Alhassanain(p) Network for Heritage and Islamic Thought

Mu'awiyah

Mu'awiyah was the first king to rule at the beginning of the Islamic era. He was the founder of the reign of darkness and corruption. His mother was Hind who fought against the Prophet (s.a.w.a) .It was Hind who tore to eat it after sucking out the blood. Hamzah wast the cousin of the holy Prophet who died fighting in the way of Allah (shahid) , in the battle of Uhud.As a result of her action, she has become known as the 'liver-eating ' Hind. Hind also cut off the ears and nose of Hamzah and hung them about her neck. The rest of the women who were withher ,did the same to the other men who had died fighting in the way of Allah.

Hind had four husbands, one of them being AbuSufyan ,one of the enemies of the Prophet form the beginning ,was probably the father of Mu'awiyah. He sided with and incited those who were against Islam and against the supporters of the Prophet .Abu Sufyan ordered his son Mu'awiyah to arrange for the harassment of the Prophet's people and cause the disbelievers (the kuffar, or those who cover up the truth ) to take revenge on the Prophet himself for the death of their followers. Thus to was that Mu'awiyah, who appeared to have accepted Islam, continued the hostilities against the Prophet, Ali (a s), and his progeny which his father had begun. Through the trickery and deceit of his father, he was given a post as governor of the region of Syria (Sham, which in those days was a country, withoutwell defined borders, but corresponding roughly to present -day Syria and parts of Lebanon and Jordan) in the latter period of the illegal caliphate of Abu Bakr. He remained governor during all three caliphates of Abu Bakr,Umar and Uthman. When the usurper -caliph Uthman and members of worthy Muslims were killed at the hands of the People, Ali (a s) who was unhappy at the state of community, was persuaded to accept leadership of the government.after a short time, however, to incite Imam Ali's followers to turn against their master.Mu'awiyah who was an inefficient governor, then seized control of the government and affairs of the Muslims. He was the first to oppose and change the purely Islamic nature of Imam Ali's government and to establish in its place himself as the first in the line of despotic dynastic rulers. He revived the royal customs, holding court while seated on an imposing throne. He was responsible for a reign of darkness and corruption; he drank wine, acted in a despicableway and used force to keep government of the Muslims in his hands.

Mu'awiyah's mother was one of the women who openly carried out vile and despicable acts against the Muslims. She used poisoned honey to kill the Muslims fighting the way of truth and the faithful supporters of Ali (as ) . Malik al-Ashtar, the commander of the Egyptian army, appointed by Ali (a s), also died shahid (in the way of Allah) after eating some honey poisoned by Mu'awiyah's mother. Mu'wiyah engaged a number of thugs and ruffians to attack the houses of Ali's friends and anyone who was fighting in the way of truth. Furthermore, he ordered them to seize the Muslims' wealth and to rape and harass the womenfolk. In the name of Islam, he changed many divine commandments and many of the directives given to the Muslim community by the Prophet. During his government and imperial rule, corruption, debauchery drinking, gambling and plundering of the Muslim's wealth became a way of life. The life and property of a Muslims was into safe from Mu'awiyah and his behaviour; It was he who played a part in the plot to kill Ali (a s), and later had Imam Hasan killed.

During Mu'wiyah's rule, especially during the caliphate of Uthman, the military commanders, ministers of state and administrative officials plundered the baytul-mal (the public treasury of the Muslims community) and used bribes and extortion to achieve their ends. Mu'wiyah outstripped all his contemporaries in matters of guile and treachery, deceit and trickery. His breast burned with revenge and hate for the Muslims who were seeking the truth and trying to establish justice. He held secret meetings in which he ordered his military officers and spies to make trouble for these most devoted to Allah and the cause of Islam.

It was thus decided theAli( a s) and his sons be subject to the greatest harassment. Mu'wiyah in his usual treacherous way showed Uthman's robe and his wife Na'ilah's two fingers( which had been cut off during an attack on his own followers) to an assembly of people who had gathered in the mosques. By this action, he hoped to instigate them against Ali (as ) and his supporters. He ordered many of the village people and even some of Ali's partisans who had entice away with bribes to shout Islamic slogans and to act in every way as if they supported the cause of Islam. He even commanded that the Qur'ans should be stuck on to the ends of spears and that should be that: ''Judgement between ne and Ali (a s) shall be made only on the basis of the Qur'an.''

