Muslim b. Aqil: Difference between revisions

'''Muslim b.  ʿAqīl b. Abī Ṭālib''' (Arabic: {{iarabic|مسلم بن عقیل بن ابي طالب}}), cousin of [[Imam al-Husayn (a)]] and his representative in the Kufa before [[Battle of Karbala]] and was from [[Al Abi Talib]]. Muslim was present in some conquest of Muslims as well as the [[Battle of Siffin]]. He went to Kufa as a representative of Imam al-Husayn (a) in order to provide the Imam with a status report of the city and to make sure that people of Kufa are persistent on and truthful in their invitation of the Imam. In a report to the Imam, he wrote that Kufans were prepared for the Imam's arrival.

However, after that [['Ubayd Allah b. Ziyad]] was appointed as the governor of Kufa and because people were afraid of him, they suddenly left Muslim alone. Thus, he was arrested and martyred in the day of [['Arafa]] ([[Dhu l-Hijja 9]]), 60 ([[September 10]], 680).<ref>Amin, ''A'yan al-shi'a'', vol.1 p.593</ref> The story of Muslim being left alone and his martyrdom in Kufa is the theme of a [[Lament for Muslim b. 'Aqil|well-known lament]] recited by the Shi'as. The lament is recited on the [[day of 'Arafa]] and sometimes on [[Muharram 1]].

His birthday is unknown. He was martyred in [[Dhu l-Hijja 9th]] 60 in [[Kufa]] (September 10, 680). On some accounts, Muslim was 28 years old when he was martyred. The account is objectionable, however, because it is inconsistent with accounts according to which Muslim's sons, who were martyred in the [[Event of Ashura]], were 26 and 27. Given that he was reportedly present in conquests as well as the Battle of Siffin, some people believe that he was over 50 when he was martyred. Muslim's grave is located in Kufa on the eastern side of the [[Mosque of Kufa]].

Ibn Habban (d. 354/965), one of the [[Sunni]] scholars, writes, "Muslim b. 'Aqil al-Hashimi. His [[kuniya]] was Abu Dawud. He was the most similar person to [[the Prophet (s)]] among the sons of [['Abd al-Muttalib]]. He was contemporaneous with some of [[sahaba|the companions of the Prophet]] (s)."<ref>Ibn Habban, ''al-Thiqat'', vol.5 p.391</ref>

Muslim's children are mentioned in accounts of the Event of Karbala. For example, when they gave the news of their father's martyrdom to Imam al-Husayn (a) on his way from Mecca to Kufa, [['Ali al-Akbar (a)]] suggested that they return, noting the disloyalty of the people of Kufa. Muslim's children disagreed, however, and encouraged the Imam to go on his way to Kufa. Moreover, some of Muslim's children are mentioned in old sources as martyrs of Karbala, including [['Abd Allah b. Muslim]] and [[Muhammad b. Muslim]].

There are disagreements in historical sources regarding the names and the number of Muslim's children. In less reliable accounts in later sources, other children of Muslim b. 'Aqil are mentioned as [[martyrs of Karbala]], such as 'Awn, Muslim, 'Ubayad Allah, Ja'far, and Ahmad. Some sources refer to [[Two Sons of Muslim b. 'Aqil|two young children of Muslim]] (Muhammad and Ibrahim) who were captivated after Imam al-Husayn's martyrdom, imprisoned in Kufa at the command of 'Ubayd Allah b. Ziyad, and were martyred after they escaped from the prison. However, some other sources believe that these two boys were not Muslim's children. The names of Muslim's children are differently mentioned in other sources, such as Ibrahim, 'Abd al-'Aziz, 'Ali, Muslim, and a daughter called Hamida or Umm Hamida.

'''Presence in African conquests:''' one event in Muslim's life, according to some historical sources, is his presence in conquests of Northern Africa in 21 AH. Muslim b. 'Aqil and some of his brothers, including Ja'far and 'Ali, attended the conquest of the city of al-Bahnasa (in Egypt).

