Qasim bin Imam Al Kadhim
You have not entered the city of Samarra. As you walk through this city, be aware that this is the same land where our beloved 10th, 11th and 12th Imam (a) lived and were under house arrest. This is the place where our living Imam (a) was born and last seen before he entered into ghaybah (occultation). Make sure to especially pray for his quick reappearance, and for your families and communities to be included amongst his close companions and supporters.
The city of Samarra isunique in that both Shi'ah annd Sunni population peacefully coexist in this locale. This is because they have found firm unity through the love for the Imams (a) who reside in this land. In this haram you will find one big dar'ih that has four holy graves within it: Imam Ali al-Hadi (a), Imam Hasan al-Askari (a), Hadrat Hakimah Khatun (The sister of 10th Imam) and Hadrat Narjis Khatun (The mother of the 12th Imam).
The Conflict Between Mus'ab bin Al-Zubair and Al-Mukhtar
Background and Initial Conflict
In the year 67 AH, Abdullah bin Al-Zubair removed Al-Harith bin Abdullah from Basra and sent his brother, Mus'ab bin Al-Zubair, to take control. This same year marked the confrontation between Mus'ab and Al-Mukhtar, culminating in the latter's death .
Historians such as Al-Tabari, Al-Baladhuri, and Ibn Al-Atheer unanimously agree on the sequence of events leading to this conflict. Ibn Al-Jawzi, in Al-Muntazim, records that Mus'ab marched against Al-Mukhtar due to the actions of Shabath bin Rabi’. Shabath had fought against Al-Mukhtar but, after being defeated, sought refuge with Mus'ab in Basra. He arrived at Mus'ab's court in a state of distress, calling for aid against Al-Mukhtar. Alongside him was Muhammad bin Al-Ash'ath, whose house Al-Mukhtar had demolished after failing to capture him. Consequently, Mus'ab wrote to Al-Muhallab, his deputy in Persia, asking for assistance .
Al-Muhallab arrived with significant forces and resources. Mus'ab ordered the people to gather at the Great Bridge and secretly instructed Abdullah bin Mikhnaf to rally supporters in Kufa. Mus'ab, Al-Muhallab, and Al-Ahnaf bin Qais then prepared for the confrontation .
The Battle and Siege
Al-Mukhtar, learning of Mus'ab's approach, rallied his supporters, calling upon the people of Kufa to defend their city against the invaders. He appointed Ahmad bin Shamit to lead his forces, but they were soon divided due to internal disagreements about the chosen leadership.
Ahmad bin Shamit moved towards Al-Mada'in, where he encountered Mus'ab's forces. Mus'ab called for allegiance to the principles of the Quran and the Sunnah and proposed a consultative governance among the Prophet's family. Despite these calls, a fierce battle ensued, resulting in the death of Ahmad bin Shamit and the defeat of his forces.
News of this defeat reached Al-Mukhtar, who lamented the loss but continued to prepare for the final confrontation. Mus'ab arranged his forces strategically, placing Al-Muhallab bin Abi Sufra on his right, Omar bin Ubaid bin Muammar Al-Taymi on his left, and other commanders in key positions. The two sides clashed, and despite initial resistance, Al-Mukhtar's forces were overwhelmed. Muhammad bin Al-Ash'ath and many of Al-Mukhtar's companions were killed.
The Fall of Al-Mukhtar
Al-Mukhtar retreated to the palace of Kufa with his remaining supporters, where they endured a siege, suffering from a lack of food and water. Desperate, Al-Mukhtar proposed a final charge to his companions, seeking an honorable death in battle rather than surrender. He dressed in his finest garments and, with nineteen men, faced the besieging forces, fighting until he was killed.
Mus'ab ordered Al-Mukhtar's hand to be severed and displayed publicly. Following his victory, Mus'ab consolidated his control over Basra and Kufa, launching further campaigns in the region.
Aftermath and Legacy
Mus'ab's victory led to significant territorial expansions, but his actions were criticized by figures such as Abdullah bin Omar, who condemned the killing of thousands of Muslims. Mus'ab justified his actions by labeling the victims as infidels and sorcerers, a claim that was met with skepticism and criticism.
