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Parents of Yazid
Source: Understanding Karbala, By: Allamah Sayyid Saeed Akhtar Rizvi
Abu Sufyan
After writing briefly on the other branches of the family tree of Banu Umayyah I begin with the family of Yazid himself. Abu Sufyan, father of Muawiyah and grandfather of Yazid was the deadliest foe of Islam. In the Battle of Badr, as we have stated above, the father-in-law and brothers-in-law of Abu Sufyan were put to death. In addition to this, Abu Sufyan’s son, Hanzala was also killed at the hands of Amir al-Mu’minin (a.s). Thus it is mentioned in Rauzatus Safa that Amir al-Mu’minin (a.s) hit Hanzala with such a strike that Hanzala’s eyes popped out. Another son of Abu Sufyan, Amr bin Abu Sufyan was also arrested by Amir al-Mu’minin (a.s), and at the time of distribution of war booty he fell in the share of the Messenger of Allah (s.a.w). Abu Jahl was also killed in the Battle of Badr. And now the leadership of the polytheists of Quraish fell on Abu Sufyan. He swore that until he does not avenge those killed in the Battle of Badr, he would refrain from sex and from oiling his hair. After the Battle of Badr and until the Treaty of Hudaibiyah a period of four whole years passed. During this period he fought altogether five battles against the Messenger of Allah (s.a.w): (1) Battle of Sawiq (2) Battle of Uhad (3) Humartul Asad (4) Second Battle of Badr and (5) Battle of Khandaq (Ditch). Of these, the Battles of Uhad and Khandaq were very significant. In the last battle, Abu Sufyan even made a pact with the Jews to confront the Prophet jointly and in addition to Quraish, Bani Nuzayr, Bani Ghaftan, Bani Qais many other tribes came to his side. After the Treaty of Hudaibiyah, direct confrontation came to an end. Again in 8 A.H. he broke the terms of the truce and at last the Messenger of Allah (s.a.w) was compelled to undertake the conquest of Mecca. Abu Sufyan and all other polytheists were so much awed that without any bloodshed the Holy Prophet (s.a.w) and his army entered victorious in Mecca only by the help of God and Mecca was conquered. At that time, Abu Sufyan and others had to helplessly obey Islam. He is included among ‘Moallifatul Quloob’. That is he is of those whom the Holy Prophet (s.a.w) used to pay now and then from the war booty so that they may not oppose Islam in greed of the money they were getting.
After the passing away of the Messenger of Allah (s.a.w), when instead of His Eminence, ‘Ali (a.s), Abu Bakr became the caliph, Abu Sufyan with the intention of destroying the Muslims, tried to instigate Amir al-Mu’minin (a.s) to fight against Abu Bakr. His Eminence, Amir al-Mu’minin (a.s) understood his plans and he said to him, “You were an enemy of Islam while being a disbeliever and still wish bad for Islam.” After this Abu Sufyan went to Abu Bakr and threatened that he would put his rulership to disintegration, and the caliph, in order to win him to his side, offered the governorship of Syria to him. He said that since he was aged, the position may be entrusted to his son, Yazid. Thus Yazid bin Abu Sufyan became the governor of Syria. When he died, Muawiyah, another son of Abu Sufyan took his place. In this way two birds were killed with one stone. Abu Sufyan’s opposition was neutralized and a force came into being against the Banu Hashim.
When Uthman became the caliph, Abu Sufyan told him, “O Banu Umayyah! I don’t think that the affair (prophethood) is anything but rulership. Now that you have become its masters, you turn it around like a ball and play with it.” This statement informs us about the actual faith of this man. The surprising fact is that Uthman did not even correct him. I don’t know if the saying: “Silence is like complicity” is applicable here.
Thus, from the early age until the end, Abu Sufyan remained an apostate and the Messenger of Allah (s.a.w) had cursed him and his progeny. Thus Imam Razi has written that Imam Hasan (a.s) delivered a sermon in the presence of Muawiyah and said: “O Muawiyah, one day you were herding your father’s camel and your brother was pulling at it. (This episode is after Abu Sufyan lost his eyesight). The Messenger of Allah (s.a.w) cursed the camel, its rider and one who was pulling it and one who was herding it. And your father was riding it, your brother was pulling it and you were herding it (from behind).” Allamah Sibte Ibn Jauzi has written in Tadkeratul Khawaas that Imam Hasan (a.s) said: “This episode of cursing is of the Battle of Khandaq.” Anyway, whatever its occasion may be, it is proved that Abu Sufyan was cursed by the Messenger of Allah (s.a.w) himself.
Hind–The Liver Eater
Her father, Utbah, uncle, Shayba, brother, Walid and son, Hanzala were all killed in the Battle of Badr. And it was a coincidence that all of them were killed at the hands of Banu Hashim. The fire of revenge was raging in her heart. When preparations began for the Battle of Uhad, Hind insisted that women should also be taken along. Thus along with other people, Abu Sufyan also took his wives, Hind and Binte Saad. Hind became the leader of the ladies group. At every halt the ladies used to sing about memory of those slain in Badr. When the battle started, Hind and other women, began to play tambourine and sing the famous song whose opening lines were: We are the daughters of Tariq.33
We walk upon the plush floorings.
