Al-Hajjaj bin Yousef

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Al-Hajjāj ibn Yūsuf (Arabic: الحجاج بن يوسف, also known as Hajjāj ibn Yūsuf ath-Thaqafī), born in June 661 in aţ-Ţā’if and died 714 in Wasit, Iraq, was an important Arab administrator during the Umayyad Caliphate. His given name was Kulayb "Little Dog" but he changed it to al-Hajjaj before being appointed Governor of Iraq.

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Beginnings

Al-Hajjāj ibn Yūsuf served as the governor of Iraq during the reigns of ˤAbdu l-Mālik and al-Walid I of the Umayyad. Al-Hajjāj began his career in 691, when he led troops against the then-governor of Iraq, which was outside the Umayyad sphere of influence.

After defeating that governor, al-Hajjāj was sent to the Hejaz, where he laid siege to Mecca and captured the city, killing Ibn Al-Zubayr and putting all of the Muslim empire back under the banner of the Umayyads. His siege on the Hejaz resulted in the deaths of thousands of innocent civilians. An Ummayyad leader once stated that if all the nations brought their most tyrannical and evil rulers, the Muslims would only need to bring al-Hajjāj ibn-Yūsuf to surpass the rest of the world's murderous rulers in evil.

While governing the Hejaz, al-Hajjāj was known for his severe form of rule and he was sent to be the governor of Iraq. Even here, his reputation continued and was not helped by his crushing of a Kharijite rebellion. For these successes, al-Hajjāj was also made governor of some provinces in Persia, where he was again tasked with putting down rebellions. However, his tactics also led him to make many enemies who would come to power after his death.

With the ascent of al-Walid I, al-Hajjāj's reputation grew due to his selection and deployment of numerous successful generals who expanded the Islamic empire. He was given these powers due to his high status in the Umayyad government and he exhibited a lot of control over the provinces that he governed.

Among these generals was the teenaged Muhammad ibn-Qasīm, who in 712 was sent to Sindh in India. Compared to his general, al-Hajjāj was more hardline, insisting that those who were not People of the Book be killed or enslaved.

Qutayba ibn Muslim was sent to conquer Turkestan, which he did, even penetrating the borders of China and getting a tribute payment from the Chinese emperor. Perhaps al-Hajjāj ibn-Yūsuf's most successful general was Mūsā ibn Nusayr, who consolidated control over North Africa and who sent Tariq ibn Ziyād to invade Spain.

The year after al-Hajjāj died, al-Walid died as well, and his brother, Sulayman came to power. Sulayman was indebted to many opponents of al-Hajjāj ibn-Yūsuf for their political support in getting him elected caliph, so he recalled all al-Hajjāj's generals and had them tortured to death in prison, ignoring their great victories.

The relationship between al-Hajjāj ibn Yūsuf and Muhammad ibn Qasīm has always been one of great debate. Many classical accounts list al-Hajjāj as being his uncle or father-in-law. However, this is debatable; it seems more likely that they were distant cousins.

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Shia view

Dr. Mohamed Tijani Samawi in his book The Shia: The real followers of the Sunnah (ISBN 9644381637), writes:

al-Hajjāj ibn-Yūsuf al-Thaqafī, the big zindiq, who used to mock the Qur'ān, regarding it only a lambus poem composed by the Arabs, and prefering ˤAbd al-Mālik ibn Marwan over the Messenger of Allah. al-Hajjāj, whose heinous acts are known for all people, to the extent that the historians state that he has demolished all the pillars of Islām.

It is reported in Ta'rikh Ibn 'Asakir that two men had a dispute regarding al-Hajjāj as one of them said, "He is a kafir (infidel)", but the other said, "He is a misguided believer". After arguing about him, they asked al-Shi'bi in his respect, who said, "He believes in idols and false deities, and disbelievers in the Almighty Allah."

This is the truth of al-Hajjāj, the culprit who has violated all sanctities of Allah, about whom the historians state that he has exceeded proper bounds in slaying, torturing and mutilating the righteous and faithful men among the Ummah, particularly the Shi'ah (followers) of the Prophet's Household, who were inflicted with calamities that no other people suffered.

It is reported in Ta'rikh Ibn Qutaybah that "al-Hajjāj has killed in one day more than seventy thousand persons, till blood reached the door of the mosque and the locks." Al-Tirmidhi says in his Sahih, "On counting those killed by al-Hajjāj, it was found that their number reached a hundred and twenty thounsand."

Ibn 'Asakir is reported to have said in his Tarikh, after mentioning those killed by al-Hajjāj: After al-Hajjāj's death, eighty thousand people, including thirty thousand women have been found in his prison.

Moreover, al-Hajjaj used to resemble himself to the Glorified Lord, as when passing by the prison and hearing the prisoners' crying and appeal for him, he used to reply them: Begone therein, and speak not unto me.

(ref)

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