The Muslim Ummah once lived under the shade of the Rightly Guided Caliphate, drawing its governance directly from the pure sources of the Qur’an and Sunnah. The community freely exercised its right to choose its leader without coercion from rulers or chieftains. This right was explicitly clarified by the Caliph Umar ibn al-Khattab (may Allah raise his rank) when he said: “Whoever gives the pledge of allegiance to a man without consulting the Muslims, neither he nor the one he gave allegiance to should be followed, lest they both be killed.” (Sahih al-Bukhari, Book of Stoning the Pregnant Woman for Zina if She Is Married, Vol. 8, p. 168, Hadith 6830).
However, after the end of the Rightly Guided Caliphate, the era of hereditary kingship began. Mu’awiya ibn Abi Sufyan attempted to force the people to pledge allegiance to his son Yazid. He stood before the people of Madinah and declared: “Whoever wants to speak on this matter, let him show his face to us, for we are more deserving of it than him and his father.” Ḥabib ibn Maslama narrated: “I said to Abdullah ibn Umar: Why did you not answer him?” Abdullah replied: “I was about to, and I would have said: More deserving of this matter than you are those who fought you and your father for Islam! But I feared that such words would cause division and bloodshed, and might be misused. So I remembered what Allah has prepared for the patient in Paradise.” (Sahih al-Bukhari, Book of the Battle of the Trench (Al-Ahzab), Vol. 5, p. 110, Hadith 4108).
The Early Opposition to Yazid’s Allegiance
Five senior Companions openly rejected pledging allegiance to Yazid: Al-Husayn ibn Ali, Abdur Rahman ibn Abi Bakr, Abdullah ibn Abbas, Abdullah ibn Umar, and Abdullah ibn Al-Zubayr — all firmly believed this succession contradicted the Prophet’s method of governance.
Among the strongest voices was Abdur Rahman ibn Abi Bakr (may Allah raise his rank). When Marwan ibn Al-Hakam, then governor of Madinah, called the people to pledge allegiance to Yazid before Mu’awiya arrived, he stood before them urging obedience, warning against fitnah, and calling for allegiance. Marwan claimed that appointing Yazid was similar to the wise precedent of Abu Bakr appointing Umar. Abdur Rahman rejected this false comparison, reminding the people that Abu Bakr bypassed his family and tribe and chose a man fit for the task — this could not be compared to a forced hereditary monarchy.
He said: “This pledge is like the pledges of Heraclius and Khosrow — when one emperor dies, another emperor is crowned.” Heated exchanges followed. It was reported that Abdur Rahman addressed Banu Umayyah saying: “O Banu Umayyah! Choose between three options: the Sunnah of the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ), the Sunnah of Abu Bakr, or the Sunnah of Umar! But you seek to make it like Caesar’s rule — when Caesar dies, another Caesar follows.” Marwan ordered his arrest, but Abdur Rahman took refuge in the house of his sister Aisha (may Allah raise her rank). Marwan, out of malice, said: “He is the one about whom Allah revealed: {And he who says to his parents, ‘Uff to you!’} (Al-Ahqaf:17).” But Aisha refuted him from behind the veil, saying: “No verse was revealed about us except that Allah vindicated me.” (Sahih al-Bukhari, Book of Tafsir al-Qur’an, Hadith 4827).
The Courage of Al-Husayn’s Stand
Abdur Rahman passed away before Mu’awiya’s death. Eventually, Abdullah ibn Umar and ibn Abbas pledged allegiance to Yazid when most people did, but Al-Husayn ibn Ali and Abdullah ibn Al-Zubayr stood firm in their opposition. Were it not for Al-Husayn and his companions’ defiance, tyranny would have found a so-called “legitimate precedent” in the Ummah through forced allegiance to Yazid.
Al-Husayn’s journey to Kufa was indeed tactically unwise, but never a Shari’ah violation, as some later scholars under oppressive regimes claimed. The senior Companions and Tabi’un did not forbid Al-Husayn from rejecting Yazid’s rule; they only warned him of the betrayal and treachery that could await him in Kufa — the heartland of the same people who would later abandon him.
Wise Counsel and Warnings
His brother Muhammad ibn al-Hanafiyyah advised him: “Keep your pledge away from Yazid ibn Mu’awiya and the major cities as much as you can. Send your envoys and call people to you. If they pledge allegiance, all praise be to Allah. If they unite behind someone else, it will not harm your religion or honour, for I fear that if you go to any city, factions will rise — some with you, some against — and blood will be spilled.” (Ansab al-Ashraf by Al-Baladhuri 4/15-16).
Ibn Abbas (may Allah raise his rank) also warned him: “If they have removed their governor, defeated their enemy, and secured their lands, then go to them. But if their governor still rules them, then know they only invite you to turmoil and fighting. Do not be deceived by them. Stay here until the people of Iraq clear their enemy, then go. Or go to Yemen — your father had supporters there. Stay apart from the people, send letters, dispatch your envoys — I hope if you do this, you will find what you wish.” (Al-Kamil fi al-Tarikh 2/546).
A Point of Pride for Ahl al-Sunnah
The stand of Al-Husayn had a deep impact on the Ummah’s conscience. Sadly, this legacy has long been overshadowed by the way some Shia commemorate Ashura — despite being among those who betrayed him. This has led many Ahl al-Sunnah to distance themselves from publicly honouring the grandson of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ who rose to reform his grandfather’s Ummah.
In truth, it is we who are more deserving of Al-Husayn than anyone else: “We are more entitled to Al-Husayn than they are.” His jihad — and that of the Prophet’s family who stood with him — and later Ibn Al-Zubayr’s rebellion proved that the Ummah never died as some might claim. It resisted the oppressive dynastic kingship with all its might — yet Allah’s decree was carried out, as none can alter His will.
May Allah raise the rank of the Leader of the Youth of Paradise, the first true revolutionary in Islam — and may He gather us with him under the shade of His Throne.
