ISLAM’S ROYAL FAMILY
by Silas
2 Timothy 3:1 - 5
But mark this:
There will be terrible times in the last days.
People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud,
abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, without love, unforgiving, slanderous,
without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than
lovers of God-- having a form of godliness
but denying its power. Have nothing to do with them. [1]
Sahih Al-Bukhari
4.590
Narrated Ibn
'Abbas:
The Prophet
used to seek Refuge with Allah for Al-Hasan and Al-Husain and say: "Your
forefather (i.e. Abraham) used to seek Refuge with Allah for Ishmael and Isaac
by reciting the following: 'O Allah! I seek Refuge with Your Perfect Words from
every devil and from poisonous pests and from every evil, harmful, envious
eye.' " [2]
Sahih Al-Bukhari 5. 91
Narrated
Muhammad:
Anas bin
Malik said, "The head of Al-Husain was brought to 'Ubaidullah bin Ziyad
and was put in a tray, and then Ibn Ziyad started playing with a stick at the
nose and mouth of Al-Husain's head and saying something about his handsome
features." Anas then said (to him), "Al-Husain resembled the Prophet
more than the others did." …
ABU SUFYAN
DEFEATS MUHAMMAD!
This is part 6 of the examination of the fruit of Islam’s
“Royal Family.” These will be the
final people we examine since their fruit makes the final statement. Additionally, I’ll also note two later
events – events that most Muslims are not even aware. Of course the Royal Family’s lineage continued to sink in sin and
corruption, but upon this last review, the case is made.
In part 5 of this series we examined the conflict between
Ali, Muhammad’s son-in-law, and Mu’awiyah, son of Muhammad’s chief enemy Abu
Sufyan (prior to a coerced conversion).
We saw the feud between Abu Sufyan bloom again in the lives of Ali and
Mu’awiyah. There was war, thousands
killed, and in the end, Ali’s grip on power crumbled. Ali was murdered by fellow Muslims, and Ali’s enemies, including
Muhammad’s beloved child-wife Aisha, gloated.
But the feud was not over. Ali
was survived by a number of family members, including Hasan and Husayn.
We are judging Islam by its fruits and we need to see the
extent of moral failure and spiritual sickness that existed in the hearts and
minds of these early Muslims to see Islam's true failed spirituality. The assumed spirituality of the early
Muslims evaporated quickly after Muhammad died. We’ve seen that in less than one generation, the leaders of Islam
had become despots, murderers, liars, and thieves. They were proud, envious, deceptive, duplicitous, hatful, and
vengeful. They used "Islam"
as a weapon to attack other Muslims who did not see things their way. These "Companions" of Muhammad
were as corrupt as any organized-crime or criminal gang ever in existence. The only difference was that they obeyed
outward forms of religion, i.e. ritualistic prayers and observances. Inwardly they were ravenous wolves.
We close with 3 significant events in Islam's life: Husayn and Yazid, the burning of the Kaba,
and the stealing of the black stone from the Kaba.
Again, I will use Tabari’s History, [3], volume 19 as my
primary reference. Tabari was one of
the most prominent Muslim historians and scholars. I will quote from other sources as noted.
1) Tabari
composed his writings based upon various narratives or stories. Thus one narrative will cover great details
over a long time span, taking up many pages.
The following narrative will cover the same time period and usually
repeats related details. You will see
that my selection of quotations will come from non-sequential page numbers, but
they will relate to the same event chronologically.
2) There are
different English spellings for the same Arabic name, depending upon the source
quoted. Do not be confused by
this.
3) I’ve
endeavored to put all quotations in blue font.
4) I’ve not
quoted entire passages in full because some of the long narratives contain
irrelevant details. I’ve tried to
denote this by the standard three dots
…
KEY PEOPLE
HUSAYN – Husayn was Muhammad’s grandson. His father, Ali, had claimed the Caliphate
following Uthman’s death and essentially lost his struggle with Mu'awiyah. Following Ali’s death Husayn’s older
brother, Hasan, claimed the Caliphate but later recognized Mu'awiyah as
Caliph.
YAZID – Yazid was Mu'awiyah’s son. Before Mu'awiyah died, he moved to instill
his son Yazid as Caliph. Earlier,
Mu'awiyah promised that upon his death, there would be a council to determine
the next Caliph. But he lied and
installed Yazid as Caliph.
ABDALLAH IBN AL-ZUBAYR – Ibn Zubayr was the son of Az-Zubayr, one of
Muhammad’s most prominent Companions.
