Companions after Mohammad [PBUH]'s Death - 5

-5-

العواصم القواصم

أبو بكر بن العربي‎

Death: 543H 1148

DEFENCE AGAINST DISASTER by QADI ABU BAKR IBN AL-`ARABI

Accurately Determining The Position Of The Companions After The Death Of The Prophet, May Allah Bless Him And Grant Him Peace AL-`AWASIM MIN AL-QAWASIM

10. As for `Abdullah b. `Amir b. Kurayz, he appointed him, as he said, because he was noble in his maternal and paternal aunts.

82. He is Abu Shamsi of parentage, Hashimi by relationship through his maternal aunt, the mother of his father was Arwa bint Kurayz. Her mother was al-Bayda` by `Abdu’l-Muttalib b. Hasim, the paternal aunt of the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace. He said, "From the Banu Shams. This one is more like us than you." Then he spat in his mouth and he swallowed it. He, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, "I hope that he will be a water-giver." He did not cultivate any land without water appearing in it. He grew up generous, noble, brave, blessed by nature with many virtues. He conquered all of Khorasan, the ends of Persia, Sijistan and Kerman until he reached the districts of Ghazna. He put an end to Yazdegerd b. Shariyar, the last of the Persian kings. The Iranians believe that the chain of their kings appeared with their Adam whom they call Jiumart. The kingdom of his sons continued in a straight line until the last of them died by the force of Islam in the khalifate of the Amir al-Mu'minin `Uthman, by the jihad of this man who was Abshami by parentage, Hashimi by maternal aunt, `Abdullah b. `Amir b. Kurayz. It is a fire in the hearts of the people of the Magian sect against Islam and against `Uthman and Ibn Kurayz. They had rancour towards them and fought with them up until the present day with the weapons of lies, hate and intrigue. That will continue up until the Day of Rising. Were not those who confirmed Islam among those to whom Iran gave birth in the days when it was Shafi’ite in madhhab, when the `ulama’ of the Muhammadan sunna emerged from it? They included great Imams, hadith scholars and fuqaha’. They stripped their hearts of any rancour they had towards those who believed and struggled with their property and themselves until Allah opened the lands at their hands. He guided the community because of them. The muslims love and respect them for their merits. We do not claim partisanship for anyone after the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, and we remove error from every Companion or Tabi’ or those who followed them by thinking the best of them.

As for those who filled this world with mountains of good deeds, some are blind to them and make slander in order to extract from it something they can use to cast blame. If they do not find it, they will invent and lie. Part of the nobility of the muslim to himself is that he lifts himself above listening to the likes of those men and is not deceived by them. You have enough evidence in the victory of `Abdullah b. `Amir b. Kurayz which reached the furthest east and his demolition of the end of the period of the Magian Empire. There is also documentation of the large quantity of the good deeds he performed. Ibn Kathir said in ‘The Beginning and the End’ (8:88), "He was the first to make cisterns at `Arafat for the hajjis to the House of Allah and to make spring water flow to it." Ibn Taymiyya said about him in ‘The Path of the Sunna’ (3:189-190), "He is known for good deeds and the love people had for him in their hearts and that cannot be ignored." If men like them had been among the ancestors of the English and the French, their greatness would remain in the books of study, culture and education. Our sciences have been decimated and we tend to transmit that in our scholarly books so that our generation believes in the greatness of the forbears of the colonialists. As for the greatness of our own forbears, Shaytan has overpowered it my means of false hearts which overflow with evil. Many of us confirm the lies and we proceed like a community without self-respect, asleep to the inheritance of a glory whose like humanity has never known.

11. As for his appointment of al-Walid b. `Uqba, people, according to their false intentions, hastened to do evil things before good things. The liars mentioned that he appointed him for the reason which was already stated. `Uthman said, "I did not appoint al-Walid because he is my brother,

83. He is his brother by his mother, Arwa bint Kurayz. Her mother was al-Bayda` bint `Abdu’l-Muttalib b. Hashim. I appointed him because he is the son of Umm Hakim al-Bayda`, the aunt of the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, and the twin of his father. This will be clarified, Allah willing.

