The
Events in Makkah and Madinah
When Yazid ordered Amr bin Sad to
leave Madinah and go to Obaidullah bin Zeyad in Kufa, he sent Waleed bin Utba
again as the governor of Madinah in place of Amr bin Sad. It was Waleed bin
Utba as the governor of Madinah who, at the insistence of Abdullah bin Jafar رضي الله عنه had written a document to the effect that
if Imam Husain رضي الله عنه came to Madinah, he
would be given safety and protection. Abdullah bin Jafar رضي الله عنه sent that document along with his letter
to Imam Husain رضي الله عنه through the hands of
his sons Aun and Muhammad while Imam Husain رضي الله
عنه was on his way to Kufa. In Makkah Yazid's rule was over thrown
and Abdullah bin Zubair رضي الله عنه
was in power. When the news of Imam Husain's martyrdom reached there, he
collected the people and made a 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 Husain رضي
الله عنه to them and took bay'at for his caliphate. But when Ibn Zeyad
arrived in Kufa, they rallied around him and killed Imam Husain رضي الله عنه who was a pious, observed the fast, read
the Quran and deserved the caliphate in all respects."
Saying that much Abdullah bin Zubair
رضي الله عنه burst into tears. The people told him that
then no one deserved the caliphate more than he. They requested him to stretch
out his hands for bay'at and their acceptance of him as their Caliph. In that
way, all the Makkans took bay'at for Caliphate at his hands. When the news
reached Yazid, he had a silver chain made and sent it along with two persons to
Waleed bin Utba in Madinah, he was informed that he should go to Makkah to put
the chain around Abdullah bin Zubair's neck and arrest him. Later on, Yazid was
sorry because he knew Abdullah bin Zubair رضي الله عنه
was not the type of man to let it be put round his neck. Utba on his own did
not comply with that order. Yazid continued to think of a way how to overpower
Abdullah bin Zubair رضي الله عنه and at the same time
save the Ka'bah from bloodshed. In Dhul Hijja 61 A.H., people from all corners
of Makkah started pouring in. Waleed bin Utba, the governor of Madinah, was
sent as leader of the pilgrimage from Yazid's side. From Makkah Abdullah bin
Zubair رضي الله عنه was also the leader
of the pilgrimage. In short, both performed Hajj, with their respective groups
and neither of them opposed the other. Waleed bin Utba began to plan how to
please Yazid by arresting Abdullah bin Zubair رضي الله
عنه. However, Abdullah bin Zubair رضي الله
عنه found out about Waleed's plan. When he had finished the Hajj,
he wrote a letter to Yazid:
"Though Waleed is your cousin,
he is a great fool. He is spoiling everything because of his foolishness. You
should make some one else the governor."
Yazid was very impressed by that
letter. He thought that Abdullah bin Zubair did not harbor any ill feeling in
his heart against him and that he was not opposed to him. As Marwan bin Hakam
had also sent such complaints to Yazid against Waleed, Abdullah bin Zubair's
letter did not create any doubt about the truth of the matter in his heart. He
therefore dismissed Waleed bin Utba and sent another of his cousins Uthman bin
Mohammad Abi Sufyan as governor of the holy cities.
Uthman bin Mohammad came to Madinah
and started drinking, which displeased the people very much. Uthman came to
Madinah as governor in Muharram 62 A.H. After a few days, he selected ten
persons and sent them to Yazid in Damascus. The delegation consisted of Mundir
bin Zubair, Abdullah bin Hanzla, and Abdullah bin Amr bin Hafs bin Mughira
among others. When they reached Damascus, they were received with great
hospitality by Yazid. He gave to the first two, one hundred thousand dirhams
each and to the rest ten thousand dirhams each and saw them off. They had seen
Yazid holding singing and entertainment sessions and indulging in unlawful
activities in Damascus. While returning, they all made up their minds to make
an all out effort to oppose Yazid's caliphate. Nine persons came from Damascus
to Madinah and one Mandir bin Zubair went to Kufa because Obaidullah bin Zeyad
and Mandir bin Zubair were friends. He intended to go to Kufa to see
Obaidullah. When Abdullah bin Hanzla, along with his companions, came to
Madinah, the people gathered round him to know about the conditions in
Damascus.
