Yazid I

'Yazīd ibn Mu‘āwiya ibn Abī Sufyān Arabic: يزيد بن معاوية بن أبي سفيان‎ (born 645; died 683), commonly known as Yazid I, was the second Caliph of the Umayyad Caliphate (and the first one by birthright). He ruled for three years from 680 CE until his death in 683 CE. Many Muslims condemn Yazid's rule as contentious and unjust while a section of Muslims, mostly living in Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Egypt, in sharp defiance to Shia Muslims’ beliefs, maintain that Yazid was a just, noble, religious and administratively efficient ruler and there was every reason available for his nomination by his father Hazrat Muawiya as a Caliph of Muslims at the relevant time (pl. see page 111-112 of book titled “Hazrat Muawiya and Historical Facts” by Maulana Mufti Taqi Usmani, published by “Idara Al-Mu’arif Karachi, Pakistan”). Yazid was not chosen by election, but appointed by his father.

Oath of Allegiance of Yazid

Muawiyah I was succeeded by his son Yazid I. Upon succession, Yazid asked Governors of all provinces to take an oath of allegiance to him. The necessary oath was secured from all parts of the country. Husayn ibn Ali and Abdullah ibn Zubayr refused to declare allegiance. Historians have recorded that the contents of a letter sent to Husayn were solely for the purposes of obtaining allegiance from him. Additionally, as Yazid knew that Walid would not be able to handle this task due to his cowardice, he sent Marwan, a soldier in his army, to assist in this task.^[1][2]

Husayn ibn Ali and Ibn az-Zubair

Husayn ibn Ali, along with many other lll dignitaries among the Muslims, not only disapproved of Yazid's nomination for caliph but declared it against the spirit of Islam. When the nomination issue was deliberated upon in Medina, Abdullah ibn Zubair went along with Husayn to Mecca, because some prominent Muslims were of the opinion that Mecca would be the best place as a stronghold or base for launching a campaign for building up public opinion against Yazid's heirship. However, before any significant work could be done in this regard, Muawiyah died and Yazid took over the reins of government.

Kufa, a garrison town in what is now Iraq, had been Caliph ‘Alī's capital and many of his supporters lived there. Husayn ibn Ali received many letters from the Kufans expressing their offer of support if he claimed the caliphate. As he prepared for the journey to Kufa, Abdullah ibn Umar and Abdullah ibn Abbas pleaded vigorously against his plan and entreated him to at least leave women and children in Mecca if he was determined to proceed to Kufa, but Husayn ignored their suggestions. On the way, he received the report of Muslim ibn Aqeel's death at the hands of Yazid's men and the apathy and indifference displayed by the people of Kufa. The Kufans had changed their loyalties to Yazid, pledging support to him against Husayn and his followers. They were trying to restore Kufa's power against Damascus, the Umayyad capital, in which case they chose diplomacy with Yazid at the cost of rejecting Husayn.

Husayn and his followers, among them relatives of Muslim ibn Aqeel, were resolved to continue on to Kufa. At the same time Ubayd-Allah ibn Ziyad, governor of Basrah, executed one of Husayn's messengers and then addressed the people and warned them to avoid the insurgency. He sent a message in accordance with the instructions of Yazid: "You can neither go to Kufa nor return to Mecca, but you can go anywhere else you want." Despite this, Husayn departed towards Kufa and during the trip, he and many members of his family were killed or captured at the Battle of Karbala.

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 opposed Yazid's position as Caliph. He launched an insurgency in the Hejaz. Yazid sent armies against him in 683. After the Battle of al-Harrah, Medina was recaptured and Mecca was also besieged. During the siege, the Ka‘bah was damaged. The siege ended when Yazid died suddenly in 683 CE.

Setbacks

During the caliphate of Yazid, Muslims suffered several setbacks. In 682 AD Yazid restored Uqba ibn Nafi as the governor of North Africa. Uqba won battles against the Berbers and Byzantines.^[3] From there Uqba marched on thousands of miles westward towards Tangier, where he reached the Atlantic coast, and then marched eastwards the Atlas Mountains.^[4] With cavalry numbering about 300, he proceeded towards Biskra where he was ambushed by a Berber force under Kaisala. Uqba and all his men died fighting. The Berbers launched an attack and drove Muslims from north Africa for a period.^[5] This was a major setback for the Muslims, because of this they lost supremacy at sea, and had to abandon the islands of Rhodes and Crete.

Death

Yazid I died at the age of 38. He ruled for 3 years. Yazid I was succeeded by his son Muawiyah II. On his death Yazid I was burried in Damascus. Most people believe his grave no longer exists while others believe that his grave is located in a small street near Omayyad Mosque without any mark or distinction. ^[6]

See also

• Battle of Karbala
• Umayyads
• Sunni view of Yazid I

References

 This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed (1911). Encyclopædia Britannica (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press.