International Shia News Agency
Religious Articles

Kumail bin Ziyad – Part 2

SHAFAQNA- Al-Hajjaj

Imam Ali (A.S.) passed away. Maawyyah became a Caliph. Unjust rulers succeeded him. Kufa lived unbearable life.

The rulers imprisoned and killed the God-fearing followers of Ahlul-bait.

Zyyad bin Abeeh ruled Kufa. Then his son Ubaidullah succeeded him. The latter killed the Prophet’s grandson. Besides he killed seventy of his companions and his family.

AI-Hajjaj did his best to please the Umayyad rulers. He filled his prison with innocent men and women. In his prison, there were fifty thousand men and thirty thousand women.

The prison was roofless. The prisoners were subjected to the sun heat in summer. And they were subjected to rain and coldness in winter. In summer their faces became as black as Negroes.

A person had been in prison for months. One day his mother went to the prison to visit him. She was astonished to see him. She said: He’s not my son. My son is white. This young man is a Negro. I don’t know him.

The young man reminded his mother of some marks.

The mother became certain of her son. She burst into tears. Then she died of sadness.

The Revolution

AI-Hajjaj hated Ahlul-Bait and their followers very much. So, he filled the prisons with Shias. They had no guilt but had loved Muhammad’s family.

AI-Hajaj was unjust. People hated him. They asked Abid al-Malik to remove him from office. Abid al-Malik refused because al-Hajaj wanted to strengthen the Umayyad rule with fire and sword.

AI-Hajaj was wicked. He sent people to fight and occupy lands. He forced them to join the invading armies. He wanted them to get the booty of the conquered lands. In the meantime, he wanted to get rid of them.

Abid al-Rahman bin al-Ashath

King Ratbil ruled Turkey. AI-Hajjaj sent Abid al-Rahman bin al-Ashath to Turkey to invade it. Abid al-Rahman went deeply into the Turkish lands. He won victories at some battles. So, he sent al-Hajjaj a letter. In the letter he asked him to stop fighting to refresh his fighters.

AI-Hajjaj’s answer was full of abuses. Meanwhile, he ordered Abid al-Rahman to go deeper into the Turkish lands.

Abid al-Rahman and his fighters knew al-Hajjaj’s wicked aims. So, they decided to revolt against al-Hajaj and Abid al-Malik.

After Abid al-Rahman had announced the revolution, he came back from Turkey. Many people supported him. The Koran readers were the first to support him.

The Koran readers formed a battalion. Kumail bin Zyyad led the battalion.

Because the Kufians suffered from persecution, they also supported the revolution.

The number of the revolutionaries was over one hundred people. This number included the Koran readers, worshipers, poets, religious jurists, and the common. Half the number were foreigners,. They suffered from racial discrimination. ‘Me Umayyads preferred Arabs to non-Arabs.

Saeed bin Jubair, the most famous jurist, was among the revolutionaries. He made the people eager to start the revolution.

Poets urged Abid al-Rahman to go on revolting to end persecution.

The Fights

In 81 AH., Abid al-Rahman advanced towards Iraq. Violent fights took place there. The revolutionaries defeated al-Hajjaj’s army. They freed many cities such as Sajestan and Kirman (in Iran), Basra and Kufa (In Iraq).

Abid al-Malik sent a man to Abid al-Rahman to hold talks with him. He accepted some conditions such as removing al-Hajjaj from office.

People rejoiced at freedom and victory. So, they insisted on removing Abid al-Malik from the office, for he appointed al-Hajjaj ruler over them.

Abid al-Malik sent military supplies to support al-Hajjaj. The army in Khurasan joined him, too.

Adapted from the book: “The Companions of the Holy Prophet (s.a.w)”

Leave a Comment