Sayyid Saeed Akhtar Rizvi

Mu‘awiyah had established a full-fledged department of propaganda. It was their duty to invent virtues and excellence (fadha‘il) of Banu Umayyah and their partisans; and forge and publish bad things about the Hashimites in general and Imam ‘Ali in particular. The activities of this department are well-known; no particular reference is needed for those who have studied Islamic history. Some of the orders given to this department during Mu‘awiyah’s reign are quoted below from al-Ihtijaj of at- Tabrasi for further information:

“The announcer of Mu‘awiyah announced: I have removed my protection from him who narrates any tradition of the Prophet concerning the virtues of ‘Ali and the superiority of his family members (Ahl Al-Bayt) ... And Mu‘awiyah wrote (a circular) to all his governors in all the towns: Do not accept evidence of any Shi‘ah of ‘Ali and Ahl Al-Bayt; and find out among you the partisans of ‘Uthman and those who love his family-members and friends, and those who believe in his superiority and virtues...

seat them near you and honour them; and note down the name and tribe of him who narrates his virtues. They did so; until the stories and tales about ‘Uthman became numerous, and they had forged them... Then he wrote to his governors: Verily the traditions about ‘Uthman have increased and spread in every town. Now ask the people to narrate about Mu‘awiyah, his superiority and precedence, because this is dearer to our heart...

“And worst of all in this respect were the reciters (qurra’ of the Qur’an) who showed piety and reverence (of religion); and they lied, forged and invented tales. By this they carried favour with governors and judges, who made them seat near themselves; in this manner, they collected riches, properties and buildings. This continued till their tales became “fact” and “truth” in the eyes of public. Thus, they narrated those invented tales and traditions, accepted them, learnt them and taught them; they loved those who accepted them and hated those who rejected those traditions or had any doubt about them. Therefore, the whole group accepted, and agreed upon, those traditions; and they reached in the hands of pious people, who did not think it lawful to forge traditions; yet such persons accepted those traditions believing them to be true. And if they had known their falsity and believed that they were forged, they would certainly have discarded them... ”

The above narration gives us a glimpse of the function of this department during the reign of Mu‘awiyah. Those people forged a tradition in praise of Ibn Muljim (the assassin of Amiru ’l-Mu’minin ‘Ali) on payment of one hundred thousand dirham, and made the people believe that the Banu Umayyah were the true successors and heirs of the Holy Prophet of Islam (peace be upon him), and that ‘Ali (peace be upon him) was, God forbid, an enemy of the Messenger of Allah.

The department continued to function with devilish efficiency even after Mu‘awiyah. When Yazid murdered Imam Husayn (peace be upon him), and the public became restless on knowing who was murdered, the orators and preachers under this department started to slander Imam Husayn and his family from the pulpits.

Later, some stories were invented to mar the altruistic nature of Imam Husayn’s sacrifice, and to rob it of its spiritual value. Some said that the underlying factor of this battle was the family feud of the Hashimites and the Umayyads. Others said that the reason was a personal rivalry between Imam Husayn (peace be upon him) and Yazid. Those story-tellers cleverly put in their stories some unsavoury details about Mu‘awiyah and Yazid, thus camouflaging their real aim. They knew that the Shi‘ahs would eagerly accept any “tradition” provided it contained some unfavourable items about the enemies of the Ahl Al-Bayt; they would gladly go on copying such traditions without putting them to academic test, and without realising that the real purpose of such stories was to turn the jihad of Karbala into personal or family vendetta. Those propagandists succeeded to a certain extent; many Shi‘ahs unwittingly wrote those stories in their books, although “if they had known their falsity and believed that they were forged, they would certainly have discarded them.”

One such “tradition” is the story of Uraynab, which is translated here (in short) from the Persian translation of Zahru ’r-Rabi‘, pp. 353-354:

Uraynab daughter of Ishaq was married to ‘Abdullah Ibn Salam, who was governor of Iraq on behalf of Mu‘awiyah. Uraynab had no peer in beauty, manners and riches. Yazid heard about her beauty and was enchanted by it. After some time he could not control his feelings. When Mu‘awiyah learned about it, he sent him a message advising him to keep his love a secret, so that Mu‘awiyah could try to get Uraynab for him. Yazid obediently kept quite.

