The Caravan of Light, Part 1

In Step with the Revolution of Ashura

Ashura is not a day similar to ordinary days and not an event crept on a corner of the memory of history; Ashura is alive and it makes alive. It is a spring that passes across all places and times and satiates the thirsty followers of virtue and truth by limpid and life-giving gulps. Ashura is the university of faith, gnosis, purity, fair dealing and fair living. It is the school of anthropology, awakening the human beings and indoctrinating them and we are permanently indigent of recognizing, reviewing and studying this event.

Before we travel in the depth of this event and as a skillful diver, exploit pure and rare pearls from it, we need to recognize the event itself and its movement from the beginning to the end. This review of the event will clarify a lot of lost corners and unmentioned matters and it is likely to give us a different review and conception.

Cutting treatment with Karbala and describing just some pieces of this great event _especially just getting along with sorrow and mourning_ causes negligence regarding its other aspects. Although, sadness, mourning and tears are admirable and they have been considered a lot in our traditions, we should know that tear is not the goal, rather it is the introduction of our emotional link with Karbala and Ashura to change it into a model in our lives because Imam Husain (PBUH) said in Karbala, “Lakum fi uswah” (لكم في اسوه)

This article is a picture of the events and accident of Imam Hussein’s uprising until the day of Ashura. It is to be noted that whatever we get closer to the main days of this happening, considerations will be announced more specifically, analytically and widely, and in the most significant days of the happening _Tasua and Ashura_ not only the events will be stated, but also they will be combined with elucidation, elaboration and consideration.

It is hoped that this article will open a new window to the most beautiful and watchful portrait of the life since Lady Zainab _ the great messenger of Ashura_ told Ubaydallah who wanted to dishonor the event, “Swear to God that I didn’t see anything in Karbala but beauty!” (و الله ما رأيت الّا جميلاً)

May the Lord bestow our eyes Zainab’s insight to see Karbala beautifully, deeply and brightly in the frames of our hearts, and seek its reflection in our lives.

Muhammad Reza Sangari

Tehran – May 2007

 

The First Stage

Grounds of the Movements

The first event: The starting point of Yazid’s government and occurring the disaster of Ashura should be sought into mamonism, lust, authority and selfishness.

Muawiah was about to depose Muqayra-t ibn Shubah from governing Kufa and replace Saeed ibn Aas.

Muqayrah, who saw his position endangered, committed a strange deceit, so strange that he stated later about it: “This gap will never be filled and this wound won’t be remedied. I enter Muawiah in a hole that one can not release from!”

This experienced guileful politician, Muqayrah, at first, promised his friends and companions to safeguard their positions and authorities. Then he went to Yazid and said, “The great and the companions of the Prophet have passed away, the followers and the aged of Quraysh have gone and now their children have remained and among them you are the most political, the wisest and the most qualified. Why doesn’t your father assign you as the Crown Prince? Why doesn’t he make people swear allegiance to you?” (He (Muqayrah) also implied that Muawiah would die soon.)

“Will my father accept to do that?” said Yazid.

“Who can he find more qualified than you?” Muqayrah asked.

Yazid went to his father and said what Muqayrah had stated. Muawiah summoned Muqayrah and wanted him to explain.

Muqayrah said, “O, Muawiah! You do know how many people were killed and what challenges took place after the murder of Uthman. You’d better make people swear allegiance to Yazid. He would be a certain support for people.  It would quell disturbances.

Muawiah asked, “Who can take the responsibility of making people swear allegiance, then?”

Muqayrah answered, “Give me and Ibn Ziyad this responsibility for the people of Kufa and the people of Basrah sequentially. If these two cities swear allegiance, no other groups dare to oppose.” Muawiah said, “So you go to Kufa and provide the arrangements!”

Muqayrah‘s desire came true and his cheat worked. When he saw his friends, he said, “I did what I wanted. I threw Muawiah in a valley from which no one could release and I put Muhammad’s nation in such a dilemma and terrible difficulty that no one can find an ending for it.  I made a gap that is not curable.