84. Any one who has no recognition of the beginning of this community supposes that the Amir al-Mu'minin `Uthman brought al-Walid b. `Uqba from the gutter and appointed him over Kufa. As for those whom Allah has blessed with the blessing of intimacy with the states of that age and its people, they know that the first Islamic state from the time of the khalifate of Abu Bakr seized on this energetic, resolute youth of pleasing character and truthful iman. His gifts were employed in the way of Allah until Abu Bakr died. The first office that he held in the khalifate of Abu Bakr was that he was entrusted with the secret messages of war which passed between the Khalif and his general, Khalid b. al-Walid in the battle of al-Madhar with the Persians in 12 A.H. (at-Tabari 4:7). Then he sent him to help his general `Iyad b. Ghanam al-Fihri (at-Tabari 4:22). In 13 A.H., al-Walid was put in charge of the zakat of Quda`a for Abu Bakr. Then when the Siddiq decided to conquer Syria, al-Walid was with him in the place of `Amr b. al-`As in respect, trust, and honour. He wrote to `Amr b. al-`As and to al-Walid b. `Uqba to call them to lead the jihad. Ibn al-`As took the banner of Islam towards Palestine and al-Walid b. `Uqba went as a general east of the Jordan (at-Tabari 4:29-30).

Then we see al-Walid in 13AH as an Amir over the lands of the Banu Taghlib and the Arabs of the Peninsula (at-Tabari 4:155). He protected the mujahidin in the north of Syria so that no one could come at them from the rear. Rabi`a and Tanukh, both the muslims and kafirun among them were under his leadership. Al-Walid b. `Uqba made full use of the opportunity of his appointment and his generalship over this area, which was still full of christians from the arab tribes, because in addition to his military jihad and administrative office, he also called the people to Allah, using all of the means of wisdom and good warning to encourage the christians of Ayyad and Taghlib to become muslim like the rest of the Arabs. Ayyad fled from him to al-Andul which was still under the rule of the Byzantines. Al-Walid persuaded his khalif `Umar to write a letter threatening the Byzantine Emperor so he would return them to the borders of the Islamic state. Taghlib tried to revolt against al-Walid when he spread the Islamic call among their youths and children. He became very angry with a Mudari anger supported by Islamic belief. He uttered his famous words about them: "When I wrapped my head with a turban, Taghlib the daughter of Wa’il lured you from me".

These words reached `Umar and he was afraid that his general would fall upon the young men of the christians of Taghlib, so he took the reins from his hand at the moment when they were fighting with the muslims. Therefore he restrained the hand of al-Walid from them and moved him from their area. Al-Walid came into the khalifate of `Uthman with this excellent past. He appointed him over Kufa. He was one of its best governors as far as justice, compassion and charity are concerned. While he was in charge of Kufa, his armies went east in conquest and victory as we will mention later. The appointment was by ijtihad.

85. At the end of this book, the author has a section in which he indicates the meanings and realities which someone in command should take into consideration in his ijtihad when appointing governors or dismissing them. That has great fiqh and wondrous recognitions which the Imams and `Ulama’ clarified in the details which they wrote about the Imamate and the politics of the state. This is found in their books about the roots of the deen. The tyrant of the Shi`a, the forger, al-Hasan b. al-Mutahhar al-Hulli claimed in his book, ‘The Path of Generosity’, that `Uthman appointed someone who was not suited to govern over the affairs of the muslims. Ibn Taymiyya answered him in ‘The Path of the Sunna’ (3:173-176) that `Ali, may Allah be pleased with him, appointed Ziyad b. Abi Sufyan and he appointed al-Ashtar an-Nakh`i and he appointed Muhammad b. Abi Bakr and others like them. The man of intellect knows beyond doubt that Mu`awiya b. Abi Sufyan was better than all of these. He said, "It is a wonder that the Shi`a object to `Uthman appointing his relatives from his father’s side and his mother’s side. He appointed `Abdullah b. `Abbas over Yemen. He appointed Qutham b. al-`Abbas over Makka and Ta`if. As for Madina, it is said that he appointed Sahl b. Hanif over it, and it is said that he appointed Thumana b. al-`Abbas. As for Basra, he appointed `Abdullah b. `Abbas over it. He appointed his foster son, Muhammad b. Abi Bakr over Egypt. He had raised him in his own house since he had married his mother after Abu Bakr had died when Muhammad was still a child. The Imamiyya claim that `Ali specified his sons for the khalifate, or for his son and his son and then his son and so on. It is known that the appointment of relatives was disliked. Then appointing a relative to be khalif is far worse than appointing someone to be governor.

