Muawiya connived with Ja’da bint al-Ash’ath bin Qays the...

Muawiya connived with Ja’da bint al-Ash’ath bin Qays the wife of Hassan who administered poison to him, on the condition that Muawiyah would marry her to his son Yazeed. When Hassan died, she sent a request to Muawiya to fulfill the said promise to which Muawiyah replied he feared for the well being of Yazeed.

Similarly Mutahar bin Tahir al-Maqdasi in his esteemed work Kitab Al-Bada wal-Tarikh, states: (3) .أن معاوية دس إلى جعدة بنت الأشعث بن قيس بأن تسم الحسن ويزوجها يزيد فسمته وقتلته فقال لها معاوية إن يزيد منا بمكان وكيف يصلح له من لا يصلح لابن رسول الله وعوضها منه مائة ألف درهم Muawiya conspired with Ja’da bint al-Ash’ath bin Qays and issued her with an assurance that he would marry her to Yazeed provided she administered poison to Hassan.

When she killed him, Muawiya gave her 100,000 Dirhams and said: ‘Yazeed is dearer to me, how can I be sure that what transpired with the grandson of the Prophet will not also happen to Yazeed?’ Who was Ja’da bint Asha’ath bin Qays? At this juncture we deem it apt to shed some light on Ja’da’s family background as most of our opponents are unaware as to what sort of relationship she had with some notable ones.

The learned ad-Dhahabi, writes about her father Asha’ath bin Qays al-Kindi: له صحبة ورواية “He is a companion and there are traditions narrated through him”. And then his tarnishing the honor of companionship: .ارتد الأشعث في ناس من كندة ۔۔۔ لما قدم بالأشعث بن قيس أسيرا على أبي بكر أطلق وثاقه وزوجه أخته “He apostatized along with several clan members of Banu Kindah…When he was arrested and was brought to Abu Bakar, he was unshackled and got his sister (Farwah Bint Abi Quhafa) married to him.”.

Now, how did Asha’ath bin Qais repay this favor? فاخترط سيفه ودخل سوق الإبل فجعل لا يرى ناقة ولا جملا إلا عرقبه وصاح الناس كفر الأشعث ثم طرح سيفه وقال والله ما كفرت ولكن هذا الرجل زوجني أخته ولو كنا في بلادنا لكانت لنا وليمة غير هذه يا أهل المدينة انحروا وكلوا ويا أهل الإبل تعالوا خذوا شرواها He unsheathed his sword and thereafter entered the market of Camels and without discriminating between male or female camels, proceeded to slice off their humps.

People, thus exclaimed Asha’ath you have (yet again) become a disbeliever (kafir). He then threw his sword and said: ‘By God, I have not apostatized, but this person (your Caliph) has given his sister in marriage to me, and were we in our country, we would have also thrown a banquet.