WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:05.469 In the name of Allah, the Entirely Merciful, the Especially Merciful. 00:00:05.469 --> 00:00:07.469 Summary of the book: 00:00:07.469 --> 00:00:09.470 "Ramadan: 00:00:09.470 --> 00:00:11.470 Events and Lessons." 00:00:11.470 --> 00:00:15.009 The Death of Al-Hajjaj 00:00:15.009 --> 00:00:17.010 ibn Yusuf al-Thaqafi. 00:00:17.010 --> 00:00:20.100 Time: 00:00:20.100 --> 00:00:22.100 In the month of Ramadan, 00:00:22.100 --> 00:00:24.100 in the ninety-fifth year 00:00:24.100 --> 00:00:29.620 of the Hijrah. 00:00:29.620 --> 00:00:31.620 Indeed, a person's deeds and words 00:00:31.620 --> 00:00:33.619 during their lifetime 00:00:33.619 --> 00:00:35.619 constitute the legacy that remains after them. 00:00:35.619 --> 00:00:37.619 If they were righteous, 00:00:37.619 --> 00:00:39.619 they bequeath them praise 00:00:39.619 --> 00:00:41.619 and commendation among people; 00:00:41.619 --> 00:00:43.619 but if they were wicked, 00:00:43.619 --> 00:00:45.619 they bring upon them people's hatred 00:00:45.619 --> 00:00:47.619 and condemnation, 00:00:47.619 --> 00:00:49.619 etching in the minds of successive generations 00:00:49.619 --> 00:00:51.619 a distorted image, 00:00:51.619 --> 00:00:53.619 from following whose bearer 00:00:53.619 --> 00:00:55.810 people recoil. 00:00:55.810 --> 00:00:57.810 The criteria for righteousness and its opposite 00:00:57.810 --> 00:00:59.810 vary among people 00:00:59.810 --> 00:01:01.810 according to their whims and doctrines. 00:01:01.810 --> 00:01:03.810 What we mean here by this 00:01:03.810 --> 00:01:05.810 is whatever constitutes righteousness or corruption 00:01:05.810 --> 00:01:07.810 in the scales of the divine law (Shariah), 00:01:07.810 --> 00:01:09.810 and what deserves praise or blame 00:01:09.810 --> 00:01:11.810 in the eyes of the people of faith, who 00:01:11.810 --> 00:01:13.810 pronounce such judgments 00:01:13.810 --> 00:01:15.810 and weigh such attributes 00:01:15.810 --> 00:01:17.810 against the standard of the wise Shariah. 00:01:17.810 --> 00:01:20.129 While sins vary 00:01:20.129 --> 00:01:22.129 in their degrees of blameworthiness 00:01:22.129 --> 00:01:24.129 before Allah and among His creation, 00:01:24.129 --> 00:01:26.129 injustice undeniably stands 00:01:26.129 --> 00:01:28.129 at the very forefront, 00:01:28.129 --> 00:01:30.129 occupying a prime place 00:01:30.129 --> 00:01:32.260 in the ranks of transgressions. 00:01:32.260 --> 00:01:34.260 Although injustice likewise 00:01:34.260 --> 00:01:36.260 has varying degrees, 00:01:36.260 --> 00:01:38.260 no injustice—after associating partners 00:01:38.260 --> 00:01:40.260 with Allah—surpasses the injustice 00:01:40.260 --> 00:01:42.260 of shedding inviolable blood, 00:01:42.260 --> 00:01:44.260 let alone the blood of the masters 00:01:44.260 --> 00:01:46.260 among the righteous and the intimate, 00:01:46.260 --> 00:01:48.260 near allies of Allah. 