THREE DREADFUL CRIMES OF YAZID IBN MUAWIYA

The First Dreadful Crime: Killing Abu Abdillah Al-Husain (as). Yazid son of Muawiya with that inhuman and wicked qualities in his first year of his rule martyred the "Leader of the Youth of the Paradise" Abu Abdullah al-Husain(A. S.) and his family and companions in that tragic state. The Second Dreadful Crime: Killing and raping thousands of Residents of Madina and Desecrating Masjid Nabavi In his second year of his rule he created the deplorable incident of "Harrah" which blackened the pages of history. The people of Madinah after the martyrdom of Imam Husain (A.S.) came to know the evils of Yazid and refused to obey him and threw out the agents of Yazid from Madinah. Yazid on previous advice of his father Muawiya, sent a heartless and bloody old man Muslim ibn Aqbah with a strong army towards the holy tomb of Prophet of Islam (S.A.W.) at Madinah. The army of Yazid in that holy city committed such heinous crimes that the pen is ashamed to describe it. The army of Yazid confronted the people of Madinah within a mile from Madinah, at a place called "Harrah" in the command of Abdullah ibn Hanzala. A fierce battle took place. The people of Madinah who could not defend themselves took refuge in the tomb sanctuary of Holy Prophet Muhammad (S.A.W.). The Syrian Yazidi army entered Madinah. They broke the sanctity of that holy place and shed the blood of the people so much so that the holy mosque (Masjid Nabawi) was filled with blood which even reached Holy Prophet's grave. Their horses impured the Masjid by passing urine and dung. Among the persons who killed were seven hundred people who were famous for piety and nobility. Others who were massacred consisted of ten thousand innocent men, women and children. The Syrian Yazidi commander left free the army to loot and rape. The shameless Syrian Yazidi army began the plunder and rape. Thousands of girls and women got pregnant those newborns later called "The Children of Harrah". It is narrated that Yazidi army even committed rape in Masjid un-Nabawi. A Sample Yazid's Cruelty to the People of Madinah Ibn Qutaibah in his book "Al-Imamah va Siyasah" described: "One of the army man entered a woman's house who had recently delivered a baby. Her new born baby was sucking milk in the lap of her mother. The man told that lady: Have you got money? She said: I swear God, the Syrian army did not left a single coin for me. The army man said: Bring some thing for me else I will kill you and your infant. The woman cried: Woe upon you, this is the child of Prophet's companion (sahabi). I also gave oath of allegiance to Prophet (S.A.W.) at "Shajara Allegiance", and pointing her infant told: My child, I swear God, if I have something, I will surely sacrifice upon you". Suddenly that accursed man snatched the infant's leg who was sucking milk and pulled him away from mother's lap and hit him to the wall. So that the infant's brain got scattered before her mother's eyes and spread all over the floor. The narrator said: As the accursed army man was stepping out of that house his face blackened at once. This incident became an idiom among the people of Madinah. The depth of the Harrah tragedy was so much that for along period when a man wanted to marry his daughter he was unable to give the guarantee of his daughters maidenhood. Then the Yazidi army took allegiance from the people of Madinah, to be the slaves of Yazid. It was upon his will to leave them or made them slaves. The people of Madinah though their property plundered, blood shed and their women raped and molested, all of them gave allegaince "Bayyat" to Yazid except the fourth holy Imam of the Shi'ites Imam Zainul Abedin(A.S.) . The criminal Muslim Ibn Aqbah sent slaughtered heads of the people of Madinah to Yazid at Damascus ( Syria ). As the heads were presented before Yazid he said: "I wish my forefathers who were killed in the battle of Badr would be alive and see how I took revenge with the Prophet of Islam and Muslims". The Third Dreadful Crime: The Army of Yazid Set Ablaze and Destroyed Holy Kaaba After suppressing and plundering people of Madinah, Muslim ibn Aqabah started towards Makkah to crush Abdullah ibn Zubair. Finally Hasin ibn Namir took the leadership of the Syrian Yazidi army and attacked Makkah. When Abdullah ibn Zubair took refuge in Masjid al- Haram and Kaaba, they stoned Kaaba with catapult war machine and with cloth in kerosene oil and what ever inflammable in hand, they threw upon upon so that Holy Kaaba was burnt and demolished. It is narrated that the Syrian army commander ordered to hit the Holy Kaaba daily with ten thousand stones. In the meantime as the Syrian army was attacking Holy Kaaba and destroying the holy place, Allah Almighty gave Yazid no chance and took away his life. He was still under the age of forty. Yazid in the period of only three years caliphate committed heinous crimes. In his first year of rule he martyred Sayyid ush- Shuhada Imam Husain (A.S.) and captivated his whole family. In his second year of rule allowed his army to kill, loot and transgress the chastity of women in the holy city of Madinah . In the third year of his rule he set ablaze the Holy Kaaba and demolished the holy place. The reason for the the death of Yazid some said: He was drunk so much, that while dancing fell down upon his head and died. Others said: He was killed buy a bedouin Arab in the desert. When Yazid got alone in chase of hunt, he introduced himself to Arab who got furiated and said: 'You are the murderer of Husain ibn Ali', thus the Arab killed Yazid on the spot. His body was buried in 'Bab Saghir" in Damascus . Now that place has been changed into rubbish heap. Masudi in "Muruj az-Zahab" said: Yazid used to booze openly in public on the footsteps of Pharoah (Firaun). Rather Firaun was better than Yazid. Following Yazid, his agents too started debauchery overtly before people. In the period of Yazid's caliphate singing and dancing were performed openly among people. Musical instruments were in use and alcohol was consumed freely in public. -Asif Raza asifraza13@yahoo.com