The uprising of the people of Medina was a popular and...

The uprising of the people of Medina was a popular and self-perpetuating social movement rooted in the people’s unanimous rejection of the rule of Yazid and Bani Umayyah.

The group of the Helpers [ ansar ] had chosen ‘Abd Allah ibn Hanzalah to be their army commander and leader in the confrontation with Bani Umayyah and the Quraysh appointed ‘Abd Allah ibn Matih to be their commander.[^4] This revolution and uprising was caused by various factors, some of which we will now discuss: Religious sentiments Medina has always been an exceptionally important city because it is the city of Allah’s Prophet (S) and the land where the divine message grew, developed and flourished.

It is the land where divine knowledge and wisdom where introduced. It was in Medina where the Prophet’s way of life was explained and people were instructed regarding it. Medina is the land where people learned Qur’anic commentary and interpretation of the divine message from the Holy Prophet (S) himself. The Prophet’s (S) distinguished companions, including the Helpers [ ansar ] and the Immigrants [ muhajirin ], had lived there since the Holy Prophet’s (S) time.

After the Prophet’s (S) death, some of his most renowned companions preferred to stay in that city because of the fond memories they held about Allah’s Prophet (S). It is evident why the people of Medina had a fervent inclination towards Islamic tenets and stronger religious sentiments than the people of Sham; they were more familiar with the Prophet’s (S) conduct [ sunnah ] and that of his successors and companions.

It was for this reason that they were able to discern the wrong ways of Bani Umayyah earlier than others. It was the people of Medina who previously were the first to voice their objections to ‘Uthman ibn ‘Uffan. Now, these same people were experiencing the rule of a raw inexperienced youth called Yazid ibn Mu‘awiyah. He knew absolutely nothing about politics and failed to uphold the sanctity of the tenets of religion. Accordingly, their disapproval and protest against Yazid sprang up.