00:01:48.260 --> 00:01:50.450 The history of mankind has chronicled 00:01:50.450 --> 00:01:52.450 the annals of kings, princes, 00:01:52.450 --> 00:01:54.450 and governors, 00:01:54.450 --> 00:01:56.450 transmitting of their circumstances 00:01:56.450 --> 00:01:58.450 a great deal, 00:01:58.450 --> 00:02:00.450 recounting their virtues and their vices, 00:02:00.450 --> 00:02:02.450 their tyranny and their justice. 00:02:02.450 --> 00:02:04.450 However, there is 00:02:04.450 --> 00:02:06.450 one historical figure 00:02:06.450 --> 00:02:08.449 who became a proverb 00:02:08.449 --> 00:02:10.449 in tyranny, particularly in 00:02:10.449 --> 00:02:12.509 the shedding of blood. 00:02:12.509 --> 00:02:14.509 Historians of diverse 00:02:14.509 --> 00:02:16.509 persuasions have unanimously characterized him as such. 00:02:16.509 --> 00:02:18.509 This figure 00:02:18.509 --> 00:02:20.509 is Al-Hajjaj ibn Yusuf 00:02:20.509 --> 00:02:22.639 al-Thaqafi. 00:02:22.639 --> 00:02:24.639 So let us draw a little closer 00:02:24.639 --> 00:02:26.639 to the life of this man, 00:02:26.639 --> 00:02:28.639 to learn something of his biography, 00:02:28.639 --> 00:02:30.639 and to take heed from what he did 00:02:30.639 --> 00:02:32.639 and what became of him. 00:02:32.639 --> 00:02:34.639 For indeed, this man had 00:02:34.639 --> 00:02:36.639 contradictory states, 00:02:36.639 --> 00:02:38.639 numerous phases, 00:02:38.639 --> 00:02:40.639 and transgressions 00:02:40.639 --> 00:02:42.639 by which he surpassed the governors before him, 00:02:42.639 --> 00:02:44.639 so much so that not even 00:02:44.639 --> 00:02:46.639 the Companions, 00:02:46.639 --> 00:02:49.659 may Allah be pleased with them, were safe from his harm. 00:02:49.659 --> 00:02:51.659 His Name, Lineage, and Birth: 00:02:51.659 --> 00:02:53.919 He is Al-Hajjaj 00:02:53.919 --> 00:02:55.919 ibn Yusuf ibn Abi 'Aqil 00:02:55.919 --> 00:02:57.919 ibn Mas'ud ibn 'Amir 00:02:57.919 --> 00:02:59.919 ibn Malik ibn Ka'b 00:02:59.919 --> 00:03:01.919 ibn 'Amr ibn Sa'd 00:03:01.919 --> 00:03:03.919 ibn 'Awf ibn Thaqif— 00:03:03.919 --> 00:03:05.919 who was Qasiyy ibn Munabbih 00:03:05.919 --> 00:03:07.919 ibn Bakr ibn Hawazin— 00:03:07.919 --> 00:03:09.919 Abu Muhammad al-Thaqafi. 00:03:09.919 --> 00:03:12.050 He was born in Al-Ta'if 00:03:12.050 --> 00:03:14.050 in the year 39 AH, 00:03:14.050 --> 00:03:16.050 or it is said 00:03:16.050 --> 00:03:18.050 in the year 40 AH, 00:03:18.050 --> 00:03:20.050 and it is also said in the year 41 AH. 00:03:20.050 --> 00:03:22.050 It was in Al-Ta'if 00:03:22.050 --> 00:03:24.050 that he grew up and was raised. 00:03:24.050 --> 00:03:26.500 His Rule: 00:03:26.500 --> 00:03:28.500 Al-Hajjaj moved to the Levant (al-Sham) 00:03:28.500 --> 00:03:30.500 and attached himself to Rawh ibn Zinba', 00:03:30.500 --> 00:03:32.500 the deputy of 'Abd al-Malik 00:03:32.500 --> 00:03:34.500 ibn Marwan, 00:03:34.500 --> 00:03:36.500 serving among the ranks of his police forces. 