Following Husayn’s death Ibn Zubayr also claimed the Caliphate. He died during another later civil war, in
692.
HASAN – Hasan attempted to lay hold of the Caliphate but
things went wrong from the get-go. His
men deserted him, an assassination attempt severely wounded him, and finally,
Mu'awiyah bribed him to accept him as Caliph, and promised there would be a
council to determine the next Caliph.
Hasan received a fortune, and spent the remaining years of his life
engaged in the pursuit of women. He was
nick-named something equivalent to “the divorcer” because he had from 60 to 90
wives, and 300 to 400 concubines. He
either died of a sickness or poisoning by one of his wives. He died prior to Mu'awiyah so he never had
another opportunity to claim the Caliphate.
After Mu'awiyah died his son Yazid claimed the
Caliphate. Ali’s son Husayn opposed
Yazid and likewise claimed the Caliphate.
This led to war. At this point
Yazid was very powerful. Ibn Zubayr
refused to pledge allegiance to Yazid, and thus was also seen as a rebel.
Mu'awiyah had died, but prior to his death he began to
make arrangements for his son to assume the power of the Caliphate. Mu'awiyah’s father Abu Sufyan had been a
clever politician and worked to insure that his sons obtained positions of
office. Mu'awiyah was ever his father’s
son, gained power for himself, and now that he was dying, moved to insure that
his son – Yazid, gained the power.
Volume 19 of “The History of
Tabari” focuses exclusively upon the succession of Yazid to the Caliphate, the
opposition he faced, and how he dealt with that opposition. The translator of volume 19, I.K.A. Howard
provides several key details about the transition. He notes,
“According to both Baladhuri and Ibn
A’tham, Muawiyah had agreed, in the treaty he made with al-Hasan b. Ali on the
latter’s abdication, that there should be a consultative council (shura) to
decide the succession after him.” …Therefore al-Husayn (Ali’s son), Ibn al-Zubayr (Zubayr’s
son), and Ibn Umar (Umar’s son), could naturally have expected to have been among the group
who decided on the next Caliph, and almost certainly that group would not have
chosen Yazid. What Yazid was doing –
and his father seems to have tried to do the same toward the end of his life –
was trying to preempt the shura by obtaining these men’s oaths of
allegiance (Pages xi, xii).
Tabari starts off by setting the stage…
Yazid’s only concern, when he assumed power, was to
receive the oath of allegiance form the individuals who had refused to agree
with Muwayiya’s demand for this oath of allegiance to Yazid. Muawiyah had summoned the people to give an
oath of allegiance to him that Yazid would be his heir. Yazid’s concern was to bring their attitude
to an end. Therefore he wrote to
al-Walid (the governor of Medina, where those that opposed Yazid lived), “Seize
Husayn, Abdallah b. Umar, and Abdallah b. al-Zubayr to give the oath of
allegiance. Act so fiercely that they
have no chance to do anything before giving the oath of allegiance.” (Pages 2, 3)
No doubt Yazid was aware of all the trouble Ali and his
family had caused his father and he was not going to put up with that. Yazid moved forcefully to put an end to that
conflict. Yazid’s governor in Medina,
al-Walid, also knew of the trouble his master faced and wanted to deal with it
accordingly. Al-Walid sent for a
prominent advisor named Marwan (Marwan had been the Caliph Uthman’s advisor,
and later Marwan was to become a Caliph).
Marwan gave his counsel to al-Walid…
“I consider that you should send
immediately to this group (the three
that refused to give the oath of allegiance), and
summon them to give the oath of allegiance and enter in to obedience. If they do so, you should accept that from
them and leave them alone. If they
refuse, you should take hold of them and execute them before they lean of the
death of Muawiyah. Indeed, if they
learn of that, each one of them would rise up from a different direction,
proclaim opposition and secession, and summon men to himself. …
(page 3).
After Zubayr and Husayn received their summons they
conferred about it. Husayn suspected
what was up and said,
“I have been wondering.
In my view their despot has perished, and he has sent for us to get the
oath of allegiance from us before news spreads among the people.” (page 4).
Husayn went and met with Yazid’s governor al-Walid and
Marwan and verbal conflict ensued.
Husayn left without giving the oath of allegiance. al-Walid refused to kill Husayn and his
followers. Husayn and Zubayr, with
various family members fled from Yazid and headed to Mecca. On the way they met Abdallah Ibn Umar and
Ibn Abbas and told them the situation.
Abdallah and Abbas decided to give allegiance to Yazid.
However, even within the hearts of these two men, Husayn
and Abdallah Zubayr, the lusts of the flesh for power over others lived…..
