Yazid I

Yazīd ibn Mu‘awiya يزيد بن معاوية
Yazīd ibn Mu‘āwiya
Caliph of the Umayyad Caliphate
Reign	680 – 11 November 683
Predecessor	Mu'awiya I
Successor	Mu'awiya II
Born	20 July 647 (11 Shawwal 26 AH)[1]
Died	11 November 683 (15 Rabi ul-Awwal 64 AH)[1]
Issue	Mu'awiya II Khaled Atikah
Full name Yazīd ibn Mu‘awiya ibn Abī Sufyān يزيد بن معاوية بن أبي سفيان
Dynasty	Umayyad
Father	Mu'awiya I
Mother	Maysun bint Bajdal al-Kulaibi al-Nasrania (The Christian)[1]

Yazīd ibn Mu‘āwiya ibn Abī Sufyān (Arabic: يزيد بن معاوية بن أبي سفيان‎; 20 July 647 – 11 November 683), commonly known as Yazid I, was the second Caliph of the Umayyad Caliphate (and the first one through inheritance). Yazid was the Caliph as appointed by his father Muawiyah I and ruled for three years from 680 CE until his death in 683 CE.

Rise to power

According to some sources Muawiyah warned his son Yazid against mistreating Hussein ibn Ali, grandson of Muhammad. His final warning to Yazid was: "Be careful O my son, that you do not meet God with his blood, lest you be amongst those that will perish" ^[2][3] Robert Payne quotes Muawiyah in History of Islam as telling his son Yazid to defeat Hussein, who was surely preparing an army against him, but to deal with him gently thereafter as Hussein was a descendent of Muhammad; but to deal with Abdullah al-Zubair swiftly, as Muawiyah feared him the most.^[4]

The appointment of Yazid was unpopular in Madina too. Narrated by Yusuf bin Mahak:

Marwan had been appointed as the governor of Hijaz by Muawiyah. He delivered a sermon and mentioned Yazid bin Muawiyah so that the people might take the oath of allegiance to him as the successor of his father (Muawiya). Then 'Abdur Rahman bin Abu Bakr told him something whereupon Marwan ordered that he be arrested. But 'Abdur Rahman entered 'Aisha's house and they could not arrest him. Marwan said, "It is he ('Abdur Rahman) about whom Allah revealed this Verse: 'And the one who says to his parents: 'Fie on you! Do you hold out the promise to me..?'" On that, 'Aisha said from behind a screen, "Allah did not reveal anything from the Qur'an about us except what was connected with the declaration of my innocence (of the slander)."^[5]

Oath of allegiance of Yazid

Upon succession, Yazid asked Governors of all provinces to take an oath of allegiance to him. The necessary oath was secured from all parts of the country. Hussain ibn Ali and Abdullah ibn Zubayr refused to declare allegiance. Yazid sent Marwan, a soldier in his army, to assist in this task.^[6][7] An early historical account of the issue of obtaining bai'ah (pledge of allegiance) by Yazid I was chronicled by the 9th Century CE historian Al-Tabari who recorded that Yazid's only concern, when he assumed power, was to receive the oath of allegiance from the individuals who had refused to agree with Muawiyah's demand for this oath of allegiance for his son Yazid. Muawiyah had summoned the people (i.e., the Islamic shura or council) to give an oath of allegiance to him that Yazid would be his heir. Yazid's concern was to bring their attitude (of this refusal) to an end. Yazid's paternal first cousin Waleed bin Utbah bin Abu Sufyan was the Governor of Madinah, where Husayn bin Ali and the Hashimite family resided as did Abdullah ibn Zubayr. Yazid had sent his fellow Umayyad kinsman, Marwan bin al-Hakam (who served as a vizier to Muawiyah and now to Yazid), to Waleed bin Utbah bin Abu Sufyan with the following message written in a parchment:^[8]

Seize Husayn (Grandson of Muhammad), Abdullah ibn Umar (Son of Umar), and Abdullah ibn Zubayr (Grandson of Abu Bakr) to give the oath of allegiance. Act so fiercely that they have no chance to do anything before giving the oath of allegiance. Peace be with you.^[8]

