The Najran Pact,

Mobaahelah (Mubahilah)

Part 6

Now let us see what kind of a person Umayya was:

The sunni Muhammad ibn Jarir al-Tabari in his Taarikh, printed by Dar al Ma’aaref, Egypt, stated that Umayya was an infamous man who used to be intrusive to women. He was known for adultery and obscenity. Because of his obscene behavior he was expelled from Mecca to Shaam (Syria …) for ten years. There he committed adultery with a married jewess. She conceived a son. Umayya attributed him to himself and gave him the name Dhakwan, and the Koniyah [a special form of epithet] of Abu ‘Amr. And this Dhakwan was the father of Abu Mu'ayt and grandfather of ‘Uqbah, the father of Walid, ‘Uthman’s brother on his mother’s side.

Also the sunni Muhammad ‘Abduh in his Sharh of the Nahj al Balaaghah, vol. 3, pp. 466-467 said the same thing as Tabari; with the additions that the married jewess conceived the child (Dhakwan) in her jewish husband’s bed, and that Umayya, during his life, gave his own wife to him. Muhammad Abduh also clarified that Walid was the governor of Yazid in Medina.

Al Maqrizi a renowned sunni Egyptian historian has also written that Umayya in the pre Islam era did some thing that was unheard of among Arabs and that is he gave his wife to his son. (as cited in Life of Sayyed al Shohada, Abi Abdellah al Hosain, ‘EmaadZaadeh, vol. 1, p. 243)

Let us pay attention that this Dhakwan is the same Harb or Abu ‘Amr the person who is known as one of the sons of Umayya; and he is said to be the father of AbuSufyan too.

This is what a genealogy expert who had actually met Umayya in his old age, told Mo’aawiyah, as recorded by the sunni:

“Mu'awiyah enquired from the lineage expert Daghfal (Ibn Hanzalah) whether he had seen 'Abd al-Muttalib and he replied in the affirmative. He further enquired how he found him and Daghfal replied, "He was prestigious, handsome and a man of open forehead, while his face bore the brightness of Prophethood." Then, Mu'awiyah enquired whether he had seen Umayyah ibn 'Abd Shams also, and he replied that he had seen him too. He enquired how he found him and he replied, "Weak bodied, bent stature and blind in the eyes. In front of him was his slave Dhakwan who led him here and there." Mu'awiyah said it was his son Abu 'Amr (Harb) whereupon he said, "You say so but the Quraysh only know that he was his slave."” (al-Aghani, vol.1, p.12; Sharh Nahj al-balaghah, vol.17, pp.231-232)

The sunni ibn abi al Hadid in Sharh of the Nahj al Balaaghah, vol. 15, p. 207,  in regard to the personality of Umayya said that he was a criminal and sinful man who use to cause problems for women. So much so that for instance once while troubling a woman, he became involved with her tribe. He also has mentioned that Umayya gave his wife to his [so called] son, an unheard-of conduct among Arabs of that time.

In page 233 of the same vol. 15, he has written that Umayya while still a slave, used to steel from pilgrims. He has further explained that for this very same reason Umayya was given the title “Haares” meaning watchman, for among the Arabs there existed this folklore custom that they used to give reverse titles to people; i.e. they used to call a thief, a watchman, and etc … . This stealing issue is also confirmed in Behaar al Anwaar (Bihar al-anwar), vol. 8, p. 361.

As mentioned above, while the sunni Muhammad ibn Jarir Tabari has confirmed that Umayya was known for adultery and obscenity, and that this was why he was condemned and thus expelled from Mecca, in addition Tabari has mentioned another reason for Umayya’s banishment, and that is his extreme hatred, jealousy and animosity toward Hashim’s (Haashem’s) ascendancy and prestige and his privileged hereditary Trusteeship and guardianship of the holy Ka’bah. Tabari has reported:

After the demising of ‘Abd Manaaf (‘Abd Munaf), the responsibility of supply of water and food (to the pilgrims and guests of the Ka’bah) was upon ‘Amr, known as Hashim. He was a beneficent man and worked very hard in this position of providing for guests; he used to slaughter camels and prepare broth, then he broke bread in it with his hands; so he became known as Hashim* [breaker], the breaker of bread. He was the first person who initiated two trade journeys for Quraysh, one in summer to Yemen, the other in winter to Shaam [current Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, Palestine, …] and Habashah [Abyssinia, Aksum (former name of Ethiopia)]. These two journeys are mentioned in the Surah Eelaaf (Quraysh, 106). The prestige of Haashem ibn ‘Abd Munaf was increasing day by day, thus Umayya, his [so called] nephew, became extremely jealous. Therefore they were at conflict over the officership of Ka’bah. Two important pacts were made among the two groups; one was called the alliance of the Scented-ones, and the other the alliance of the Blood-lickers. Because the Honafaa’ [the Uprights, followers of the Monotheist Religion of the Prophet Ibrahim (SBUH)],  the companions of Hashim, in order to stabilize their pact, placed their hands in a bowl of musk and perfumy substance, they became known as al-Motayyebin [the Scented-ones]. And the group of Umayya who for stabilizing their pact placed their hands in a bowl of blood and then drank that blood, became known as the Laq’atoDdam (Laq’at al Dam), meaning the Blood-lickers. Ultimately it was agreed that the elder of Khozaa’I [an Arab sage] to judge between them; he judged in favor of Haashem. And Umayya was expelled to Shaam for ten years. (From: Tarikh, Muhammad ibn Jarir al-Tabari, 2/804)