Muslim accompanied [[Imam al-Husayn (a)]] when Imam departed [[Medina]] toward [[Mecca]]. But when Imam received [[Letters of the Kufians to Imam al-Husayn|numerous invitation letters form people of Kufa]], he sent Muslim to Kufa to check if they are honest in their letters and also if the conditions are ready for his presence.<ref>Ibn Qutayba, ''al-Akhbar al-tiwal'', p.230</ref>

Musilm arrived in Kufa on [[Shawwal 5]]/July 9. He stayed in [[Mukhtar b. Abi 'Ubayd al-Thaqafi|Mukhtar b. Abi 'Ubayd]]'s house, or on some other accounts, in the house of [[Muslim b. 'Awsaja]]. The Shi'as frequently visited Muslim's residence, where he read Imam al-Husayn's (a) letter to them.

Muslim's connections to Shi'as were secret. However, 'Ubayd Allah b. Ziyad sent a spy called "Ma'qil" who pretended to be an advocate of Muslim b. 'Aqil and interested in meeting him, and through the spy, Ibn Ziyad learned about Muslim's place. He then summoned Hani b. 'Urwa to his palace and asked him to surrender Muslim to him. Since Hani refused to do so, he was arrested. When Muslim heard about Hani's arrest, he asked his followers to start an uprising. According to reports by historical sources, about 4000 people gathered together with the motto, "Ya Mansur, Amit" (Oh the victorious! Bring death). Muslim's forces included 'Abd al-Rahman b. Kariz the commander of Kindis, Muslim b. 'Awsaja the commander of [[tribe of midhhaj|Midhhajis]], Abu Thumama al-Saydawi the commander of Tamim and [[tribe of Hamdan |Hamdan]], and 'Abbas b. Ja'da b. Hubayra the commander of the [[Quraysh]] and [[Ansar]]. They advanced towards and surrounded the palace. Inside the palace were only 50 people including 'Ubayd Allah's guards and close associates.

'Ubayd Allah b. Ziyad asked some prominent figures of Kufa who were inside the palace with him, such as Muhammad b. Ash'ath, Kathir b. Shihab, [[Shabath b. Rib'i]], Qa'qa' b. Shur, [[Hajjar b. Abjar]], and [[Shimr b. Dhi l-Jawshan]] to go to the crowd, give them promises, and threaten them against the army of al-Sham in order to deter them from helping Muslim and Imam al-Husayn (a). The trick worked. According to historical reports, people were scared after propagations of 'Ubayd Allah's companions and ran away quickly until Muslim was left alone at night without a place to go to.

After skirmishes between Muslim and governmental forces, Muhammad b. Ash'ath told Muslim that he would be safe if he surrenders himself. Thus, Muslim surrendered himself and was taken to the palace. However, Ibn Ziyad rejected Ibn Ash'ath's safety conduct, and after arguments between him and Muslim, he commanded Bukayr b. Hamran (who was injured in a skirmish with Muslim) to take Muslim to the roof of the palace and then decapitate him. When Muslim was beheaded, his torso was thrown down of the palace.

Given information in relevant sources, the majority of authors believe that the uprising of the people of Kufa when Muslim was in the city failed because of 'Ubayd Allah b. Ziyad's policies of terrifying people, the social structure of Kufa that prevented any union or solidarity among its people, as well as the psychology of these people as they were emotional, unable to be organized, and were attached to the material world. Recently, an author has added another reason for the failure of the uprising: the weak commandership of the uprising, although he did not provide clear grounds for the claim. It seems that remarks and speeches by Imam al-Husayn's associates after the Event of Ashura, including [[Zaynab]]'s speech after her arrival in Kufa when she was captivated by the army of 'Umar b. Sa'd, are evidence for the former account of the grounds of the failure of the uprising.