After this trickery, Muqayrah went back to Kufa. ¹

It was greed and desire to power that did what happened.

In Al-Futuh (Vol. 2, P. 322), it is Amru Aas whom has been introduced as the motivator of Muawiah to assign Yazid as the Crown Prince.

The second event: The letter of Muawiah to Ziyad ibn Abih in which Muawiah consulted him about Yazid’s government. ²

The third event: The consultation of Ziyad ibn Abih with Ubayd ibn Ka’ab Namri and sending him to Muawiah and Yazid to invite the latter to save face and quit debauchery and libertinism just for a while and the former to prudence. ³

The fourth event: Arrival of agents and envoys of Kufa under the supervision of Muqayra-t ibn Shubah to swear allegiance and promise loyalty to Yazid. (The number of them is related to be between 10 to 40 persons and the amount of money received by everyone for this travel is reported to be 400 Dinars or 30000 Derhams.) ⁴

The fifth event: Invitation of Muawiah for promising loyalty to his son, Yazid by sending letters to Muqayra-t ibn Shubah in Kufa, Marwan ibn Hakam and Saeed ibn Aas and Abdullah ibn Aamir in Medina and other governmental officials and emphasizing on concealing this decision. ⁵

The sixth event: Yazid’s travel to Mecca and Medina; holding hajj ceremony in order to deceive the public; and making excessive donations to people to attract simple-minded individuals and mammonists. ⁶

The seventh event: Muawiah’s asking for swearing allegiance from Abdullah ibn Zubayr, Ihnaf ibn Qeys, Muhammad ibn Amru ibn Hazm; and Hani ibn Urwah’s taking side against Muawiah. ⁷

The eighth event: The letter of residents of Kufa (Jaada-t ibn Hubayra-t ibn Abi Wahab wrote the letter in behalf of the people.) in which they asked Imam Husain (PBUH) to perform jihad against Muawiah. The Imam wrote in response, “Until Muawiah is alive, abstain from war. But if he dies and I am alive, I will write my idea to you.” ⁸

The ninth event: The report of Kufi civilians’ letter to Imam Husain (PBUH) by Marwan ibn Hakam from Medina to Sham. (In response of this report, Muawiah ordered Marwan to avoid invading Imam Husain (PBUH).) ⁹

The tenth event: The letter of Muawiah to Aba Abdullah al-Husain in which Muawiah reproached and threatened him; and the answer of Imam Husain (PBUH) ¹⁰

The eleventh event: Sermon of Marwan ibn Hakam in Medina Mosque in which he announced that Yazid had become the Crown Prince; and the opposition of Abd-ur Rahman ibn Abi-Bakr, Abdullah ibn Zubayr, Abdullah ibn Umar, Amru ibn Zubayr, Ayishah and Aba Abdullah Al-Husain (PBUH). ¹¹

The twelfth event: The letter of Muawiah to the ruler of Medina, Saeed ibn Aas, in that Muawiah asked him to make people swear allegiance to Yazid’s government. Saeed tried to obey the order but some of the great including Bani Hashim refused to do that. ¹²

The thirteenth event: The letter of Saeed to Muawiah in which he reported what he had done and what Bani Hashim and Abdullah ibn Zubayr had done (i.e. refusing to accept allegiance). Muawiah wrote in response, “Don’t show anger to Aba Abdullah but be careful about Abdullah ibn Zubayr till he take the lead himself.” ¹³

The fourteenth event: The letter of Muawiah to Abdullah ibn Abbas, Abdullah ibn Jaafar and Abdullah ibn Zubayr to ask them to promise loyalty; and their oppositions. ¹⁴

The fifteenth event: Muawiah‘s travel to Medina on Rajab, 56 A. H. after the journey to Iraq in order to make people swear allegiance and prepare the way for Yazid’s government. It is reported that had a rash behavior with Imam Husain (PBUH), Abdullah ibn Umar, Abdullah ibn Zubayr, Abd-ur Rahman ibn Abi-Bakr. (This is probably wrong since Abd-ur Rahman hadn’t been alive in that year.) ¹⁵

The sixteenth event: After holding hajj ceremony, Muawiah had a sermon in Medina. He ascended the pulpit in the Great Mosque and after praising God, he talked about his son, Yazid, and introduced him the most qualified person for caliphate.