00:03:36.500 --> 00:03:38.530 He continued to distinguish himself 00:03:38.530 --> 00:03:40.530 until 'Abd al-Malik entrusted him 00:03:40.530 --> 00:03:42.530 with the command of his army, 00:03:42.530 --> 00:03:44.530 upon the recommendation of Rawh ibn Zinba'. 00:03:44.530 --> 00:03:46.530 He ordered him to fight 00:03:46.530 --> 00:03:48.530 'Abdullah ibn al-Zubayr, 00:03:48.530 --> 00:03:50.530 so he marched toward the Hijaz 00:03:50.530 --> 00:03:52.530 with a massive army. 00:03:52.530 --> 00:03:54.530 He killed 'Abdullah and dispersed 00:03:54.530 --> 00:03:56.530 his gathering, 00:03:56.530 --> 00:03:58.530 wherefore 'Abd al-Malik appointed him governor over Mecca, 00:03:58.530 --> 00:04:00.530 Medina, and Al-Ta'if. 00:04:00.530 --> 00:04:02.530 He then dismissed him from them 00:04:02.530 --> 00:04:04.530 and appointed him governor over Iraq 00:04:04.530 --> 00:04:06.530 after the death of his brother Bishr, 00:04:06.530 --> 00:04:08.530 while rebellion was raging therein. 00:04:08.530 --> 00:04:10.530 So he set out for Iraq, 00:04:10.530 --> 00:04:12.530 crushed the rebellion, 00:04:12.530 --> 00:04:14.530 entered Kufa, 00:04:14.530 --> 00:04:16.529 and dealt harshly with its people as he did. 00:04:16.529 --> 00:04:18.529 He built the city of Wasit 00:04:18.529 --> 00:04:20.529 between Basra and Kufa, 00:04:20.529 --> 00:04:22.529 and his rule was firmly established over it 00:04:22.529 --> 00:04:24.529 and over Iraq for twenty years. 00:04:24.529 --> 00:04:27.680 His Treatment of Some of 00:04:27.680 --> 00:04:29.680 the Companions and Leading Tabi'un: 00:04:29.680 --> 00:04:32.129 The conduct of 00:04:32.129 --> 00:04:34.129 Al-Hajjaj was never good 00:04:34.129 --> 00:04:36.129 toward the surviving Companions 00:04:36.129 --> 00:04:38.129 of the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, 00:04:38.129 --> 00:04:40.129 nor toward 00:04:40.129 --> 00:04:42.129 their prominent students from among 00:04:42.129 --> 00:04:44.129 the Tabi'un; for he killed 00:04:44.129 --> 00:04:46.129 some of them and mistreated 00:04:46.129 --> 00:04:48.129 others with his tongue. 00:04:48.129 --> 00:04:50.129 He was not content with targeting their living, 00:04:50.129 --> 00:04:52.129 but rather transgressed 00:04:52.129 --> 00:04:54.129 against their dead with vile 00:04:54.129 --> 00:04:56.259 utterances as well. 00:04:56.259 --> 00:04:58.259 Among the most famous of those he transgressed against were 00:04:58.259 --> 00:05:00.259 'Abdullah ibn al-Zubayr, 00:05:00.259 --> 00:05:02.259 his mother Asma' 00:05:02.259 --> 00:05:04.259 bint Abi Bakr, 00:05:04.259 --> 00:05:06.259 Anas ibn Malik, 00:05:06.259 --> 00:05:08.259 Ibn 'Umar, Sahl ibn Sa'd, 00:05:08.259 --> 00:05:10.259 and Jabir ibn 'Abdillah, 00:05:10.259 --> 00:05:12.259 may Allah be pleased with them 00:05:12.259 --> 00:05:14.290 all. 00:05:14.290 --> 00:05:16.290 And from the scholars of the Tabi'un: 00:05:16.290 --> 00:05:18.290 Sa'id ibn Jubayr, 00:05:18.290 --> 00:05:20.290 Al-Hasan al-Basri, and others. 