When summoned by the Governor of Madinah, Waleed bin Utbah, Husayn bin Ali answered the summons. However, Abdullah ibn Zubayr did not. When Husayn bin Ali met Waleed and Marwan (who was present) in a semi-private meeting at night, he was informed of the late Caliph Muawiyah's passing and Yazid's accession to the Caliphate. When asked for his pledge of allegiance to Yazid, Husayn responded that giving his allegiance in private would be insufficient, such a thing should be given in public. Waleed agreed to this, but Marwan interrupted demanding that Waleed imprison Husayn and not let him leave until he gives the pledge of allegiance to Yazid. At this interruption, Marwan was soundly upbraided by Husayn who then exited unharmed. Husayn bin Ali had his own retainer of armed supporters waiting nearby just in case a forcible attempt was made to apprehend him. Immediately following Husayn's exit, Marwan emphatically admonished his kinsman Waleed, the governor of Madinah, who in turn rebutted Marwan, justifying his refusal to harm Husayn ibn Ali by stating "that on the Day of Resurrection a man who is (responsible) for the blood of Al-Husayn (will weigh) little in the scale of God." As for Abdullah ibn Zubayr, he had left Medina at night heading for Mecca. In the morning Waleed sent men after him, a party of eighty horsemen under the command of a retainer of the Banu Umayyah. They pursued Ibn al-Zubayr but did not catch up with him, so they returned. As for Husayn ibn Ali, Tabari records that he too left for Mecca shortly after, having not given an oath of allegiance to Yazid.^[9]

Hussein-ibn-Ali

Hussein-ibn-Ali, the grandson of Muhammad, along with many other prominent Muslims, not only disapproved of Yazid's nomination for caliph but also declared it against the spirit of Islam. While the nomination issue was deliberated upon in Medina, Abdullah ibn Zubayr went with Husayn to Mecca because some prominent Muslims thought that Mecca would be the best base for launching a campaign to build up public opinion against Yazid's nomination. However, before any significant work could be done, Muawiyah died, and Yazid took over the reins of government.

Kufa, a garrison town in Iraq, had been Ali's capital, and many of his supporters lived there. Hussein ibn Ali received letters from Kufa expressing its offer of support if he claimed the caliphate. As he prepared for the journey to Kufa, Abdullah ibn Umar, Abdullah ibn Zubayr and Abdullah ibn Abbas argued against his plan, and if he was determined to proceed to Kufa, asked him to leave women and children in Mecca, but Hussein rejecteded their suggestions. On the way to Kufa, he received the report of Muslim ibn Aqeel's death at the hands of Yazid's men and that the Kufans had changed their loyalties to Yazid, pledging support to him against Husayn and his followers.

Ubayd-Allah ibn Ziyad, governor of Basrah, executed one of the messengers and warned the citizens to avoid the insurgency. He sent a message to Hussein, at instruction of Yazid, stating, "You can neither go to Kufa nor return to Mecca, but you can go anywhere else you want." Despite the warning, he continued towards Kufa and during the trip, he and many members of his family were killed or captured at the Battle of Karbala.

Many Sahaba, the most prominent being Abdullah ibn Zubayr, refused to give their oath of allegiance to Yazid, as they saw it as a usurpation of power and not the proper way of choosing a Caliph by the Shura.^[10]

Both Yazid and Hussein had been involved in the siege of Constantinople a few years earlier. Hussein was in the army that laid siege under the command of Muawiyah's son Yazeed in 51 AH.^[11] After the peace treaty with Muawiya, Hussein would frequently visit Muawiya with his brother and show great hospitality in return.^[12]

Following Hassan's death, Hussein would travel to see Muawiya every year, who, in return, would show great hospitality.^[12] When the governor of Kufa, Ibn Ziyad, sent the head of Hussein to Yazid the servant of Muawiya is reported to have said: "When Yazid came with Hussein's head and placed it in his hands, I saw Yazid crying and he said: 'If there had been any relationship between Ibn Ziyad and Hussein then he would not have done this (referring to Ibn Ziyad).'"^[13]

Abdullah ibn Zubayr

When Husayn was killed in Karbala, Abdullah ibn Zubayr collected the people of Makkah and made the following speech:

"O people! No other people are worse than Iraqis and among the Iraqis, the people of Kufa are the worst. They repeatedly wrote letters and called Imam Husayn to them and took bay'at (allegiance) for his caliphate. But when Ibn Zeyad arrived in Kufa, they rallied around him and killed Imam Husayn who was pious, observed the fast, read the Quran and deserved the caliphate in all respects".^[14]

When he heard the news, Yazid had a silver chain made and sent it to Mecca with the intention of having Walid ibn Utbah arrest Abdullah with it.^[14]

In Mecca and Madina, Husayn's family had strong support. Husayn's remaining family moved back to Medina.

Abdullah launched an insurgency in the Hejaz and the Tihamah. Yazid sent armies against him in 683. Yazid tried to end the rebellion by invading the Hejaz, and he took Medina after the bloody Battle of al-Harrah. He invaded the Tihamah and besieged Mecca. His sudden death, in 683, ended the campaign and threw the Umayyads into disarray and civil war.

