Al-Hajjaj bin Yousef

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Al-Hajjāj ibn Yūsuf (Arabic: الحجاج بن يوسف, also known as Hajjāj ibn Yūsuf ath-Thaqafī), born in June 661 in aţ-Ţā’if and died 714 in Wasit, Iraq, was an important Arab administrator during the Umayyad Caliphate. His given name was Kulayb "Little Dog" but he changed it to al-Hajjaj before being appointed Governor of Iraq.

The administrative language of Iraq officially changed from Middle Persian (Pahlavi) to Arabic during his governorship. The records of administrative documents (diwans) of Iraq transferred from Pahlavi to Arabic.

[edit] Beginnings

Al-Hajjāj ibn Yūsuf served as the governor of Iraq during the reigns of Abd al-Malik ibn Marwan and al-Walid I of the Umayyad. Al-Hajjāj began his career in 691, when he led troops against Mus'ab ibn al-Zubayr the then-governor of Iraq, which was outside the Umayyad sphere of influence.

After defeating Musa'ab ibn Al-Zubayr, al-Hajjāj was sent to the Hejaz region, where he laid siege to the holy city of Mecca and captured it, killing Abdullah ibn al-Zubayr and putting all of the Muslim empire back under the rule of the Umayyad dynasty. Hajjaj's firm siege of Hejaz resulted in the deaths of thousands of innocent inhabitants of the region. It has been later claimed than one Ummayyad leader stated that if all the nations brought their most tyrannical and evil rulers, the Muslims would only need to bring Hajjāj ibn-Yūsuf to surpass the rest of the world's murderous rulers in evil.

While governing Hejaz, al-Hajjāj was known for his severe and extremely strict form of rule. Some time later, he was sent to govern Iraq. Even there, he continued to be as disreputable as he was, and his reputation was not helped at all by his crushing of a dangerous Kharijite rebellion under 'Abd al-Rahmān ibn Muhammad ibn al-Ash'ath, from 699 to 701 CE. For his considerable successes, Hajjāj was also made governor of some provinces in Persia, where he was again tasked with putting down rebellions. However, his severe tactics led him to make many enemies, who would come to power after his death.

With the ascent of al-Walid I, Hajjāj's reputation grew due to his selection and deployment of numerous successful generals who expanded the Islamic empire. He was given these powers due to his high status in the Umayyad government and he exhibited a lot of control over the provinces that he governed.

Among these generals was the teenaged Muhammad ibn-Qasīm, who in 712 was sent to Sindh in India. Compared to his general, al-Hajjāj was more hardline, insisting that those who were not People of the Book be killed or enslaved.

Qutayba ibn Muslim was sent to conquer Turkestan, which he did, even penetrating the borders of China and obtaining Jizya (tribute payment) from the Chinese emperor. Probably Hajjāj's most successful general was Mūsā ibn Nusayr, who consolidated control over North Africa and who sent Tariq ibn Ziyād to invade Spain.

The year after al-Hajjāj died, al-Walid died as well, and his brother, Sulayman came to power. Sulayman was indebted to many opponents of Hajjāj ibn-Yūsuf for their political support in getting him elected caliph, so he recalled all Hajjāj's generals and had them tortured to death in prison, pretending to have forgotten their great victories.

The relationship between Hajjāj ibn Yūsuf and Muhammad ibn Qasīm has always been one of great debate. Many classical accounts list al-Hajjāj as being his uncle or father-in-law. However, this is debatable; it seems more likely that they were distant cousins.

[edit] Shia view

Mohamed Tijani Samawi in his book The Shi'ah are (the real) Ahl al-Sunnah writes:

Al-Hajjaj ibn Yusuf al-Thaqafi, the great zindiq, who used to mock the Qur'an, regarding it only a lambus poem composed by the Arabs, and preferred Abd al-Malik ibn Marwan more than the Messenger of Allah. Al-Hajjaj, whose heinous acts are known for all people, to the extent that historians state that he has demolished all the pillars of Islam. It is reported in Ta'rikh Ibn 'Asakir that two men had a dispute regarding al-Hajjaj, as one of them said: He is a kafir (infidel), but the other said: He is a misguided believer. After arguing about him, they asked the prominent Islamic scholar al-Shi'bi in his respect, who said: "He believes in idols and false deities, and disbelievers in the Almighty Allah". This is the truth of Hajjaj, the culpritt who has violated all sanctities of Allah, about whom the historians state that he has exceeded proper bounds in slaying, torturing and mutilating the righteous and faithful men among the Ummah (nation), particularly the Shi'ah (followers) of the Prophet's Household, who were inflicted with calamities that no other people suffered. It is reported in Ta'rikh Ibn Qutaybah, that al-Hajjaj has killed in one day more than seventy thousand persons, till blood reached the door and the locks of the mosque. Tirmidhi says in his Sahih book: On counting those killed by al-Hajjaj, it was found that their number reached a hundred and twenty thounsand. Ibn 'Asakir is reported to have said in his Tarikh, after mentioning those killed by al-Hajjaj: After Hajjaj's death, eighty thousand people, including thirty thousand women have been found in his prison. Moreover, al-Hajjaj used to resemble himself to the Glorified Lord, as when passing by the prison and hearing the prisoners' crying and appeal for him, he used to reply them: Begone therein, and speak not unto me.[1]

[edit] References

1. ^ [1]

see also:

• E. Browne, Islamic Medicine, 2002, p.16, ISBN 81-87570-19-9
• Dennett, Daniel Clement. "Conversion and the poll tax in early Islam.", p38.
• Richard Nelson Frye, Cambridge History of Iran, p.42,46