What should I do?

What should I do?” The Imam said, “Why do not you ask Muhammad bin Muslim?” Attitude of the Rulers The Umayyid rulers during the imamate of Imam Muhammad al-Bāqir (a.s.) were the following: 1. Walīd bin ‘Abdu ’l-Malik; 2. Sulaymān bin ‘Abdu ’l-Malik; 3. ‘Umar ibn ‘Abdu ’l-‘Azīz; 4. Yazīd bin ‘Abdu ’l-Malik; 5. Hishām bin ‘Abdu ’l-Malik. With the exception of ‘Umar ibn ‘Abdu ‘l-’Azīz, all the rulers were as cruel and corrupt as their predecessors.

Walīd appointed people (like Hajjāj bin Yusūf 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. Sulaymān 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-‘Azīz’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’āwiyah: e.g., the practice of cursing Amīru ’l-Mu’minīn ‘Ali bin Abi Tālib (a.s.) in the Friday khutbas . Then Yazīd bin ‘Abdu ’l-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. Hishām bin ‘Abdu ’l-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. 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 Hishām who was also in Mecca at that time. On his return to Syria, Hishām ordered Imam Muhammad al-Bāqir (a.s.) and his son, Ja‘far, to be brought to Damascus. Hishām tried to intimidate and humiliate the Imam but did not succeed.