Then Mu‘awiyah called ‘Abdullah Ibn Salam and showed him much love and respect. One day he told Abu Hurayrah and Abu Darda’ (two companions of the Prophet, who had attached themselves to Mu‘awiyah) that he had a daughter of marriageable age and wanted to give her in marriage to ‘Abdullah Ibn Salam, as he was a very virtuous and attractive person. He asked them to give ‘Abdullah a hint of this proposal. When ‘Abdullah approached Mu‘awiyah for his daughter, Mu‘awiyah said that it was appropriate to get the consent of the girl. On the other hand, he advised his daughter: “If anyone comes to you with the message of ‘Abdullah Ibn Salam, tell him that ‘Abdullah is a noble person, but he is already married to Uraynab. If he wants to marry the caliph’s daughter, he should divorce Uraynab.”

When Abu Hurayrah and Abu Darda’ asked the girl her opinion, she replied as she had been taught. ‘Abdullah, when informed of this snag, at once divorced Uraynab, keeping the two companions as witnessess. Mu‘awiyah heard the news of the divorce and pretended to be shocked by it. Then the two companions, on Mu‘awiyah’s advice, brought the news of divorce to Mu‘awiyah’s daughter; and asked her to give her consent to ‘Abdullah’s proposal. She asked for some time so that she might enquire about her suitor’s character and antecedents. In the meanwhile, the news of the divorce spread in the town, and also it became known that Yazid wanted to marry the divorcee, Uraynab. When finally the two companions talked with Mu‘awiyah on behalf of ‘Abdullah, he replied: “I have made enquiries about ‘Abdullah and am not very satisfied of his way of life.” Informed of this reply, ‘Abdullah realised the trick played upon him by Mu‘awiyah, but now it was too late. He only said: Would that these people too fail in their plan.

When the waiting period (‘iddah) of Uraynab expired, Mu‘awiyah sent Abu Darda’ to Iraq to pass Yazid’s message to her. On reaching Iraq, Abu Darda’ found that Imam Husayn was there. He thought it improper to begin his assignment before visiting Imam Husayn (peace be upon him).

When the Imam came to know of his errand, he said: “I too wanted to marry her and was about to send someone to her with my proposal. Now that you are here, better take to her my message also, and I shall give her the same dower (mahr) which Mu‘awiyah has offered.” Abu Darda’ took the two proposals to Uraynab, who asked him to choose for her the better of the two. Abu Darda’ replied: “The son of the Messenger of Allah is better in my eyes than Yazid.” Uraynab accepted the proposal of Imam Husayn (peace be upon him); Abu Darda’ gave her the mahr and recited nikah (marriage contract) with the Imam.

When Mu‘awiyah heard the news, he was very much annoyed; but what could he do? In anger, he started frustrating ‘Abdullah, till his circumstances became straitened. ‘Abdullah returned to Iraq, almost a pauper, and went to see Imam Husayn. He told the Imam that before going to Damascus, he had given some money to Uraynab. “Please remind her; I do not think that she would deny it or take what is not hers lawfully.” Uraynab said that it was true, and that the money was safely kept in a bag with his seal intact. Imam Husayn came out and said to ‘Abdullah: “Your money is here, come and receive it back yourself.” Uraynab gave the sealed bag to ‘Abdullah; Imam Husayn (peace be upon him) left them alone, they remembered their old days and cried in loud voices. Hearing the cries, the Imam went inside and said to Uraynab: “I divorce thee three divorces, with Allah as my witness. O Allah! Thou knowest that I had not married her for her riches or her beauty; it was done only to make her lawful for her former husband.”

Thus did Imam Husayn divorce Uraynab and he did not take any thing back which he had given her. When her ‘iddah expired, ‘Abdullah married her again, and they lived happily ever after.

