>The Yemeni Who Stood Up to Al-Hajjaj Ibn Yusuf

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Tawus ibn Kaysan, one of the righteous students of Ibn ‘Abbas and a Muhaddith said, ‘I entered the Haram (Makkah) to perform ‘Umrah and when I completed it, I prayed 2 units of prayer behind the Maqam of Ibrahim and then I sat down. I turned to look at the people in the mosque when behold, I saw a group of people with weapons, swords, spears and shields! I looked and it was al-Hajjaj ibn Yusuf, the Amir of blood-shed, about whom Laila al-Akhiliya said,

حجاج أنت الذي ما فوقه أحد
Hajjaj, you are the one above whom there is none 

إلا الخليفة المستغفر الصمد
Except the True Ruler, the Forgiving and Eternal One (Allah) 

قتل مائة نفس وقتل سعيد بن جبير
He (Hajjaj) killed a hundred souls and he killed Sa’id ibn Jubayr

Al-Hajjaj once said, ‘I saw in my dream that Allah killed me once for every soul I killed except for Sa’id ibn Jubayr for Allah killed me on the Sirat (path over Hellfire) seventy times because of him.’

Tawus continues: ‘I saw the commotion so I kept seated in my place. Whilst in that state, I saw a poor, ascetic worshipper from Yemen. He went to circumambulate around the Ka’bah, then he came to pray 2 units of prayer when suddenly his garment clung to a spear from the spears of the army of Hajjaj, and so the spear fell on al-Hajjaj! He stopped him and said, ‘Who are you?’ He said, ‘Muslim.’ He said, ‘Where are you from?’ He said, ‘From Yemen.’ He said, ‘How is my brother with you people?’ (– He meant his brother Muhammad ibn Yusuf who was also a tyrannical ruler like him). He said, ‘I left him as a fat man with a fat stomach.’ Al-Hajjaj said, ‘I didn’t ask you about his health but I asked you about his justice.’ He said, ‘I left him as a deceiving and oppressive ruler.’

He said, ‘Don’t you know who I am?’ So the man said, ‘Who are you?’ He said, ‘I am al-Hajjaj ibn Yusuf!’ So the man said,

أتظن أنه يعز بك أكثر من اعتزازي بالله؟
‘Do you think that he (your brother) is mightier and strengthened by you more than I am by Allah?’

Tawus said, ‘When he said that, all my hair stood on end. But al-Hajjaj let him go and left him.’

فَاللّهُ خَيْرٌ حَافِظاً وَهُوَ أَرْحَمُ الرَّاحِمِينَ

“… But Allah is the Best of Protectors and He is the Most Merciful of those who show Mercy.”
[Yusuf 12: 64]

- Taken from احفظ الله يحفظك [If you guard Allah, He will Guard you] by ‘Aidh al-Qarni.

..then he raised his finger towards the sky, a gesture by which he meant to praise and thank Allah.

Abu ‘Aqeel رضي الله عنه, a man from the Ansaar, was one of the first people to be injured on the Day of Yamaamah.
(Battle of Yamama – Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.)

He became hurt as a result of an arrow that struck him somewhere between his shoulder and his heart; it was a serious but non-lethal blow, and he was able to pull out the arrow. Nonetheless, his entire left side became weak, and so he returned to the Muslim encampment in order to seek medical attention. When the fighting became intense and the Muslims were forced to head back towards their encampment, Ma’an ibn ‘Adee رضي الله عنه called out,

اللّه اللّه! والكرّة على عدوّكم

“O people of the Ansaar. (Remember) Allah! Allah! And turn around and bear down upon your enemies.”

So as to set an example for others, Ma’an رضي الله عنه then raced ahead of everyone else, plunging directly into the ranks of the opposing army. And the people of the Ansaar, in response to Ma’an’s plea, were right behind him.

At that point, Abu Aqeel رضي الله عنه got up, intending to catch up to his Ansaaree brothers. Some Muslims tried to convince him to stay where he was, saying to him, “O Abu Aqeel, you are not for fighting.” Abu ‘Aqeel رضي الله عنه, referring to Ma’an’s plea for help, said, “The caller mentioned me by name.” Someone responded, “The caller merely said, “O people of the Ansaar.” He was not referring to injured fighters.”