When the speaker said that `Ali had a proof for what he did, we say to him, "The proof of `Uthman for what he did is greater." When he claims divine protection from wrong action things like that for `Ali which stifles the tongues of attackers, ijtihad is claimed for `Uthman which also stifles the tongues of the attackers and which is more easily understood and conveyed. Then he said, "The Banu Umayya were employed by the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, while he was alive. After him, they were employed in the government by Abu Bakr and `Umar. It is not know that any of the tribes of Quraysh provided more governors for the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, than the Banu `Abdu Shams because they were numerous and they had nobility and leadership. In the beginning of Islam, the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, appointed `Attab b. Usyad b. Abi’l-`As over the noble city of Makka. He appointed Abu Sufyan b. Harb b. Umayya over Narjan. He appointed Sa`id b. al-`Asi over the zakat of the Banu Madh-haj and over Sana’ and Yemen until the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, died. He appointed `Uthman b. Sa`id b. al-`Asi over Tayma`, Khaybar and Qura `Uryayna.

He appointed Aban b. Sa`id b. al-`As over some of the captives and then he appointed him over Bahrayn. He continued in charge of it after al-`Ala’ b. al-Hadrami (the ally of the Banu Umayya) until the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, died. `Uthman said, "I only appoint from among those the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, appointed and from those like them and from their tribe." It was the same with Abu Bakr and `Umar after him. The evidence for the permission to appoint men from the Banu Umayya is a confirmed text from the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace. That is clear to every man of intellect setting apart the claim that the khalifate is by stipulation for one particular individual from the Banu Hashim, because according to the consensus of the people of knowledge by transmission, this is a lie. It is confirmed by the agreement of the people of knowledge of transmission. (Look also at ‘The Path of the Sunna’, 3:236-237). Any one who considers the life of the governors of `Uthman and their jihad and their virtues will see that they are at the highest pinnacle of the men of government. He will feel no hesitation in confirming that they were among the architects of the strong basis of the administrative and military glory of Islam. They have the reward of the successful results in conquest and in spreading the call of Islam in what history considers to be one of the most extraordinary miracles ever witnessed. `Umar dismissed Sa`d b. Abi Waqqas and advanced someone whose rank was less than his.



86. That was in 21 A.H. Those who were appointed after Sa`d were `Abdullah b. `Abdullah b. `Utaban (and in his time the battle of Nahawand occurred), then Ziyad b. Hanzala (he asked to be retired and was dismissed.) and after them `Ammar b. Yasir was appointed. (at- Tabari 4:246 and before it.)

12. As for the statement about Marwan and al-Walid, it is an attack on them, and their judgment that they were deviant (fasiq) is in fact deviation on their part. Marwan was a just man, one of the great ones of the community in the opinion of the Companions, the Tabi`un, and the fuqaha’ of the muslims. As for the Companions, Sahl b. Sa`d as-Sa`idi related from him.

87. Its riwaya from him is in the Sahih of al-Bukhari and elsewhere. As for the Tabi`un, they are the same age as him, although he surpassed them by having the name of "Companion" according to one of the two statements. 88. In the forefront of those who related from him among the great Tabi`un was Zayn al-`Abidin `Ali b. al-Husayn as-Sibt. Ibn Taymiyya (in ‘The Path of the Sunna’, 2:123) and Ibn Hajjar in ‘The Isaba’ quoted that. You will see its details in ‘The Greater Tabaqat of the Shari’is’ by as-Subki in the biography of the linguist, Abu Mansur Muhammad b. Ahmad b. al-Azhar, the author of ‘The Tadh-hib al-Lugha’ (282-370). Among those whom Ibn Hajar quoted in the riwaya from Marwan were: Sa`id b. al-Musayyib, the head of the `ulama’ of the Tabi`un, his brothers from among the seven fuqaha’, Abu Bakr b. `Abdu’r-Rahman b. al-Harith b. Hisham al-Makhzumi, `Ubaydullah b. `Abdullah, `Utba b. Mas`ud, `Urwa b. az-Zubayr and others like them such as `Urak b. Malik al-Ghifari al-Madini, the faqih of the people of Dahlak (who used to fast constantly) and `Abdullah b. Shaddad by. al-Had, one of those who transmitted from `Umar, `Ali and Mu`adh. The riwaya of `Urwa b. az-Zubayr from Marwan is in ‘The Musnad’ of Imam Ahmad (First edition, 4:321, 323, 326, 328 and 5:179).