Ni‘matullah al-Jaza‘iri, the author of Zahru ’r-Rabi‘, has copied it from the history of lbn Badrun. Also he says: “It is said that there was enmity, both fundamental and incidental, between Imam Husayn and Yazid: the fundamental one was the feud between their forefathers; the incidental was the episode of Uraynab.” The reader would see that there no hint whatsoever of any religious differences between them. Anyhow, there are many interesting lapses in this story:-

1. Divorcing without the presence of two just (‘adil) witnesses is manifestly against the law of the Qur’an. Allah says: “And call to witness two just men from among you” (65:2). And it is the madhhab of the Ahl Al-Bayt that a divorce without two just witnesses is null and void. And this story wants us to believe that Imam Husayn, in total disregard of the law of the Qur’an and his own madhhab, divorced his wife without two witnesses (just or otherwise), by just calling Allah to be his witness.

2. The story-teller, because of his ignorance of the madhhab of Ahl Al-Bayt, thought that they too allowed three divorces in one sitting or in one period of cleanliness. He makes Imam Husayn (peace be upon him) say, “I divorce thee three divorces.” Such a divorce too is void in the madhhab of Ahl Al-Bayt; it is such a known rule that there is no need of quoting references from the books of traditions and jurisprudence. These two facts, divorcing thrice at a go and without two just witnesses, clearly show what was the madhhab of the person who invented this story.

3. Now about its historical blunders. The forger was not aware that after the agreement between Imam Hasan (peace be upon him) and Mu‘awiyah and before the tragedy of Karbala (when Mu‘awiyah had already died), Imam Husayn (peace be upon him) never went to Kufa or Iraq. But this story says that Abu Darda’ found him in Kufa! An Urdu writer had tried to stitch this torn fabric by taking Uraynab, after her divorce, back to Madina and sending Abu Darda’ also to that city. That particular writer had detestable habit of altering the quotations to mend the glaring defects therein. Academic world calls it forgery and dishonesty.

4. Now comes the prize nugget of history! Since the foundation of Kufa up to the end of Yazid’s reign, there never was a governor named ‘Abdullah Ibn Salam. The names of the governors of Mu‘awiyah’s time are given below:

a) ‘Abdullah Ibn ‘Amr Ibn ‘As: He was appointed in 41 A.H. when Mu‘awiyah concluded thc agreement with Imam Hasan (peace be upon him); but was dismissed before he could go to Kufa.

b) Mughirah Ibn Shu‘bah: 41 A.H. till his death in 50 A.H.

c) Ziyad Ibn Sumaiyah: 50 A.H.—53 A.H.

d) ‘Ubaydullah Ibn Ziyad Ibn Sumaiyah: 53 A.H.—56 A.H.

e) Dhahhak Ibn Qays: 56 A.H.—58 A.H.

f) ‘Abdu ’r-Rahman Ibn Ummu ’l-Hakam: 58 A.H.—59 A.H.

g) Nu‘man Ibn Bashir: 59 A.H.—60 A.H. He was the governor of Kufa when Mu‘awiyah died in Rajab, 60 A.H. Yazid dismissed him when Muslim Ibn ‘Aqil came to Kufa on behalf of Imam Husayn (peace be upon him); in place of Nu‘man, Yazid appointed ‘Ubaydullah Ibn Ziyad Ibn Sumaiyah, who waged war against Muslim Ibn ‘Aqil, and then against Imam Husayn (peace be upon him) at Karbala, where the Imam was martyred.

These four points of law and history are more than enough to conclusively prove the falsity of this supposed event. Moreover, the same story has been narrated in so many ways that an impartial reader has but to conclude that it is a pack of lies.

Before going further, it should be made dear that if an event is known to be true, then merely some discrepancies in some details do not make it doubtful. For example, it is known that Imam Husayn’s head was severed and taken to Ibn Ziyad and Yazid. There are different narrations as to what happened to it after that. Was it buried in Damascus, Madina, Najaf or Karbala. This difference cannot be used as a piece of evidence that Imam Husayn was not beheaded at all. But if a story is basically wrong, unaccepted and known to be forged, then the difference in various statements becomes a further proof, if further proof is needed, that the supposed event never took place.

