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The Muslim's Reactions towards Hijr's killing

After he had killed Hijr, Mu'awiya performed the hajj. Then he passed by A'isha. "He asked permission (to enter her house). She permitted him. When he sat down, she said to him: Did not you fear Allah When you killed Hijr and his companion?"1 Then she added: "Were it not for the critical stituation, we would change the killing of Hijr. By Allah, he performed the greater and the lesser hajj."2

Shurayh b. Hani wrote to Mu'awiya concerninig Hijr. He gave him a religious opinion in which he denoted that it was forbidden (for Mu'awiya) to shed the blood of Hijr and to take his possessions. Concerning Hijr, Shurayh said: "He was among those who performed the ritual prayers, pay zakat, performed frequently the lesser and the greater hajj, enjoyed (the people) to do good deeds and prevented them from doing evil deeds. It was forbidden to shed his blood and to take his property."3
Ibn Umar began asking the people about Hijr from the day when the latter was captured. While b. Umar was walking in the market, he was told that Hijr had been killed. So he burst into tears and went away.4

Abd al-Rahman b. al-Harith b. Hisham came to Mu'awiya, after the latter had killed Hijr, and said to him: "When did the clemency of Abu Sufyan leave you? Mu'awiya replied: It left me when those who were like you in clemency left me. Ibn Sumayya (ie, Zyyad b. Abih) provoked me, so I carried tht out." Then He (ie, Abe al-Rahman) said: "By Allah, the Arabs will never regard you as the one who has clemency and an opion. you killed the people whoom the prisoners from the Muslims sent to you."

Many pople from Kinda, al-Sikun, and the Yemen supported Malik b. Hubayra al-Sikuni. So Malik was able to say to Mu'awiya the following words when the latter refused to release Hijr: "By Allah, we are in no need of Mu'awiya more than Mu'awiya is in no nedd of us. We have alternates among his people,5 while he has no successor from us amog the people.

It was said to Abu Ishaq al-Subay'i: When did the people become low?" He replied: "When Al-Hasan died, Zyyad was claimed, and Hijr b. Adi was killed."6

Al-Hasan al-Basri said: "Mu'awiya had four qualities. If he had only one of them, it would have been a grave sin: he dominated this community through the foolish to the extent that he usurped its affair (ie, the succession) without any advice from it. (ie, the community), while among it were the rest of the Companions (of the prophet) and virtuous ones. He appointed his sone to the succession to authority while he drank wine, wore silk (clothes), and played on the lutes. He claimed Zyyad while the Apostle of Allah, may Allah bless him and his family, said: "They baby is to bed and the prostitute is stoned. He killed Hijr. Woe unto him (ie, Mu'awiya) from Hijr and his companions."7

Al-Rabi' b. Zyyad al-Harithi died of sadness when Hijr was killed. He was the governor of Mu'awiya over Khursan. In his book (al-Kamil fi Tarikh, vol. 3, p. 195) b. al-Athir said: "The reason for his death was that he was indignant when Hijr b. Adi was killed, so he said: The Arabs will be killed because of patience after Hijr. If they had revolted (against Mu'awiya) when he killed Hijir, no one of them would have been killed because of patience. However, they accepted that so they became low. After this speech, he (ie, al-Rabi') remained one Friday. Then he went out on Friday and said: "O people, indeed, I am tired of life. So I will ask (Allah for something) through a supplication, so be safe. Then he raised his hands after the prayers and said: " O Allah, if I god with yhou, then make me die soon. The peopel became safe. then he went out. Before his garments disappeared he fell (over the ground)."8

Al-Husayn. peace be on him, wrote a letter to Mu'awiya: "Aren't you who killed Hijr the brother of Kinda and he worshipping prayers who refused oppression and regarded heresies as great and did not fear the blame of the blamer concerning Allah. you killed them because of oppression and enmity after you had given them strong oath and certain covenants (al-Husayn refers to the clauses of the fifth item in the Peace Treaty.) so that you should not punish them due to an event between you and them or a spite you bear in yourself against them.9

Then the role of history came so that many historians have written books about Hijr and his companions. For example, Nasr b. MuzaHim al-Manqari and Lut b. Yahya b. Sa'id al-Azdi10 have written two books about the killing of Hijr. Hisham b. Mohammed b. al-Sa'id has written two books: one concerning the killing of Hijr; the other is about the killing of his companions such as Rashid, Maythan, and Juwayriya b. Mishhir.11

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1. Al-Tabari, Tarikh, vol. 6, p. 156.

2. Ibn al-Athir, al-Kamil fi al-Tarikh, vol. 3, p. 193.

3. Al-Tabari, Tarikh, vol. 6, p. 153.

4. Ibid.

5. He meant th banu (sons) of HasHim.

6. Ibn Abu al-Haddid, Sharh Nahj al-Balagha, vol. 4, p. 18.

7. Al-Tabari, Tarikh, vol. 6, p. 157.

8. See also: Ibn Abd al-Bisr al-Maliki, al-Isti'ab.
Ibn al-Athir, Asad al-Ghaba fi Tamayiz al-Shahaba. Ali Khan, al-Darajat al-Rafii'a. al-Shaykh al-Tusi, al-Amali.

9. Al-Majlisi, Bihar al-Anwar, vol.10, p.149

10. Ibn al-Nadim, al-Fihrast, p.136

11. Al-Najashi, Fihrast al-Rijal, p.306.

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

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