Abdullah consolidated his power by sending a governor to Kufa. Soon, Abdullah ibn Zubayr expelled Yazid's army from Iraq, southern Arabia and in the greater part of Syria, and parts of Egypt. He ran into trouble with Kharijites, extremists in Iraq.

Muawiya II did not want to associate himself with the policies of his father, Yazid. Muawiya chose to abdicate rather than assume the responsibility of conducting what would likely be a bloody military campaign in Mecca.^[15] In Damascus, Marwan then became the ruler and was succeeded by his son Abd al-Malik ibn Marwan.

Ibn Zubayr was finally defeated by Abd al-Malik ibn Marwan, who sent Al-Hajjaj ibn Yusuf to reunite the Islamic empire. Hajjaj defeated and killed Ibn Zubayr on the battlefield in 692.^[16] He beheaded and crucified the body and re-established Umayyad control over the empire.

A few years later, the people of Kufa called Zayd ibn Ali the grandson of Husayn over to Kufa. Zaydis believe that on the last hour of Zayd, he was also betrayed by the people in Kufa, who said to him, "May God have mercy on you! What do you have to say on the matter of Abu Bakr and Umar ibn al-Khattab?"

Zayd ibn Ali said, "I have not heard anyone in my family renouncing them both nor saying anything but good about them... when they were entrusted with government they behaved justly with the people and acted according to the Qur'an and the Sunnah".^{[17][18][19][20]}

Setbacks

During the caliphate of Yazid ibn Muawiya, Muslims suffered several military setbacks. In 682 AD Yazid restored Uqba ibn Nafi as the governor of North Africa and Uqba won battles against the Berbers and Byzantines.^[6] Uqba then marched westward towards Tangier and then marched eastwards the Atlas Mountains.^[7]

With cavalry numbering about 300, he proceeded towards Biskra, where he was ambushed by a Berber force. Uqba and all his men died fighting, and the Berbers launched a counterattack and drove Muslims from North Africa.^[21] That was a major setback for the Muslims, as they lost supremacy at sea and had to abandon the islands of Rhodes and Crete.

Death

Yazid was killed by his own horse after it lost control, his remains never being confirmed to have been found. Yazid died at the age of 36 (age 37 in Hijri-Lunar calculation) after he had ruled for three years. He was succeeded by his son Muawiyah II. Yazid was buried in Damascus. Although it is thought that his grave no longer exists, a few believe that it is located in a small street near Umayyad Mosque, without any mark or distinction.^[6]

Historical evaluation

Some scholars regard Yazid as a just, noble, religious and administratively efficient ruler and that his nomination by his father Muawiya as caliph was proper.^[22] Notable contemporaries such as Ibn Abbas and Muhammad bin Hanfia regard Muawiya's nomination of Yazid as sincere and proper as Muawiya genuinely believed that Yazid had the qualifications of being the leader of Muslims.^[23]

Muslim tradition regards Caliph Yazid I as a tyrant who was responsible for three major actions during the Second Fitna that were considered atrocities: the death of Husayn ibn Ali and his followers at the Battle of Karbala, considered a massacre; the aftermath of the Battle of al-Harrah, in which the troops of Yazid's general Muslim bin Uqbah al-Marri pillaged the town of Medina; and the burning of the Kaaba during Siege of Mecca, which was blamed on Yazid's commander Husayn ibn Numayr.^{[24][25][26][27][28][29][30][31]}

That view was summed up with the following evaluation of Yazid by a scholar from the Abbasid era:

He was strong, brave, deliberative, full of resolve, acumen, and eloquence. He composed good poetry. He was also a stern, harsh, and coarse Nasibi. He drank and was a reprobate. He inaugurated his Dawla with the killing of the martyr al-Husayn and closed it with the catastrophe of al-Harrah. Hence the people despised him, he was not blessed in his life, and many took up arms against him after al-Husayn such as the people of Madînah - they rose for the sake of Allâh -^[32]

