pg No. 132)

 

We are coming from such a person who has no regard for religion

 

Imam Abu Ja’afar Muhammad bin Jarir Al Tabari (May Allah shower His mercy on him), writes in Tarikh Tabari, Vol. 1, Pg No. 403:

 

Translation: They (the delegation of the people of Madina after returning from Yazid) said: We come from such a person, who has no regard for religion.  He drinks wine, plays tambourines, songstresses dance before him, he plays with dogs and listens to stories with thieves and rascals.  O people!  We make you a witness that we break our pledge given to him.  Then all the people of Madina broke their pledge.  People came to Hadhrat ‘Abdullah bin Hanzlah (May Allah be well pleased with him) and pledged their allegiance to him.

 

Imam Ibn Atheer (May Allah shower His Mercy on him) writes in Tarikh Kamil Vol. 3, Pg No. 337:

 

Translation: The great Successor (Taba‘ee) Hadhrat Hasan Basri (May Allah be well pleased with him) says about Yazid: He was a drunkard of the last degree.  He wore silk and played with tambourines.

 

He was so addicted to wine that he did not stop it even when he reached Madina in Hajj and started drinking there as well.

 

It is written in Tarikh Kamil, Vol. 3 Pg No. 465:

 

Translation: Yazid performed Hajj in the life of his father.  When he reached Madina Munawwarah, he started drinking wine.

 

Imam Ibn Katheer (May Allah shower His Mercy on him) writes in Bidayah Wan Nihayah, Vol. 6, Pg No. 262:

 

Persecuting the people of Madina

 

Imam Ibn Katheer writes in Bidayah wan Nihayah:

 

Translation: The reason for the incident of "Harra" is that a delegation from Madina went to Damascus to meet Yazid.  When they returned, they related Yazid’s habit of drinking and his other bad habits to their families.  The worst among his habit was that he missed Salaat because of wine.  For this reason, the people of Madina agreed to break their pledge of allegiance.  They declared this near the Prophet's Pulpit in the Prophet’s Masjid.  When Yazid came to know this, he sent an army to Madina.  The leader of the army was a person named Muslim bin ‘Uqba.  The Pious Elders (Salaf Saliheen) have also addressed this person as Musrif bin ‘Uqba.  When he entered Madina, he declared the lives of the Madinites and their property as permissible (Mubah) for 3 days, which meant that for 3 days, the army could do whatever they liked with the lives and the property of the people of Madina.  Thus, in those 3 days, he martyred hundreds of people.  (Bidayah wan Nihayah, Vol. 6, Pg No. 262)

 

There is Hadith in Imam Baihaqui’s Dalaail Un Nubuwwa:

 

Translation:  It is narrated on the authority of Hadhrat Mugheera (May Allah be well pleased with him) that Musrif bin ‘Uqba looted Madina for 3 days and raped 1000, unwed, chaste daughters of Islam.

 

It is written in Tabaqat Al Kubra, Vol. 5, Pg No. 66: Muslim bin ‘Uqba attacked Madina with his army.  Yazid’s army martyred 700 Hafidh of the Holy Quran, raped 1000 unwed, chaste Muslim women and for 3 days, there could not be any Adhaan and Salaat in the Prophet’s Masjid.

 

Allah’s curse is on the one who frightens the people of Madina

 

Yazid ordered the ravaging of Madina and public killings although there are severe warnings in Hadith for those who just frighten the people of Madina.  There is a Hadith in Musnad Ahmed, Hadith No. 15962:

 

Translation:  It is narrated on the authority of Hadhrat Saib bin Khallad (May Allah be well pleased with him) that the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) said: Whoever frightens the people of Madina by their oppression, Allah will frighten him and on him rests the curse of Allah, of the angels and of all the people.  Allah Most High will not accept any obligatory (Fardh) or supererogatory (Nafl) act from such a person on the Day of Judgment.  (Tarikh Ul Khulafa, Pg No. 167)

 

It can be imagined what will be the lot of the person who not only frightened the people of Madina but spilled blood and ravaged Madina and gave permission to the whole army for their animalistic deeds.

 

Yazid’s army stoned the Ka’aba

 

Afterwards, Yazid ordered the army to attack the Ka’aba in Makkah.  Accordingly, Yazid’s army set up their cannons and stoned the Ka’aba, because of which the curtain of the Ka’aba caught fire.

 

It is written in Tarikh Kamil, Vol. 3, Pg. No. 464:

 

Translation: To the extent that when 3 days of Rab‘ee Ul Awwal passed, they stoned the Ka’aba with their cannons, burnt it and started singing thus: "We have tremendous power and courage, we stone this Masjid with cannons."