“Yet Husayn was the most unwelcome
of God’s creatures in the eyes of Ibn al-Zubayr because he realized that the
people of the Hijaz would not give the oath of allegiance to him and follow him
as long as Husayn was in the town. In
their eyes and hearts, al-Husayn was greater and more capable of commanding the
people’s obedience than he.” (page 23).
Yazid was disappointed in al-Walid and dismissed him as
Medina’s governor. He appointed Amr
Sa’id Ashdaq to be the governor. Amr
Sa’id appointed Amr b. al-Zubayr, brother to Abdallah b. Zubayr, to be in
charge of the police and to confront Abdallah b. Zubayr. Not surprisingly, these brothers were in
conflict. Then Amr seized a group of
people who favored Husayn and Abdallah Zubayr, including Abdallah’s son, and
had them flogged.
Amr Sa’id then sent Amr Zubayr to Mecca to confront his
brother. Marwan told Amr Sa’id to not
fight his brother in Mecca, but Amr Zubayr interrupted and said,
“By God! Let us fight against him, and let us attack him in the heart of
Kaba and let those who hate it, hate it.”
(page 12).
Previously Muhammad forbid fighting in Mecca. But Muhammad’s teachings mattered little
when it came time for power, hatred, and killing.
Amr Zubayr fought his brother near Mecca and was
decisively defeated. Amr was captured
and Abdallah had him severely beaten and imprisoned. Amr died.
Meanwhile the Kufans contacted Husayn and told him that
they would give him, instead of Yazid or any other, the oath of
allegiance. Husayn investigated this
and found…
“they streamed to him (Husayn’s representative) to give
he oath of allegiance. Twelve thousand
of them gave the oath of allegiance to him.”
(page 17).
The Kufans wrote to Husayn and said,
“…Praise be to God Who has
broken your enemy, the obstinate tyrant who had leapt upon his community,
stripped it of its authority, plundered it booty, and seized control of it
without its consent. Then he killed the
choice members of it and preserved the wicked members of this place. He made God’s wealth something that
circulates only among the community’s tyrants and the wealthy. He was destroyed as Thamud was destroyed. Here is no imam over us. Therefore come, so God may unite us in the
truth through you… If we hear that you
will agree to come to us, we will drive him away until we pursue him to Syria,
if God wills…”
Yazid realized that losing Kufa could lead to a greater
conflict. He asked the advice of his
father’s Christian counselor, Sarjun, on how to deal with the problem. The result was that Yazid authorized Ubaydallah
b. Ziyad, (his ill-favored governor of Basra), to have authority over
Kufa. He also instructed Ubaydallah to
murder a man named Muslim b. Aqil, (because Aqil was receiving the oath of
allegiance in Kufa on Husayn’s behalf).
Husayn also contacted the people of Basra. He sent a messenger with letters to the
nobles there and solicited their support.
All of the nobles guarded that secret except one, al-Jarud. Al-Jarud took the messenger and letter to
Ubaydallah. Ubaydallah read the letter
and had the messenger beheaded. He then
spoke to the people of Basra and warned them of a violent end by killing them
and their families and fellow tribesmen if they were to turn against him.
Ubaydallah was shrewd, he went to Kufa, confused many
people regarding his identity, bribed some, threatened others, and began to
carry out his primary objective of undermining and eliminating the support for
Husayn. He ordered the people to write
reports about troublemakers and strangers.
Those that refused to do so would be killed….
“But those of you who do not write anyone will have no
guarantee that there is no opponent in his irafah who will oppose us and no
wrongdoer who will try to wrong us.
Anyone who does not do so will be denied protection, and his blood and
his property will be permitted to us.”
(page 35)
Muslim Aqil got wind as to what was happening and hid out
with a friend named Hani. However, Hani
was betrayed and Ubaydallah found out where Aqil was staying. Ubaydallah, with his men, went to Hani’s
house and demanded he bring Muslim Aqil.
Hani refused, and Ubaydallah reacted….
“Ubaydallah ordered that Hani be brought closer. He was brought nearer, and Ubaydallah struck
him on the forehead and cut it open. ….
Ubaydallah declared that God had made it permissible to take his blood and
ordered him to be imprisoned in a part of the palace. (page 19).
An interesting dialog occurred
between some of Ubaydallah’s men…
Amr b. al-Hajjaj al-Zubaydi retorted, “A zebra that you
lamed would be a stupid one.” Umarah
said, “Shall I tell you of something stupider than all this? A man whose father was an unbeliever was
brought to the Apostle of God. He
ordered him to be executed. The man
pleaded, “Muhammad, who will there be for the children?” He answered, “Hell-fire.” You are one of the children and you will be
in Hell-fire.” Ibn Ziyad laughed. (page 20).