The narrative of Al-Mukhtar's demise highlights the brutality and political machinations of the time. Despite Mus'ab's efforts to delegitimize Al-Mukhtar, many viewed his actions with contempt, recognizing the political motivations behind the violence.
Conclusion
The conflict between Mus'ab bin Al-Zubair and Al-Mukhtar exemplifies the intense power struggles and ideological clashes of the early Islamic period. Al-Mukhtar's resistance and subsequent martyrdom left a lasting legacy, viewed by many as a struggle for justice against oppressive rule. Mus'ab's harsh measures and the public display of Al-Mukhtar's severed hand underscored the ruthless nature of political power during this era.
References
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History of Al-Tabari 6: 82-90. Heritage House, Beirut. Second edition, year: 1387 AH.
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Ibn Al-Jawzi, Al-Muntazim.
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Additional historical accounts from Al-Baladhuri, Ibn Al-Atheer, and others.
May Allah have mercy on Al-Mukhtar on the day he was born, the day he was martyred, and the day he is resurrected alive.
Al-Qasim bin Imam Musa bin Jaafar Al-Kadhim (peace be upon him)... Strange Soura
Talking about this great and honorable master requires us to talk about the tragic conditions that the Islamic nation in general and the Alawites in particular experienced, the atmosphere of terror and terror to which they were exposed, and the methods of killing, imprisonment and displacement that the Abbasids practiced against them, which led to the escape of Al-Qasim bin Imam Musa bin Jaafar (peace be upon him) from The city and his departure from it, fearful and anticipating, as he headed towards Iraq, where there is the grave of his grandfather, the Commander of the Faithful (peace be upon him). He was hopeful of finding a spot of land where his blood would be safe, so he traveled through the country until the matter came to him to come to the city of Soura, which was the last stop in his life and in which his pure soul overflowed. To its creator, so that this city may become a destination for hearts and a haven for hearts that love the family of Muhammad, after its sky was illuminated by a light from the lights of the pure family.
State of terror
I wish the injustice of Bani Marwan would last for us*** and I wish Bani Abbas would be just in Hell
This verse summarizes the bad condition of the Muslims and their bitter reality in the dark Abbasid era, which they had rejoiced in by raising the slogan of contentment with the family of Muhammad, but the Abbasids betrayed the Alawites and branded the nation with evil torment. After the Muslims had tasted the woes from the Umayyads throughout their era, which destroyed the crops and livestock, then they were faced with Many times the tragedies and tribulations they faced at the hands of the Abbasids.
If the Umayyads had stained their bloody history with the most horrific crime in the history of Islam, which is their crime in Karbala by killing the master of the youth of the people of Paradise, Imam Hussein (peace be upon him), along with his family and companions and carrying their heads from Karbala to Kufa and the Levant and captivating the women of the family of Muhammad, then the Abbasids followed their example and committed more than A crime against the family, their children, and their followers is no less horrific and bloody.
The Abbasids have completed a series of episodes of crime against the Alawites. The history of the terrorist Abbasid dynasty is full of bloody massacres from the time they took over the reins of power until their fall. This state was opened with blood, continued on with blood, and flourished with blood. Its first king was called the murderer due to the large amount of blood he shed, and he continued in his path. His brother Al-Mansour, who paved the way for his brother and those who came after him in their series of crimes until their dark history was filled with crimes, genocides, disgrace and disgrace. It is astonishing at all the astonishment of those who describe them, or some of them, as righteousness, piety, asceticism, justice, and other titles given by fawning historians who sold their consciences and became mouthpieces for the sultans and covered up their crimes. For money.
Series of crimes
History is the greatest witness to their lies, falsehood, and refutation of their falsehoods, and how do the descriptions given by these mercenaries apply to those who committed massacres that chill the souls and devastate humanity, starting with the killing of Ibrahim and his brother Muhammad, who had a pure soul, to the massacre of the Banu al-Hasan, who were killed by Al-Mansur for no fault of their own. To the massacre (trap), which Imam Musa bin Jaafar al-Kadhim (peace be upon him) described by saying: (After the day of kindness, we have not had a death greater than a trap), to the many massacres committed by the Abbasids against the People of the House in particular, in addition to their crimes, which number in the hundreds against Muslims. General in their bloody politics.
