Library Islam Islam: Faith, Practice & History Part III: History Lesson 42 4. Attitude of the Rulers
4. Attitude of the Rulers
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4. Attitude of the Rulers
The Umayyid rulers during the imamate of Imam Muhammad al-BÄqir (a.s.) were the following: 1. WalÄ«d bin ‘Abdu ’l-Malik; 2. SulaymÄn bin ‘Abdu ’l-Malik; 3. ‘Umar ibn ‘Abdu ’l-‘AzÄ«z; 4. YazÄ«d bin ‘Abdu ’l-Malik; 5. HishÄm bin ‘Abdu ’l-Malik.
With the exception of ‘Umar ibn ‘Abdu ‘l-’AzÄ«z, all the rulers were as cruel and corrupt as their predecessors. WalÄ«d appointed people (like HajjÄj bin YusÅ«f ath-Thaqafi) to the various positions in the Muslim empire who had no regard for Islamic values and were guilty of torturing and oppressing those who did not accept their views. SulaymÄn was comparatively less of a tyrant not out of kindness and a sense of responsibility but because he was deeply absorbed in the pleasures and excessively luxirious lifestyle at the expense of the public treasury!
‘Umar ibn ‘Abdu ’l-‘AzÄ«z’s short reign of two years was the best period in the Umayyid history. He tried to establish justice and equality, and put an end to quite a few abhorrent practices started by Mu’Äwiyah: e.g., the practice of cursing AmÄ«ru ’l-Mu’minÄ«n ‘Ali bin Abi TÄlib (a.s.) in the Friday khutbas.
Then YazÄ«d bin ‘Abdu ’l-Malik came to power who is considered to be morally the most corrupt of all the Umayyad rulers. He was obsessed with music and dance, and would invite musicians and dancers from all over to his court in Damascus and reward them heftily. It was during his reign that pleasure pursuit, chess, playing cards and other such games became common ways of entertainment among the Arabs.
HishÄm bin ‘Abdu ’l-Malik was a mean and cruel person. He was insecure about his own position among the people, and was very jealous of the popularity and respect accorded by the people to the descendants of Imam ‘Ali (a.s.). It was during his reign that Zayd bin ‘Ali (son of the fourth Imam) started an uprising against the Umayyads which, unfortunately, ended in defeat in which Zayd was killed very cruelly.