How ironic that the son of a man
murdered by Muhammad would play an important role in killing Muhammad’s
grandchildren. Al-Zubaydi later led
troops that attacked Husayn.
Ubaydallah was worried about revolt
from the Iraqis. He addressed the
people with more threats…..
“O people, hold fast to obedience to God and to your
imams. Do not cause division and
discord, for you will be destroyed, humiliated, killed, harshly treated or
deprived.” (page 47).
Muslim Aqil came with a large force
of men to help Hani, but Ubaydallah out-smarted Aqil, through threatening and
bribing the people, and slowly Aqil’s support evaporated. Later Muslim Aqil was captured. Aqil and Ubaydallah had a debase dialog,
each cursing and accusing the other of every sin in the book. In the end, Aqil died…
(Ubaydallah)
ordered that he (Muslim Aqil) should be taken to the top of the palace and
executed. Then his body was thrown down
to the people. He then ordered Hani to
be dragged to al-Kunasah, and there he was crucified. (page 21).
Following these deaths, Ubaydallah
had other men who refused to give allegiance to Yazid beheaded.
Ubaydallah had the heads of Aqil and
Hani sent to Yazid. Yazid commended
Ubaydallah, and instructed him to look for Husayn in Iraq. (ref. page 64).
FRUIT
OF ISLAM: Murders carried out before actual crimes
have been committed, family member and former friends now attack each other,
Companions of Muhammad now kill each other.
Islam’s fruit had ripened. There
was no discussion concerning who should be in power, there was no vote or voice
of the people, there was no unity.
Rather, there was only the continual Islamic carnal lust for power. It always overrode other Islamic
precepts. Just as in his quest for
power, Muhammad had made up and broken the rules before, so now his followers
murdered each other in the same quest.
All the while they cloaked their fleshly actions with religious garb.
THE DEATH
OF HUSAYN
Early on Husayn had received letters
of Iraqi (Kufa) support and went there, thinking that the support
continued. He did not know that
Ubaydallah had eliminated that support.
As he set out on his journey he encountered people who told him that the
Kufans loved him, but their swords were for Yazid. But being fatalistic, Husayn continued to Kufa. (ref. page 73).
About 19 miles outside of Kufa
Husayn encountered a man who warned him to leave because Muslim Aqil had been
killed and Kufa now supported Yazid.
Husayn still journeyed forward, his bitter end was not distant.
Husayn encountered Ubaydallah’s
cavalry shortly thereafter. Husayn
positioned his men near Karbala, a town on the south bank of the Euphrates
river, just north of Kufa. He had with
him about 45 horsemen and 100 foot soldiers.
Ubaydallah had put Umar Abi Waqqas
and ordered him to move on Husayn. Umar
confronted Husayn and they dialoged.
Husayn presented three options to Umar:
“Choose one of three possibilities: Let me go back to where I came from; let me
go to Yazid; or let me go and join one of the frontier posts.” Umar accepted that, but Ubaydallah wrote to
him: “No, there will be no kindness
until he has submitted to me personally.”
Al-Husayn said, “No, by God!
That will never be.”
Then Umar fought against him. All al-Husayn’s followers were killed, among whom were more than
ten young men from his family. An arrow
came and struck his baby son while he had him in his lap. He began to wipe the blood from him, saying,
“O God! Judge between us and a people who asked us to come so that they
might help us and then killed us.” He
called for a striped cloak, tore it and then put it on. He took out his sword
and fought until he was killed. A man
of the tribe of Madhhij killed him and cut off his head. He took it to Ubaydallah …
(Ubaydallah) sent him to Yazid b. Mu’awiyah and with him he sent
the head. He put his head in front of
him. With him was Abu Barzah
al-Azlami. Yazid began to poke the
mouth with a cane, as he recited:
“Swords split the skulls of men who are dear
to us, but they were more disobedient and
oppressive.”
Abu Barzah cried out to him. “Take your cane away. By
God! How often have I seen the Apostle
of God kiss that mouth!” (pages 75,
76).
During the course of the battle a
number of interesting dialogs took place.
They are recorded in various narratives. I cannot list them all but I can list some that portray Islam’s
degradation up to this point.
“I am al-Jamali.
I believe in the religion of Ali.”
A man called Muzahim b. Hurayth came against him, crying, “I follow the
religion of Uthman.” Nafi replied,
“Rather you follow the religion of Satan.”