Opposition
to Yazid's Caliphate
Abdullah said that Yazid did not
deserve the caliphate in the least because he was seen indulging in unlawful
acts and that it was doubtful if he was a Muslim. The Muslims should declare
'Jihad' against him. The people of Madinah told him that they heard that he was
amply rewarded by Yazid. He replied that he accepted it simply because he had
no power to oppose him. When they heard that, the people became very disgusted
with Yazid. Abdullah bin Hanzla proposed the removal of Yazid. As a result of
which, the Quraish made Abdullah bin Muti and the Ansars made Abdullah bin
Hanzla their chiefs and denied and rejected Yazid's caliphate and rule. When
Uthman bin Mohammad and all the Banu Umayyah, who numbered one thousand in
Madinah, saw this, some of them went out of Madinah and some took refuge in the
house of Marwan bin Hakam.
The people of Madinah arrested and
imprisoned all the Banu Umayyah they could find. They said nothing to Marwan's
son Abdul Malik who always lived in the service of Sayeed bin Almusayyeb the
Scholar of Madinah and he rarely went out of the mosque and was considered to
be a great devotee to religious practices, very pious and virtuous. Banu
Umayyah informed Yazid in Damascus of the prevalent situation there. Yazid at
once wrote to Obaidullah bin Zeyad that Mandir bin Zubair who had been to him
in Kufa, should immediately be arrested and imprisoned in order to prevent his
entry into Madinah. As Obaidullah bin Zeyad was not pleased with Yazid because
the latter did not value and honor him for killing Imam Husain, he sent Mandir
away to Madinah at once and wrote to Yazid that Mandir had left for Madinah
before he received his letter. After reaching Madinah, Mandir told Abdullah bin
Hanzla and Abdullah bin Muti to take bay'at at Ali bin Husain's (Imam Zain
al-Abedeen's) hands for caliphate. He then went to Ali bin Husain with a group.
Ali bin Husain frankly refused and said that both his father and grandfather
had lost their lives for the sake of the caliphate and that he dared not run
the risk of doing such a thing and killing himself. Saying so he went to stay
in a village outside of Madinah.
Marwan, who along with other Banu
Umayyah was imprisoned in his own house, sent a message to Ali bin Husain (Imam
Zain al-Abedeen) through Abdul Malik saying that what he did was quite right
but he wanted some other help from him. He sent some valuable goods and members
of his family to be looked after by him because there was no room for them in
his crowed house, Ali bin Husain conceded to the request. Marwan bin Hakam,
under the cover of a dark night, sent his family and some expensive goods to
him in the village. Ali bin Husain (Imam Zain al-Abedeen) wrote to Yazid the
detailed situation of what was going on in Madinah. He wrote about himself that
he was loyal to him and trying his best to support and safeguard Banu Umayyah.
Becoming acquainted with the situation in Madinah, Yazid called Noman bin
Basheer Ansari رضي الله عنه and told him to go to
Madinah and make the people see reason, tell them to stop their evil activities
and not to create the possibility of bloodshed in Madinah. He also asked him to
pressure Abdullah bin Hanzla and mention that he visited Yazid, received gifts
and rewards, returned highly pleased from there but then turned to be his enemy
after coming to Madinah. By undoing the bay'at and issuing the religious
judgment of Kufr (declaring him an unbeliever) against him incited the people
and in so doing did not act wisely. He further asked him to go to Ali bin
Husain رضي الله عنه (Imam Zain
al-Abedeen) with his message that his loyalty and achievements would certainly
be honored and that he should tell the Banu Umayyah with him that they could
not even suppress the 'fitna' (evil disorder) in Madinah by killing the two who
created it. After hearing about all these instructions, Noman bin Basheer رضى الله عنه mounted a female camel and proceeded to
Madinah. There he tried to make the people understand that it was not in
everybody's interest to make these problems, but in vain. Becoming frustrated
he returned to Damascus and briefed Yazid with all that happened. Yazid called
Muslim bin Oqba and ordered him to rush to Madinah along with one thousand
selected cavalry and ask the people there to obey and in case of disobedience,
fight them until they were humbled and disciplined.
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