It was Mu'awiyah's apparent acceptance ofIslam which caused so much hypocrisy and internal division amongst the Muslims community. It was their deceivingfacade which caused many of the divine commandments to be changed to fit in with the political situation. By Means of his officials and cooperation of his close friends, hegathered together a great number of blood - thirsty, mercenary thugs from every corner of the Hijaz. He ordered them to attack all towns and villages which supported Ali (a s), killing or raping the inhabitants and plundering their goods. Mu'awiyah's aim was to ensure that anarchy and corruption spread to every part of the country. He commanded that the houses of the Shi'ahs, in particular,should be destroyed or set on fire, and that these thugs should do everything possible to make life difficult for the Muslims in general.

At Mu'awiyah's word, a great army on his infantry accompanied by several mounted divisions were despatched to attack the Shi'ahs.Neither caravans, markets, nor houses belonging to the Muslims were spared by this attack. Mu'awiyah's mercenarieswere trained to struck down and kill their victims just like hunting dogs lusting after their quarry. Mu'awiyah's friends and supporters were all corrupt and criminal, who recognizedneither morals or good behaviour; they stood opposite the faithful upright supporters of Ali (a s) and his sons.the armies and partisans of the tyrant Mu'awiyah were so bloodthirsty that they killed babies, youths and even old men without mercy.

The aim of Mu'awiyah's vicious mercenaries was to prevent or discourage the people from supporting Ali (a s) and the cause of Islam, so that they might more easily plunder the country's wealth and live a life of ease and luxury.

Mu'awiyah used such heinous stratagems that he managed to corrupt and bribe almost all those who had made a pledge of support for Imam Hasan (a s). He planted or infiltrated so many spies in the company and army of the Imam that the latter wasobliged , because of the smallness of his army and the hypocrisy which grew around him, to make peace with Mu'awiyah.As a result of this treaty, the way was open for Mu'awiyah and his followers to increase their looting and plundering.

He was so cunning and malicious that he is looked to as an example by all tyrants and oppressors the world over. He in notorious for the way in which he succeeded in turning the Muslims themselves against Ali (a s) and his son Imam Hasan (a s). These ignorant Muslims, who gave the appearance of accepting Islam, disobeyed the orders of the Imam when he prepared for war.It was these same Muslims who, after the peace treaty with Mu'awiyah, rose up in condemnation of the Imam, clamoring for a reason why he had into gone to war. Such washe situation of strife and disorder which the Imam had to deal with. Although Imam Hasan (a s) -acting on the divine inspiration and with the shrewdness and perspicacity concordant with his position of Imam -made peace with this bloodthirsty man, the latter -whose only aim was power - did into leave off his hostilities against Islam and the family of the Prophet. By trick and stratagem, he had this noble man poison to death at the hand of his wife.

He employed political compromise and a hypocritical appearance of Islam to have Ali (a s) and his son, who were the true divinely -appointed caliphs, confirmed to their houses. For forty years, he held sway over the ignorant, unaware Muslims (who unfortunately are tobe found in every community and in every age). What, after all, was tobe expected from such a lying, dishonourable man who had seized control of the government by such violent means? What can one expect from a man who had seized power without a thought for God and without the acceptance of the people?There was no limit to the treachery of a man who eliminated rivals so that he might enjoy a monopoly power.

What can one expect from a man who persuaded his mercenaries and pillaging thugs to attack the life and honour of the Muslims, in particular the Shi'ahs of Ali (a s)? Because of the existence of such a bloodthirsty, evil man, the fear and terror on the hearts of those he oppressed or imprisoned increased daily, and the tyranny and darkness, corruption, killing and plundering became even more widespread. Mu'awiyah's government was like all tyrannical governments. When it triumphed over its enemy, it subjected them to dreadful torture, giving full rein to their most evil desires and imagination.

What, one may ask, was the reason for such criminal behaviour? The first, reason, was the sinister nature of his being and his bad character.The second, his longing for power and desire of rule over the Muslims who were unaware of the true meaning of Islam. The third, his long -standing hatred for Muhammad (s a w a), Ali (a s) and their followers. The fourth, the pleasure he derived from torturing and molesting the followers of Ali (a s). It was Mu'awiyah, the so- called 'Muslim ruler, who instructed a number of his agents to kill babies in front of their mothers and to execute men and women who supported Ali (a s). His bloodthirsty friends and supporters, also, used to kill and seized the wealth of innocent, defenceless Muslims. These thieves and professional murderers, because of their blind obedience to their evil, treacherous master knew no bounds to their criminal activity. When Mu'awiyah openly showed his hatred and hostility for Ali (a s) and his family, the bloodshed, killing, plundering and pillaging increased still further.