The policy of the Abbasids was extremely hostile towards the Ahl al-Bayt, and they exercised all their power and brutality to persecute the Alawites and Shiites, persecute them, and throw them in prisons. This policy reached such a level of hostility that the label of Shiism - even if it was distorted - led to the most severe types of torture, murder, persecution, and confiscation of money to those accused of it. Everything the accused (Shiite) owned, and it was easier for a man at that time to be described as heretic, infidel, and atheist and not be described as Shiite, and this fact we see clearly in the facts of history.
Abd al-Rahman Badawi says: (The accusation of heresy in that era went hand in hand with affiliation to the Shiite sect) (1) and al-Tughra’i said:
And when the family of Ahmad took over as a Muslim, they killed him or branded him an atheist
These are some passages from what was mentioned in history books about the bloody policy of the Bani Abbas:
The serial killer
Al-Khwarizmi says: The murderer took power over the Alawites, a criminal father, not a Muslim father, who killed them under every stone and tile and sought them out in every plain and mountain (2).
Ahmed Amin says about Al-Saffah: (His life was one of shedding blood and eliminating opponents. (3))
The murderer directed his thugs against the Alawites to kill them, and he used to place spies and eyes on them.
Al-Mansour Al-Dawaniqi
As for Al-Mansur, he followed a brutal, bloody policy towards the Alawites. He used to put them in cisterns, build them on top of them, nail them to the walls, and leave them to die of hunger, then demolish the Mutabbaq on those who remained alive while they were in their shackles, using many hideous methods. He was the first to demolish the tomb of Hussein. (4) Al-Mansur’s policy towards the Alawites is considered one of the ugliest pages of Abbasid history and one of the harshest periods during their reign for the Alawites.
Al-Masoudi says: The secret is in calling himself Al-Mansour, because he defeated the Alawites (5)
Al-Maqrizi and Al-Tabari say: He - meaning Al-Mansour - left a closet containing the heads of the Alawites, and in each head he hung a paper on which he wrote evidence of his name and the name of his father, including old men, young men, and children. (6)
Al-Suyuti says: (He killed many people until his rule was established). (7)
Al-Mansur felt inferior in himself as he killed the Alawites, and he had pledged allegiance to them yesterday, so he used to say:
The family of Abi Talib did not sheath their swords, and we are among a people who saw us yesterday as vultures and today as caliphs. We cannot guarantee our prestige except by forgetting forgiveness and using force. (8)
Al-Mansur’s hatred for the Alawites and his passion for shedding their blood was such that Abu Al-Qasim Al-Rasi bin Ibrahim bin Tabataba Ismail Al-Dibaj, who escaped with his flogging from Al-Mansur, said:
He was not narrated by the blood that the oppressor shed in every land, and he did not stop asking.
Nothing cures the bitterness in his womb except that he does not see a son of a Prophet’s daughter above her
Mahdi
As for Al-Mahdi Ibn Al-Mansur, his crimes were not much less than those of his father. He began his caliphate by imprisoning the minister Yaqoub bin Daoud in Mutabbaq and built a dome on Mutabbaq until he became blind and the hair on his body became like cattle. The reason for this was that he tested him by assigning him to kill one of the Alawites, but Yaqoub released him and gave him some money, so the news reached the Al-Mahdi, so they arrested Al-Alawi and confronted him.
