In fact...

In fact, we can say that this usurpation was meant to eliminate the effects of that usurpation. Indeed, Hajjaj ibn Yusuf Thaqafi learnt this same method from Umar as evidenced by this historical narration: Muhammad ibn Idris Shafe‘i (d.) says: When Hajjaj ibn Yusuf married the daughter of Abdullah ibn Ja‘far, Khalid ibn Yazid ibn Muawiyah told Abdul Malik ibn Marwan: Did you leave Hajjaj to marry the daughter of Abdullah ibn Ja‘far?‖ He said: Yes, what is wrong with it?

Khalid said: By Allah, this is the worst shame.‖ Abdul Malik asked: How is that? Khalid said: I swear by Allah! O Commander of the Faithful, ever since I married Ramlah, the daughter of Zubair, the enmity I had in my heart toward Zubair, has perished. Khalid goes on saying: It seems Abdul Malik was asleep and I woke him up with these words of mine. Then and there he wrote a letter to Hajjaj making him to divorce Abdullah‘s daughter.

Hajjaj complied with Abdul Malik‘s order and divorced her.[^6] Final word concerning the marriage of Umm Kulthum Considering the investigation and research conducted in regard to Umm Kulthum‘s marriage, a question that does arise is: Whom did Umm Kulthum marry finally? In answer to this question, we must say that it was clarified earlier that, based on the saying of Commander of the Faithful, Ali (a.s.), he had kept his daughters for the sons of his brother, Ja‘far.

In fact, this was done by the order of the Messenger of Allah (S) because one day the holy Prophet (S) looked at Ali‘s and Ja‘far‘s children whereupon the Prophet (S) said: بناتنا لبنينا وبنونا لبناتنا “Our daughters are for our sons and our sons are for our daughters”.[^7] However, when it comes to Umm Kulthum, there is a narration which says: Umar asked Ali for Umm Kulthum‘s hand in marriage.

Ali (AS) made the excuse that she was too young and he further said that he had kept her for the son of his brother, Ja‘far…[^8] Likewise it is seen in this narration that the Imam (a.s.) did not specify which son of Ja‘far he had kept his daughter for, but we know that he meant either Awn or Muhammad. This is because, as mentioned earlier, the Commander of the Faithful, Ali (a.s.) had married his daughter Zainab (a.s.) to Abdullah, who was the eldest of his brothers.

Among the Sunni scholars, whose opinions and reports we are discussing in this book, there is no difference as to the fact that Awn was killed in the battle of Shushtar, during the reign of Umar‘s caliphate.