Mu'awiyah was a merciless tyrant who betrayed Islam and the Muslims; from a raised platform in the mosque (minbar), he would order that Ali (a s) should be insulted and dishonoured. He told the assembled people that Ali (a s) did not pray and that he was a thief and instigator of rebellious activity. In Mu' awaiyah and his friends' eyes, Ali (a s)was a trouble - maker, a thief and a man who did not offer his prayers and they themselves were the protectors of the life and property of the Muslims and servants of humanity.

In order to win over the younger generation and to inspire love for himself and his wicked son Yazid, Mu'awiyah ordered that sheep and goatsbe given away, and the boys and youths who received them be told they were a resent from Mu'awiyah. After several days when the boys had become attached to the animals, he ordered hi men to gather the sheep and goats together again under the cover of night and in the morning say that they had been stolen by Ali (a s). By means of this stratagem, he was able to institute hatred for Ali (a s) into their hearts. This is just a further example of the trickery and treachery of Mu'awiyah.

Mu'awiyah, this despicable criminal tyrant, imagined that by inflicting such difficulties and by subjecting them to such torture, he would be able to turn Ali (a s) and his followers away from their divine goal. He imagined that he would be able to keep hold of the political powerfor ever , through deception and treachery of the people. But the name of Ali (a s), his sons, his friends and followers will live until the end of time, shining like stars in the book of history; and the name of Mu'awiyah, his father and his son Yazid and all their followers will always be remembered and cursed as bloodthirsty tyrants.

Mu'awiyah had imprisoned many of the Shi'ah supporters of Ali (a s) who were opposed to him and were fighting him against to tyranny and corruption. He ordered his officials to torture them of to have them buried alive in deep wells. Thus, many of those Muslims who had strong faith (imam) and who refused to abandon true Islam, died; buried in dark pits, their hands, feet,ears and noses severed from their bodies. Whenever the prisons became so full of prisoners that there was no more room for their other victims, his officials knew ti was time to dispose of them burying alive. Such was Mu'awiyah's animal - like behaviour towards the supporters of Ali (a s). Such was the devoted care he lavished in his agents that they carried out his orders for torture and execution with the smallest attention to detail; as a reward, Mu'awiyah would increase their rand or position and ordered them to receive payment from the public treasury (baytul - mal) of the Muslims.

In this fashion, all the godless, ambitious men of the world were attracted into his service. Whatever traces of conscience,humanity or Islam they still possessed, they sold in the hope of worldly gain. Mu'awiyah planted his spies amongst the people with the result that nobody felt free to speak even in the safety of his own home and nobody dared to mention the name of Ali (a s) or praise his action.

Fear and terror of Mu'awiyah filled the hearts of all the people, except for those with particularly strong faith (iman) who were the Shi'ahs of Ali (a.s) ; the latter in no way feared the violence and torture of the agents of Mu'awiyah .They were willing to undergo the most terrible kinds of torture, rather than relinquish Ali (a.s) or true Islam. May Allah greet and bless them! Mu'awiyah had decided to erase the name of Ali (a. s), his sons, hispartisans and all those who had adopted the Shi'ah path from the pages of history by means of these mean, despicable acts. He decided, moreover, to invite the people to love and respect the wretched and cursed Banu Umayyah tribe; so that the way would be open for his son to take up the reins of power. In order to achieve this despicable aim, the killing, plundering, torture, tyranny,oppression and injustice continued unabated. All these abominable actions had the Banu Umayyah dynasty and its supporters have become synonymous with oppression, corruption, treachery and the plundering of the Muslims wealth. The name of Ali (a s), his sons and supporters will live forever as the champions of divine guidance, of Truth and as defenders of the oppressed. These two opposing forces demonstrate the clear distinction between truth and falsehood.

Now it is up to you, reader, to choose one of these two ways.

Yazid

Yazid was the wicked son of Mu'awiyah who inherited his father's rule. He was the second of the dynastic rulers at the beginning of the Islamic era. His father Mu'awiyah had obtained power over the Muslim community through deceit and treachery. During the last days of his reign, he made the people pledge their supportthe his son Yazid. Thereupon, he installed his as his successor at an official ceremony. Yazid's mother was Maysun, who like Hind (notorious for having eaten the liver of Hamzah) was impure and unchaste woman. His mother had slept with one of his father's slaves and thedespicable, winedrinking Mu'awiyah was really the offspring of that slave.

