Historical Stories For Children
Abd Al-malik Ibn Marwan
After the death of Marwan, his son Abd al-Malik came to power. Before taking over the affairs of government, he was always to be found in the Mosque,praying or reading the Qur'an. He was so devoted in his worship that he became known as the Dove of the Mosque'. As soon as news reached him that he was always to be found in the Mosque,praying or reading the Qur'an.
He was so devoted in his worship that he became known as the 'Dove of the Mosque' .As soon as news reached him that he was to succeed to the caliphate ,however, he closed the Qur'an and said: "Farewell ,from now onwards we are to be separated from each other. Since it is now a question of government of the Muslims, I have no need for th din of Allah (din is the Islamic code for living which Allah
revealed to his Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w.a) or the Qur'an ."Before coming to power, Abd al-Malik would become angry if someone were to kill an ant; but as soon as he took control of the government, he spent his life killing and torturing the Muslims .Indeed no matter how many people he killed ,he could never satisfy his thirst for blood. In this respect ,he was no different from his forefathers. Even when Hajjaj wrote to him informing him that huge members of Muslims and Shi'ahs had been killed, it made no impression on his stony heart.
One day a noble asked him, " O king! I have heard that you even drink wine; is this to be expected of the caliph and ruler of the Muslims?" Abd al-Malik replied, "By God I swear it is true, but wine is nothing compared to the blood which I am fond of drinking ". Such is the way of behaving of those who desire to rule merely by force and oppression ; such people will exterminate anyone once they consider to be an obstacle in their path-even if it means killing their closet friends or members of their
own family .Abd al-Malik thought only about power and by what means he could secure and retain his control over the government ; he never considered the needs of the people or the country as a whole. Abd al-Malik was shameless, tight -fisted and bloodthirsty and all his agents and supporters resembled him.
It was Abd al-Malik who appointed the following men, all famous for their vicious and despicable behaviour to the various post within the Muslims lands:
Hajjaj ,who was the most bloodthirsty criminal of that time. He was ruler over lands stretching over present day Iran and Iraq. His name has become proverbial for ferocity and brutality.
Muhallab, who was the most baseless and shameless governor in the history of the People of khurasan (in eastern Iran).
Hisham, the son of Isma'il, who was the governor of Medina.
Abdullah, who was Abd al-Malik 's own son .He was appointed to serve in the government in Egypt.
Musa ibn Nasir who was the governor of Maghrib (the present day Morocco).
Muhammad, son of Yusuf ath-Thaqafi and brother of Hajjaj who lived in Yemen.
Muhammad ibn Marwan who ruled in the Arabian peninsula.
All these ministers or representatives of Abd al-Malik were corrupt and tyrannical.
Abd al-Mlaik became famous by the name Abu Dhubab (the father of the flies) .It is said that his mouth emitted such a foul stench that flies passing anyway near the face, would perish because of the intensity of the smell. He was also notorious under the name Rashah al-Hajar ,indicating that he was excessively miserly.(It was the same Abd al-Malik who initiated the minting of dirhams and dinars with specifically Islamic designs ; upto that time
Roman coins had been the normal currency.)
Abd al-Malik was perhaps the first so-called Islamic ruler to deliberately try to do away with the divine injunction "command others to do good deeds and forbid them from doing bad deeds" (al amr ibl-ma'ruf wan-nahy anil -munkar).He did not allow trained teachers to teach the people about the din of Islam ;
moreover he did not allow anyone to talk publicity about the reality of this world and the next. Despite this anti-Islamic activity ,he nevertheless decided to change his political position with regard to the family of Prophet (s.a.w.a) ,and the sons of Ali (a.s). With this mind, he wrote to his governor Hajjaj that he should stop harassing the progeny of the Prophet.
The reason for this change was that he had seen with his own eyes how, soon after Abu Sufyan 's family had bloodied their hands in the slaughter of Ali's sons, their government weakened and they lost political power. From this, it is obvious that Abd al-Malik changed his mind about killing the
progeny of the Prophet (s.a.w.a) and the other leaders of the Muslims; not because he feared God, but for fear of losing his position as King. After twenty-one years of dictatorial rule, he died.
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Ubaiydullah, Son Of Ziyad
Ziyad, the father of Ubaydullah is commonly attributed with various fathers as his debauched mother was known to have committed adultery with many men; therefore, he is known by various names such as:
-Ziyad, son of his father; -Ziyad, son of his mother; -Ziyad, son of Ubayd; -Ziyad, son of Sumayyah.
His name has become linked to Mu'awiyah for the same reason; indeed he is also known as the son of Abu Sufyan as it is believed his mother also slept with the latter. We can see from these and other examples that all the men who opposed the Prophet (s.a.w.a) and his Shi'ahs
had immoral parents or grand-parents .Four persons, in particular who became notorious for their opposition to Ali (a.s) and his progeny ,were illegitimate. The four ,noted for their treachery, cunning and evil were Mu'awiyah, Amr ibn al-As, Ziyad and al-Mughirah ibn Shu'bah.