They began to encourage the people to fight fiercely. She told Wahshi the slave of Jubair bin Motam that he would be rewarded very much if he could succeed in killing the Messenger of Allah (s.a.w), His Eminence, ‘Ali (a.s) or His Eminence, Hamzah. When Wahshi came to the battlefield, he saw that it was impossible to reach the Messenger of Allah (s.a.w) and His Eminence, ‘Ali (a.s) was very alert in fighting, but His Eminence, Hamzah was fighting with such passion that now and then he became oblivious of the surroundings. So Wahshi began to pursue him and when he killed Sabbagh bin Abdul Izzi, Wahshi hid in an ambush and threw his attack towards Hamzah. It cut through the navel and came out breaking the back. In this condition also, His Eminence, Hamzah tried to pursue him but he fell down and reached the mercy of Allah. Wahshi slit open the belly of His Eminence, Hamzah, took out his liver, came to Hind and said, “This is the liver of your father’s killer.” Hind put the liver in her mouth and began to chew it. The Almighty Allah disliked that the liver of the Chief of the Martyrs, His Eminence, Hamzah should become a part of the body of an inmate of Hell. Therefore the liver became stone hard and came out of her mouth. From that time Hind began to be called, “The liver-eater.” Whatever dresses and jewellery Hind had, she gave it all in reward to Wahshi and also promised that on return to Mecca she would further give him ten Dinars. Then she expressed the desire to visit the site of Hamzah’s martyrdom. When she reached there, she mutilated the body of this holy martyr and she cut off his ears, nose and private parts and took them to Mecca.
On the day of the conquest of Mecca when Abu Sufyan saw the might of the Prophet’s army, and he came running to his people, to persuade the infidels not to fight the Prophet, Hind pulled at his beard and said, “O progeny of victors, kill this aged fool so that he may not talk of such things.”
At last when the Meccans helplessly and detesting it, accepted Islam and the points on which the Holy Prophet (s.a.w) took the allegiance of Hind, one of them was that she would not commit fornication. Maybe some people would feel it a strange promise. However, the Messenger of Allah (s.a.w) was compelled to take this type of undertaking because like Abu Sufyan, Hind was also notorious for her wanton deeds that she committed openly. She was specially attracted to black men and whenever she gave birth to a black child she used to kill it. Allamah Sibte Ibn Jauzi’s words in Tadkeratul Khawaasul Ummah are worthy of mention: “Asmai and Hisham bin Muhammad Kalbi have written in Mathaleeb and from that writing I understood this statement of Imam Hasan (a.s) that: ‘O Muawiyah! You well know of the bed on which you were born.’ Asmai and Kalbi say that Muawiyah was born of the seeds of four men of Quraish: (1) Ammar bin Walid bin Mughaira (2) Musafir bin Abi Amr (3) Abu Sufyan and (4) Abbas bin Abdul Muttalib. They were friends of Abu Sufyan and each of them had relations with Hind. Ammar was the most handsome man of Quraish. Regarding Musafir bin Amr, Kalbi says that Muawiyah was most likely his son because Musafir was highly infatuated with Hind. When Hind conceived Muawiyah, Musafir feared that the secret would be revealed that it was by his seed. So he fled to the king of Hira, Hind bin Amr and settled there. It so happened that Abu Sufyan arrived in Hira on some business and met Musafir. At that time Musafir was lying sick in the love and separation of Hind. Musafir asked about the well-being of the Meccan folks and Abu Sufyan informed him accordingly. People say that Abu Sufyan married Hind when Musafir left Mecca (Hence before that, Abu Sufyan also had illicit relations with Hind). So Abu Sufyan informed Musafir also about his marriage to Hind after he (Musafir) had left Mecca. On hearing this, the illness of Musafir became more serious and he began to waste away until he finally died in the love of Hind.”
The Allamah has also said that Hind was among the most lustful women and she was highly attracted towards black men. Whenever she gave birth to a black child, she used to kill it.
The lustful behavior of Hind was so famous that when Hassaan bin Thabit composed a panegyric in praise of the Messenger of Allah (s.a.w), he included therein some couplets openly describing the deeds of Hind. The Messenger of Allah (s.a.w) also did not say anything against it, thus permitting the denouncement of these foes of Islam. Hassaan says: “May Allah curse Hind and her husband Abu Sufyan. Hind, whose clitoris is very long.
Her back and front have become injured, Because they are again and again receiving hits.
O Hind, have you forgotten your unlawful deeds that you have done?
O Hind, The curse of the world be on you.
The women think that children born to Hind, Have all come through fornication.”
Muawiyah
He was considered an expert in un-Islamic politics and this cunning and deception was only due to the fact that he was a child of sin as proved by statements of Ahl al-Sunnah scholars.