The riwaya of `Arak from Marwan is transmitted by the Imam of the people of Egypt, al-Layth b. Sa`d from Yazid b. Hubayba in ‘The Musnad’ of Ahmad (4:328). The riwaya of `Abdullah b. Shaddad b. al-Had from Marwan is in the Musnad of Ahmad (6:317 & 323). Anyone who considers the hadith related which are from Marwan will find that those who relate them are reliable Imams whose riwaya has a chain from him over a period of two generations or more. All of them hold the highest rank in Islam among those who cooled the rancour which was in their hearts by attacking Marwan and those better than Marwan. Among the transmitters of the hadith of Marwan was `Abdu’r-Razzaq, the Imam of the people of Yemen, although he has some Shi`a tendencies in him. In ‘The Musnad’ of Ahmad (6:312), there is the hadith of `Abdu’r-Rahman b. al-Harith b. Hisham that he was Marwan’s messenger to the Umm al-Mu'minin Umm Salama to verify some of the judgments of the Shari`a. In 6:299 of ‘The Musnad’ of Ahmad is a sample showing the great concern that Marwan had for the sunna of the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, as far as he was capable of bringing it out from the Imams and Amirs of the muslims.

As for the fuqaha’ of the cities, all of them esteemed him, had respect for his khalifate, accepted his fatwa and followed his riwaya. As for the fools among the historians and men of letters, they speak according to their merits. As for al-Walid, one of the commentators related that Allah called him fasiq (deviant) when he said, "When a deviant brings you news, then make clear, lest you afflict a people by ignorance." (49:6) According to them, it was revealed about him that the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, sent him to the Banu’l-Mustaliq, and he reported that they had apostatized. On this account the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, sent Khalid b. al-Walid to them and he ascertained what had happened and the invalidity of his words became clear. There is some disagreement about this. Some say that it was revealed about this incident.

89. I was astounded at how this ayat could have come down about al-Walid b. `Uqba, and Allah call him deviant, and then after that the two khalifs of the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, Abu Bakr and `Umar would still give him the position which history has written that he had. This contradiction between the trust that Abu Bakr and `Umar had for al-Walid b. `Uqba and how one should deal with him if Allah had called him deviant, moved me to doubt this ayat was sent down about him, not because it is unlikely that al-Walid did something by which he could be considered deviant, but because it is unlikely that the one described by "fisq" in the clear Qur'an would be the confidant of two of the friends of Allah, the Mighty, the Majestic, who were such that we do not know of anyone closer to Allah than them after His Messenger, may Allah bless him and grant him peace.

Then after I was assailed by this doubt, I looked again at the reports which have come about the reason for the descent of this ayat: "When the deviant brings you news." When I applied myself to studying it, I found that it stopped with Mujahid, Qatada, Ibn Abi Layla or Yazid b. Ruman. None of them mentioned the names of the reciters of these reports in the period of 100 years or more which passed between their days and the time of the event. These 100 years are full of reciters from different sources. Those who have a tendency to injure the reputation of people like al-Walid and those of greater rank than al-Walid have filled this world with suspicious reports which have no scholarly worth. The transmitters of those reports, regarding the reason for the revelation of the ayat, are still unknown among the `ulama’ who consider people to be just witnesses or not, (ta’dil) after the men to whom these reports reached. The scholars who consider people to be just witnesses or otherwise do not know anything about them, not even their names. It is not permitted in the Shari`a and history to judge that these sourceless broken reports are sound.

There are two direct reports. One of them is from Umm Salama. Musa b. `Ubayda claimed that he heard it from Thabit, the client of Umm Salama. an-Nasa`i, Ibn al-Madini, Ibn `Adi and a group considered Musa b. `Ubayda weak. This Thabit who is claimed to be the client of Umm Salama is not mentioned in anything referred to in the books of knowledge. He is not mentioned in ‘The Tadh-hib at-Tadh-hib’ nor in ‘The Taqrib at-Tadh-hib’ nor in the summary of ‘The Tadh-hib al-Kamal’. I did not find him nor do I have any suspicions about ‘The Balance of Justice’ and ‘The Tongue of the Balance’. I went to the collection of the hadith of Umm Salama in ‘The Musnad’ of Ahmad and I read them one by one, but I did not find this report among them. I did not find that Umm Salama had any report in which the name of a client of hers called Thabit was mentioned. In addition to all this, Umm Salama did not say in the report, if it is indeed sound - and there is no way to verify that it comes from her - that the ayat was revealed about al-Walid. She said, i.e. it is ascribed to her, "The Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, sent a man for the zakat of the Banu’l-Mustaliq."