See also

• Battle of Karbala
• Umayyads

References

1. Ibn Hajar Al-Asqalani, Ahmad bin Ali. Lisan Al-Mizan: Yazid bin Mu'awiyah.
2. Hosay Trinidad: Muharram Performances in an Indo-Caribbean Diaspora By Frank J. Korom Page 24
3. Redemptive Suffering in Islam: A Study of the Devotional Aspects of Ashura ... By Mahmoud M. Ayoub Page 95
4. John Dunn, The Spread of Islam, pg. 51. World History Series. San Diego: Lucent Books, 1996. ISBN 1560062851
5. Al-Bukhari, Muhammad. Sahih Al Bukhari (Vol. 6, Book 60, Hadith #352)
6. Hitti, Philip K. (1943). The Arabs: A short history. Princeton University Press. ISBN 9780895267061.
7. Hasan, Masudul (1998). History of Islam. North Haledon, NJ: Islamic Publications International.
8. The History of Al-Tabari: Vol. XIX (The Caliphate of Yazid bin Muawiyah). Al-Tabari, Muhammad ibn Jarir. (English Translation by I. K. A. Howard). State University of New York Press. http://www.scribd.com/doc/114186278/Karbala. (Pg. 7). http://www.alsunnahfoundation.org/Academy/Karbala.pdf.
9. The History of Al-Tabari: Vol. XIX (The Caliphate of Yazid bin Muawiyah). Al-Tabari, Muhammad ibn Jarir. (English Translation by I. K. A. Howard). State University of New York Press. http://www.scribd.com/doc/114186278/Karbala. (Pgs. 7-9). http://www.alsunnahfoundation.org/Academy/Karbala.pdf.
10. Balyuzi, H. M.: Muhammad and the course of Islam. George Ronald, Oxford (U.K.), 1976, p.193
11. The Caliphate of Banu Umayyah the first Phase, Ibn Katheer, Taken from Al-Bidayah wan-Nihayah by Ibn Katheer, Ismail Ibn Omar 775 ISBN 978-603-500-080-2 Translated by Yoosuf Al-Hajj Ahmad Page 135
12. The Caliphate of Banu Umayyah the first Phase, Ibn Katheer, Taken from Al-Bidayah wan-Nihayah by Ibn Katheer, Ismail Ibn Omar 775 ISBN 978-603-500-080-2 Translated by Yoosuf Al-Hajj Ahmad Page 134
13. The Caliphate of Banu Umayyah the first Phase, Ibn Katheer, Taken from Al-Bidayah wan-Nihayah by Ibn Katheer, Ismail Ibn Omar 775 ISBN 978-603-500-080-2 Translated by Yoosuf Al-Hajj Ahmad Page 152
14. Najeebabadi, Akbar Shah (2001). The History of Islam v. 2. Riyadh: Darussalam. p. 110. ISBN 9960892883.
15. The Princeton Encyclopedia of Islamic Political Thought edited by Gerhard Bowering, Patricia Crone, Wadad Kadi, Devin J. Stewart, Muhammad Qasim Zaman, Mahan Mirza Page 8
16. Najeebabadi, Akbar Shah (2001). The History of Islam v. 2. Riyadh: Darussalam. p. 110. ISBN 9960892883
17. Islam re-defined: an intelligent man's guide towards understanding Islam - p. 54
18. Rebellion and Violence in Islamic Law By Khaled Abou El Fadl page 72
19. The waning of the Umayyad caliphate by Tabarī, Carole Hillenbrand, 1989, p37, p38
20. The Encyclopedia of Religion Vol.16, Mircea Eliade, Charles J. Adams, Macmillan, 1987, p243. "They were called "Rafida by the followers of Zayd"
21. Glubb, John Bagot (1965). The Empire of the Arabs. Prentis-Hall.
22. Usmani, Maulana Mufti Taqi. Hazrat Muawiya and Historical Facts. Karachi, Pakistan: Idara Al-Mu’arif. pp. 111–112.
23. Hazrat Muawiya and Historical Facts by Maulana Mufti Taqi Usmani p. 111–114 (Idara Al-Mu’arif, Karachi, Pakistan)
24. Al-Tabari, Muhammad ibn Jarir. pp=372-379, Tarikh Al-Tabari Vol. 3.
25. Al-Tabari, Muhammad ibn Jarir. pp=309-356, Tarikh Al-Tabari Vol. 4.
26. Al-Tabari, Muhammad ibn Jarir. History of al-Tabari Vol. 19, The Caliphate of Yazid b. Mu'awiyah.
27. Al-Athir, Ali ibn. pp=282-299, pp=310-313, Ibn al-Athir Vol. 3.
28. Al-Dhahabi, Muhammad bin Ahmad. pp=30, Tarikh Ul Islam Vol. 5.
29. Ibn Kathir, Ismail bin Umar. pp=170-207, pp=219-221, pp=223, Al Bidayah Wal Nihayah Vol 8.
30. Al-Suyuti, Jalaluddin. pp=165, Tarikh Ul Khulafa.
31. Maududi, Sayyid Abul Ala. pp=181, Khilafat Wa Mulukiyyat.
32. Al-Dhahabi, Muhammad bin Ahmad. 4:37-38, Siyar A`lâm al-Nubalâ.

Further reading

•  de Goeje, Michael Jan (1911). "Caliphate s.v. The Ommayad Dynasty; Rule of Yazid". In Chisholm, Hugh. Encyclopædia Britannica 5 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. pp. 29–30.

External links

• Works by Yazid I at LibriVox (public domain audiobooks)