Then he attacked and killed him.
(pages 136, 137).
From the quote above we see how the
Muslims had divided their faith into sects that followed one leader or another.
Even Husayn’s womenfolk were not
impervious to the violence….
The wife of Abdallah b. Umayr al-Kalbi went out to her
husband. She sat by his head rubbing it
with earth, saying, “May you enjoy heaven.”
Shamir b. Dhi al-Jawsha said to a servant called Rustam, “Beat her head
with a tent pole.” He struck her head
and smashed it. She died where she
was. (page 141).
The details of Husayn’s actual death
are fairly gruesome.
Al Husayn remained there for a long time during that
day. Whenever one of the people came
against him, he would turn aside from him and was unwilling to be responsible
for his death and such a dreadful sin.
A man from the Banu Badda of Kindah called Malik b. al-Nusayr came
against him and struck him on the head with his sword. Al-Husayn was wearing a hooded cloak. He sword cut through the hood of the cloak
and wounded his head. The cloak became
covered with blood. (page 153).
When al-Husayn sat down, he was brought his young
child. He sat the babe on his knee. …
“Al-Husayn was brought his young child; he was on his knee. Then one of you, Banu Asad, shot an arrow
that slaughtered the child. Al-Husayn
caught the blood in his hand. When the
palm of his hand was full, he poured the blood onto the ground and said, “O
Lord, if it be that You have kept the help of heaven from us, then let it be
because Your purpose is better than immediate help. Take vengeance for us on these oppressors.” (page 154).
When Husayn’s camp was overrun, he rode toward the dam,
trying to reach the Euphrates. One of
the Banu Aban b. Darim shouted, “Woe upon you!
Prevent him from getting to the water.
Don’t let his Shiah get to him.”
He whipped his horse, and the people followed him so that they prevented
al-Husayn from getting to the Euphrates.
Then al-Husayn cried out, “O God!
Make him thirsty!” The Albani
took out and arrow and lodged it in al-Husayn’s throat. Al-Husayn pulled out the arrow and held out
the palms of his hands. Both were
filled with blood. Then al-Husayn said,
“O God! I complain to you about what is
being done to the son of the daughter of your Prophet.” (page 157).
There was a long delay through the day. If the people had wanted to kill him, they
could have done so but each of them was averting the action; each hoped the
other would kill al-Husayn. Each of
them preferred that the others should do the deed. Then Shamir shouted among the people, “Shame on you! Why are you waiting for the man? Kill him, may your mothers be deprived of you!:” So an attack was launched against him on
every side. A blow was struck against
his left hand by Zur’ah b. Sharik al-Tamimi.
It hit him on his shoulder. They
withdrew while he was falling and stumbling.
As he was in the plight, Sinan b. Anas b. Amr al-Nakha’I attacked him
and stabbed him with his spear. He
fell. Sinan told Khawali b. Yazid
al-Asbahi to cut off his head. The latter
wanted to do so but he was weak; he trembled.
Sinan b. Anas said to him, “May God crush your arms and take away your
hands.” He bent down, killed him and
cut his head off. It was, then, handed
to Khawali b. Yazid.
Before that al-Husayn had been struck by many swords….
When al-Husayn was killed, there were thirty three stab
wounds and thirty four blows. …
The body of al-Husayn was plundered as it was. Bahr b. Ka’b took his trousers. Qays b. al-Ashath took his cloak. It was silken, and he was afterward called
Qays of the cloak. One of the Banu Awd
called al-Aswad took his sandals, and one of the Banu Nahshal b. Darim took his
sword. Later it came into the
possession of the family of Habib b. Budayl.
The people turned to the turmeric [that Husayn had earlier stolen from
a passing caravan], the garments and the
camels; they plundered them. The people
turned to the womenfolk of al-Husayn, his baggage, and equipment. The women had their clothes ripped off their
backs, they were forcibly deprived of them and they were taken away from them. (pages 160, 161).
The series of following events also
depict how depraved and brutal the Muslims were, even toward Muhammad’s
progeny.
Then Umar b. Sa’d called out among his followers, “Who
will volunteer to go to al-Husayn and make his horse trample on al-Husayn’s
body? Ten volunteered. … They trampled on the body of al-Husayn
with their horses until they had crushed his back and his chest. (page 163).
Among the things that I will never forget: I will never forget the words of Zaynab, the
daughter of Fatimah, as she passed the prostrate body of her brother, al-Husayn. She was saying, “O Muhammad! O Muhammad!
May the angels of heaven bless you.