This is how the Abbasids tested their followers, the extent of their loyalty and their closeness to them, and the more these followers hated the Ali family, the closer they were to the Abbasids! Al-Mahdi created pretexts to kill the Alawites and their followers and fight them, including accusing them of heresy, in order to justify their killing in front of public opinion. Dr. Ahmed Shalabi says: Accusing heretics was used as a means to trap innocent people in many cases (9)
Al-Mahdi accused the Shiites and the companions of the Imams of heresy in order to justify himself by killing them, displacing them, and persecuting them. Dr. Ahmed Amin says: The truth is that some people took up heresy to take revenge on their opponents, whether that included poets, scholars, princes, or caliphs (10) . Among those who were falsely and falsely accused of heresy is Sharik bin Abdullah Al-Qadi, and the reason for that. It was not permissible to pray behind the Mahdi and considered it invalid.
One of the Mahdi's despicable methods to distort the image of the Shiites and sow discord among the Muslims and to wage war and conflict between them was that he invented misguided sects and attributed them to the companions of Imam al-Sadiq, including: Al-Zurariyya in relation to Zurara ibn Ayan, Al-Jawaliqiyyah and Al-Hashimiyyah in relation to Hisham ibn Al-Hakam, Al-Rawandiyah and Al-Ammariya in relation to Ammar Al-Sabati, and Al-Yafuriyyah in relation to Ibn Abi Yafour (11)
The doctrine of these sects is that the caliph after the Messenger of God is Al-Abbas bin Abdul Muttalib, then his son Ali, then his son Muhammad, and so on until the matter ends with him. He encouraged people to embrace it, just as he encouraged poets to propagate it, and the most prominent poet in this regard was Marwan bin Abi Hafsa.
The guider
In fact, we cannot give these titles to these abnormal and bloody personalities except for the purpose of indicating them, otherwise they are among the people farthest from them, as God Almighty said: (So those who wronged changed a word other than what was said to them. Then We sent down upon those who wronged a punishment from heaven because of their evil Soqoun).
This caliph, who called himself “Al-Hadi.” During his time, the people of the House of Prophethood lived in an era of terror, and he was strict in seeking them and killing them. Al-Yaqoubi says about him: He greatly feared the Talibans, insisted on their demand, cut off their livelihoods and gifts, and wrote to the horizons asking for them (12) . During his time, a bloody trap incident took place in which more than a hundred Alawite heads were carried to him, so he ordered them to be crucified and displayed to the people.
Al-Rashid
As for Al-Rashid, there is nothing more telling than what Al-Khwarizmi said in describing his bloody oppressive policy towards the Alawites, when he said: He who reaped the tree of prophecy and uprooted the plant of the Imamate. (13)
Al-Fakhri said: He did not fear God, and his actions towards the notables of the Ali family, who were the children of his Prophet’s daughter, for no offense, indicate that he did not fear God. He also said that he used to kill the children of the Prophet’s family for no crime. (14)
Ahmed Shalabi said: Al-Rashid hated the Shiites and killed them. (15)
Ibn Abd Rabbuh Al-Andalusi said: He was very harsh on the Alawites, following their steps and killing them (16). He also said: He used to kill Fatima’s children and their Shiites. (17)
His hatred against the Alawites reached its greatest extent until he said: Hattam, I will be patient with the family of Banu Abi Talib. By God, I will kill them and I will kill their Shiites, and I will do and do (18) .
When he assumed the caliphate, he could not bear to see an Alawite in Baghdad, so he ordered the expulsion of all the Talibans from Baghdad to Medina out of hatred for them (19) .
The tomb of the master of the youth of the people of Paradise, Imam Hussein (peace be upon him), was demolished, the sidra used to provide shade for visitors was cut off, and Imam Musa bin Jaafar was imprisoned and killed with poison. Whoever wants to expand on the crimes of the Abbasids against the Alawites should refer to the book (The Taliban Fighter) by Abu Al-Faraj Al-Isfahani, which reported some of the crimes of the Abbasids against the Alawites and other sources, because their crimes are countless.
