Amr b. al-Hajjaj al-Zubaydi

Amr b. al-Hajjaj al-Zubaydi

Commander of the right wing of 'Umar b. Sa'd's army
Full Name	ʿAmr b. al-Ḥajjāj al-Madhḥijī al-Zubaydī
Lineage	Madhhij Tribe
Place of Residence	Kufa
Era	Umayyad Dynasty
Known for	In charge of blocking access to Euphrates
Activities	Chief of Madhhij Tribe, Testimony against Hujr b. 'Adi, Sending letter to invite Imam al-Husayn (a) to Kufa

ʿAmr b. al-Ḥajjāj al-Madhḥijī al-Zubaydī (Arabic: عَمرو بن الحَجّاج المَذحِجي الزُبَیدي) was among those who wrote letter to Imam al-Husayn (a) and asked him to go to Kufa. However, on the Day of 'Ashura, he was the commander of the right-wing of 'Umar b. Sa'd's army and also in charge of blocking access to Euphrates. On the Day of 'Ashura, he introduced Imam al-Husayn (a) being out of religion which Imam (a) strongly opposed it. His soldiers killed Muslim b. 'Awsaja. In the Uprising of Mukhtar, he was among his dissidents and after the revolt of Kufa was defeated, he disappeared.

Lineage

Before the Event of Karbala

'Amr was the chief of Madhhij tribe. 'Amr b. Hajjaj accepted Islam at the time of the Holy Prophet (s).

When Hujr b. 'Adi was in prison, 'Amr testified against him.

'Amr b. Hajjaj was among those who wrote letter to Imam al-Husayn (a) and invited him to Iraq, but later declared his loyalty to 'Ubayd Allah b. Ziyad.

When Ibn Ziyad captured Hani b. 'Urwa, 'Amr and his tribe gathered in front of Dar al-Imara, but 'Amr told them that Hani b. 'Urwa was alive and made them return. It is said that Raw'a, 'Amr b. Hajjaj's sister was Hani's wife.

In the Event of 'Ashura

On Muharram 7th, 'Umar b. Sa'd ordered 'Amr b. Hajjaj to block Imam's (a) access to the water of Euphrates with 500 horsemen. The following statement is attributed to him,

"O Husayn (a)! This is the water of Euphrates from which dogs, donkeys and pigs drink. By God, I swear! You will not drink a sip of it until you drink from Hamim in the hellfire."

When Imam al-Husayn (a) sent 'Abbas b. Ali (a) to 'Umar b. Sa'd to take the night of 'Ashura, 'Amr b. Hajjaj said, "If a man from Daylam asked us such a request, we should have accepted it."

He was among those who took the heads of the Martyrs of Karbala to Ibn Ziyad.

The Dialogue between Nafi' b. Hilal with 'Amr b. Hajjaj when Nafi' and Abbas (a) with their companions arrived at the Euphrates:

'Amr b. Hajjaj Zubaydi: Who are you? Nafi' b. Hilal: one of your cousins. We have come to drink from water you have prevented us from. 'Amr: Help yourself, drink! But, do not take from it for Husayn (a)! Nafi': By God I swear, I won't [drink]! While Husayn (a), his family and companions are all thirsty.

On the Day of 'Ashura

On the day of 'Ashura, 'Amr was the commander of the right wing of 'Umar b. Sa'd's army. His soldiers killed Muslim b. 'Awsaja. He suggested to stone the companions of Imam al-Husayn (a) with which 'Umar b. Sa'd agreed.

On the day of 'Ashura, 'Amr introduced Imam al-Husayn (a) out of religion and Yazid as imam and urged the army of 'Umar b. Sa'd to fight with Imam al-Husayn (a) which encountered Imam's (a) reaction to it.

After the Event of 'Ashura

'Amr b. Hajjaj was among dissidents of the Uprising of Mukhtar and was among the companions of 'Abd Allah b. Muti' in the war of Ibn Muti' (ruler of Kufa appointed by 'Abd Allah b. Zubayr) with Mukhtar. On the day the rebels were defeated by Mukhtar, he disappeared. Mukhtar ordered to destroy his house and confiscated his property. There are different opinions about his fate. Dinwari has said that he went toward Basra, but sidetracked to Sharaf for the fear of being admonished by people. According to al-Baladhuri, he escaped and died out of thirst in Waqisa. It is said that when the soldiers of Mukhtar reached him, he was still alive and they beheaded him. Al-Tabari and Ibn Athir said that he went toward Waqisa and Sharaf and they received no other news about him.