00:05:20.290 --> 00:05:22.420 Among the examples concerning some 00:05:22.420 --> 00:05:24.420 of the Companions we mentioned: 00:05:24.420 --> 00:05:26.540 his killing of 'Abdullah 00:05:26.540 --> 00:05:28.540 ibn al-Zubayr (may Allah be pleased with him) 00:05:28.540 --> 00:05:30.540 in Mecca, and his bombarding 00:05:30.540 --> 00:05:32.540 of the Ka'bah with catapults 00:05:32.540 --> 00:05:34.540 in the year seventy-three 00:05:34.540 --> 00:05:36.740 of the Hijrah; 00:05:36.740 --> 00:05:38.740 his aggression against Anas ibn Malik, 00:05:38.740 --> 00:05:40.829 may Allah be pleased with him; 00:05:40.829 --> 00:05:42.829 his insolence against 'Abdullah ibn Mas'ud, 00:05:42.829 --> 00:05:44.829 may Allah be pleased with him, 00:05:44.829 --> 00:05:46.829 long after he had died; 00:05:46.829 --> 00:05:48.829 his abuse of Salamah ibn al-Akwa', 00:05:48.829 --> 00:05:50.899 may Allah be pleased with him; 00:05:50.899 --> 00:05:52.899 and his mistreatment of Ibn 'Umar, 00:05:52.899 --> 00:05:55.759 may Allah be pleased with them both. 00:05:55.759 --> 00:05:57.759 What Has Been Mentioned of His Merits: 00:05:57.759 --> 00:05:59.889 Notwithstanding what 00:05:59.889 --> 00:06:01.889 historians have recorded about Al-Hajjaj 00:06:01.889 --> 00:06:03.889 regarding his evils, 00:06:03.889 --> 00:06:05.889 he nevertheless had merits 00:06:05.889 --> 00:06:07.889 cited by his biographers. 00:06:07.889 --> 00:06:09.889 This is in accordance with the justice 00:06:09.889 --> 00:06:11.889 commanded by Allah Almighty 00:06:11.889 --> 00:06:13.889 in His saying: 00:06:13.889 --> 00:06:15.889 "O you who have believed, 00:06:15.889 --> 00:06:17.889 be persistently standing firm for Allah, 00:06:17.889 --> 00:06:19.889 witnesses in justice, 00:06:19.889 --> 00:06:21.889 and do not let 00:06:21.889 --> 00:06:23.889 the hatred of a people prevent you 00:06:23.889 --> 00:06:25.889 from being just. 00:06:25.889 --> 00:06:27.889 “O ye who believe! Be steadfast witnesses for Allah in equity, and let not hatred of any people seduce you that ye deal not justly. Deal justly, that is nearer to your duty. Observe your duty to Allah. Lo! Allah is Informed of what ye do.” (5:8) 00:06:27.889 --> 00:06:29.889 And fear Allah; 00:06:29.889 --> 00:06:31.889 indeed, Allah is fully Aware 00:06:31.889 --> 00:06:34.139 of what you do." 00:06:34.139 --> 00:06:36.139 Al-Hajjaj was once mentioned 00:06:36.139 --> 00:06:38.139 unfavorably in the presence of 'Abd al-Wahhab al-Thaqafi, 00:06:38.139 --> 00:06:40.139 so he grew angry and said: 00:06:40.139 --> 00:06:42.139 "You only ever mention 00:06:42.139 --> 00:06:44.139 the faults! 00:06:44.139 --> 00:06:46.139 Do you not know that he was the first to 00:06:46.139 --> 00:06:48.139 strike a dirham inscribed with: 00:06:48.139 --> 00:06:50.139 'There is no deity except Allah, 00:06:50.139 --> 00:06:52.139 Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah,' 00:06:52.139 --> 00:06:54.139 and the first to build a city 00:06:54.139 --> 00:06:56.139 after the Companions in Islam, 00:06:56.139 --> 00:06:58.139 and the first to introduce 00:06:58.139 --> 00:07:00.139 camel litters (mahamil). 