* Another reason ‘Amr ibn ‘Abd Manaaf was called Haashem was that: “Hashim comes from the Arabic root Hashm, to save the starving, because he arranged for the feeding of the people of Mecca during a seasonal famine, and he thus became "the man who fed the starving" or in Arabic: هشم الجياع” “He was generous to a fault, and it was his practical compassion in one year of drought that earned him his famous nickname of "Hashim", ‘the Crusher’. This was not for crushing or oppressing anyone, but because when the people were starving and emaciated he provided food at his own expense for the entire population of Mecca, personally fetching an immense stock of flour from Syria by camel-caravan, then slaughtering the camels and crushing the bread and meat to provide a soup-kitchen for his people. His descendants are still proudly called Hashemites to this day.” (Ibn Kathir 1.132, from Ibn Ishaq; Ibn Sa’d vol. 1 p. 777, as cited in the English Wikipedia)

In the sunni Kaamel ibn Athir p. 10 as cited in Foroogh Abadiyat of Aayatullah Ja’far Sobhaani, vol. 1, pp. 87-88, it is said:

Umayyah’s persistence on the one hand, and Hashim’s magnanimity on the other hand, caused Hadrat Hashim to accept this request [the request of judging between Umayyah and Hadrat Hashim by the Arab sage] with two conditions. First, whoever the Arab sage condemned, he had to have one hundred camels slaughtered during the [Ibrahamic*] Hajj season, and second, the condemned person was to be expelled from Mecca for ten years. As soon as the Arab sage saw Hashim’s face, he started to praise him, and he confirmed Hashim. According to the set condition Umayyah left Mecca for Shaam. And the ground was paved for bani (children of) Umayya’s inherited jealousy toward bani Haashem and the bani Umayya’s influence in this land [Shaam].

* It is noteworthy to mention that the Prophet Mohammad’s forefathers and foremothers (SBUT) were all monotheists. The Ka’bah from the very first day built by Hadrat Adam (SBUH) by the command of Allah, was the symbol of monotheism and the monotheists, specially the Prophet’s ancestors, performed Hajj according to Hadrats Ibrahim and Ismael’s (SBUT) instruction; while the polytheists and … followed satanic distortions and placed all kinds of idols in Ka’bah and … until finally all idols of Ka’bah were destroyed by Hadrat Mohammad and Hadrat Ali (SBUT) … .

It was so evil of Umayya that in spite of all Hashim’s great qualities, Umayya, serving Shaitaan, had made his heart so dark that his hatred and jealousy toward Hashim was so much that some have recorded: “The only person who challenged Hashim’s authority was Umayyah.”  (English Wikipedia) And this evil attitude has been the conduct of bani Umayya toward bani Hashim; Harb against ‘Abd al Motaleb, Abu Sofyan against the Prophet and Abu Taaleb (SBUT), Mo’aawiyah against Hadrat ‘Ali and Imams Hasan and Husain (SBUT), Yazid against Imam Hosain (SBUH) … and Sofyaani against Hadrat Mahdi (SBUH) … .

Amir al Mo’menin (SBUH) was asked of the group which al Sofyaani- he who would stand against Hadrat Mahdi (SBUH)- belonged to, and Amir al Mo’menin (SBUH) said that Sofyaani would be of the bani Umayya, of descendants of Mo’aawiyah, and that he would be the most vicious, the cruelest and the most Mal’oon (cursed to be totally deprived of Allah’s Mercy) person. (al malaahem wa al fetan fi Zohoor al Ghaa’eb al Montazar, p. 150; …)

Amir al-Mo’menin (SBUH) has clarified that the bani Umayya never truly embraced Islam, and that they only pretended:

I swear by He Who split the seed (to germinate …) and Who created beings, they (bani Umayya, …) did not (truly) embrace Islam rather they have desired to go under (pretended) submission (for worldly purposes), while they have concealed their Kufr (Kofr, blasphemy, profanity, disbelief, …) until they would find their supporters and helpers; then they would divulge it. (Nahj al Balaaghah, letter 16)

Another significant point to keep in mind is that Shaam (Syria …) where Umayya had gone to, was part of the christian Roman Empire:

“Hashim initiated and established the two great trade caravan journeys of Quraish from Mecca, the Caravan of Winter to Yemen and the Caravan of Summer to north-west Arabia, and beyond it to Palestine and Syria, which was then Byzantine rule as part of the Roman Empire.” (Reminding again that quotations, unless specified otherwise, are from the English Wikipedia; readers may refer to Wikipedia for the original sources which this encyclopedia has quoted from; from time to time we have mentioned some of these original sources too.)

To be continued …