Here is Husayn in the open, stained with blood and with limbs torn
off. O Muhammad! Your daughters are prisoners, your progeny
are killed, and the east wind blows dust over them.” By God! She made every
enemy and friend weep. (page 164).
… There was the head of al-Husayn placed in front of him (Ubaydallah). There
he was, poking between its teeth with a cane.
When Zayd b. Arqam saw that he continued to poke the head with his cane,
he said, “Raise that cane from those teeth, for by God other than Whom there is
no god, I have seen the lips of the Apostle of God kill those lips.” Then the old man began to weep. Ibn Ziyad (Ubaydallah)
said, “May God make your eyes weep, for by God, if it were not for the fact
that you are an old man, who has become silly and your mind has left you, I
would cut off your head. (page 165).
Ubaydallah said to her (Zaynab – Muhammad’s granddaughter), “Praise be to God, Who has disgraced you, killed you and
revealed the false nature of your claims.”
Zaynab replied, “Praise be to God, Who has favored us with Muhammad and
has purified us completely from sin. It
is not as you say, for He only disgraces the great sinner and reveals the false
nature of the profligate.” He asked,
“How do you consider God has treated your family?” She replied, “God decreed death for them, and they went forward
to their resting places. (pages 165,
166).
When Ubaydallah had entered the palace, and the people
had entered, the call “the prayer is general” was made and the people gathered
in the great mosque. Ibn Ziyad ascended
the pulpit. He said, “Praise be to God,
Who has revealed the truth and the followers of truth. He has given victory to the Commander of the
faithful, Yazid b. Mu’awiyah, and his party.
He has killed the liar who is the son of a liar, al-Husayn b. Ali, and
his Shiah.” (page 167).
Later, Ubaydallah sent Husayn’s head to Yazid. More important anecdotes need to be mentioned.
In Yazid’s hand there was a cane and
he was poking it into al-Husayn’s mouth. … Then he said, “
“Swords split the skulls of men who are dear
to us, but they were more disobedient and
oppressive.”
One of the Companions of the Apostle of God called Abu
Barzah al-Aslami, cried out, “Are you poking the mouth of al-Husayn with your
cane? Take your cane away from his
mouth. How often have I seen the
Apostle of God kiss it! As for you,
Yazid, you will com forward on he Day of Resurrection, and Ibn Ziyad will be
your advocate. But this man will come
forward on the Day of Resurrection, and Muhammad will be his advocate.” (page 176).
Ibn Zubayr also wanted to be Caliph. However, he knew he was behind Husayn in
terms of prestige. He was glad to see
Husayn go to Kufah, and he probably was happy to see him killed. That opened the door for him to claim the
Caliphate, opposing Yazid. After word
got out that Husayn was killed, Ibn Zubayr made his move. He gave a public
speech in Mecca, denouncing Husayn’s killing and Yazid. Zubayr’s friends and supporters urged him to
claim the Caliphate.
Ibn al-Zubayr’s companions rose to him and declared,
“Man, make public your acceptance of the oath of allegiance to you, for no one
remains now that Husayn is dead who can dispute this affair with you.” The people had been giving the oath of
allegiance to him secretly, while he was saying publicly that he was seeking
refuge at the Sacred Mosque. He told
them not to be too hasty….. Ibn al-Zubayr became more powerful in Meccan and
the people of Medina wrote to him. The
people said that since al-Husayn had been destroyed, there was no one who could
dispute with ibn al-Zubayr. (pages 190,
191).
Over time, Zubayr’s position became stronger, and his
smoldering rebellion grew in strength.
Finally the rebellion brought forth flames. Yazid realized that he had another rebellion on his hands, and
moved to crush it….
“Yazid wrote to Ibn Marjanah, “Attack Ibn
al-Zubayr.” (page 204).
Yazid sent his army against Zubayr. The old veteran general Muslim b. Uqbah was
in command, with Husayn b. Numayr al-Sakuni as his second in command. Yazid ordered them to give the rebels in
Medina 3 days do agree with the demands.
After that they are to fight them.
Husayn’s son, Ali, was to be left alone and unharmed.
Uqbah arrived at Medina and announced to the people those
stipulations…..
When the three days had passed, he said, “What are you
going to do? Are you going to make
peace or are you going to fight?” “No,
we will fight.” He pleaded with them,
“Don’t do this. Rather enter into
obedience, and we will use our vehemence and our weapons against this man (Zubayr, in Mecca), who deviates from the truth, to whom heretics and
libertines have gathered from every side.
(page 208).