00:07:00.139 --> 00:07:02.139 Also, a Muslim woman 00:07:02.139 --> 00:07:04.139 was taken captive in India, 00:07:04.139 --> 00:07:06.139 so she cried out, "O Hajjaj!" 00:07:06.139 --> 00:07:08.139 Word of this reached him, 00:07:08.139 --> 00:07:10.139 and he kept saying, 00:07:10.139 --> 00:07:12.139 "Here I am at your service! Here I am!" 00:07:12.139 --> 00:07:14.139 He spent seven thousand dirhams 00:07:14.139 --> 00:07:16.139 until he rescued the woman. 00:07:16.139 --> 00:07:18.339 Among the merits 00:07:18.339 --> 00:07:20.339 recorded by historians 00:07:20.339 --> 00:07:22.339 for al-Hajjaj 00:07:22.339 --> 00:07:24.370 was his great care for the Noble Qur'an, 00:07:24.370 --> 00:07:26.370 his eloquence and rhetoric 00:07:26.370 --> 00:07:28.370 in his speech 00:07:28.370 --> 00:07:31.360 and his sermons, 00:07:31.360 --> 00:07:33.680 and his Islamic conquests. 00:07:33.680 --> 00:07:35.680 He played an undeniable role 00:07:35.680 --> 00:07:37.680 in spreading Islam 00:07:37.680 --> 00:07:39.680 to numerous lands. 00:07:39.680 --> 00:07:41.680 Ibn Kathir said, 00:07:41.680 --> 00:07:43.680 "He was fiercely eager for jihad." 00:07:43.680 --> 00:07:46.639 Another trait was his pardoning of those who 00:07:46.639 --> 00:07:48.639 spoke well to him 00:07:48.639 --> 00:07:50.639 and answered him with candid honesty; 00:07:50.639 --> 00:07:52.959 regarding this, 00:07:52.959 --> 00:07:54.959 there are many accounts. 00:07:54.959 --> 00:07:56.959 Among them is that 00:07:56.959 --> 00:07:58.959 he once delivered a sermon, 00:07:58.959 --> 00:08:00.959 saying, "O people! 00:08:00.959 --> 00:08:02.959 Restraining oneself from what Allah has forbidden 00:08:02.959 --> 00:08:04.959 is far easier than enduring 00:08:04.959 --> 00:08:07.019 the punishment of Allah." 00:08:07.019 --> 00:08:09.019 A man stood up before him 00:08:09.019 --> 00:08:11.019 and said to him, 00:08:11.019 --> 00:08:13.019 "Woe to you, O Hajjaj! 00:08:13.019 --> 00:08:15.019 How brazen is your face, 00:08:15.019 --> 00:08:17.019 and how little is your shame! 00:08:17.019 --> 00:08:19.019 You do all the evil that you do, 00:08:19.019 --> 00:08:21.019 yet you utter words like these?! 00:08:21.019 --> 00:08:23.149 You have failed, and your effort has gone utterly astray!" 00:08:23.149 --> 00:08:25.149 Al-Hajjaj said to the guards, 00:08:25.149 --> 00:08:27.149 "Seize him." 00:08:27.149 --> 00:08:29.149 When he finished his sermon, 00:08:29.149 --> 00:08:31.149 he said to the man, 00:08:31.149 --> 00:08:33.220 "What emboldened you against me?" 00:08:33.220 --> 00:08:35.220 The man replied, 00:08:35.220 --> 00:08:37.220 "Woe to you, O Hajjaj! 00:08:37.220 --> 00:08:39.220 You dare to defy Allah, 00:08:39.220 --> 00:08:41.220 yet I should not dare to defy you?! 00:08:41.220 --> 00:08:43.220 How could I not dare to confront you, 00:08:43.220 --> 00:08:45.220 while you dare to defy Allah, 00:08:45.220 --> 00:08:47.220 the Lord of the worlds?!" 