Imam Al-sadiq

Banu Al- ‘abas (the Abasids)

The oppression of the Omayyads included all men. It was not confined to the righteous nor to the family of the Chosen Prophet, may Allah bless him and his family. Finally the people of evil hated them as the people of good did. Namely, one group wept for its religion and the other wept for its life in this world. Generally speaking, people sought escape to get rid of their oppression and rule.

The Omayyads threatened all the country of Islam with the people of Sham (Syria) because they were their obedient soldiers who did not deviate from their QpiIliOn and did not disobey their orders. With the Omayyads and the people of Sham, Mu’ffwyya was able to domiEgypt, Iraq, and aI- Hijaz though al- Hijflz and Iraq had men of opinion and bravery, whose division was an ampilion for the people of Sham, who wanted to add them to their side. Bin Zyyad moved the people of Kufa against the grandson of the Prophet, may Allah bless him and his family, with the people of Sham by giving money. Abd Al- Malik took Iraq and al- Hijaz from aI- Zubair with those soldiers, too. Generally speaking, the people of Sham thought that the Omayyads were worthy of the Caliphate and obedience while they were dominating the vast country.

When the Omayyads divided and began fighting each other, the people of Sham divided, too. Their word disunited according to the disunity of the world of their leader, who misled them and went astray through them.

When the world of the Omayyads divided, some people were ambitious to take their supreme authority and country, but no one was able to declare his ambitions because Sham filled their hearts with terror.

In the meantime, men still remembered their cruelty, their oppression, and their soldiers. Men did not forget the Battle of Karbala, at which the Omayyads showed various kinds of cruelty, and the Battle of al- Hurra, at which the Omayyads showed various mean acts and immorality, violated the forbidden, and shed innocent blood. Men were still remembering that the House (the Kaaba) was first besieged by YazTd, and then by Abd al-Malik, Who used mangonels to throw stones at it and set fire to it, so they demolished it. Also, men were remembering that the Omayyads killed and burnt Zayd, killed Yahya, and committed crimes paying no attention to the forbidden. So, it was as if people, the expensive, honor, and dignity were a bait for them, and a way for their desires. Then, during those conditions, how could a person declare his enmity for the Omayyads or plan to overthrow their dynasty?

Yes, men thought that there was no person able to take the crowns from them and deprive them of their authority but the Hashimites, because they

were the masters of that throne, whether Caliphate was with the text or blood relationship or the outstanding merit. Thus, men began secretly asking and urging them to rise.

There were many great figures among the Hashimites, who were proper for leadership and good at management and policy. Did the master of caliphate and son of lmamate, Abfl ‘Abd Allah Ja’far b. Mohammed al-Sadiq, peace be on them, lead them to revolt, or Abd Allah b. Hasan, the best and Shaykh of bani (sons) of al- Hasan, or his brother, who refused oppression, or Ibrahim b. Mohammed, the Abbasid, or his two brothers al-Saffah and al- MansUr, the masters of zeal and determination, or Abd Allah b. Mu’ âwiya, whose noble qualities made him worthy of that position, or the like? If any of them had nominated himself for leadership, he would have adorned it with his noble traits.

But, if aI- Sâdiq, peace be on him, had nominated himself for leadership, then no one would have matched him for that, because of his outstanding merit and his many followers, but he opposed and did not answer those who urged him to rise.

As the Imam disappointed them, they tried to find another figure. Sometimes they appointed Mohammed b. ‘Abd Allah b. al- Hasan, sometimes Abfl Muslim propagated for the Abbâsids in Khurasân, sometimes Abfl Salama al- Khallfll propagated for al- Rida, from the family of Mohammed, may Allah bless him and his family, in Kufa, and sometimes b. Ja’far revolted in Kufa but did not accomplish his aim, then he appeared in Persia but did not achieve his aim, too. So, he escaped and went to Abfl Muslim in Khurasân, but he was like the person who seeks protection with swelter from fire, because his death was from him. Not long passed after those disorderly conditions, the AbbasTds were able to control authority.

It was the fate that decided the matter and put it in the hands of al-Saffah and al- Mansür, who were moving in the district telling people about the outstanding merits of Abfl al- Hasan (Imam ‘Ali) to incline their hearts, who appointed the son of al- Hasan on the day of their meeting in al-Abwa’ without hesitation to obtain the rule, who were under the standard of b. Ja’far and among of his soldiers when he appeared in Persia. Now, they (the Abbasids) took the reins of government and dismissed the Omayyads from their thrones. No one thought thataAbfl Muslim, their propagandist, killed b. Ja’far, the leader of the revolt, while they were nothing but his soldiers. No one thought that al- Mansür with his sword killed b. al- Hasan and his brother Ibrahim whom people appointed caliphs and decided to defend till death.

The fates helped, no one overcomes fate, the Abbasid to sit in the throne and the Omayyads to be bygone. So, no regret for the bygone, and no

happiness for the coming dynasty. A corrupt dynasty had gone away, and an oppressive dynasty followed it.

Al- SaffTh became Caliph, So the world laughed with him after frowning and came to him after turning away, but is the person, even if he possesses all the world, safe from the misfortunes of worry? Bin Abbass became between two worries. The first worry was to purify the nation from the OmayyadS, and the second was the worry of competition with Imam ‘Ali’s Sons for the throne.