The Medinans fought with Uqbah’s troops. This was called “The Battle of
al-Harrah.” They put up a good fight
but eventually were defeated. Uqbah
allowed Medina to be sacked for 3 days.
Some reports detail that many Medinans were massacred. How ironic that the city that Muhammad
used as his base to plunder, rape, terrorize, and destroy other peoples was now
being plundered, its women raped, and town destroyed by his followers! Muhammad’s mosque was turned into a stable,
public buildings, including schools, were destroyed. There were still a few of Muhammad’s Companions living at that
time, and they were filled with fear and some fled. Just as they had terrorized and murdered others, now they were
terrorized and murdered! The “The
History of Islam”, by R. Payne, [4], notes that after this sacking, Medina,
which had been the capital of the Islamic empire, became little more than a
wilderness, (page 127).
Uqbah had some of the rebels beheaded. Even Uthman’s (the third righteous-guided
Caliph) son, Amr was tortured by Uqbah, but not killed.
After the 3 days of pillaging Medina, Uqbah led Yazid’s
troops against Mecca. Remember,
Muhammad ordered strictly that no fighting was to take place in Mecca. Only Muhammad was allowed by God to fight in
Mecca for a few hours so that he could have killed some slave women who had
previously mocked him, a man who realized the Quran was a sham, and a few
others who rejected Islam. But just a
few years after Muhammad’s order prohibiting fighting, the Supreme Ruler of the
Muslims was about to break that command, and fight in Mecca.
Just as they arrived outside of Mecca, Uqbah died. He had been sick for some time, and was in
great pain during the battle of Harrah.
Now death introduced itself to him.
Before he died, he al-Sakuni to him and gave him command of the
troops. Some of his final words, in a
prayer to Allah were,
“O God! After
testifying that there is no god by God and that Muhammad is His servant and
Apostle, I have never done anything that I like better than my killing of the
people of Medina or anything that I hope to be of such advantage to me in the
Hereafter.” (page 222).
Yazid’s troops fought with Zubayr’s and defeated
them. However, Zubayr withdrew and the
Syrians did not pursue. Instead of
another frontal confrontation, the Syrians laid siege to Mecca. They used catapults against the city…
… they hurled stones and wood at the Sacred House (the Kaba), with ballistae and they set it on fire. (page 223).
They were causing fires to be lit
around the Kabah. There was a spark,
which the wind blew; it set fire to the veil of the Kabah and burned the wood
of the Sacred House…. (page 224).
Payne notes,
During the bombardment the Kaaba was burned to the
ground, and the Black Stone split into three pieces. The Kaaba resembled “the torn bosoms of mourning women,” says
Tabari, meaning perhaps that the ruins were thick with the blood of the Meccans
who had pitched their tents around it in the hope of being able to defend
it. Abdallah wrapped the three pieces
of the Black Stone in brocade and kept it in his house. (page 127).
There are conflicting stories as to how the Kabah caught
on fire. The point is that it was due
to the fighting in Mecca that Allah’s house was burned and the revered Black
Stone, reputed to have been sent by Allah to earth as a white stone, but turned
black by the sins of men, had been broken.
And, during this time another significant event occurred…
He (Sakuni) besieged Ibn al-Zubayr for sixty days until news of
the death of Yazid b. Mu’awiyah reached him at the beginning of Rabi al-Akhir
(the end of November). In this year
(64/683) the Kabah was set on fire. …. He was 38 (or 39) years of
age. (pages 224 and 225).
What an odd turn of events. Muslim leaders were busy fighting and killing each other and then
the victors began to die as well!
Zubayr had escaped death for the time being.
Also, I find it strange that supposedly Allah who
prohibited other people from sacking his house (The Battle of the Elephants),
now allowed it to be burned and damaged.
And, this was to happen again.
Ibn Zubayr had gained respite. Yazid’s son succeeded his father, but the son died of the plague
two months later. The people of
Damascus turned to another branch of the Umayad family for a new Caliph. Those chose Marwan ibn-Hakam, who was
Uthman’s right hand man. However, he
died 9 months later. Payne notes:
In a single year three Caliphs had died, and all of them
brought ruin on their empire. (page
127).
Marwan’s son, Abd al-Malik succeeded his father. Malik was a despot’s despot. His reputation for harsh brutality rivaled
any 20th century dictator.
Malik moved against his many enemies and crushed them. This included Ibn Zubayr. Ibn Zubayr was killed by the Syrian army
while defending Mecca in 73 AH.
