Today they have nothing...

Today they have nothing, which you may fear and you shall always be praised due to this good deed and rewarded by Allah.’ Muawiyah said, ‘Alas! Alas! How can I hope for the endurance of remembrance? See, a man of the Teem tribe (i.e. Abu Bakr) became a ruler. He acted justly and did what he should have [1] An-Nasaaih al-Kafiya Pg. 116 [2] Sharh Nahjul Balagha 10/101 done, till he finally died, and with him his memory also perished; just his name, Abu Bakr remains. Then a man from Adi tribe (i.e.

Umar) became the ruler. He struggled for many years till he finally died and his memory also ended, except that just his name is mentioned as Umar. But see how the name of Ibn Abi Kabsha**[1]** is called out five times a day: “I testify that Muhammad is the Messenger of God.” Now after this which deed of mine and name shall endure?

By Allah, there is none except Him, except that they shall be buried (destroyed).’” [2] This matter shows the shaky religious belief of Muawiyah and it is that it was nothing but a thin veil that he had put over himself. It shows that same inclination towards the period of ignorance and being affected by it to the utmost limit. Apostatic tendencies were present in most of the Umayyad rulers.

Walid in one of his drinking bouts denied the Day of Judgment and raising up of the dead: “Turn the goblet on the right and not to the left. Give it to drink and at that time when it is incensed with aloe wood. A wine that is first placed in a pitcher. It is laced with Perfume of bondmaids and camphor of dignity. I am sure that I shall not be raised to be sent to Hell. I raise people so that they may mount the ass of religion.

And leave to destruction those who aspire for Paradise.”[3] Many of the Bani Umayyad governors also bore apostatic beliefs. For example Hajjaj addressed Allah in presence of a crowd and he said, “Is your Prophet higher or your caliph?” He meant to say that Abdul Malik was greater than the Prophet. [4] In the same way he used object to those who visited the Prophet’s tomb. He used to say, “Woe be those who go around the wooden planks and decayed body.

Why don’t they circumambulate the palace of Abdul Malik, chief of the believers? Do they not know that the caliph of all is better than his or her Prophet?” [5] In this way the machinery of Umayyad regime was involved in insulting the Prophet of Allah (s) and in ridiculing his Prophethood.