Yazid I

Yazid Ibn Muawiyah Ibn Abu Sufyan (July 23, 645 - 683) (Arabic: يزيد بن معاوية بن أبي سفيان) was the second caliph of the Umayyad dynasty. He ruled from CE 680 to 683. He is also notable as an object of Shi'a Muslim animosity, for his role in the Battle of Karbala which resulted in the death of Husayn ibn Ali, the third Shia Imam.

Accession to the caliphate

Since the issue of succession to the caliphate had proved so divisive in the past (see Succession to Muhammad), Muawiyah I took a controversial step of breaking with the common Arabian and Islamic tradition of shura, consultation by the leading men of the community to choose the new leader. Although it is notable that Muawiyah I wasn't the first such Caliph to do so, the first Muslim Caliph Abu Bakr did so as well when he selected Umar to succeed him (Sahih Bukhari 9:89:325). But he did found the first Islamic dynasty by directly designating his son Yazid to succeed him. He did however attempt to observe the outward forms of shura by requiring his subjects to "choose" his son and swear allegiance to him in his own lifetime. Yazid was duly proclaimed caliph upon his father's death. However, he faced immediate opposition from other Muslims who rejected the dynastic principle, or supported the claims of different lineages. The latter of which fomented violent rebellion against his rule.

Battle of Karbala

Yazid was first opposed by the grandson of Muhammad, Husayn bin Ali, the son of the assassinated former caliph Ali ibn Abi Talib and the brother of Hasan ibn Ali, who had challenged Yazid's father for the caliphate but later agreed to a settlement. Husayn, as the descendant of Muhammad, had a proper claim to the caliphate in the eyes of Shia Muslims. Many Muslims of Kufa in Iraq, which had been the stronghold of Ali, assured Husayn that they would support him if he bid for the caliphate. Based on this support, Husayn decided to march against Yazid. He started from Mecca and headed towards Kufa.

Husayn neared Kufa and found that he was outnumbered even with the support inside the city, which was held fast against him. A detachment from Yazid's army, several thousand men led by ‘Umar ibn Sa’ad, barred his way to the city. Husayn's small group was surrounded, cut off from its water supplies, and then defeated by the enemy forces. Husayn had only seventy-two men under his command, in addition to women and children; but Husayn and his men fought bravely and with defiance during this battle. However, Husayn and his men were all killed, and the women and children taken prisoner.

Revolt in Arabia and death of Yazid

Other Arabs, who were used to choosing leaders by consultation rather than heredity, refused to pledge allegiance to Yazid. A sanction of companions of the prophet Muhammed, including Abdullah ibn Zubayr and Abdullah ibn Umar, opposed Yazid's position as Caliph. Abdullah bin Zubayr claimed the caliphate for himself and launched an insurgency in the Hejaz, the former heartland of the Islamic empire. Yazid sent armies against him in 683. Medina was captured and Mecca was besieged. During the siege, the Kaaba was damaged, reportedly causing significant ill feeling among the inhabitants of Mecca as well as many Muslims throughout the Islamic empire. The siege ended when Yazid died suddenly in 683 CE. The exact place of Yazid's burial is unknown. He was briefly succeeded by his son, Muawiya II.

Assessments of Yazid

Non-religious view of Yazid

Although presented in many sources as a dissolute ruler, Yazid energetically tried to continue his father's policies and retained many of the men who served him. He strengthened the administrative structure of the empire and improved the military defenses of Syria, the Umayyad power base. The financial system was reformed. He lightened the taxation of some Christian groups and abolished the tax concessions granted to the Samaritans as a reward for aid they had rendered in the days of the early Arab conquests. He also paid significant attention to agriculture and improved the irrigation system of the Damascus oasis.

Shi'a view of Yazid

For Shi'a Muslims, Yazid is the consummate villain, 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 the company of courtesans, and completely careless of his religious duties.

The events at Karbala figure prominently 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 Aashurah), the Islamic calendar date on which the Battle of Karbala occurred, is commemmorated as a day of mourning by Shi'a Muslims around the world. Shi'a rituals on Aashurah usually involve public processions during which Shi'a Muslims curse Yazid and recite poems commemorating Husayn and his death. Some Shi'a flagellate themselves in order to share the pain of Husayn, though others reject and discourage this practice. Shi'as around the world refer to Yazid as "the tyrant" and often add the word Lanatullah (which means May God's curse be upon him) after his name.

Sunni view of Yazid

Sunni Muslims generally agree that Yazid was not a righteous Caliph. This judgment is based to a great extent on his actions in attacking Mecca and damaging the Kaaba. Sunnis are less concerned than Shi'a with Yazid's treatment of Husayn, though they too agree that Husayn was the grandson of the Prophet and a great man.

Furthermore, there is no Sunni consensus on the nature of Husayn's opposition to Yazid's rule and Yazid's culpability in Husayn's death. Some scholars have claimed that Husayn opposed Yazid's ascension to the Caliphate but did not actively revolt against him, and that Husayn's killing was ordered not by Yazid but by the Umayyad governor of Iraq, Ubaidallah ibn Ziyad. Others have refrained from taking a position on the matter, claiming that although Husayn's death was a tragic and unfortunate event, the evidence on exactly how it occurred and who bears responsibility is too inconclusive to merit judgment.This view is mainly taken by those who are concerned about the impact it would have on Muawiyah's judgement in placing his son as caliph. However, some others have joined the Shi'a position, cursing Yazid and denouncing him as an illegitimate ruler. In any event, Sunnis generally avoid ascribing religious significance to the events at Karbala.

A handful of Sunni scholars consider Hasan ibn Ali to be a legitimate caliph occupying the fifth title designation, after his father Ali bin Abu Talib and before Muawiyah I. Under this scenario, Yazid I would be the seventh rather than sixth caliph. However, this is a minority opinion, and most chronologies do not count Hasan, and place Yazid at sixth.

References

Hawting, G.R., The First Dynasty of Islam: the Umayyad Caliphate AD 661-750, Second edition, Routledge, 2000, ISBN 0415240735 or ISBN 0415240727

Umayyad caliphs | 645 births | 683 deaths | Taba'een

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