Yazid bin ‘Abdu 1-Malik; 5.

Yazid bin ‘Abdu 1-Malik; 5. Hisham bin ‘Abdu 1-Malik. With the exception of ‘Umar ibn ‘Abdu ‘l-’Aziz, all the rulers were as cruel and corrupt as their predecessors. Walid appointed people (like Hajjaj bin Yusuf ath-Thaqafi) to the various positions in the Muslim empire who had no regard for Islamic values and were guilty of torturing and oppressing those who did not accept their views.

Sulayman was comparatively less of a tyrant not out of kindness and a sense of responsibility but because he was deeply absorbed in the pleasures and excessively luxirious lifestyle at the expense of the public treasury! ‘Umar ibn ‘Abdu ‘l-’Aziz’s short reign of two years was the best period in the Umayyid history.

He tried to establish justice and equality, and put an end to quite a few abhorrent practices started by Mu’awiyah: e.g., the practice of cursing Amiru 1-Mu’minin ‘Ali bin Abi Talib (a.s.) in the Friday khutbas. Then Yazid bin ‘Abdu 1-Malik came to power who is considered to be morally the most corrupt of all the Umayyad rulers. He was obsessed with music and dance, and would invite musicians and dancers from all over to his court in Damascus and reward them heftily.

It was during his reign that pleasure pursuit, chess, playing cards and other such games became common ways of entertainment among the Arabs. Hisham bin ‘Abdu 1-Malik was a mean and cruel person. He was insecure about his own position among the people, and was very jealous of the popularity and respect accorded by the people to the descendants of Imam ‘Ali (a.s.).

It was during his reign that Zayd bin ‘Ali (son of the fourth Imam) started an uprising against the Umayyads which, unfortunately, ended in defeat in which Zayd was killed very cruelly. 5. Final Days & Death During one of the hajj rituals, the Imam gave a speech exholting the rights of his family and himself. This was reported to Hisham who was also in Mecca at that time. On his return to Syria, Hisham ordered Imam Muhammad al-Baqir (a.s.) and his son, Ja’far, to be brought to Damascus.

Hisham tried to intimidate and humiliate the Imam but did not succeed. After some time, he was forced to let the holy Imam go back to Medina where he was always under surveillance by the regime’s spies and informers. Finally, in the year 114 A.H., the Imam was poisoned by the Umayyad agents and died on 7th Dhu 1-Hijja, and was buried beside his father in the Jannatu 1-Baqi‘ graveyard. This lesson has been written and compiled by Sayyid M.