Yazid I
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Yazid ibn Muawiyah ibn Abu Sufyan (Arabic: يزيد بن معاوية بن أبي سفيان) (July 23, 645 - 683) was the second Caliph of the Umayyad dynasty and ruled for 3 years from 680CE until his death in 683 CE. His mother Maysun was Christian. His reign is marked by two major revolts.One of Hussein ibn Ali and the other known as Ibn al-Zubair's revolt. He is also notable as an object of Shia Muslim animosity; they reject his legitimacy and condemn his role in the Battle of Karbala which resulted in the death of Hussein ibn Ali and the greater Sunni-Shia schism.

Before the Caliphate

Yazid was an important general and naval commander in his father's Syrian army. As early as 668 the Caliph Muawiyah I sent an army under his son Yazid against the Byzantine Empire. Yazid reached as far as Chalcedon and took the important Byzantine center Amorion. Although the city was quickly recovered, the Arabs next attacked Carthage and Sicily in 669. In 670 the Arabs captured Cyzicus and set up a base from which to launch further attacks into the heart of the Empire. Yazid’s fleet captured Smyrna and other coastal cities in 672.

Accession to the caliphate

The issue of succession to the caliphate had proved divisive in the past (see Succession to Muhammad). When Ali was assassinated in 661, Muawiyah, as commander of the largest force in the Muslim Empire, had the strongest claim to the Caliphate. Ali's son Hasan ibn Ali, after initial defiance of Muawiyah, ceased hostilities and retired to Medina. Sunni Muslims claim that Hasan ibn Ali pledged allegiance to Muawiyah. One of Caliph Muawiyah's most controversial and enduring legacies was his decision to designate his son Yazid as his successor; thereby the Caliphate became a dynasty. Muawiyah died May 6, 680.

Husayn bin Ali and Ibn al-Zubair's revolt

Main article: Battle of Karbala

Main article: Ibn al-Zubair's revolt

Kufa, a garrison town in what is now Iraq, had been Caliph Ali's capital, and there were still many people in Kufa claiming they are still supporters of Ali. Husayn ibn Ali received many letters from the Kufans expressing their offer of support if he claimed the caliphate. They were also trying to restore Kufa's power against Damascus, the Umayyad capital. Abd-Allah ibn Abbas and Abdullah ibn Zubayr held a meeting with Husayn ibn Ali in Mecca to advise him to refuse to travel to Iraq.Meanwhile Husayn ibn Ali corresponded with nobles of Basrah and asked them to support him. Major tribes of Basrah gathered and got ready for fight against Yazid I and informed Husayn ibn Ali. At the same time Ubayd-Allah ibn Ziyad, governor of Basrah, executed one of the messengers of Husayn ibn Ali and then addressed people and warned them to avoid insurgency.Husayn departed towards Kufa despite many warnings and mid way he and many members of his family were killed or captured at the Battle of Karbala. Yazid too was shocked at the way the family was massacred and ordered the release of the remaining members of the family.

The complications of Yazid's accession to the Caliphate didn't end there. Many Sahaba and fellow Muslims refused to give their oath of allegiance to Yazid simply because they saw it as usurpation of power and not the proper way of choosing a Caliph by the Shura or Council.The most prominent among these resistors was Abdullah ibn Zubayr.

Abdullah ibn Zubayr and Abdullah ibn Umar opposed Yazid's position as Caliph. Abdullah bin Zubayr launched an insurgency in the Hejaz, the heartland of the Islam, where Mecca and Medina are. Yazid sent armies against him in 683. After the Battle of al-Harra, Medina was re-captured and Mecca was also besieged. During the siege, the Holy Kaaba was damaged. The siege ended when Yazid died suddenly in 683 CE. He was briefly succeeded by his son, Muawiya II.

Sunni Positive View of Yazid

• Muhammad ibn Jarir al-Tabari records under the year 49 Hijri (or 669-670 CE) during the reign of Muawiyah I, a number of forces, including one under Yazid attacked Constantinople. This First Arab siege of Constantinople was a naval assault lasting through the years 670-677. Abu Ayyub al-Ansari was also among the notables accompanying Yazid. This journey marks an important event in the life of young Yazid (27 at that time), as he became one who was promised paradise according to the following Hadith;

- Volume 4, Book 52, Number 175 Narrated Khalid bin Madan.

• Imam Muhammad Ghazali is quoted in several books saying;

- (see in the following books: Ahyaa al-Uloom (3/108), Wafyaat al-A’yaan (1/328), Miratul-Janaan (3/176), al-Bidaayah Wan-Nihaayah (12/173), Hayaat al-Haiwaan (2/176), Sawaa’iq al-Meharqah (pg.222), Dhuu al-Ma’alee (pg.49), Sharh Fiqhul-Akbar (pg.87), Nibraas (pg.551), Shadhraat adh-Dhahab Fee Akhbaar Minal Madhab (1/69), Tafseer Rooh al-Ma’anee (13/73), Fatwa Azizi (1/100), Fatwa Abdul-Hayy (1/60), Aqaa’id al-Islam (pg.223).