Abu ‘Aqeel رضي الله عنه replied,

أنا رجل من الأنصار، وأنا أجيبه ولو حبو

“And I am from the Ansaar, and I will answer his call to his arms, even if I have to crawl (towards the enemy).

Because his entire left side was weak and numb, Abu ‘Aqeel رضي الله عنه was able to hold his sword with his right only; nonetheless, with pure grit and determination, he marched onwards toward the enemy, all the while calling out,

يا للأنصار، كرّة كيوم حنين

“O people of the Ansaar, let us launch a renewed attach like we did on the Day of Hunain”
(Battle of Hunayn – Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia)

Every member of that elite Ansaaree group then fought with high spirits, seeking out one of the two things: Martydom or victory. With their renewed attack, they forced their enemies to retreat and seek refuge in the “Garden of Death”.
(Battle of Yamama – Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia).

During the course of this assault, Abu ‘Aqeel’s arm was cut off; in fact, he was inflicted with a total of fourteen wounds, each of which was lethal in and of itself.

قال ابن عمر: فوقعت على أبي عقيل وهو صريع بآخر رمق، فقلت: أبا عقيل

Later on, when Ibn Umar رضي الله عنه walked by him, Abu ‘Aqeel was taking in his last few breaths. Ibn ‘Umar رضي الله عنه said, “O Abu ‘Aqeel,” to which Abu ‘Aqeel رضي الله عنه responded with a heavy voice,

فقال: لبّيك. بلسان ملتاث لمن الدّبرة؟

“Here I am, answering your call. Who has won (today)?”

قلت: أبشر، ورفعت صوتي: قد قتل عدوّ اللّه

Ibn ‘Umar رضي الله عنه replied, “Rejoice, for the enemy of Allah (i.e. Musailamah) has been killed.”

فرفع أصبعه إلى السّماء يحمد اللّه، ومات -رحمه اللّه

Abu ‘Aqeel رضي الله عنه then raised his finger towards the sky, a gesture by which he meant to praise and thank Allah.

قال : رحمه اللّه، ما زال يسأل الشّهادة ويطلبها، وإن كان ما علمت من خيار أصحاب نبيّنا

‘Umar ibn Al-Khattab رضي الله عنه later said about Abu ‘Aqeel رضي الله عنه,
“May Allah have mercy on him. He has sought out martyrdom for a long time, and he has now achieved it. Verily, he is among the best of our Prophet’s صلى الله عليه و سلم companions رضي الله عنهم أجمعين”

References:

Huroob Ar-Riddah by Shauqee Abu Khaleel.

English translation has been extracted from:

The biography of Abu Bakr As-Siddeeq by Dr. ‘Ali Muhammad Muhammad As-Sallaabee

واخــــــــر دعوانا ان الحمد لله رب العالمــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــين.

http://forums.islamicawakening.com/f40/then-he-raised-his-finger-towards-sky-gesture-he-meant-praise-thank-allah-33914/

Imam al-Awza’i: ‘A Word of Truth to a Tyrant Ruler’

As-salamu `alaykum

فَاللّهُ خَيْرٌ حَافِظاً وَهُوَ أَرْحَمُ الرَّاحِمِينَ
“… But Allah is the Best of Protectors and He is the Most Merciful of those who show Mercy.” [Yusuf: 64]

When ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Ali al-’Abbasi invaded Damascus, he killed 30,000 Muslims in just one moment. Then he entered his mules and horses into the central Umayyid mosque, seated the people and said to his ministers, ‘Is there anyone who still opposes me?’ They said, ‘No.’ He said, ‘Do you think there’ll be anyone who will soon oppose me?’ They said, ‘If there’ll ever be such a person, then it’s likely to be al-Awza’i’ – Imam al-Awza’i was a Muhaddith (scholar of hadith) nicknamed Abu ‘Amr, he was a pious worshipper and from those whom al-Bukhari and Muslim narrated from.