Thus the Sunni writer Qutubuddin Shirazi writes in his book, Nazihatul Quloob that is quoted in Ahqaqul Haqq as follows: “Allamah Qutubuddin Shirazi has said that the child born through adultery is more ‘brilliant’ because man commits adultery with great joy and delight, on the basis of which the child becomes perfect, while in sex with wife, the man has to observe artificiality. And that is the reason that Amr bin Aas and Muawiyah were the most cunning men. After saying this he has given details of their genealogy. Then he says that among those born by the grace of adultery was Ziyad bin Abih regarding whom the poet says: “O man, convey this message to Muawiyah. That: ‘Are you angry if someone says that your father was chaste and pious? And you are pleased if someone says that your father was a fornicator?’”34
The evil traits and defects of Muawiyah are so numerous that if it is not possible to discuss all of them in this brief chapter. However, since the antics of his ancestors were not so well known I discussed them in some detail. But as for the handiworks of Muawiyah, they are common knowledge therefore I feel there is not much need to describe them here. Before accepting Islam he was the right hand of Abu Sufyan in every battle against Muslims and was always trying ways to finish the Prophet. When he accepted Islam he continued to be included among doubtful characters. On the day of the Conquest of Mecca the lives of the polytheists were spared by the Prophet’s words that, “Go, I have freed you.” According them freedom means that at that time they all had become his slaves, but the benevolence of the Prophet emancipated them. When his elder brother, Yazid, who was appointed the governor of Syria, died, he succeeded to the seat of governorship. There he indulged in such luxury and opulence that it even exceeded Choesroes and Caesars. Thus Umar used to call him the Caesar of Arabs. It is mentioned in Tarikh Rauzatus Safa, Pg. 34, that he was the first in Islam to construct a prison. He was the first to take allegiance for his son. He was the first one to make a hollow in the wall of Masjid for the prayer leader. He was the first to employ eunuchs in his service. In his final age he developed such a huge belly that he used to deliver the sermon in the sitting position in prayers. He was the first to make a stranger his blood relative. That is, he made Ziyad bin Abih as his brother. He took up arms against Amir al-Mu’minin, His Eminence, ‘Ali (a.s). He fought 19 battles with him and in this took the burden of the death of thousands of people on his neck. He instigated Judah binte Ashath to poison Imam Hasan (a.s). He had Abdur Rahman bin Khalid bin Walid poisoned. He had Muhammad bin Abi Bakr put in a skin of a donkey and had him burnt alive. In addition to these, there are numerous other misdeeds of Muawiyah mentioned in Rauzatus Safa, but it is not possible to narrate all of them here. The Messenger of Allah (s.a.w) cursed him that may his belly never fills. Thus he used to get tired of eating but his appetite was never satiated and he used to remain hungry. He had Ammar Ibn Yasir killed and thus fulfilled the prophecy of the Messenger of Allah (s.a.w) that a rebellious group shall kill Ammar. He had Malik Ibn Ashtar poisoned. He had Hujr bin Adi and Amr bin Hamaq Khuzai and his companions killed. He promoted wine drinking. He permitted sensuality. Thus what all traits could be described? His greatest ‘achievement’ was that he hoisted Yazid as the ruler of Muslims and started dynastic rule in Islam.
Yazid
Yazid was the son of Muawiyah. Yazid naturally became such because he was born and bred in a family in which not a single person could be said to have any positive quality. On top of this, like Muawiyah he was also a child of adultery and as per the statement of the Messenger of Allah (s.a.w) such people shall indeed be enemies of the saints of Allah. The account of the mother of Yazid is given in Nasikhut Tawarikh,35 on the authority of other books of history: “The mother of Yazid was Maysun. She was the daughter of Bajdal bin Ainaf Kalabi. They all were Bedouins. Muawiyah married her. It was the second marriage for Maysun. But just before this marriage she had slept with Saffah, a slave of her father and from whom she had become pregnant with Yazid. After coming to Damascus, the secret remained a secret because until that time the pregnancy had not become apparent. Muawiyah thought that it was his own child and he named him Yazid.
Maysun, as we have stated, was a Bedouin woman and she was in love with Saffah. She began to find the luxury of Damascus suffocating. One day she was reciting the following couplets in her room, when Muawiyah overheard her: “I prefer thick woolen garments to delicate fabrics as they please me more.
And I like a house of wild winds blowing than a high palace.
I am more pleased with the sound of wind in caves and doors than sounds of tambourine and musical instruments.
And a line of supple camels that could pursue an ostrich is better for me than swift ponies.
The flesh of porpoise and rabbit is my staple diet and more delicious to me than bread.
And any of my cousins of noble birth is better than this nasty infidel.”
As soon as Muawiyah heard this bitter satire, he divorced her and packed her off back to her tribe. Yazid visited his mother frequently and stayed with her. Her people were all Christians. The life of desert, company of infidels, family impurity and natural illegitimacy were all those things that came together to be seen in the nature of Yazid.
Notes:
33. An ancestor of these people
34. Quoted from Istisqaatul Afhaam, Vol. 2, Pg. 853
35. Vol. 6, Pg. 153-154
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