amount of the state treasury.

amount of the state treasury. For this reason Ishaq al-Mousili said: If al-Hadi had lived for a longer time, we would have build the walls of our houses of gold![1] Al-Hadi was interested in drinking wine, so he was the first Abbasid caliph to be fond of wine.[2] Then al-Rashid and the rest of the Abbasid kings followed his model![3] C. His Ill-temperedeness He was bad-tempered and ill-natured.

Al-Jahiz has said: Al-Hadi was peevish; he was hard in choosing his wishes, overlooked (the people) a little bit and mistrusted (them). He enriched those who guarded against him and came to know of his morals. Nothing was more abominable to him than beginning him with a question.[4] D. His Showing Enmity toward the Alawids This vainglorious, tyrannical one (al-Hadi) went too far in punishing the Alawids severely and in exhausting them. He spread among them fear and terror.

He stopped from them the livelihood and the gifts apportioned by al-Mehdi. Then he wrote letters to his governors in all the regions to look for them and to transfer them to Baghdad.[5] During the short period of this terrorist ruler, the Alawids suffered all kinds of persecution and tyranny. For the authorities were excessive in oppressing them, abasing them, and forcing them to do what they had disliked.

This made the Alawids head for the fields of jihad and declare their great revolt aiming at saving the community from tyranny and oppression. We will talk about that. The Tragedy of Fekh The most horrible tragedy the Islamic world faced was that of Fekh, which was similar to that of Kerbela in pain and sorrow. Imam al-Jewad spoke of its strong effects on , peace be on them, saying: After (the Battle of) al-Taff we have no killed greater than those at (the Battle of) Fekh.

At this horrible tragedy the sacredness of the Prophet, may Allah bless him and his family, was violated in respect with his family and his progeny. For at it the Abbasids committed (crimes) and offences similar to those committed by the Umayyads during the tragedy of Kerbela.

They planted the heads of the Alawids atop the spears, showed the prisoners of war all over the countries and the cities, left the pure bodies thrown on the surface of the earth, and did not bury them, that they might extremely quench their thirst for revenge on . Thus, the [1] Ibid., p. 6. [2] Al-Jahshyari, p. 144. [3] Al-Tabari, Tarikh, vol. 6, p. 489. Abu al-Farajj al-Asfahani, vol. 5, p. 216. [4] Al-Tajj fi Akhlaq al-Muluk, p. 35.