People of justice may compare this allegiance with the...

People of justice may compare this allegiance with the allegiance of Muhammad Ibn Hanafiya. The fact is that Muhammad Ibn Hanafiya just said: “I am prepared to give allegiance or I give your allegiance,” and in this way he passed over the demand of Yazeed. Anyone having some faith cannot blame Muhammad Ibn Hanafiya for allegiance. But Ahlul Sunnat blame Muhammad Ibn Hanafiya in order to justify the actions of Abdullah Ibn Umar regarding the allegiance of Yazeed.

Most Ahlul Sunnat scholars are seen in support of Yazeed. Ibn Hajar Makki writes in Sawaiqul Mohreqa that it is not allowed to curse Yazeed or call him a disbeliever, because he was from the believers and his affair is in Allah’s hand. In Sharhe Fiqhe Akbar [^4] Mulla Ali Qari and Ghazzali have stated that the killing of Imam Husain (a.s.) is not proved on Yazeed, so it does not make Yazeed a disbeliever.

It is not allowed to blame a Muslim for having committed a Greater sin without any proper investigation. Abu Shakoor Salmi writes in the marginal notes of Sharh Aqaide Nasafi [^5] that the allegiance and obedience of Yazeed was obligatory on Imam Husain (a.s.), because his Caliphate was legitimate. It is written in Hayatul Haiwan [^6] that Ghazzali says: “If at all, the blame of Husain’s killing is proved on Yazeed, it would only be that he has killed a Muslim. He might have repented for it.

Thus, Yazeed who was a Muslim must not be cursed.” It is written in Tarikh Ibn Khallikan that according to Ghazzali, Yazeed is deserving of mercy and it is recommended to invoke blessings on him. Tafseer Baidhawi [^7] says that divine help was given to Yazeed in view of the prophecy of the verses of Holy Quran. The greatest support is seen in the fact that Yazeed is one of the twelve Caliphs of Ahlul Sunnat.

It is mentioned is Sharh Fiqhe Akbar that the Holy Prophet (S) said that there will be twelve Caliphs after him. The four of them are the righteous Caliphs ( Khulafa Rashideen ), i.e. Abu Bakr, Umar, Uthman and Ali (a.s.) and the rest are Muawiyah and his son, Yazeed, Abdul Malik bin Marwan and his four sons. Yazeed bin Abdul Malik, Sulaiman, Hisham and Walid and of them is Umar bin Abdul Aziz.

This shows that the Caliphate of Yazeed came into being in accordance with the saying of the Messenger of Allah (S). Now what can be said of Yazeed? Father and son, both became the successors of the Prophet.