This has been confirmed by the noble Prophet, Salla - llahu alayhi wa alihi wa sallam (s a w a - may Allah's peace and blessings be on him and his progeny) who said: '' The murderer of my son Husayn alayhis - salam (a s - peace be upon him), is a bastard''; which also applies to Shimr Ibn Sa'd and Ibn Ziyad; since all of them were born out of wedlock.

Yazid had inherited all the qualities of his character and way of behaving from his father, Mu'awiyah, except for one thing: whereas Mu'awiyah governed by trickery and deceit, compromised with the demands of Islam even to the point of building mosque, Yazid, however, shamelessly committed the most criminal and despicable acts. Throughout his life and especially during his period of rule, this tyrant, who reigned over the unfortunate unaware Muslims in the name ofIslam , became notorious for the following:

1) He ownedmonkeys which would dance for him dressed in gold - embroidered multi - coloured clothes.

2) His racing dogs were renowned the world over.

3) He was passionately fond of gambling.

4) His addition to wine set a clear example fir his successors.

5) He acted disrespectfully towards the Haram, Mosque of the Prophet (s a w a) and towards other Mosque of the Muslims.

6) He killed the offspring of the Messenger of Allah (s a w a) and committed numerous other crimes at the tragedy of Karbala'.

7) He forced the womenfolk to take off their veils (from both the muhajirun, thatis , those who left Mecca for Medina, and also from amongst the ansar, that is those already living in Medina.

8) He killed countless people of Medina and he and his supporters were responsible for the rape of numerous women of Medina.

9) He arrested and made prisoners the supporters of Ali (a s)

10) He was responsible for damaging the house of Ka'bah and its embroidered covering.

He committed many other despicablecrimes which are at least as famous as those we have listed.

Yazid was the first person who made debauchery, rape of women and children corruption, wine - drinking,music and dancing commonplace behaviour within the Muslims' lands. Yazid, in fact was a man who devoted his life to wine, -drinking ,luxury ,indulgence ,racing dogs, gambling and rape of women and young girls. It was Yazid, the so-called caliph of the Muslims who killed the offspring of the Messenger of Allah and their faithful supporters .Immediately after killing Imam Husayn (a.s) it was this same man who sat back to response in front of a feast of food and wine, surrounded by musicians , singers and wine- pourers,

Yazid, like his father had done before him, deliberately and openly changed the divine laws to suit his own wishes .He committed such despicable acts during his rule (which lasted only three years and nine months) that he has been cursed by Allah and the people until the end of time. The most abominable of these was the murdering of Imam Husayn (a.s) , his family and a group of his supporters, during the first year of his rule.

He set fire to their tents, tortured the women and baby children and rode over the body of Imam Husayn (a.s) and others who had died fighting in Allah's way ( shuhada') on horseback.Moreover , in the second year of his rule, an event known as Harrah took place which was the scene of further bloody atrocities on his part. Like Mu'wiyah and his bloodthirsty agents, Yazid and his corrupt followers did not shun any criminal act, however disgusting or tyrannical .It was thisevent which clearly demonstrated to the Muslims and to all men the world over the extent of his corruption and violation of the most basic of human rights. A group of men from Medina (like other of that time who were forced at spearpoint or bribed to make a pledge to Yazid) made their way to visit this so-called 'Muslim' ruler at his place of government in Syria (or more accurately Sham, a countrywhich roughly corresponds to present -day Syria and parts of Lebanon and Palestine). They were able to see with their own eyes what kind of man was the man who was ruling as a caliph of Islam, namely a man who love wine, racing dogs,gambling and a life of ease and luxury and shamelessly violated the honour of men, women and children alike. They returned to Medina in a state of profound unease: when they had told the people of the situation, a large group of men gathered and rose in a defiance of the murderous regime.

They expelled the governor of Yazid and his wicked and blood -thirsty agents from Medina.