Now let us look at other statements. The second narration is found in Manaqib of Ibn Shahr ‘Ashub and runs as follows:

... Yazid saw Umm Khalid, daughter of Abu Jandal, wife of ‘Abdullah Ibn ‘Amir, and was enchanted by her beauty. He put this problem before his father. When ‘Abdullah came to see Mu‘awiyah, he told him: “I appoint you to the governorship of Basrah; and had it not been that you already have a wife, I would have married you to (my daughter) Ramlah.” Hearing this, ‘Abdullah went out and divorced his wife. Mu‘awiyah sent Abu Hurayrah with the proposal of Yazid to Umm Khalid, and authorised him to give whatever mahr she wanted. Then Hasan, Husayn and ‘Abdullah Ibn Ja‘far came to know of it and sent their proposals to her. She chose Hasan (peace be upon him) and was married to him.

Bihar Al-Anwar, vol. 10, also quotes it from Manaqib. In this narration we see the following differences:

a) The woman is not Uraynab daughter of Ishaq, but Umm Khalid daughter of Abu Jandal.

b) Her husband is not ‘Abdullah Ibn Salam, but ‘Abdullah Ibn ‘Amir. (It should be mentioned here that ‘Abdullah Ibn ‘Amir Ibn Kurayz was a commander of renown in the second and third caliphate; he conquered Khorasan, and died in 57 A.H. And he had married another daughter of Mu‘awiyah, named Hind, in 44 A.H. Vide Annals of at- Tabari, vol. 7.)

c) Umm Khalid married Imam Hasan, not Imam Husayn.

d) This second marriage took place in Madina not Kufa.

e) The man who took the proposal of Yazid to her was Abu Hurayrah, not Abu Darda’.

f) There is no mention of her being divorced, and marrying her first husband.

It is unimaginable that the events of the same pattern happened twice, once with Imam Hasan, and then with Imam Husayn (peace be upon them). History does not repeat so rapidly!

The third report comes from Abu ’l-Hasan al-Mada’ini (752·839 A.D.). Majlisi quotes him in Bihar Al-Anwar, (vol. 10) as follows:

Abu ’l-Hasan al-Mada’ini has narrated that (Imam) Hasan married Hind, daughter of Sahl Ibn ‘Amr; who once was married to ‘Abdullah Ibn ‘Amir Ibn Kurayz, and he divorced her. So Mu‘awiyah wrote to Abu Hurayrah to take to her the proposal of Yazid son of Mu‘awiyah. (Imam) Hasan told him (i.e. Abu Hurayrah): Take my proposal also to her.

Abu Hurayrah went to her and told her the news (of the two messages). She asked him to choose one of them for her. He said: I choose Hasan for you. Therefore, she married (Imam) Hasan.

In this report, the woman’s name is again changed to Hind daughter of Sahl. There is no mention of the trickery of Mu‘awiyah. There is an additional twist that Abu Hurayrah chose Imam Hasan against Yazid. Abu Hurayrah was one of the boot-lickers of Mu‘awiyah, the most active agent of the above-mentioned propaganda department and, for some years, the governor of Mu‘awiyah in Madina. In this background, this report cannot fail to produce an amused smile in historical circles.

The same al-Mada’ini again makes a slight change in the name of her father. He says: Imam Hasan married Hind, daughter of Suhayl Ibn ‘Amr. Anyhow, according to these two statements, Hind daughter of Sahl or Suhayl, was first married to ‘Abdullah Ibn ‘Amir Ibn Kurayz, who divorced her, and then she was married to Imam Hasan (peace be upon him), where it may be assumed, she lived happily ever after. In short, Yazid could not get her.

Now comes the fifth statement. Describing the events of the court of Yazid, when the family of Imam Husayn was brought there as captives, it is written: “And came out Hind, daughter of ‘Abdullah Ibn ‘Amir Ibn Kurayz, wife of Yazid, who was before that married to Husayn; she tore away her veil... 1”.

In this statement the same Hind, who was till now a divorced wife of ‘Abdullah Ibn ‘Amir Ibn Kurayz, becomes his daughter. In the third and fourth reports, she was married to Imam Hasan; now she is claimed to be a former wife of Imam Husayn. Earlier, it was taken for granted that Yazid could not get her, now she is placed in his palace as his wife.