00:08:47.220 --> 00:08:49.340 Thereupon al-Hajjaj said, 00:08:49.340 --> 00:08:51.340 "Let him go." 00:08:51.340 --> 00:08:54.399 So he was released. 00:08:54.399 --> 00:08:56.399 Statements of some scholars and historians concerning him: 00:08:56.399 --> 00:08:58.690 'Umar ibn 'Abd al-'Aziz said, 00:08:58.690 --> 00:09:00.690 "If every nation competed in wickedness, 00:09:00.690 --> 00:09:02.690 each nation bringing forth 00:09:02.690 --> 00:09:04.690 its most vile evildoer, 00:09:04.690 --> 00:09:06.690 and we brought forth al-Hajjaj alone, 00:09:06.690 --> 00:09:08.750 we would surely surpass them all." 00:09:08.750 --> 00:09:10.750 Ibn Kathir said, 00:09:10.750 --> 00:09:12.750 "He possessed great courage and leadership, 00:09:12.750 --> 00:09:14.750 but his sword was reckless with oppression, 00:09:14.750 --> 00:09:16.750 and he frequently 00:09:16.750 --> 00:09:18.750 killed lives that Allah had made sacred 00:09:18.750 --> 00:09:20.750 over the slightest suspicion; 00:09:20.750 --> 00:09:22.750 he would become enraged with the fury 00:09:22.750 --> 00:09:25.009 of tyrannical kings." 00:09:25.009 --> 00:09:27.009 Al-Dhahabi said, 00:09:27.009 --> 00:09:29.009 "He was a tyrannical despot, 00:09:29.009 --> 00:09:31.009 a malicious Nasibi, 00:09:31.009 --> 00:09:33.009 a shedder of blood. 00:09:33.009 --> 00:09:35.009 Yet he possessed bravery, 00:09:35.009 --> 00:09:37.009 daring resolve, 00:09:37.009 --> 00:09:39.009 cunning, shrewdness, 00:09:39.009 --> 00:09:41.009 eloquence, articulateness, 00:09:41.009 --> 00:09:43.009 and veneration for the Qur'an. 00:09:43.009 --> 00:09:45.009 I have detailed his terrible 00:09:45.009 --> 00:09:47.009 record in Tarikh 00:09:47.009 --> 00:09:49.009 al-Kabir: his siege 00:09:49.009 --> 00:09:51.009 of Ibn al-Zubayr at the Ka'bah, 00:09:51.009 --> 00:09:53.009 his bombarding it with catapults, 00:09:53.009 --> 00:09:55.009 his humiliation 00:09:55.009 --> 00:09:57.009 of the people of the Two Holy Sanctuaries, 00:09:57.009 --> 00:09:59.009 followed by his governorship over Iraq 00:09:59.009 --> 00:10:01.009 and the entire East for twenty 00:10:01.009 --> 00:10:03.009 years, 00:10:03.009 --> 00:10:05.009 his wars against Ibn al-Ash'ath, 00:10:05.009 --> 00:10:07.009 and his delaying of the prayers 00:10:07.009 --> 00:10:09.009 until Allah finally destroyed him. 00:10:09.009 --> 00:10:11.009 We revile him and do not love him; 00:10:11.009 --> 00:10:13.009 rather, we hate him for the sake of Allah, 00:10:13.009 --> 00:10:15.009 for doing so is 00:10:15.009 --> 00:10:17.009 among the firmest handholds of faith. 00:10:17.009 --> 00:10:19.009 Yet he had good deeds 00:10:19.009 --> 00:10:21.009 submerged in the ocean of his sins, 00:10:21.009 --> 00:10:23.009 and his affair rests with Allah. 00:10:23.009 --> 00:10:25.009 He affirmed basic monotheism (Tawhid) 00:10:25.009 --> 00:10:27.009 on the whole, 00:10:27.009 --> 00:10:29.009 and he has counterparts among tyrannical 00:10:29.009 --> 00:10:31.360 despots and rulers." 