From this moment onwards, the ranks of those rebellions to the government of Yazid grew day by day; cries of 'death to Yazid and his corruption ' rang out all around Medina.People spoke out for Islam from the platform (minbar) of the mosques, from the streets and squares, and whenever people would gather together, the courageously declared their opposition to Yazid, saying, "anyone who has killed the progeny of the Messenger of Allah, anyone who drink wine, does not fast or pray , is addicted to gambling and racing dogs, anyone who indulges in luxurious living, dancing and music, anyone who rules corruptly , thinking only of his won interests and never of the poor deprived people- such a man has no right to such position of power and authority over the Muslims; such a man must step down from his position and make away for another man. We, Muslims of Medina, have pledged our allegiance to a man called Abdullah ibn Handhalah who is often called Ghasil al-Mala'ikah; we cannot bear to live under the tyranny and corruption of the debauched drunkard Yazid and his agents''. News of this rebellion of the Muslims of Medina reached Yazid's ears. Yazid ordered his hated agents to go as soon as possible to the scene to thedemonstrations : they were to quell the demonstrations and to stop the cry of those seeking truth and justice from reaching the ears of the rest of the rest of the Muslims .

The bloodthirsty Yazid had a man called Muslim ibn Uqbah (also known as Mushrif, the wanton spendthrift) brought before him, the latter had been a faithful friend of Yazid's father Mu'awiyah .He despatched Muslim ibn Uqbah at the head of a large army to crush the rebellious Muslim in Medina. AfterMarching for sometime, they came to a halt in the rocky area near Medina known as Harrah. The people of Medina set off towards them in order to defend their lives and honour.

In this place, known as a heavy battle took place between the armies of truth and falsehood, many of the Muslims from Medina were killed .The rest were forced to retire, unable to withstand the sheer size and weaponry of this murderous army of Yazid, they took refuge in mosques (including the Holy Prophet's mosque) in order to save their lives. it was the custom in those days to respect the sanctity of Mosques, the Haram of the Prophet and large cemeteries; anyone taking refuge , then would be safe from any haram. The people ofMedina ,under the impression that even the armies of the usurper- caliph Yazid places. They did not realizethat these were the same godless people who had molested the Prophet, breaking his teeth, throwing dirt on his face and committing countless other despicable acts . They were the same people who while claiming to beMuslims ,placed Ali (a.s) under house arrest, killed his sons and tortured his faithful supporters. It was these same ignorant peoplewho in the name of the Qura'an and claiming to defend the rights of every Muslim, disregarded the divine commandments and made corruption a commonplace in the society of the day.

Muslim IbnUqbah , the commander of this army of bloodthirsty men, entered the mosques and the Haram sanctuary of the noble Prophet on horseback in search of those who had sought refuge there, in total violation of the ancient custom. They put everyone to thesword , the mosque and the Haram of the noble Messenger (s.a.w.a) were drenched in blood. These godless mercenaries acted as they wished: desecrating and ruining these sanctuaries ofIslam , they then attacked Medina itself killing countless inhabitations and violating the honour and property of others; even women youths and young children were not spared the slaughter. The murderous commander, acting as his master Yazid would have done, allowed his army the total freedom of the city for three days; taking advantage of his permission, Yazid's mercenaries gave free rein to their base animal -like instincts. Thousand of women and unmarried girlswere raped even within the area of the Prophet's mosque. These savage godless men acting in accordance with the saying 'the way the common people live is dictated by the behaviour of their kings' imitated the behaviour of Yazid; following the example of their savage, debauched tyrant -king, they subjected those who had fled to the mosque to unspeak-able atrocities.

After the army-commander and his vicious mercenaries had subdued the rebellion of the Muslims by their slaughter and rape of the inhabitations of Medina, they forced those who survived the attack to make a pledge of allegiance to Yazid; after exacting this pledge under the threat of death, they continued and increased their reign of terror.A group of the surviving Muslims, fearful for their lives and property, swore an oath of allegiance to Yazid;others , however who resisted and refused to accept dictatorial tyranny of Yazid, were killed by the savage mercenaries .Such was the reality of what took place at Harrah, just one atrocity among the thousands committed by Yazid in the name of Islam and as a so-called 'Muslim' ruler .Another of the despicable acts Yazid became notorious for, was his destruction and setting fire to mosques.

Abdullah ibn Zubayr was one of the rebellious muslims, whose independence and determination to secure a true Muslim government caused Yazid considerabletrouble ; the latter, in order to destroy Abdullah ibn Zubayr and his supporters, sent an army commanded by Husayn ibn Namir to Mecca.The army marched towards Mecca , and came to a halt in the hills overlooking the area of the Ka'bah; they then began to hurl great boulders and fiery missiles from their huge catapults on to house of the Ka'bah , destroying its walls completely and setting on fire the wooden part of the structure and the embroidered drape-covering ; then the barbaric mercenaries of the tyrant Yazid began to attack the town itself with missiles , staffs, cudgels and swords killing, raping and plundering the inhabitations of Mecca.

