'Abd Allah b. 'Afif al-Azdi
| Companion of | Imam 'Ali (a) • Imam al-Husayn (a) |
|---|---|
| Wellknown Relatives | Safiyya |
| Place(s) of Residence | Kufa |
| Death/Martyrdom | 61/680 |
| Cause ofDeath/Martyrdom | By 'Ubayd Allah b. Ziyad |
| Burial Place | Kufa |
ʿAbd Allāh b. ʿAfīf al-Azdī (Arabic: عبدالله بن عفیف الأزدي) (d. 61/680) was a companion of Imam 'Ali (a) and Imam al-Husayn (a). He lost his eyes in the battles of Jamal and Siffin, fighting in Imam 'Ali's army. After the Event of 'Ashura', he protested 'Ubayd Allah b. Ziyad while he was condemning Ahl al-Bayt (a) on the pulpit in Masjid al-Kufa. Thus, he was arrested and beheaded by order of Ibn Ziyad. His body was hanged up in the dumpsite of Kufa. He is the first Shi'a who was martyred after the event of Karbala.
During Imam Ali's Caliphate
He was a companion of Imam 'Ali (a). He participated in the battles of Jamal and Siffin. He lost his right eye in Jamal and the left one in Siffin.[1]
After 'Ashura'
After the Martyrdom of Imam al-Husayn (a), 'Ubayd Allah b. Ziyad ascended the pulpit of Masjid al-Kufa and condemned Ahl al-Bayt (a). According to al-Tabari's report, he said: "All praise belongs to God who manifested the truth and its people and helped the commander of faithful, Yazid b. Mu'awiya and his party; and killed the liar the son of the liar, al-Husayn b. Ali and his followers."
Before he finishes his words, 'Abd Allah protested and said: "O, son of Marjana! Indeed the liar, the son of the liar, is you and your father and who appointed you and your father as governors. O, the son of Marjana! Do you kill descendants of the Prophet (s) and speak like a saint?"[2]
Ibn Ziyad ordered to arrest him,[3] but he called his tribe for protection, and they take him out of the mosque under protection. However, that night Ibn Ziyad's agents surrounded his house to arrest him.[4] When they invaded his house, he took his sword to fight them. As he was blind, his daughter, Safiyya, helped him in fighting by telling the position of the enemies.[5] During the fight, he was reciting this war cry: "By God! if I could see, it would become very difficult for you to harm me."
Eventually, he was arrested and taken to 'Ubayd Allah b. Ziyad. After a conversation between him and Ibn Ziyad, he was beheaded by Ibn Ziyad's order. His body was hanged up in the dumpsite of Kufa (in a district named Sabkha.)[6] He is the first Shi'a who was martyred after the Event of Karbala.
Children
It has been said that he had a daughter named Safiyya. When Ibn Ziyad's agents wanted to invade 'Abd Allah's house, she heard the sound of the horses' hooves and informed his father. She also helped his father fighting them and protecting himself by telling him the position of the invaders, as he was blind.[7]
Notes
- ↑ Balādhurī, Ansāb al-ashrāf, vol. 3, p. 210; Ibn Athīr, al-Kāmil fī l-tārīkh, vol. 4, p. 83; Ṭabarī, Tārīkh al-umam wa l-mulūk, vol. 5, p. 458.
- ↑ Ibn Kathīr, al-Bidāya wa l-nihāya, vol. 8, p. 191; Ṭabarī, Tārīkh al-umam wa l-mulūk, vol. 5, p. 459.
- ↑ Ibn Kathīr, al-Bidāya wa l-nihāya, vol. 8, p. 191; Ṭabarī, Tārīkh al-umam wa l-mulūk, vol. 5, p. 459.
- ↑ Ibn Athīr, al-Kāmil fī l-tārīkh, vol. 4, p. 83; Ṭabarī, Tārīkh al-umam wa l-mulūk, vol. 5, p. 459.
- ↑ Balādhurī, Ansāb al-ashrāf, vol. 3, p. 210;
- ↑ Ṭabarī, Tārīkh al-umam wa l-mulūk, vol. 5, p. 459.
- ↑ Balādhurī, Ansāb al-ashrāf, vol. 3, p. 210;
References
- Balādhurī, Aḥmad b. Yaḥyā al-. Ansāb al-ashrāf. Edited by Muḥammad Bāqir Maḥmūdī. Beirut: Dār al-Taʿāruf li-l-Maṭbūʿāt, 1397 AH.
- Ibn Athīr, ʿAlī b. Muḥammad. Al-Kāmil fī l-tārīkh. Beirut: Dār al-Ṣādir, 1385 AH.
- Ibn Kathīr, Ismāʿīl b. ʿUmar. Al-Bidāya wa l-nihāya. Beirut: Dār al-Fikr, 1407 AH.
- Ṭabarī, Muḥammad b. Jarīr al-. Tārīkh al-umam wa l-mulūk. Edited by Muḥammad Abū l-Faḍl Ibrāhīm. Second edition. Beirut: Dār al-Turāth, 1387 AH.