And here is the detail how she is supposed to reach the palace of Yazid: Yazid was enchanted by the stories of the beauty of Hind, daughter of ‘Abdullah Ibn ‘Amir Ibn Kurayz... She at that time was married to Imam Husayn. First, he requested Imam Husayn himself to divorce her. The Imam refused. Then he told Mu‘awiyah who requested Imam Hasan to intervene; Imam Husayn, complying with his elder brother’s advice, divorced Hind. But she rejected the message of Yazid; and sat in her house. Then Yazid deputed some people to watch her, and once, when she was going to participate in a marriage ceremony in neighbourhood, they abducted her and took her to Yazid in Damascus.

One is amazed to see the frequent and fundamental changes in the plot of this one story. Compare the first narration of Uraynab with this last one of Hind, and you will never imagine that it is the same story put in a different garb. Those who do not have time or inclination to make a comparative study of all the relevant statements, have narrated the first and the last stories as two completely different events. Let us recapitulate the six stories here:

The first story says that Yazid was enamoured by the beauty of Uraynab daughter of Ishaq, who was married to ‘Abdullah Ibn Salam. Mu‘awiyah tricked him to divorce his wife; but the wife married Imam Husayn, instead of Yazid. (Both proposals were sent through Abu Darda’). This second marriage took place in Kufa.

Later Imam Husayn divorced Uraynab and she was reunited with her first husband.

The second story keeps the plot intact, but all the names are changed. There is Umm Khalid daughter of Abu Jandal, in place of Uraynab daughter of Ishaq; ‘Abdullah Ibn ‘Amir, in place of ‘Abdullah Ibn Salam; Abu Hurayrah, in place of Abu Darda’; she married Imam Hasan, and not Imam Husayn. There is no mention whether she got to her first husband or not.

The third story is identical with the second; but the woman becomes Hind daughter of Sahl Ibn ‘Amr, instead of Uraynab or Umm Khalid.

In the fourth story there is again a great leap forward. Hind, who in previous stories was wife of ‘Abdullah Ibn ‘Amir Ibn Kurayz, becomes his daughter. She does not go to Imam Hasan (peace be upon him) by her second marriage, but is married to Imam Husayn (peace be upon him) presumably in her first marriage. Earlier statements assumed that she remained with Imam Hasan till the end; here it says that Imam Husayn divorced her and she somehow got married to Yazid.

The sixth statement gives the details of the fifth.

If one passionately looks at these versions, one has to conclude that the propaganda department of the Umayyads prepared an outline of the story, and various people coloured it in their own ways and according to their own knowledge (or, lack of knowledge). The resulting pictures were so different from one another that the first seems to have no connection with the last. But neither the first nor the last had any factual basis. I do not claim that Yazid had no wife named Hind. ‘Abdullah Ibn ‘Amir Ibn Kurayz was a trusted commander and governor of the previous caliphs, as well as of Mu‘awiyah. Also he was married to Yazid’s sister. If Hind really was his daughter (by another marriage), she might well have been married to Yazid. Also, she might have been a lover of the family of the Prophet (Ahl Al-Bayt). It was not uncommon in those days for a daughter or wife to have religious views opposed to her father’s or husband’s. But here the historical possibilities come to their end. What the Umayyads wanted to gain by linking her name with Imam Hasan or Imam Husayn (peace be upon them) is totally false, and hence unacceptable.

The aim of these stories, as mentioned in the beginning, was to show that the battle of Karbala was not fought for any altruistic purpose; rather it happened because there was deep-rooted enmity between the clans of Hashim and Umayyah, and that enmity was intensified because of the rivalry between Imam Husayn (peace be upon him) and Yazid for a woman. But Allah says:

“They desire to put out the Light of Allah with their mouths; and Allah will perfect His Light, although the unbelievers may dislike it” (61:8).

He also says:

“They make a scheme” (86:15).

“And I make a scheme (to nullify theirs)” (86:16).

“So, give the unbelievers a respite, let them alone for a while” (86:17).

Those people thought of a plan, and, accordingly to His scheme, Allah let them be so enthusiastic that the same plan was implemented in six different stories that one at once thinks of the Persian proverb, “A liar has no memory.” Add to it their blunders from historical and legal points of view, and you will see the picture mentioned in the Qur’an:

“They demolished their houses with their own hands and the hands of the believers” (59:2).

• 1. Bihar Al-Anwar, vol. 10.