The second report is related by at-Tabari in the tafsir from Ibn Sa`d, from his father, from his uncle, from his father, from his father, from Ibn `Abbas. At-Tabari did not meet Ibn Sa`d and did not take from him because when Ibn Sa`d died in Baghdad in 230, at-Tabari was a child of six years and at that time had not left his home Amal in Tabaristan for Baghdad or anywhere else. If Ibn Sa`d himself was one of the people of integrity in the deen and majesty in knowledge, the `ulama’ who judge integrity and its opposite do not know the names of most of the people in this chain before him, let along anything about their states. All of these reports from first to last cannot censure an industrious man who was trusted by Abu Bakr and `Umar. He carried out services for Islam for which the greatest reward is expected, Allah willing. I add to all that has preceded the fact that at the time when this event occurred with the Banu’l-Mustaliq, about which the ayat was revealed, al-Walid was still young as will come in the following passage.

It is said it is about `Ali while al-Walid has another story. It is said on the day of the conquest of Makka that al-Walid went ahead in a group of youths to the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, and he patted their heads and blessed them. He said, "There was khaluq (coloured perfume) on my head, so the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, refused to pat it." When someone is that young, someone is sent to verify him.

90. This hadith about the age of al-Walid b. `Uqba on the day of the Conquest of Makka is related by Imam Ahmad in his ‘Musnad’ (4:32, first edition) from a shaykh of his who is Fiyad b. Muhammad ar-Raqqi from Ja`far b. Barqan ar-Raqqi from Thabit b. al-Hajjaj al- Kilabi ar-Raqqi from `Abdullah al-Hamdani (and he is `Abdullah b. Malik b. al-Harith) from al-Walid b. `Uqba. It is apparent that al-Walid b. `Uqba related this hadith when he withdrew from people in the last two years of his life, and he chose to remain in a village he owned in the Raqqa area. The riwaya of the report has a chain in the transmitters of Raqqa and Imam Ahmad took it from a shaykh he knew among them. `Abdullah al-Hamdani is reliable, but his name is confused in other riwayats than these with another Hamdani whose kunya is Abu Musa and whose name is Malik b. al-Harith (i.e. according to the name of the father of `Abdullah al-Hamdani). He is known and trusted. Qadi Abu Bakr b. al-`Arabi relied on this riwaya and others like it in his judgment about the age of Walid b. `Uqba saying that he was a child when Makka was conquered and that the one about whom the ayat, "When the deviant brings you news" was sent down is someone else. It is extraordinary that those who have a tendency to slander the reputation of this young Companion who was a man of jihad, cheerfulness and good conduct among people, have tried to refute the proof of his youthfulness at that time by another report related about this coming to Madina with his brother `Umara in the seventh year of the hijra to ask the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, to return their sister Umm Kulthum to Makka. The fact of this report, even if it is sound, is that in it the name `Umara is put ahead of that of al-Walid. From this it is gathered that `Umara is put ahead of that of al-Walid. From this it is gathered that `Umara was the basis of this journey and that al-Walid came along to accompany him. What would prevent al-Walid from coming as a child with his older brother, indeed that is a common occurrence everywhere? Al-Walid’s statement that he was a child in the year of the conquest is not contradicted by the report about his coming with his older brother to Madina in the seventh year of the hijra. So it should be clear to you that none of the reports which have come about al-Walid b. `Uqba regarding him being the reason for the revelation of the ayat, "When the deviant brings you news." allow a learned person to base a judgment in the Shari`a or historical judgment on them. When you add to that the hadith of ‘The Musnad’ of Imam Ahmad about the age of al-Walid in the year of the Conquest, then the wisdom of Abu Bakr and `Umar appointing al-Walid and their trust in him and their reliance on him although he was still a youth will be clear to you.

Through this disagreement, the `ulama’ abandoned even strong hadith with al-Walid in their isnad. How could a man be considered fasiq because of words like these? How could that be with a man from among the Companions of Muhammad, may Allah bless him and grant him peace? As for his hadd for wine, `Umar inflicted the hadd on Qudama b. Maz`un for wine while he was Amir and dismissed him. It is said that he later made up with him.

