Rafed English
site.site_name : Rafed English

He was among Hijr's companions. He was sent with Hijr while he was shackled. When he arrived at (the Marj of) Adhra, he asked (the police men) to send him to Mu'awiya, for he thought that Mu'awiya would be better than b. Sumayya (ie, Zyyad), When he came to Mu'awiya, the latter said to him:

"Brother of Rabi'a, what do say concerning Ali? Leave me and do not ask me (about him), for that is better for you, replied Abd al-Rahman. "By Allah, I will not leave you," said Mu'awiya. Abd al-Rahman said: "I testify that he was among those who remembered Allah very much, enjoined (the people to follow) the truth, undertook justice, and forgave the people." "What do you say concerning Uthman? asked Mu'awiya. "He was the first to open the door of unjustice and to close the door of the truth," answered Abd al-Rahman. "you have killed yourself," and said Mu'awiya. "Rather, you have killed yourself," said Abd al-Rahman. Then Mu'awiya returned him to Zyyad in Kufa and ordered him to kill him in an evil manner.

It was Abd al-Rahman who said the following words on the day when the police men of Mu'awiya imprisoned him along with his companions (at the Marj of) Adhra: "O Allah, made me among those whom you honor through their (i.e., the Umayyads') disgrace, and you are pleased with me. I subjected myself to killing many times, but Allah refused (that) except what He willed."

In his book (Tarikh al-Kufa, p. 274), Habbata al-'Arani has mentioned Abd al-Rahman as follows; "Abd al-Rahman b. Hasan al-Anzi was among the companions of Ali, peace be on him. He lived in Kufa to provoke the people against the banu (sons) of Umayya. So Zyyad captured him and sent him Sham (Syria). (There) Mu'awiya summoned him to renounce Ali, peace be on him. So Abd al-Rahman answered Mu'awiya rudely. Then Mu'awiya returned him to Zyyad, so he (ie, Zyyad) killed him.

Ibn al-Athir (in his book al-Kamil fi al-Tarikh, vol.3, p.192.) and al-Tabari (in his book Tarikh, vol.6, p.155.) said that Zyyad buried Abd al-Rahman alive at the Qis of al-Natif.1

I (i.e., the author) say: If Mu'awiya had known the ways which Zyyad used to kill the Shi'a of Ali in Kufa, and if he had known that Zyyad cut off their legs, their hands, and their tongues, and knocked out their eyes, he would have not suggested any way when he ordered them to kill Abd al-Rahman through evil way. Is there a way worst of these ways of killing and punishment? However, Zyyad carried out Mu'awiya's suggested, so he created a way through which he buried Abd al-Rahman alive to kill him.2

Do you know which punishment Mu'awiya and Zyyad will face on the Judgment Day because of these ways of killing?

____________
1. A place near Kufa. It was on the eastern bank of the Euphrates.

Al-Marwaha faced it on the western bank of the Euphrates. The Battle of Abu 'Ubayd the father of al-Mukhtar al-Thaqafi took place at it.

2. Then this kind of killing became the bad practice (Sunna) which the tyrants after Zyyad followed, When the Umyyads were angry with Umar al-Maqsus, the educator of Mu'awiya b. Yazid b. Mu'awiya, who resigned from the their succession as protest against them, they took him and buried him alive. This has been narrated by al-Dimyari in his book 'Hayat al-Hayawan, p. 62. In the book, he has narrated the speech which Mu'awiya made concerning the backgrounds of Umar's resignation, which make the person feel that Umar was a follower of ahl al-Bayt, peace be on them.

Adopted from the book: "Sulh al-Hasan (a.s.)" by: "Sheykh Radi al-Yasin"