He (Ibn ‘Ali) said, ‘Bring him.’ So the army went to al-Awza’i but he did not move from his place. They said, ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Ali wants you.’ He said, ‘Hasbunallahu wa ni’mal wakil (Sufficient is Allah for us and He is the Best of Protectors). Wait for me a short while.’ He went to perform ghusl (ceremonial bathing) and put on his Akfan (shrouds) under his clothes, because he knew the matter meant clear death for him, killing and blood-shed. Then he said to himself, ‘O Awza’i, now the time has come for you to say the word of Truth. Do not fear the blame of the blamers in the Way of God.’ Then he entered to see the oppressive Ruler.

Imam al-Awza’i himself narrates the rest of what happened:

‘I entered and behold, the heads of the army were lined in two rows, with swords unsheathed. I walked underneath the swords until I reached him. He was sitting on silk and in his hand was a cane. His forehead was knit in anger but when I saw him, I swear by Allah besides whom there is none worthy of worship, he seemed like a fly to me… Sufficient is Allah for us and He is the Best of Protectors … I thought of no-one, not my family, not my wealth, not my wife; I only remembered the Throne of al-Rahman when it appears to Mankind on the Day of Judgment and Reckoning. Then he (Ibn ‘Ali) lifted his sight and only Allah knows the anger that was visible on him.

He said to me, ‘O Awza’i, what do you have to say about the blood which we shed?’

He said, ‘So-and-so narrated to me in the Hadith of Ibn Mas’ud that the Messenger of Allah (sallallahu `alayhi wa sallam) said, ‘It is not permissible to shed the blood of a Muslim who testifies that there is none worthy of worship except Allah and testifies that I am the Messenger of Allah, except in three circumstances: A married one who commits adultery, the one who has killed another unlawfully and the one who apostates from his religion and departs from the congregation.’ [al-Bukhari, Muslim]

So if their killing was due to them being from these people, then you are correct. But if they are not from these people, then their blood hangs over your neck.’

He broke his cane and so I lifted my ‘Imamah, waiting for the swords to strike me. I saw the ministers gathering up their garments and lifting them up from the blood (which run along the floor). He (Ibn ‘Ali) said, ‘And what do you have to say about the wealth?’ I said, ‘If it is Halal, then fear the questioning, and if it is Haram, then fear the punishment!’

He said, ‘Take this pouch (which was filled with gold).’ I said, ‘I do not want wealth.’ One of the ministers winked at me (signaling that I should take it), because he was looking for any little reason to kill me.

I took the pouch and gave it out to the army until it became empty. Then I threw it and walked out saying, ‘Hasbunallahu wa ni’mal wakil (Sufficient is Allah for us and He is the Best of Protectors)…’ – we said it the day we walked in and the day we walked out.

فَانقَلَبُواْ بِنِعْمَةٍ مِّنَ اللّهِ وَفَضْلٍ لَّمْ يَمْسَسْهُمْ سُوءٌ وَاتَّبَعُواْ رِضْوَانَ اللّهِ وَاللّهُ ذُو فَضْلٍ عَظِيمٍ
“So they returned with Grace and Bounty from Allah. No harm touched them; and they followed the good Pleasure of Allah. And Allah is the Owner of Great Bounty.”

[Aal-'Imran: 174]

من يتق الله يحمد في عواقبه *** ويكفه شر من عزوا وهانوا
Whoever fears Allah will be praised in the end
And he shall be protected from the evil of the proud and lowly ones

من استجار بغير الله في فزع *** فإن ناصره عجز وخذلان
Whoever seeks protection during afflictions with other than Allah
Then his helper is one rendered powerless and a traitor

فالزم يديك بحبل الله معتصما *** فإنه الركن إن خانتك الأركان
So hold your hands firmly to the Rope of Allah
For it is a support when you lose all other support

كم نطلب الله في خير يحل بنا *** فإن تولت بلايانا نسيناه
How often we seek Allah for ease to come to us
And when our troubles go away, we forget Him

ندعوه في البحر أن ينجي سفينتنا *** فإن رجعنا إلى الشاطئ عصيناه
We call Him when out at sea, to save our ship
But when we return to shore, we disobey Him

ونركب الجو في أمن وفي دعة *** فما سقطنا لأن الحافظ الله
We travel by air in safety and peace
And we do not fall, for the Protector is Allah

- احفظ الله يحفظك by ‘Aaidh al-Qarni

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