Minhaj as-Sunnah - Ibn Taimiya - (6/340)

Minhaj as-SunnahIbn Taimiya

When al-Husayn—may Allah be pleased with him—set out for Kūfa, he sought only to assume authority in Yazīd’s place; he was not fighting over the caliphates of Abū Bakr and Umar. The same was true of those who killed him. When he was killed, he was not seeking political authority, nor did he have an army with which to fight. Rather, he had turned back to leave and asked either to be sent to his cousin Yazīd, to be returned to his home in Medina, or to proceed to the frontier. Those oppressors denied him all three options unless he surrendered himself to them as a prisoner. Thus, he—may Allah be pleased with him—was not killed while fighting for political authority; rather, he was killed while seeking to defend himself so that he would not be taken prisoner and wronged.

His brother al-Hasan had vast armies at his command. Even so, he relinquished authority and handed it over to Muāwiya. It is authentically established in the two Sahih collections that the Prophet—may Allah’s blessings and peace be upon him—praised him for this and said:

“This son of mine is a leader, and perhaps Allah will reconcile through him (1) two great groups of Muslims” (2).

After al-Husayn was killed, those seeking vengeance for his blood rose with al-Mukhtār ibn Abī Ubayd al-Thaqafī, and they killed Ubayd Allah ibn Ziyād. Later, when Musab ibn al-Zubayr arrived, he killed al-Mukhtār, for the latter had lied and claimed (3) that revelation was being sent to him.

It is reported in Sahih Muslim that the Prophet—may Allah’s blessings and peace be upon him—said:

“From Thaqīf will come a liar and a ruthless destroyer” (4), and the liar was the man named (5) al-Mukhtār,

(1) N: “and that Allah brings about reconciliation through him”; M: “and that Allah will bring about reconciliation through him.” (2) This hadith was cited previously, 1/539–540. (3) B: “wa-iddahā,” which is a typographical error. (4) This hadith was cited previously, 2/69. (5) N, M: “is called.”

وَالْحُسَيْنُ - رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ - لَمَّا خَرَجَ إِلَى الْكُوفَةِ إِنَّمَا كَانَ يَطْلُبُ الْوِلَايَةَ مَكَانَ يَزِيدَ، لَمْ يَكُنْ يُقَاتِلُ عَلَى خِلَافَةِ أَبِي بَكْرٍ وَعُمَرَ. وَكَذَلِكَ الَّذِينَ قَتَلُوهُ. وَلَمْ يَكُنْ هُوَ حِينَ قُتِلَ طَالِبًا لِلْوِلَايَةِ، وَلَا كَانَ مَعَهُ جَيْشٌ يُقَاتِلُ بِهِ، وَإِنَّمَا كَانَ قَدْ رَجَعَ مُنْصَرِفًا وَطَلَبَ أَنْ يُرَدَّ إِلَى يَزِيدَ ابْنِ عَمِّهِ، أَوْ أَنْ يُرَدَّ إِلَى مَنْزِلِهِ بِالْمَدِينَةِ، أَوْ يَسِيرَ إِلَى الثَّغْرِ، فَمَنَعَهُ أُولَئِكَ الظَّلَمَةُ مِنَ الثَّلَاثَةِ حَتَّى يَسْتَأْسِرَ لَهُمْ، فَلَمْ يُقْتَلْ - رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ - وَهُوَ يُقَاتِلُ عَلَى وِلَايَةٍ، بَلْ قُتِلَ وَهُوَ يَطْلُبُ الدَّفْعَ عَنْ نَفْسِهِ لِئَلَّا يُؤْسَرَ وَيُظْلَمَ. وَالْحَسَنُ أَخُوهُ قَدْ كَانَتْ مَعَهُ الْجُيُوشُ الْعَظِيمَةُ وَمَعَ هَذَا فَقَدْ نَزَلَ عَنِ الْأَمْرِ وَسَلَّمَ إِلَى مُعَاوِيَةَ وَقَدْ ثَبَتَ فِي الصَّحِيحَيْنِ عَنِ النَّبِيِّ - صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ - أَنَّهُ أَثْنَى عَلَيْهِ بِذَلِكَ وَقَالَ: " «إِنَّ ابْنِي هَذَا سَيِّدٌ، وَلَعَلَّ اللَّهَ أَنْ يُصْلِحَ بِهِ (١) بَيْنَ فِئَتَيْنِ عَظِيمَتَيْنِ مِنَ الْمُسْلِمِينَ» " (٢) . ثُمَّ لَمَّا قُتِلَ الْحُسَيْنُ قَامَ مَنْ يَطْلُبُ بِدَمِهِ مَعَ الْمُخْتَارِ بْنِ أَبِي عُبَيْدٍ الثَّقَفِيِّ وَقَتَلُوا عُبَيْدَ اللَّهِ بْنَ زِيَادٍ. ثُمَّ لَمَّا قَدِمَ مُصْعَبُ بْنُ الزُّبَيْرِ قَتَلَ الْمُخْتَارَ فَإِنَّهُ كَذِبَ وَادَّعَى (٣) أَنَّهُ يُوحَى إِلَيْهِ. وَفِي صَحِيحِ مُسْلِمٍ عَنِ النَّبِيِّ - صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ - أَنَّهُ قَالَ: " «سَيَكُونُ مِنْ ثَقِيفٍ كَذَّابٌ وَمُبِيرٌ» (٤) " ، وَكَانَ الْكَذَّابُ هُوَ الَّذِي سُمِّيَ (٥) الْمُخْتَارَ،

(١) ن: وَأَنَّ اللَّهَ يُصْلِحُ بِهِ، م: وَأَنَّ اللَّهَ سَيُصْلِحُ بِهِ. (٢) سَبَقَ الْحَدِيثُ فِيمَا مَضَى ١/٥٣٩ - ٥٤٠. (٣) ب: وَادَّحَى، وَهِيَ غَلْطَةٌ مَطْبَعِيَّةٌ. (٤) سَبَقَ هَذَا الْحَدِيثُ فِيمَا مَضَى ٢/٦٩ (٥) ن، م: يُسَمَّى.