This event does not qualify as fruit of Islam’s Royal
Family. However, because of its
outrageousness, I believe that all people, interested in Islam, need to know
this. I put this material here to
likewise show Islam’s further depravity.
Around 930 AD, the Islamic empire was vast but it was
beset by many internal problems.
Serious problems such as revolts.
One successful revolt was led by a man named Hamdan Qarmat. He was an Iraqi peasant. He led an uprising that gained incredible
momentum and power. Eventually they defeated
the other Muslims that opposed them and they moved on Mecca.
Payne notes,
On January 12, 930, they occupied Mecca itself, after a
rapid march across the uplands of Najd.
The swords of the Qarmatians struck mercilessly at the unresisting
crowds of Meccans who thronged the narrow streets, and the slaughter did not
cease until 30,000 corpses were littered over the sacred city. The holy well of Zamzam was choked with the
bodies of the dead. They removed the
“kiswa”, the cloth covering the Kaaba, and smashed the Black Stone, removing the
pieces to their capital at al-Ahsa. The
terrified Abbasids (the other ruling Muslims), were powerless to prevent the
Qarmatians from destroying whatever they desired to destroy. (page 187).
The black stone was later returned to the Kaaba.
The point to all of this is that Islam is a depraved
religion. History records that its
followers used it to gain power. Here
Muslims themselves damaged and destroyed objects that are highly
venerated. Here Muslims broke
Muhammad’s commands that no fighting be allowed in Mecca. Rather they murdered 30,000 Meccan Muslims
in one day!
These last examined members of Islam’s Royal Family
exhibit all the sinfulness and carnality of their forefathers. Mu'awiyah lying to Hasan, and others, about
the transition of power after his death, Hasan giving up his quest for power
via a bribe and living the rest of his life in debauchery, Husayn sacrificing
his life, his family member’s lives, and follower’s lives, all for the pursuit
of power, and Ibn Zubayr, biding his time, hoping for Husayn’s death, and then
attempting the same power grab. These
sins are all found in the Bible’s description:
“the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life.”
There were many brutal events that I did not detail. And, as time goes on, Islam become
darker. Wherever Islam went, rivers of blood
followed.
What amazed me at reading this was that how effortlessly
Muslims killed Muhammad’s family, destroyed Medina, and killed Muhammad’s
companions. They lied, stole, deceived
each other, and killed each other.
There was no real spiritual aim to all of this. All of these men only cared about
power. Yes, they obeyed the external
forms of Islam, but Jesus addressed similar people:
MT 23:27 "Woe to
you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You are like
whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside but on the inside are
full of dead men's bones and everything unclean. 28 In the same way, on the outside you
appear to people as righteous but on the inside you are full of hypocrisy and
wickedness.
These corrupt Muslims may have looked good on the
outside, but inwardly they were spiritually dead.
These Muslims were so embittered, so calloused, so filled
with hate, that they even moved to destroy the “House of God”, i.e. the Kaba in
Mecca. No longer did Muhammad’s
teachings matter. What mattered was
that Muslims were going to kill other Muslims who challenged their claim to
power. To this day, that, not the
Quran, not Muhammad, but that surge of violence against any challenge to their
power, is Islam’s true legacy.
Doesn’t it trouble you that these early Muslims, many of
whom knew Muhammad to one degree or another, spilt each other’s blood so
easily? Doesn’t it challenge your faith
to know that Muslims damaged / destroyed the Kaba – even broke then later stole
the Black Stone, in early Islamic history?
Can’t you see that there is something seriously wrong with Islam when
the earliest of followers so quickly became murderers and despots? Where were the teachings of the Quran? Where were Muhammad’s injunctions? Why were they so easily cast aside?
This prayer is written for
anyone. This includes Muslims who are
seeking the truth and who want to know God in a personal way.
“Lord Jesus, I believe in You. I believe that You are the Son of God and the Lord. I believe that You died for my sins and were
raised from the dead. I confess that I
am a sinner and I ask You to come into my heart, cleanse me from my sins, and
forgive me for my sins. I turn to
follow and obey You – I put my faith in you.
I now receive You as Messiah and Lord and totally commit my life to
You.”
Amen.
1) al-Tabari, "The History of al-Tabari", (Ta'rikh
al-rusul wa'l-muluk), State University of New York Press 1993
2) Bukhari, Muhammad, “Sahih Bukhari”, Kitab Bhavan, New Delhi,
India, 1987, translated by M. Khan
3) The Bible, New International Version, pub. by Zondervan,
Grand Rapids, Michigan
4) Payne, Robert, “The History of Islam”, Dorset Press, New
York, 1990
Articles by Silas
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