91. Qudama b. Maz`un al-Jumahi was one of the first of the forerunners. He went on hijra twice and he was at Badr. He was the in-law of the Umm al-Mu’minin, Hafsa bint `Umar and her brother, `Ubaydullah. While Qudama was in charge of Bahrayn during the Khalifate of `Umar, al-Jarud, the master of the Banu `Abdu’l-Qays, came to `Umar, from Bahrayn and claimed that Qudama drank and became drunk. `Umar said to him, "Who will testify with you?" He said, "Abu Hurayra." He asked Abu Hurayra to testify. He said, "I did not see him drink, but I did see him drunk and vomiting." `Umar said to him, "You have been excessive in the testimony." He sent for Qudama from Bahrayn and al-Jarund said to `Umar, "Carry out the Book of Allah on this one." `Umar said to him, "Are you an opponent or a witness?" He said, "A witness." `Umar said, "You have given your testimony." So al-Jarud was silent. Then he came in the morning to `Umar and said, "Carry out the hadd of Allah on this one." `Umar said, "You hold your tongue or I will deal severely with you." He said, "`Umar, that is not proper. Your nephew drinks wine and then you treat me severely." He brought one of Qudama’s wives and she gave testimony against her husband. `Umar wanted to carry out the hadd on him. The Companions said to him, "We do not think that you should carry out the hadd on him while he is ill." Then he came again and they said what they had said to him before.

`Umar said, "I prefer that he meet Allah under the whip than I meet Him while he is on my neck." He had him flogged. Qudama was cross with him. When they returned from the Hajj, he was brought to `Umar. `Umar spoke to him and apologised to him. Part of the good fortune of Qudama b. Maz`un was that he was a Qurayshi from the Banu Jumah. If he had been a Qurayshi from the Banu `Abdu Shams, the tongues of evil would have uttered contempt against him and fabricated lies about him for as long as there is a lie in this world. Wrong actions do not remove integrity when there is repentance.


92. This is true, but it is like what happened to Qudama b. Maz`un and like what is famous with people about Abu Mihjan ath-Thaqafi, the poet-horseman who had a glorious day in the war of Qadisiyya. As for al-Walid b. `Uqba the mujahid, the just but wronged conqueror who made every effort to do all the good that he was able to for his community, he saw with his own eyes how the liars attacked the Salihun and how their falsehood was perpetrated against them. He withdrew from people after the murder of `Uthman to an estate he owned, cut off from the clamour of society. It was about fifteen miles from the city of Raqqa in the land of the peninsula where he had fought and where he had called its christians to Islam during the khalifate of `Umar. Now, the intrigues of the liars about him unveil their faults. It does not harm a man if the truth about him is uncovered some thirteen centuries later. The truth is old and evidence is not affected by age. When al-Walid b. `Uqba was appointed over Kufa by the Amir al-Mu’minin `Uthman, he wanted to be a model ruler in justice, nobility and good conduct with the people, as he was a model warrior in his jihad and establishing for Islam what was fitting in those who defended its call, those who bore its banner and spread its message. He ruled over Kufa for five years and his house was the only one in Kufa which did not have a door between him and the people whether they were people that he knew or not. Whoever wanted to could visit him whenever he liked, night or day. Al-Walid did not have any need to be veiled from the people.

All people should love a good Amir because he sets up houses of hospitality for strangers and brings good to the people. He begins to divide up property for male and female slaves and gives each slave extra money every month through which they can find ease without making their masters pay for their provisions. In fact, the majority of the people had no choice but to love this model Amir for the length of the period of his rule - except for a party of the evil ones, the people of corruption whose tribe received the whip of the Shari`a for punishment at the hands of al-Walid. They devoted their lives to lying in ambush to harm him. These men include one who is called Abu Zaynab b. `Awf al-Azdi and another called Abu Mawra’. The third was called Jundub b. Abi Zuhayr. The authorities had seized their sons because of the night in which they took revenge on Ibn al-Haysaman and murdered him. One of the Companions of the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, had settled in his neighbourhood. He had been in charge of the army of Khuza`a on the day of the conquest of Makka. He and his son had come from Madina to Kufa to travel with one of the armies of al-Walid b. `Uqba which was going towards it in the direction of the east for conquest and to spread the call of Islam. This Companion and his son testified that in the night those evil men had attacked the house of Ibn al-Haysaman. He and his son gave testimony against those murderers. Al-Walid therefore carried out the judgment of the Shari`a on them at the door of the castle in the courtyard. Their fathers made a contract against themselves with Shaytan that they would work devices against this good and merciful Amir.