• Mullah Ali Qari said,

- (Book: Mirqaat Sharh Mishkaat (4/52).

• Imam Qazi Abu Bakr ibn al-Arabi Maliki another scholar did not hold permissible the cursing and abusing of Yazid nor declaring him to be a disbeliever. He said,

(al-Awasim Minal Qawasim (pg.222)

In another statement;

(ref books:al-Awasim Minal Qawasim (pg.222)

• Sheikh Abdul Mugheeth Hanbali has the unique distinction of being one of the earliest known biographers of Yazid. Hafiz Ibn Kathir said about Sheikh Abdul Mugheeth that, “He was from the righteous Hanbali’s who the common folk referred to.” - (al-Bidaayah Wan-Nihaayah (12/328).Sheikh Abdul Mugheeth was also not in favor of cursing Yazid or declaring him to be a disbeliever, rather he authored a biography of Yazid with the title of “Fadhal Yazid.” and ‘Fadhal Yazid bin Muawiyah’. - (ref books: Hidaayatul A’aarifeen Asmaa al-Mu’allifeen Wa Athaar Musannifeen (5/623), al-Bidaayah Wan-Nihaayah (12/328).

• Ibn Kathir reported on Allama Abul-Khair Qazwaini ,another Islamic Scholar,that;

- (ref books: al-Bidaayah Wan-Nihaayah (9/13), Risaalah al-Mustarfah Lee-Bayaan Mashoor Kitaab as-Sunnah al-Musharfah (pg.132).

• Ibn Salah was also not in favor of cursing Yazid or saying he was a disbeliever. Ibn Hajr the Meccan writes,

- (as-Sawaa’iq al-Meharqah (pg.222).

• Ibn Taymiyyah was neither in favor of cursing Yazid nor declaring him to be a disbeliever. He says,

- (ref books: Minhaaj as-Sunnah an-Nabawiyyah Fee Naqdh Kalaam ash-Shee’ah Wal-Qadariyyah (2/252), al-Muntaqa Minhaaj al-Ei’tidaal Fee Naqdh Kalaam ar-Rafdh Wal-Ei’tizaal (pg.290).

• Ibn Qayyim Al-Jawziyya writes in his book “al-Manaar al-Muneef”,

- (ref book: al-Manaar al-Muneef Fis-Saheeh Wadh-Dha’eef - pg.220).

• Ibn Kathir after mentioning the position of Al-Harasi (of the permissibility of cursing) he mentions his statements and says,

(al-Bidaayah Wan-Nihaayah (12/173).

• Ibn Rajab did not hold the opinion of cursing and declaring Yazid to be a disbeliever. He refuted the allegation on Imam Ahmad bin Hanbal that he cursed Yazid. So he writes,

- (ref book: Dhail Tabaqaat Hanabillah (2/356).

Sunni Negative Views of Yazid

Sunni school of Hanafis, Hanbalis and Shafi'is deemed it permissible to curse Yazid. They also accuse him of homosexuality, pedophilia, zoophilia and incest with his mother sisters and daughters. He is further accused of being a drunkard that had abandoned the daily prayer and being personally responsible for killing Husayn ibn Ali, the rape and pillage of Mecca and Medina and setting the Kaaba on fire. Further, he is accused of the killing of large number of Sahaba who were on the Muslim side during the Battle of Badr as revenge for his non-Muslim Meccan relatives who were killed in battle by Muslims.

Ibn Kathir

Ibn Kathir, a 14th century Sunni Shafi'i Islamic scholar writes:

Ali ibn al-Athir

Ali ibn al-Athir, a 13th century Sunni Islamic scholar transmitted ^[8]:

Al-Dhahabi

Al-Dhahabi, a 14th century Sunni Shafi'i Islamic scholar transmitted ^[9]:

Ibn Jauzi

Ibn Jauzi in Wafa al-Wafa

Ibn Hajar al-Haytami

Ibn Hajar al-Haytami, a 16th century Sunni Shafi'i Islamic scholar calls Yazeed one of the most debased men in history.

Shi'a view of Yazid

For the Shi'a, Yazid is the worst tyrant, who will always be remembered for his murder of Husayn and persecution of his family. He is said to have been fond of wine and friends with Al-Andre Fuller of Damascus he also is said to have enjoyed the company of courtesans, and completely careless of his religious duties.^{citation needed}

The events at Karbala figure as fundamental in Shi'a thought, and many Shi'a Islamist movements liken their causes to Husayn's struggle against Yazid. Leaders of the 1979 Iranian Revolution that overthrew the Pahlavi government frequently drew such comparisons. The 10th of Muharram (also known as Ashura), the Islamic calendar date on which the Battle of Karbala occurred, is commemorated as a day of mourning by Shi'a Muslims around the world. Shi'a rituals on Ashura' usually involve public processions during which the Shi'a Muslims reject Yazid's caliphate and recite poems commemorating Husayn and his death. Shi'as around the world refer to Yazid as "the tyrant."

External links

• Is it permissible to curse Yazid? A Sunni view
• An article about Yazid from a Shi'a standpoint