Yazid I

What we see now is nothing new, you know, this issue of blaming the victim.

If you look at the events of Karbala, initially, Yazid didn't have any, uh, problem in taking the credit that, "I am the victor here," uh, to display his victory and also, you know, use Karbala as a warning for those who would raise their hands, their heads against him.

But gradually, you know, um, when the public opinion started shifting, he distanced himself from it by now pinning the blame on the governor of Iraq, Ibn Ziyad.

You know, even Sunni historians, even modern historians, people like Tajul Hassan and o-oth-others from Egypt, they say if really Yazid wanted to, um, you know, when he says, "It's not me, it's all-- everything was done by Ibn Ziyad," why didn't he reprimand him, demote him, punish him or dismiss him? Nothing happened.

And so this is just a game, you know, trying to, um, you know, deflect this blame from himself.

And if you look at it, uh, you, you will see that the letter, you know, writers in history Um, those who follow the Umayyad, uh, line, they now try to pin the massacre of Karbala on the Shias of Kufa.

Hansian argues that this vision of pious rulership emerged from what he calls homiletic piety, revealing how the moral and emotional world of hortatory preaching shaped ideas about what it meant to rule well.

By placing Ibn al-Jawzi's writing in their historical and political context, including his relationship with the Abbasid caliphate and his controversial intervention in debates over the cursing of Yazid, Hansian challenges simplistic distinctions between political quietism and activism and reveals a thinker who is deeply invested in influencing those who wielded political power.

In our conversation, Hansian explains why he chose Ibn al-Jawzi as the subject of the book and what we can learn about medieval Islamic politics by taking preachers seriously as political thinkers.

We discuss the concept of homiletic piety and Ibn al-Jawzi's approach to exhorting rulers, including the rhetorical strategies that he believed scholars could use to encourage rulers toward greater humility, kindness, and moral responsibility.

Hansian discusses the complicated relationship between scholars and political power, including the historical debate over sharia and siyasa or politics, and explains why Ibn al-Jawzi does not fit neatly into the categories of quietist or activist.

We also talk about the significant role of emotions, including fear, remorse, humility, compassion, in Ibn al-Jawzi's understanding of political authority and to consider whether he actually believed that rulers could be transformed through preaching.

And finally, we discuss Ibn al-Jawzi's interventions in the debate over Yazid and what this reveals about his commitment to the idea of pious rulership.

This book will be of tremendous interest to scholars and students of Islamic studies, medieval Islamic history, Islamic political thought, and the history of preaching, as well as anyone interested in the relationship between religion, morality, and political power.

Imam, tell me what should I do?" Al-Hasan, Allah, look at the statement.

The Khalifa name is Yazid, and he said, "Allah can protect you from Yazid, but Yazid cannot protect you from Allah." Allah can protect you from Yazid, but Yazid cannot protect you from Allah.

You cannot protect me.

I cannot protect you.

And then after that, Hassan radiallahu anhu marching.

Then after that, Yazid's appointment and the second fitna.

and an allusion to, of course, the rebellion from Medina and then the Battle of Harrah, et cetera, et cetera.

And so then Imam Bukhari brings the narrations about this particular instance.

And so there were different ways in which people reconciled this narration.

Of them is that it wouldn't destroy the entire population.

is what it meant the ta'un is to go in there and settle but it could maybe come through and here and there another one is to say that the ta'un here is specifically referring to the bubonic plague the very particular like bubonic plague and the bacteria it's Yersinia or something like this does anyone know what the microbiologists amongst us bubonic plague Yersinia I think medical students what are you guys studying man come on I think it's Yersinia I think it's Yersinia yeah everyone's nodding like yeah yeah sounds right uh so some say that it's just that that's being referred to that won't enter um okay almost done guys Hadathani Yahya bin Musa, hadathani Yazid bin Harun, akhbarana Shu'ba, an Qatada, an Anas ibn Malik, an al-Nabi sallallahu alayhi wa sallam, qal, al-Madinatu ya'teeha al-Dajjal, fayajhidu al-Malaika yahrusoonaha, falayakarabu ha al-Dajjal, qal, walat ta'oon, insha'Allah.

it's interesting that the inshallah is put here with the ta'un this is the last chapter guys last chapter in kitab al-fitr there's only two hadith in this bab And this is a repeat in this kitab.

This is a big statement.

When the people of Medina dethroned Yazid ibn Muawiyah.

It's kind of a wrong translation because when you say in English dethroned, it means that he is no longer the king.

Like they've dethroned him and basically overthrew him.

And as you see, the hadith that are coming, they're going through the fitnah in kind of a chronological order.

So we were talking about the fitnah of Ali and Muawiyah earlier.

Now we have the fitnah here, which is the second fitnah, which is when Muawiyah passes away, and what does he do before he passes away? He appoints Yazid as his successor.

Now this changed the way that the Muslims before were choosing their appointed leaders through Shura.

If you don't understand what I'm saying, and I'm just touching on it superficially, then you might think there's a possibility of regime change.

How do you change a regime by martyring their supreme leader in a nation that is built on the concept of martyrdom? When Hussein was killed by the forces of Yazid at Karbala, he enshrined the concept of martyrdom.

When people there celebrate Ashura and they march in Arbaeen.

If you don't know what Ashura and Arbaeen is, then shut up.