The people of Mecca were in desperate situation, there was no way opento them but to entrust their face to Allah and raise their hands in prayer to plead for the death of Yazid . They prayed that Allahmay deliver them of this corrupt dictator who was responsible for all the killing and tyranny. It was not long before news reached Mecca of the death of Yazid; the commander of the army of brutal mercenaries returned to Sham and as aresult , the defenceless people of Mecca were delivered of the merciless attackers.

After three years, nine months and twenty-two days of dictatorial government, Yazid left this world .He died of a kind pleurisy (a serious illness with inflammation of the delicate membrane of the thorax and the lungs, marked by pain in the chest or sides). His grave became a dirty rubbish dump, a fitting end for such tyrant, a fitting end for a man who violated the honour and property of the Muslims, a fitting end for anyone who allows his satanic desires to take precedence over the laws and commandments of Islam and anyone who attempts to change the divine code.

A FLOWER FLOURISHES AND BLOOMS IN A HEAP OF DIRT THE SECOND MU'AWIYAH

Before thebloodthirsty , wine -drinking traitor Yazid died, he obtained for his son Mu'awiyah through menace and bribery a pledge of allegiance from the Muslims At a specialceremony , he declared his son to be his successor after his death. Yazid'sson ,from his earliest childhood had been trained and educated by a good Muslim teacher, who had faith in Allah. His teacher had told him that his father and father's father had seized power through deceit, treachery and the use of force against the family of the Prophet; they had taken control of the affairs of the government claiming to be the true caliphs of the Muslims.This conscientious teacher showed Yazid's son the difference between truth and falsehood; he taught him that only someone who led a perfect life and whose concern was for Islam and for benefit of the people had a right to the caliphate and the government of the Muslims' affairs; "such person" he said " were only to be found in the family of the Prophet , that is, Ali and his son's progeny". The teacher continued:

"If you understand this, then refrain after the death of your father, from taking the reins of government into your hands: Oh son of Yazid, you are responsible in the eyes of Allah and on the Day of Judgement, you will be questioned as to your actions in front of all the people. You would be questioned why you accepted government of the Muslims while there existed a man perfectly suited to the position; ie, Zaynul Abidin , son of Imam Husayn (a.s). Do you not realize that your father seized control of the affairs of the Muslims throughdeceit ,treachery and by plotting and threatening ."These words of the teacher had a profoundly good effect in the heart of this receptive pupil and his love for Ali (a.s) and hate for his grandfather Mu'awiyah grew increasingly stronger during his period of learning and training .It was for this reason that on the death of the despicable Yazid his son, Mu'awiyah the second succeeded him but remained only forty days in power. Conflicting forces were at work in the heart of Mu'awiyah the second; this inner commotion continued until the day a truth triumphed and he stepped onto the minbar of the mosque to make a speech, after cursing his father and gather's father he began, ''Oh people, My grandfather, Mu'awiyah made war on the noble Prophet (a s w a) and Ali (a s) and the latter were the most suited to the position of governing the Muslims. Mu'awiyah, through deceit and treacherous scheming usurped the caliphate of the Muslims, which was rightly due to the family of the Prophet. He committed actions during hislife which you, better than I, are most familiar with. After Mu'awiyah,my father Yazid seized control of the government, which as before should have been given to the family of the Prophet (s a w a). He killed the offspring of the Prophet (s a w a) and manipulated the divine code of living which is Islam; he committed countless crimes and barbaric atrocities which you are better aware of thanI . The truth is thatI am ashamed even to speak about them.

He desecrated the sanctuary of the Haram and the mosque of the prophet (s a w a) and destroyed or set fire to other mosques. He violated the honour and the property of the Muslims.I confess I cannot bear to talk about anymore of his horrible actions. ThusI am placing control of affairs into your hands and you are free to choose your own ruler.'' After finishing his speech, he returned home and sat crying for a long time. His mother came to him and said: ''Oh son, what a pity you did not die in my womb and I did not hear these poisonous words of yours from the very same minbar from which Mu'awiyah and your father used to speak....'' Thus she continued until Mu'awiyah the second replied to his mother: ''What a pity that I did mot die and was not spared the indignity of having a wine - drinking father and a shameless mother.''