After that, Muawiah went to the Prophet’s house to visit Ayishah. Ayishah blamed him for threatening Aba Abdullah al-Husain (PBUH), his children and the children of the caliphs. She also reminded him of the murder of her brother, Muhammad ibn Abi-Bakr and then she asked, “How did you trust me not to get someone to kill you?” Muawiah answered, “I feel safe and sound in the house of Mother of Muslims!” Ayishah said, “That’s right.” ¹⁶

The seventeenth event: The meeting of Muawiah with Aba Abdullah al-Husain (PBUH). It is related that in the meeting Muawiah said, “We killed your father’s Shiites; embalmed and shrouded them; then we said prayers for them and buried them.” The Imam said, “Swear to the Lord of Kaaba, if we kill your followers, we will neither embalm and shroud them, nor say prayers for them and burry them.” And some have related that the subject of the meeting has been about allegiance to Yazid; and the opposition of Imam Husain. ¹⁷

The eighteenth event: The meeting of Muawiah with Abdullah ibn Zubayr and Abdullah ibn Umar. Abdullah ibn Zubayr said, “If everyone swears allegiance to Yazid, I will also do that.”  Abdullah ibn Umar also said something similar to this. ¹⁸

The nineteenth event: In Mecca, Muawiah proceeded announcing the succession of Yazid more seriously and explicitly; by deceiving people and hypocrisy he pretended that the great even Husain ibn Ali, Abdullah ibn Zubayr and Abdullah ibn Umar approved Yazid ‘s government. ¹⁹

The twentieth event: Departure of Muawiah from Mecca; and a severe disease in the area of Abwa. Muawiah returned to Sham from there. ²⁰

The twenty-first event: One year before death of Muawiah (in 59 A. H.), Imam Husain (PBUH) in companion with Abdullah ibn Abbas, and Abdullah ibn Jaafar went to Mecca to hold hajj ceremony and among about 700 followers (200 of them were the Prophet’s companions) in Mena District delivered a sermon and in addition to speaking about Muawiah’s crimes and the priorities of his father, Imam Ali, reminded them of their responsibility. The followers and companions approved his words while they were swearing. ²¹

The twenty-second event: A while before his death, Muawiah had a sermon in which he mentioned his death and his superiority to his son, Yazid implicitly. ²²

The twenty-third event: Some hours before his death, Muawiah ordered to use kohl for his eyes and grease his hair. He leaned on a cushion and people came to see him. No one was allowed to sit. Everybody said he was healthy. His daughters turned him from this side to that side. He had involved in asthma and tuberculosis.

It was Wednesday. By the suggestion of Zahhak ibn Qays, Muawiah despite of his extreme weakness, visited 70 persons of the great of Sham and emphasized on Yazid’s government as his will. Then he ordered his son to go to the mosque and deliver a sermon. ²³

The twenty-fourth event: Muawiah‘s will to Yazid in which he said all the people swear allegiance but some of them including Husain ibn Ali (PBUH). Muawiah explained the way Yazid had to deal with Aba Abdullah, Abdullah ibn Zubayr and Abdullah ibn Umar and then he stated the most important points about managing the society. ²⁴

The twenty-fifth event: On Rajab 15th, 60 A.H. at night, Muawiah died at the age of 77 or 80. It is written that it was Thursday and some has related that Muawiah had been 82. It is stated that the period of Muawiah’s government lasted 19 years and 3 months and 24 days. The maximum age for Muawiah was reported to be 85 years old. ²⁵

The twenty-sixth event: Zahhak ibn Qays said prayers for Muawiah and buried him. His grave is somewhere between Bab al-Jabiyah and Bab al-Saqir. ²⁶

The twenty-seventh event: Zahhak informed Yazid about Muawiah’s death by sending a letter to him since Yazid was in Khawwarin in that time. ²⁷

Translated by

Fatima Serajinejad

Dezful – June 2009

References:

