YAZID'S REGRET AND THE IMAM'S REQUEST TO GO TO YAZID

[Taqavi]

Do the narrations that say Yazid regretted killing Imam Hussain (AS), or that Imam Hussain (AS) wanted to go to Yazid, prove that the conflict between them was not really that significant?

 

Following the event of Ashura, various political and religious currents in the Muslim world attempted to downplay or even deny Yazid's role in the martyrdom of Imam Hussain (AS). One of the tools employed by these currents was the transmission of narrations about Yazid's remorse or the Imam's proposals for going to him. Historical examination shows that these narrations were largely formed within the framework of Umayyad "exculpatory writing" and by certain Sunni writers and are not consistent with reliable historical evidence.

1. Yazid's Remorse: Reality or Narrative Fabrication?

In reliable historical sources, after the martyrdom of Imam Hussain (AS), Yazid attempted to shift responsibility onto Ubaydullah ibn Ziyad; in one of the historical reports this matter is recorded as follows: After the Muslims severely condemned that oppressor for killing the fragrance of the Messenger of Allah (SAW), he expressed regret for this matter and sought to place the guilt of that crime upon the son of Marjana. He kept saying: "What would have been wrong with me had I endured hardship and kept him (Hussain) in my household and allowed him to do as he wished, even though this would have brought me criticism and weakened my authority, in order to preserve the sanctity of the Messenger of Allah (SAW) and respect his right and kinship? May Allah curse the son of Marjana, for by killing him, he made me an enemy among the Muslims and sowed enmity toward me in their hearts, for both the righteous and the wicked among the people hold me in enmity because of the significance of Hussain's killing among them. What have I to do with the son of Marjana? May Allah curse him and be wrathful upon him."[1]

The prevailing presumption is that he said this in order to exonerate himself before the Muslims; had he truly been remorseful from the heart, he would have taken revenge upon him. He would have removed him from his position. He would not have thanked him, nor would he have granted him generous gifts and brought him close to himself, which testifies to his satisfaction and lack of remorse over what he had committed. [2] Furthermore, Abdolrahim Ghanavat and Mostafa Gohari Fakhr-Abad explicitly state in their research article that Yazid's remorse was more of a "political reaction" aimed at preserving his caliphal position, not an admission of error or a sign of rapprochement with Imam Hussain (AS). [3]

2. The Narration of the Imam's Request to Go to Yazid

Some historical sources, such as the Tarikh al-Tabari, claim that Imam Hussain (AS), in conversation with Umar ibn Sa'd, put forward three proposals, one of which was to go to Yazid. [4] However, a careful examination of these reports shows: This narration lacks strong documentation, and in those very same sources, a narrator close to the Imam (Uqbah ibn Qays) explicitly states that the Imam (AS) never made such a statement. [5]

3. The Fundamental Conflict Between the Imam and Yazid

Based on reliable sources, Imam Hussain's (AS) conflict with Yazid was not a simple political disagreement, but a doctrinal and moral one:

Imam Hussain (AS) considered Yazid to be a sinful and unworthy person to lead the Muslim community; in this regard, Imam Hussain (AS) states: (One must bid farewell to Islam) if the community is afflicted with a ruler such as Yazid, I have heard from my grandfather, the Messenger of Allah (SAW), who said: "The caliphate is unlawful for Abu Sufyan." So, if you see Muawiyah on my pulpit, split open his belly. The people of Medina saw him on the pulpit but did not split open his belly, so Allah afflicted them with Yazid the sinful. [6]

He characterized pledging allegiance to Yazid as approval of oppression and deviation from Islam, and for this reason he said: I did not rise out of rebellion, self-display, corruption, or tyranny, but rather to reform the community of my grandfather. I wish to enjoin good and forbid evil, and to follow the way of my grandfather and my father Ali ibn Abi Talib. [7]

In letters and sermons attributed to Imam Hussain (AS), concepts such as the discourse of reform in opposition to the dominion and rule of Yazid are evident; in one of his sermons, Imam Hussain (AS) said regarding Yazid's government: O people! The Messenger of Allah said: Whoever sees a tyrannical ruler who permits what Allah has forbidden, breaks the covenant of Allah, opposes the Sunnah of the Prophet, and deals with Allah's servants through sin and aggression, and does not stand against him through action or speech, it is befitting of Allah to place him in the same station to which that unjust ruler proceeds. [8]

This profound conflict fundamentally eliminated any possibility of reconciliation or rapprochement.

Conclusion

The expression of Yazid's remorse and the narrations regarding the Imam's proposal to go to him not only do not confirm the hypothesis that the differences between the two were minor, but upon examining reliable sources it becomes clear that these reports were largely fabricated by currents after Ashura in order to exonerate Yazid. The conflict between Imam Hussain (AS) and Yazid was a deep-rooted, doctrinal, and political one that never reached the level of reconciliation, and the uprising of Ashura was shaped precisely upon the foundation of this very confrontation.

 

 

 

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[1] . Tarikh al-Tabari, al-Tabari, Ibn Jarir, vol. 5, p. 506.

[2] . The Life of Imam Hussain (AS), Baqir Sharif Qurashi, vol. 3, pp. 380-381 / Ashura: Roots, Motivations, Events, Consequences, Makarem Shirazi, Naser, vol. 1, p. 613.

[3] . The Article "The Responsibility of Yazid in the Event of Karbala and the Martyrdom of Imam Hussain (AS)", Abdolrahim Ghanavat, Mostafa Gohari Fakhr-Abad.

[4] . Tarikh al-Tabari, al-Tabari, Ibn Jarir, vol. 5, p. 413.

[5] . Ibid., p. 414.

[6] . Maqtal al-Hussain, al-Muqrami, al-Sayyid Abdolrazzaq, p. 132.

[7] . Maqtal al-Hussain, al-Khwarizmi, vol. 1, p. 273.

[8] . Tarikh al-Tabari, al-Tabari, Ibn Jarir, vol. 5, p. 403 / Maqtal al-Hussain, al-Khwarizmi, vol. 1, p. 335.