Mu'awiyah lived only a few days longer, dying at the age of twenty - two. After his death, Mu'awiyah's teacher who was responsible for awakening the conscience of Yazid's sonwas buried alive. They realize that it was he who influenced Mu'awiyah the second and had taught him the truth about Islam. Although the influence if the teacher on Mu'awiyah's spirit and intellect was considerable, it was not the ultimate cause of his abandoning the position of caliphate.

There was another more important reason; one day while the son of Yazid was sitting deeply in thought in his home, he heard the raised voices of twoslave - girls conversing with each other. One of them had turned to the other who was the more beautiful and charming, saying: ''Your beauty id the cause of the pride and arrogance of the Sultans." The beautiful slave - girl replied: ''What better Sultanate exists than the rule of beauty and charm?No king in his arrogance can refuse the request of a beautiful woman; thus other I hold sway over all the kings of the world'' The other slave - girl said: ''What i ask you, is the good in being a power ruler: every king who wishes to fulfil his duty and responsibility towards the people, cannot expect to live a life of ease and comfort. If, however, a king wants to spend his life in luxury, easy living indulgence hi sensual pleasure and debauchery, then he has ruined his claim to kingship and has failed to fulfil his duty towards the people. He will be responsible before Allah and the people: his place will be in hell and hewill not be spared the punishment of Allah. Thus, we can see that sultans and kings cannot enjoy both this world and the next.'' The slave - girl's words affected the heart of Yazid's son and consequently he abandoned the sultanate and delivered himself of its heavy responsibilities and Allah's punishment in the next word.

ABE AL-MALIL

After the downfall of the hated dynast of Abu Sufyan,it was the Marwan family who came to power. The Marwan family seized control of themuslim government which had been usurped previously by Abu Sufyan in the wars against the family of the Prophet (s a w a). They then proceeded to direct the affairs of the community in the name of Islam.

Marwan, whose son abd al-Malik was noted for his ignorance and stupidity, was little suited for the responsibilities of ruling. He began a conflict with a man called Zubayr and after a reign of terror, killing and plundering, he extracted an oath of allegiance from him and his followers under the threat of death.likewise , among the first people to make a pact support with him were the tribes of Jordan, but only (as they themselves admitted) for fear of being killed if they did not accept.

Marwan was known by various other names suchas: 'the monkey' 'the lizard' and ' the crocodile'. This despicable evil man acquired these names because of the thin sickly shape of his body reminded people of these animals; moreover, he used to set out in search of the prophet (s a w a) and when he found him, he stood and made ridiculous monkeys - like gestures. The Prophet of God would curse him and pray that God turn him into the very creature he was apeing; thus it was that he became afflicted with the shaking palsy; without waring, his whole body would suddenly begin to tremble. There is a hadith (a saying) of the Prophet (s a w a) which describes Marwan's bodily organ as resembling a lizard. The noble Prophet s a w a) has declared that the lizard is a filthy animal and any person killing one, should take a ghusl afterwards (ghusl is the washing of the whole body in a special way purify oneself spiritually and bodily). The Prophet (s a w a) has also stated that whenever one of the Banu Umayyahs family dies, he changes after death into the form of a lizard or crocodile. It is for this reason that peopleare reminded of lizards at the mention of any of the Banu Umayyah family.

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 hekilled ,he could never satisfy his thirst for blood. In thisrespect ,he was no different from his forefathers. Even when Hajjaj wrote to him informing him that huge members of Muslims and Shi'ahs had beenkilled, 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:

1)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.

2) Muhallab, who was the most baseless and shameless governor in the history of the People of khurasan (in eastern Iran).

3) Hisham, the son of Isma'il, who was the governor of Medina.

4) Abdullah, who was Abd al-Malik 's own son .He was appointed to serve in the government in Egypt.

5) Musa ibn Nasir who was the governor of Maghrib (the present day Morocco).

6) Muhammad, son of Yusuf ath-Thaqafi and brother of Hajjaj who lived in Yemen.

7) Muhammad ibn Marwan who ruled in the Arabianpeninsula .

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) .Itis 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-Islamicactivity ,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 AbuSufyan '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.

Ubaydallah,Son Of Ziyad

Ziyad, the father of Ubaydullah is commonly attributed with variousfathers 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. Thefour ,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 killingthem , 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 tryand 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.