It was Ziyad who had the Shi'ahs of Ali (a.s) and other Muslim leaders captured and put them to death. Before killing them , he would have his victims' arms and legs cut off and would blind them by thrusting a hot iron into their eyes. Ziyad, through hypocritical cunning, managed to worn his way into the Shi'ah ranks and get to know the most important among them. After this despicable treachery, he would order his men to take them prisoners and subject them to torture.
Ziyad was the first to employ bitter aloes (a plant used in small quantities for medicinal purposes) to poison the Shi'ahs of Ali (a.s) and it was he who began the practice of burying his victims alive. It was Ziyad, too, who encouraged
the people to curse and slander Ali (a.s).
Ubaydullah 's mother (Marjanah) was notorious for her immorality.
The War Between Truth and Falsehood
During the early period of Abd al-Malik's rule, the Shi'ahs of kufah rose up in revolt determinated to avenge the bloody death of Husayn ibn Ali (a.s). They chose five of the bravest and most militant from among them as leaders and started out towards Sham (Syria) to try and destroy Ubaydullah ibn Ziyad who was of Abd al-Malik's rivals.
Ubaydullah also went out to meet them at the head of a thirty-thousand strong army of his henchmen and torturers. A fierce battle ensured between the forces of Truth and Falsehood and after terrible slaughter on both sides, the Shi'ahs, unable to withstand the sheer size of the enemy army, were defeated. It was Ubaydullah who planned the killing of Imam Husayn and his supporters. It was not long, however, before Mukhtar
ath -Thaqafi rose up to avenge the death of Imam Husayn (a.s) .He defeated the armies of Ubaydullah and killed large number of the enemy. Ubaydullah ,the brutal tyrant, was put to death at the hands of Mukhtar at-Thaqafi himself,the latter cut off the tyrant's head and brought it before Imam As-Sajjad (a.s) (the fourth Shi'ite Imam), who expressed satisfaction at the death of one of the bitterest enemies of Islam.
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Hajjaj
Hajjaj was the bloodthirsty governor of Iran and Iraq. Unlike the rest of mankind, he refused to take mother's breast after being born. It is said that Shaytan (satan) appeared in human form and said he should be given the blood of animals and insects for four days.
After this, Hajjaj accepted his mother's breast. It was this incident which caused him to become a mean and merciless man; indeed, for as long as he lived, he never once stopped killing people.
For twenty years, he held the position of governor of Iraq and Iran. He was appointed by the merciless tyrant-Kings of the Banu Umayyah family. Hajjaj, like his masters, thirsted after the
blood of his opponents .Hajjaj ,this bestial tyrant was especially eager to kill the followers of Ali (a.s) (peace be upon him) ,and his progeny. His most pleasurable hours were spent torturing to death any of the friends and supporters of Ali who were brought captive before him.
He enjoyed watching his innocent victims being dismembered and slowly bleeding to death before his pitiless. During his rule, treachery ,plundering and killing became so commonplace that one noted scholar has observed: If all the nations of the world were to each select their most despicable and hated criminals , either from modern times or past ages none would be baser , none more savage than Hajjaj.
Hajjaj was the enemy of mankind ,the enemy of all that is fine and noble in man. He was a man who was appointed governor by those who themselves had usurped the caliphate of the Muslims. He was the enemy of
Islam, the Prophet and especially Ali and his supporters.
He was the source of the treachery and bloodshed committed by all the so-called Muslims rulers after him; and although he was, in reality ,the bitterest enemy of the family of the Prophet, he tricked the people of that time by going to the mosques ,giving advice to those present and even praying in congregation and in the Friday (jum'ah) prayers.
His prison consisted of merely four walls -roofless and so, open to the burning sun of summer or the bitter cold of winter. The innocent prisoners, all Muslims ,Shi'ahs and supporters of the struggle to establish Islam as a way of life were confined between these four walls and forced to endure the rigours of the climate!
Even the surrounding rocks and hills trembled at their cries of pain and anguish ; the hearts of Hajjaj and his tortures remained stonily impassive .Whenever the prisoners tried to move out of the burning heat of summer and
seek the shelter of the shade cast by the walls, the merciless guards stones and rocks at them or prevented them from approaching by stabbing at their defenceless bodies with their spears. The prisoners were fed on bread mixed with ashes. After torturing and harassing the prisoners, most of whom were Muslims leading the struggle to establish true Islam, he had them put to death in the most brutal way. At the time of Hajjaj's death there were thirty -three thousand men and women ,sixteen thousands od whom were naked without even a blanket to cover themselves ,still in his prison.
Hajjaj the tyrant-executioner had so many spies within the Muslim community that no one dared to even mention the name of Ali, (a.s) ,or the members of his family.