1. History of Tabari (Vol. 5, p. 301)

2. Ibid (P. 302)

3. Ibid (P. 303); Ibn Athir, Al-Kamil (Vol. 3, p. 250)

4. Ibn Athir, Al-Kamil (Vol. 3, pp. 249-250). In History of Ibn Khaldun, Musa ibn Muqayrah has been introduced as the supervisor of the expeditionary group. (History of Ibn Khaldun, Vol. 3, P. 16)

5. Ibn Aatham, Al-Futuh (Vol. 4, pp. 224-225)

6. Ibid (P. 225)

7. Ibn Abi-Hadid, Elaboration on Nahj-ul Balaqah (Vol. 18, pp. 407-408)

8. Aayan al-Shia (Vol. 1, p. 587); History of Yaqubi (Vol. 2, p. 203); Dinwari,  Akhbar al-Tawwal (Ps. 223-224). (Many have considered this letter correspondence had been on Sulayman ibn Sard Khazaei’s house after Imam Hassan’s martyrdom.)

9.  Akhbar Al-Tawwal (P. 226); Aayan Al-Shia (Vol. 1, p. 582)

10. Ibid, (p. 226); Al-Balathari, Jamal men Asnab al-Ashraf (Vol. 5, p. 128); Ibn Khalakkan, Wafiyat Al-Aayan (Vol. 6, p. 353)

11. Ibn Athir, Al-Kamil (Vol. 3, p. 250); Ibn Aatham Kufi, Al-Futuh (Vol. 4, pp. 232-235)

12. Bahr al-Ulum, Maqtal Al-Husain, (P. 91)

13. Ibid (P. 92)

14.  Ibn Athir, Al-Kamil (Vol. 3, pp. 251-252); Habib al-Seyr (Vol. 2, p. 37)

15.  Ibn Athir, Al-Kamil (Vol. 3, p. 251)

16. History of Tabari (Vol. 5, pp. 303-305); Kashf al-Qummah (Vol. 2, pp. 30-31)

17. History of Tabari: (Vol. 5, p. 304); Aayan al-Shiah (Vol. 1, pp. 583-584); Al-Tabbarani, Al-Moaham Al-Kabir (Vol. 19, p. 356)

18. History of Tabari: (Vol. 5, p. 304); Aayan al-Shiah (Vol. 1, pp. 583-584); Al-Tabbarani, Al-Moaham Al-Kabir (Vol. 19, p. 356)

19. Ibn Athir, Al-Kamil (Vol. 3, p. 252); Ibn Aatham, Al-Futuh (Vol. 4, pp. 245-249); Al-Rud-du ala al-Motiaseb al-Anid (Pp. 31-32); Bahr al-Ulum, Maqtal al-Husain, (Pp. 104-105)

20.  Ibn Aatham, Al-Futuh (Vol. 4, pp. 249-250), Kharazmi, Maqtal Al-Hussain (Vol. 1, pp. 173-174)

21. Behar Al-Anwar (Vol. 33, pp. 181-185)

22. History of Ibn Khaldun (Vol. 3, p. 18)

23. Ibn Athir, Al-Kamil (Vol. 3, pp. 260-261); Al-Futuh (Vol. 4, pp. 252-256)

24. Al-Badayah wa al-Nahayah (Vol. 8, p. 162); Jamal men Asnab al-Ashraf, (Vol. 5, pp. 152-154); Tajarob al-Umam (Experience of Nations) (Vol. 2, p. 39)

25. History of Yaqubi, (Vol. 2, p. 213); Asnab al-Ashraf (Vol. 2 p. 155); Ithbat al- Wasiyah, (P. 26); Al-Futuh, (Vol. 4, p. 265); Muqarram, Maqtal al-Hussain, (P. 136)

26. History of Al-Khamis (Vol. 2, P. 331); Nahayat al-Adab (Vol. 20, pp. 370-371)

27. Ibn Athir, Al-Kamil (Vol. 3, p. 261); Al-Montakhab al-Tarihi (Vol. 2, p. 418)