The Alawites faced the oppression and tyranny of the Abbasids that no human being could bear and be patient with, and the persecution and psychological and physical injustice reached their extreme limits, forcing them to flee and save themselves from being killed until it was said in that famous verse:
By God, the Umayyads did not do to them a tenth of what the Banu Abbas did
Al-Qasim
One of the Alawites who was subjected to the injustice and oppression of Al-Rashid Al-Abbasi was Al-Sayyid Al-Qasim bin Musa Al-Kadhim (peace be upon him), along with his family and his cousins. He escaped from the tyranny of the authorities incognito, roaming the country without staying in a state, wary of the eyes of the authorities, until his fate led him to the city of Soura, or Tyre, and this is its name. Aramaic and it is now called by his honorable name (the city of Al-Qasim, peace be upon him).
Al-Qasim bin Imam Musa Al-Kadhim was born in the year (150 AH) in Medina. His mother was Mrs. Tuttam, and she was nicknamed Umm Al-Banin, and she was the mother of Imam Al-Rida (peace be upon him) and Lady Fatima Al-Masuma (peace be upon him). Al-Qasim lived with five of the Abbasid caliphs: Al-Mansur Al-Dawaniqi, Al-Mahdi, Al-Hadi, And Aaron.
Al-Qasim grew up in the house of revelation and grew up in the embrace of the Imamate, and his father, Imam Al-Kadhim, loved him very much. Al-Kulayni’s narration indicates to us the great status that Al-Qasim had with his father, the Imam, as he says: Imam Al-Kadhim loved him with an intense love, to the point that he included him in his wills, and he said about him to Abu Amara: I tell you, O Abu Amara, that I left my house and made a will to my son so-and-so - that is, Ali Al-Ridha - and I joined my son with him outwardly, and I made a will with him inwardly, so I appointed him alone. If the matter had been up to me, I would have placed it - that is, the matter of the Imamate - in Al-Qasim, my son. Because of my love for him and my compassion for him, but that is up to God Almighty, who places him wherever he wants. (20)
We know that the Imam does not speak out of paternal affection in such matters unless the Qasim is worthy of it. We also know that the infallible Imams (peace be upon them) were appointed by God Almighty, and the Imam knows that, and the Imam’s words here indicate the virtue of the Qasim and his status among the People of the House.
As for the story of his departure from Medina towards Iraq, Sheikh Muhammad Mahdi Al-Hairi mentioned that it was due to Al-Rashid’s influence over the family of Abu Talib, and he said the following: When Al-Rashid’s anger became intense, he began to cut off the hands of Fatima’s children, gouge out the eyes, and build in the cylinders until he dispersed them throughout the countries. Among them, Al-Qasim Ibn Musa Ibn Jaafar, took the eastern side because he knew that his grandfather, the Commander of the Faithful (peace be upon him), was there.
Al-Qasim arrived in the city of Soura, and the leader of the city hosted him for three days. When the fourth day came, he asked the sheikh to find him a job from which he could make a living, because a guest is three times a guest, and anything more than that is charity, so the sheikh said to him: Choose a job for yourself. Al-Qasim said to him: Make me water in your gathering. When the sheikh of Medina saw his piety, piety, asceticism, and worship, he married his daughter in marriage, and she bore him a daughter, whom he named Fatima. When Al-Qasim reached forty-three years of age, he fell ill, and when he felt the approach of death, he revealed to the sheikh his Alawite lineage. The sheikh wept bitterly, and when he died, he buried him where he was. His grave is now honorable. (21)
Al-Qasim City (Sura)
There was a city called Sura or Sur, which is an ancient Aramaic name, and it is said that it is Hebrew. This city is about 35 kilometers from the city of Hilla and about 70 kilometers from the holy city of Karbala to the south. Yaqut al-Hamawi called it in the Dictionary of Countries “Shusha,” where he says: (Shusha) is a village. In the land of Babylon, below the hill of Banu Mazid, it contains the grave of Al-Qasim bin Musa Al-Kadhim bin Jaafar Al-Sadiq, and near it is the shrine of the Prophet of God, Dhul-Kifl or Ezekiel.
Al-Hamwi made a mistake in that, as (Shusha) is from the district of Kufa and is affiliated with Al-Najaf Al-Ashraf or satellites of the Najaf Governorate and not in the Babylon Governorate.