The throne whose legs and bases were not stable. So, his throne quickly swung as the revolts began here and there. After he had gotten rid of his first worry, his second worry began. Of course, he was not safe from the Alawids because a part of this nation and many of their soldiers with whom they overthrew the thrones of bani (sons) Marwan regarded the obedience of Abü Abd Allah al- Sâdiq, peace be on him, as a must, and they killed Abu Salama al- Khallal because they felt that he wanted to appoint bani (sons) ‘Ali as caliph. Then al- Saffah was appointed caliph when he overcame him, namely he took the caliphate quickly.

Also, he was not safe from the Alawids because people acknowledged Mohammed b. al- Hasan leader on the day of al- Abwa’, al- Saft’ah and al-Mansflr shook hands with him, and he was worthy of the throne which they sat in. Meanwhile, those hopes were still sounding in his mind, then why did he disappear when al- Saftah came to power? Didn’t the lion kneel down to get ready to jump?

Bin ‘Abbas tried to get rid of that worry, so he sent some men to bring al- Sâdiq to al- HTra to watch him attentively, though he did nothing against their authority. When al- Sadiq arrived at al- HTra, b. ‘Abbas kept an eye on him, but when he found nothing to be afraid of, he released him. So, al-Sâdiq came BACK to Medina while suspicions troubled him.

Then he tried to capture the two sons of Abd Allah b. al- Hasan, who were in a hiding- place because they were afraid of his cruelty. The more he tried to find them, the more they disappeared.

The short role of al- Saffah ended, while al- Sadiq, peace be on him, was limited in Medina and the sons of al- Hasan were in their hiding- place. When the days of al- Mansflr came, he treated the Alawids with cruelty. He did not leave al- Sadiq resident at the city of Emigration, rather he sent for him frequently, mistreated and tried to kill him every time. He went on mistreating him till he killed him with poison.

Al- Mansflr used all means to capture Mohammed and Ibrahim- some times, he declared safety for them, and some times treated father and the Sons of al- Hasan cruelly, but these means did not help him to reach and find them. Then he brought the sons of al- Hasan to Iraq and left them in dark prisons, so most of them faced ugly death, but Mohammed surprised him when he revolted in Medina and Basrah. That was the thing which he

guard against, used all means to hinder, and afraid of, but fate overcame him.

BanU (the sons) of al- ‘Abbfiss ruled, so their deception and disloyalty appeared. They paid homage to the son of al- Hasan, then they spared no effort to capture and kill him and his brother. Ibm (the son of) ‘Abbfiss tried to shake hands with them in peace, but they refused because their selves had refusal, honor, and hopes which men supported to urgthem to revolt.

Even if their revolutionary selves subsided, men moved them to revolt against al- Mansflr. They still had such revolutionary souls until they revolted against him after that long disappearance.

BanT (the sons of) al- ‘Abbliss not only acted treacherously toward the banl (sons of) al- Hasan during their rule, but also al- Mansllr betrayed Abü- Muslim, the builder of the entity of their dynasty, killed Abil- Salama al- Khallffl, imprisoned Ya’qflb b. Dawtld, killed al- Fadl b. Sahl, and the like. Also they tried to kill the two ministers- ‘All b. Yaqtln and Ja’far b. Mohammed aI- Ash’ath.

Also, al- Mansür betrayed ‘Isa b. MUsa, his crown prince. He dismissed him and appointed his son al- Mahdr instead. Al- Manstir had made ‘Isa crown prince because the latter distinguished himself in battle with Mohammed and IbrAhim, so that he was able to kill them and destroy their revolt that made al- Manstir worried and think that his rule would perish.

Al- RashTd betrayed his Barmaki ministers and the Hasani Yahya after giving them safety. Al- Amin betrayed his brother Al- Ma’mun when he dismissed him form the Crown. Al- Ma’mun appointed Imam Rids, peace be on him, then he killed him with poison.

But their greatest disloyalty was that against the Sons of al- Husayn, peace be on him. The followers of the sons of ‘Ali were the soldiers of the sons of al- ‘Abbas. As we have mentioned earlier, they helped them to remove the dynasty of the sons of Marwan, and their slogan was to revenge the blood of the members of the House (ahl al- Bayt). No one but the Tfflibiyyin were killed with the swords of the Omayyads, no one but the Alawids were treated cruelly by the Omayyads. If other than they from the Hashimites met some cruel treatment, it certainly was not like that treatment the family of Abfl- Talib suffered.

The A.bbfissTds summoned people to revenge (the blood of al- Husayn and his family), rather people summoned them (the AbbassTds) to that. This was the strongest means to obtain their ambitions. After they had controlled authority, they began chasing the family of the Prophet, may Allah bless him and his family. It was as if the family of the Prophet committed those horrid crimes at the Battle of Karbala, captured the Prophetic Women, and killed Zayd and Yahya, and the like!

It was as if they killed and the captives were from the sons of al- Abbffss and the criminals were the Alaatds! And it was as if the Alawids did not

move people to avenge (the blood of al- Husayn and his family) and take their heritage!

When the events resulted in dismissing the Omayyads, the members of the House were the victims of those events, namely the Abbfissrds did not have mercy on them asaa reward for their struggle against the Omayyads, besides the Abbassids took the reins of that vast authority from them.

Thus everything was clear when the AbbissTds took the reins of government. Men did not forget those crimes the Omayyads committed against the members of the House. The Abbasstds committed crime after crime against them without mercy. Consequently, why did all that happen? Why were the members of the House (ahl a!- Bayt) no others than they, a house for misfortunes? We will look for the reason in the following chapter.

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