The Baha'i Studies Listserv It should probably be said that even though Susan's description is definitely coming from a Shia/Bahai perspective, the Sunni view isn't simply diametrically opposed. I've read sunni accounts which would agree that Uthman engaged in a certain amount of nepotism but he was a Companion so Sunnis aren't going to want to slander him. Similarly with Muawiya. Sunnis would generally admit that he was wrong in opposing Ali (ra) and in what came afterwards but he was a Companion so he still merits a certain kind of consideration. Call it the "sin-covering eye" if you like. They definitely weren't perfect but they died as believing Muslims and it would be divisive to dwell on their faults.
But more importantly, the Sunni view is NOT that the Umayyads were wonderful pious rulers whose every proclamation should be given religious authority. The four major sunni imams (Abu Hanifa, Malik ibn Anas, Imam Shafi and Ahmad ibn Hanbal) actually had somewhat adversarial relations to the caliphs of their day and all of them were imprisoned or otherwise punished (even tortured) by the Umayyads or later the Abbasids and Islam per se shouldn't be identified with either dynasty. On Sun, Oct 17, 2010 at 4:42 PM, Susan Maneck <[email protected]> wrote: > The Baha'i Studies Listserv >> I am ignorant about Islamic history. Could you tell me what went >> terribly wrong? And what's so bad about the Umayyads....? > > > Dear Tim, > > opponent in Mecca belonged. When Muhammad captured Mecca Abu Sufyan > and his family found it convenient to convert. 'Uthman, one of > Muhammad's early companions was also an Umayyad, but most of the clain > converted much, much later. 'Uthman was eventually selected to be the > third Caliph of the Islamic community after Muhammad's passing. After > he became Caliph he began to appoint relatives to key positions, > despite the fact that the usual practice was to give this positions to > long standing Muslims, preferably those Muhajir who had immigrated > with Muhammad from Mecca to Medina. The most important and lucrative > post was the governorship of Syria which went to Abu Sufyan's son > Muawiyyih. Uthaman's nepotism led to a great deal of dissatisfaction > amongst the Muslim military since their fair share of the spoils of > war were now going to Uthman's relatives. One group of solders > stationed in Egypt came back to Medina to protest this practice in > person. Uthman agreed to meet with them the next day but according to > at-Tabari Uthman secretly gave an order for their execution. The > soldiers then snuck into a mosque and stabbed Uthman to death while he > was saying his prayers. > > As had been previously arranged, Ali was to succeed Uthman. His claim > to the Caliphate, however was challenged by Muawiyyih who demanded > that Ali commit himself to avenging Uthman's assasination. Ali > refused, partly because of the circumstances that led to Uthman's > death and partly because he did not wish to embroil the Muslim > community in a blood feud. You may remember that Ali had originally > foregone his claim to the Caliphate and let Abu Bakr have it because > he placed the unity of the community over his own claims. > > In any case, Muawyyih then rebelled and his forces were set to meet > Ali's in the field of battle when Muawiyyih suddenly called for > mediation. Ali reluctantly agreed at the insistence of some of his > troops. The mediators decided that both Ali and Muawiyyih should step > down and let another person become Caliph. > > At this point some in Ali's party rebelled. These people, who came to > be known as Kharijites, held that in agreeing to negotiate with > Muawyyih, Ali had committed a grave sin which essentially made him an > apostate. They therefore attempted to assassinate both Ali and > Muawiyyih but succeeded in killing only Muawiyyih. > > While Shi'ites insisted that Ali's eldest son Hasan was now the > rightful caliph, Hasan agreed to let Muawiyyih rule providing that he > agreed that it would be Hasan and not his own son who would succeed > him. Muawiyyih agreed but afterwards had Hasan poisoned so his own > son, Yazid would take the throne, thus founding the first Muslim > Dynasty that of the Umayyads. > > While Muawiyyih was not a pious man he was a competent ruler and > establish the Islamic Empire on a strong basis politically. His son, > however was neither pious nor competent, and Muslims chafed under his > tyranny. The city of Kufa in particular had enough and asked Ali's > younger son, Husayn to come assume leadership there. Husayn then > departed from Medina with 72 family members and close friends. In the > meantime Yazid, sent an army out to squash the rebellion in Kufa > Husayn's party arrived from their long trek across the desert to find > an army was cutting them off from access to the Euphrates river. The > general commanding the army demanded that Husayn pledge allegiance to > Yazid before they would let them get to the water. When they refused, > Husayn's followers were gradually picked off over the next three days. > When Husayn attempted to get his dying toddler down to the water, an > arrow went through the baby's throat. Finally all the male members of > Husayn's party including Husayn himself were slaughtered except for > one son who was sick in the tent. > The heads of Husayn and his followers were mounted on pikes and taken > off to Damascus, the seat of the Umayyad Empire. When Husayn's head > was thrown at the Caliph's feet he struck it with his staff. And old > man in the court who had been a companion of the Prophet then burst > out and tears saying "with my own eyes I have seen the Prophet kiss > those lips you just smashed." For Husayn was the Prophet's own > grandson. > > Gibbon describes the rise of the Umayyads in these words: > > "The persecutors of Mahomet usurped the inheritance of his children, > and the champions of idolatry became the supreme heads of his religion > and empire." > > warmest, Susan > > __________________________________________________ > You are subscribed to Baha'i Studies as: mailto:[email protected] > Unsubscribe: send a blank email to > mailto:leave-533412-68452.e157d5dc5efabb63696f251595c88...@list.jccc.edu > Subscribe: send subscribe bahai-st in the message body to [email protected] > Or subscribe: > http://list.jccc.edu:8080/read/all_forums/subscribe?name=bahai-st > Baha'i Studies is available through the following: > Mail - mailto:[email protected] > Web - http://list.jccc.edu:8080/read/?forum=bahai-st > News (on-campus only) - news://list.jccc.edu/bahai-st > Old Public - http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected] > New Public - http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected] > > __________________________________________________ You are subscribed to Baha'i Studies as: mailto:[email protected] Unsubscribe: send a blank email to mailto:leave-533426-27401.54f46e81b66496c9909bcdc2f7987...@list.jccc.edu Subscribe: send subscribe bahai-st in the message body to [email protected] Or subscribe: http://list.jccc.edu:8080/read/all_forums/subscribe?name=bahai-st Baha'i Studies is available through the following: Mail - mailto:[email protected] Web - http://list.jccc.edu:8080/read/?forum=bahai-st News (on-campus only) - news://list.jccc.edu/bahai-st Old Public - http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected] New Public - http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]