Sheikh Muhammad Harz al-Din commented in “Maraqid al-Ma’aref” on al-Hamawi’s words by saying: This is a confusion on his part, or rather a suspicion, because the grave in Shusha is the grave of al-Qasim ibn al-Abbas ibn Musa al-Kadhim (peace be upon him), and Al-Nasabah Ibn Anba stated this in his book. (Student Mayor).
Soura was originally an ancient archaeological city inhabited by the Syriacs due to the fertility of its land, the freshness of its air, and the many rivers in it that branch off from the Euphrates. The largest of these rivers was the flowing Soura River, which is divided into the Al-Alqami and Soura rivers, the first passing through Kufa and the second through the city of Soura, the Nile and the Tuf, then reaching Wasit and Basra. The historic Soura Bridge, which was known during the days of the Islamic conquests, extended over this river.
The city of Sura was described in many books by travelers who described it with its abundance of orchards, palm trees, trees and many rivers. Among those who visited it were the Idrisi traveler and Ibn Hawqal, who attributes the digging of the Sura River to the time of the Taifa kings of the Urduani Ashghanis (247 BC / 224 AD) (the Parthian Empire), which succeeded The Seleucid state says:
In it - that is, in the city of Sura - there is a river attributed to it called (Sura River), which is the largest of the Euphrates rivers. Its excavation goes back to the time of the Taifa kings, since the kingdom of the Orduans, who are the Nabateans, was in the black before the kingdom of Persia, and their reign lasted a thousand years, but they were called Nabat, because they dug the land and dug the great rivers, including the Great Sarat, the Aba River, the Sura River, and the Malik River.
This state was undermined by the Sassanid Empire and was ruled by nine Persian Ashghan Taifa kings, the last of whom was: Artabanus V (216-224 BC) - in Greek - who sought help from the Arabs to fight with him against Ardashir ibn Babak, the founder of the Sassanian dynasty (224-241 BC). He was the one who built (Hira) and sent there the Arabs who helped him to fight Ardashir.... (22) .
The importance of the city of Sura comes from its important strategic location, as it is located on the trade and traveller's route, and Ibn Hawqal gave it the title: the destination city. Because of the large number of merchants and travelers who visit it. Due to its great importance, the quality of its land, and the abundance of its fruits, the Mazidis made it an important center among their centers, along with the nearby city of the Nile, and many figures of Islamic thought emerged from it who bore the title of Al-Siuri.
Muhammad Taher Al-Saffar
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1 - From the history of atheism in Islam, p. 37
2 - Al-Khwarizmi’s letters, p. 130
3 - Duha al-Islam, vol. 1, p. 105
4 - The History of Karbala, Abdul Jawad Al-Kulaidar, p. 193
5 - Al-Tanbih wa Al-Ashraf, p. 295, The Nature of the Abbasid Call, p. 119
6 - The dispute and dispute between the Umayyads and the Banu Hashim, p. 52, Tarikh al-Tabari, vol. 10, p. 446.
7 - History of the Caliphs, p. 315
8 - History of the Caliphs, p. 323.
9 - Islamic History and Islamic Civilization, Part 3, p. 200
10 - Duha Al-Islam, vol. 1, p. 157
11 - Rijal al-Mamaqani, vol. 3, p. 296, Rijal al-Kashi, p. 37, Duha al-Islam, vol. 1, p. 141, People’s Problems in Their Time, al-Masoudi, p. 24
12 - History of Al-Yaqubi: vol. 3, p. 148
13 - Al-Khwarizmi’s Letters, p. 132
14 - Royal Arts, p. 20
15 - Islamic History and Islamic Civilization, Part 3, p. 352
16 - Al-Aqd Al-Farid, Part 1, p. 142
17 - The same source, vol. 2, p. 180
18 - Abu Al-Faraj Al-Isfahani Al-Aghani, vol. 5, p. 225
19 - Tarikh al-Tabari, vol. 10, p. 606, Ibn al-Atheer, vol. 5, p. 85.
20 - Al-Kafi 1/314 H. 14.
21 - Blessed Tree 1/171.
22 - History of Al-Tabari Incidents of the year 12 AH