Yazid b. Mu'awiya: Difference between revisions

Historians have recorded Yazid's genealogy, who is from the [[Banu Umayya]] clan of the tribe of [[Quraysh]], as follows: Yazid b. Mu'awiya b. Sakhr b. Harb b. Umayya b. 'Abd Shams b. 'Abd Manaf. [['Abd Manaf]] had two sons, [[Hashim]] and [['Abd Shams]], who were the ancestors of [[Banu Hashim]] and Banu Umayya respectively. There is not much information about Yazid's mother, except that her name was Maysun bt. Bahdal (ca. d. 80/699-700), she belonged to the clan of Banu Haritha b. Janab al-Kalbi, she was a bedouin, and went from Damascus back to her family after getting divorce from Mu'awiya.

After the conquest of Mecca, the Prophet (s) forgave his enemies including Abu Sufyan and Hind, and called them Tulaqa' (the Freed). This epithet was later applied to them disparagingly. In some hadiths, [[Imam 'Ali (a)]] states that Mu'awiya and his father never believed in Islam but only accepted it out of fear, and therefore do not deserve to be successors of the Prophet (s).

According to some sources, Yazid's mother, Maysun bt. Bahdal was a Bedouin, who married Mu'awiya and went to [[Damascus]]. But soon, she missed her family, and so Mu'awiya divorced her, and she returned to the desert. At this time, Yazid was either an infant or not yet born. Yazid spent his early childhood with the tribe of Maysun, whose people were of the tribes of Huwwarin (in [[Hums]] area) with a Christian or polytheist background before Islam. They also had literary and poetic inclinations. Some believe that growing up under the influence of these formerly Christian converts influenced Yazid and accounts for his later support for Christians and especially Christian poets, for hiring Christian consultants at his court, and for his peace agreement with Europeans.

After ‘Ashura, Lady Zaynab (a) made a speech and called Yazid, a son of Tulaqa’. In Ziyarat ‘Ashura, he is referred to as “the son of the liver-eater woman”. He had some children including Khalid, Mu’awiya, Abu Sufyan and ‘Abd Allah. His wives were Fakhta, Umm Kulthum and Umm Miskin. Some people mentioned that the cause of his death was too much drinking. Some others say that he died of pneumonia. He was buried in Damascus. It is reported that when ‘Abbasids took Damascus, disinterred him.

After ruling for three years and eight months, Yazid died on [[Rabi' I 14]], [[64]]/[[November 13]], 683 at the age of 38 and was buried in Huwwarin. It has been said that the cause of his death was that he had put his monkey on a wild running donkey; Yazid himself was chasing the donkey while being drunk and riding on a horse until he fell off and broke his neck.

In many sources, Yazid has been introduced as an immoral and corrupt person. [[Al-Baladhuri]] (d. [[279]]/892-3), regards him as the first Islamic ruler who openly drank wine. [[Al-Mas'udi]] quotes [[Abu Mikhnaf]] that in the reign of Yazid, drinking and immoral acts were widely committed by his governors even in [[Mecca]] and [[Medina]]. Yazid's reputation for immorality was so widespread that some famous [[companions of the Prophet (s)]] and also [[Imam al-Husayn (a)]] straightforwardly called him a [[Fasiq]] (grave sinner). Because of this bad reputation, figures like Imam al-Husyan (a), [['Abd Allah b. al-Zubayr]], and [['Abd Allah b. 'Umar]], refused to pay allegiance to Yazid. It is reported that 'Abd Allah b. 'Umar said in this regard, "Shall we pay allegiance to a person who plays with monkeys and dogs, drinks wine, and commits grave sins openly?! What would be our excuse before God?"

Biladhuri considered him the first caliph who openly drank wine, kept women singers and players with himself and made dogs and roosters fight for his own pleasure. He had a monkey called AbaQays and gave it wine and laughed at its actions. Some believe that the beliefs of Maysun’s tribe who converted to Islam from the Christianity influenced the formation of his personality during his growth. They mentioned Christian advisers such as Sir John and Akhtal Nasrani in his court and his peace with Eastern Romans as evidences for this.

“Give me a cup of wine to satiate my bones. Then, return and give Ibn Ziyad such a cup, whom is my confidant and trustee; and my caliphate was established by him.” Historians have reported that when Mu’awiya sent Yazid with the army of Islam toward Rome, the army went forth and were afflicted with pox and fever, but Yazid stayed back with his wife on the way and made himself busy with drinking and composed a poem, “fever and pox the army received and I have no worries, when in the abbey of Maran I lean on the couch beside Umm Kulthum.”