Like Mu'awiyah ,Yazid and the rest of the Banu Umayyah leaders, he was extremely sensitive to the name of Ali .He reacted in like manner even to the names of the important amongst the Shi'ah community .It was Hajjaj who tortured and killed the dearest and closet
companions of Ali (a.s) ,such as Kumayl , Qanbar (the servant of Ali) and Sa'id to name, but a few of the many hundred victims.
From the very beginning ,the government of Banu Umayyah retained their political power through tyrannical oppression, torture ,killing corruption and plundering ; their blueprint for government was based on the vilest desires and ambitions of man.
As we have seen , the reason why they killed all the courageous Muslims who were fighting in the way of Truth, was the latter's devoted allegiance to Ali, (a.s).Hajjaj ,the governor of Kufah ,Sham (an area roughly corresponding to present -day Syria ,Lebanon and Palestine) and Iraq, like all the Banu Umayyah rulers were enraged at the mere mention of Ali and his family.
Hajjaj despatched his spies and agents after Sa'id and others who were still free to have them captured and brought before him. Sa'id took refuge in the large cities of Iran, fleeing from place to place in an attempt to
throw off his pursuers.
At first, went to Isfahan; later hid in the city of Qum and then moved to the province of Azarbayjan in the north-west of Iran. From there, he went to Iraq and finally sought safety in Makkah (Mecca) .The governor of Makkah ,like Hajjaj was a merciless ,stony -hearted man. As soon as Sa'id and a number of noble Muslims tried to seek refuge in Makkah ,he had them arrested and sent them in chains to the town of Kufah. All the Muslims who were truly devoted to the cause of Islam hurried out to greet Sa'id on his arrival.
The next day Sa'id , his hands and neck bound tight in chains , was brought before the bloodthirsty Hajjaj.
As soon as the enemy of Allah, Hajjaj saw Sa'id ,fear struck his heart; summoning up his courage , he shamelessly began to question Sa'id: What is your name?
Sa'id replied: Sa'id (that is ,the fortunate one).
Hajjaj: No, your name is Shaqiy ( meaning:
the unfortunate).
Sa'id: My mother, who gave me this name, must have known better. Hajjaj: No, the name of both, you and your mother, is Shaqiy. Sa'id: Only the Almighty Allah knows the secrets of the unseen. Hajjaj: I will have you thrown into the fire of hell in this very world. Sa'id: If I thought that you were capable of that, I would call you God. Hajjaj: What are your beliefs concerning Muhammad (s.a.w.a)? Sa'id: Muhammad (s.a.w.a) is the merciful Prophet of Allah. Hajjaj: What kind of man was Ali (a.s)? Is he in Paradise or Gehenna? Sa'id: If I were able to go to Paradise or Gehenna ,I would know who was in Paradise and who was in Gehenna. Hajjaj: What do you know about the three caliphs (Abu Bakr, Umar and Uthman)?
Sa'id: What business do you have with them? Are you their defender or representative? Hajjaj: Who do you love more, Ali (a.s) or the caliphs? Sa'id: I love whomever Allah loves them most, whomever Allah chooses as the more worthy. Hajjaj: Which of the two is most loved by Allah? Sa'id: Only the person who knows the secrets of the heart and that which is normally hidden of man's nature can answer that. Hajjaj: Why do you not speak clearly, why don't you answer my questions in a straight -foreword manner? Sa'id: I do not want to tell you a lie. Hajjaj :Why don't you smile? Sa'id: Why should anyone want to laugh when he knows he has been created from dust and dust is burnt by fire. Hajjaj: Then why do we laugh?
Sa'id: None of you have pure hearts :your hearts are dead and full of darkness. Hajjaj: Oh Sa'id! Know that whatever you say, I will finally kill you. Sa'id: In that case, I will indeed be fortunate ,and the name Sa'id given to me by mother is appropriate. Hajjaj: How would you like me to kill you? Sa'id: Oh unfortunate one! Whichever way you like: your punishment awaits you on the final day.
Hajjaj: Would you like me to forgive you and set you free? Sa'id: If forgiveness is from Allah I desire it, if it is from you, then, no. Hajjaj had an executioner brought before him and gave the order that the victims 's head be cut off-as usual under his pitiless gaze. The executioner bound Sa'id's hands behind his back and cut off his head as if he were a sheep. In his last moments alive, Sa'id said, "Ashhadu an al ilaha illa Allah, Ashhadu anna Muhammad Rasul Allah", ( I witness
that there is no god but Allah, I witness that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah); then he turned to face the sky and said: "O Allah! don't allow Hajjaj any further respite, don't give him the opportunity to kill others".
It was at this very moment that the executioner severed the head from the body of this noble man and so further increased the number of crimes committed by Hajjaj. After this shahadah (a martyr's death in the way of Allah), Hajjaj went into a stranger mood and finally became mad. He only lived fifteen days more and during this period was unable to sleep.
His death was slow and painful. He would lose consciousness for a while only to regain it and see before him form of Sa'id. Such is the fate of the brutal tyrants of the world.
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