00:10:31.360 --> 00:10:33.360 It was narrated from Salih ibn Ahmad 00:10:33.360 --> 00:10:35.360 ibn Hanbal that he said to his father, 00:10:35.360 --> 00:10:37.389 "A man mentions before him 00:10:37.389 --> 00:10:39.389 al-Hajjaj or someone else, 00:10:39.389 --> 00:10:41.419 and curses him." Ahmad replied, 00:10:41.419 --> 00:10:43.419 "I do not like that; 00:10:43.419 --> 00:10:45.419 it would be better if he phrased it saying, 00:10:45.419 --> 00:10:47.419 'May the curse of Allah 00:10:47.419 --> 00:10:49.419 be upon the wrongdoers.'" 00:10:49.419 --> 00:10:51.899 His death: 00:10:51.899 --> 00:10:53.899 Al-Hajjaj passed away on the eve 00:10:53.899 --> 00:10:55.899 of the twenty-seventh of the month of Ramadan— 00:10:55.899 --> 00:10:57.899 and it was also said 00:10:57.899 --> 00:10:59.899 five days before the end 00:10:59.899 --> 00:11:01.899 of Ramadan— 00:11:01.899 --> 00:11:03.899 in the year 95 AH. 00:11:03.899 --> 00:11:05.899 He lived fifty-five years, 00:11:05.899 --> 00:11:07.899 according to the view that 00:11:07.899 --> 00:11:09.899 he was born in the Year of Unity ('Am al-Jama'ah), 00:11:09.899 --> 00:11:11.899 in the year 40 AH. 00:11:11.899 --> 00:11:14.029 When he was on his deathbed, 00:11:14.029 --> 00:11:16.029 he began reciting: 00:11:16.029 --> 00:11:18.220 "O my Lord! My enemies have sworn an oath and strived hard, 00:11:18.220 --> 00:11:20.220 asserting 00:11:20.220 --> 00:11:22.220 that I am a man 00:11:22.220 --> 00:11:24.220 among the dwellers of the Fire! 00:11:24.220 --> 00:11:26.220 Do they swear such an oath 00:11:26.220 --> 00:11:28.220 upon blind ignorance? Woe to them! 00:11:28.220 --> 00:11:30.220 What do they know of the One of abundant 00:11:30.220 --> 00:11:32.220 pardoning and concealing of faults?!" 00:11:32.220 --> 00:11:34.639 When he died, 00:11:34.639 --> 00:11:36.639 no one knew of his death 00:11:36.639 --> 00:11:38.639 until a bondwoman looked down from a rooftop, 00:11:38.639 --> 00:11:40.639 wept, and announced: 00:11:40.639 --> 00:11:42.639 "Lo! Indeed, 00:11:42.639 --> 00:11:44.639 the feeder of the hungry, 00:11:44.639 --> 00:11:46.639 the maker of orphans, 00:11:46.639 --> 00:11:48.639 the widower of women, 00:11:48.639 --> 00:11:50.639 the cleaver of heads, 00:11:50.639 --> 00:11:52.639 and the master of the people of the Levant 00:11:52.639 --> 00:11:54.860 has died!" 00:11:54.860 --> 00:11:56.860 Then she began chanting: 00:11:56.860 --> 00:11:58.860 "Today, those who once hated us will pity us, 00:11:58.860 --> 00:12:00.860 while those who once feared us 00:12:00.860 --> 00:12:02.860 will now feel safe 00:12:02.860 --> 00:12:05.019 from us." 00:12:05.019 --> 00:12:07.019 Hammad ibn Abi Sulayman said, 00:12:07.019 --> 00:12:09.019 "I told Ibrahim 00:12:09.019 --> 00:12:11.019 al-Nakha'i that al-Hajjaj had died, 00:12:11.019 --> 00:12:13.019 and he wept 00:12:13.019 --> 00:12:15.120 out of sheer joy." 00:12:15.120 --> 00:12:17.120 And from Ibn Tawus, on the authority of his father: 00:12:17.120 --> 00:12:19.120 he was informed of the death 00:12:19.120 --> 00:12:21.120 of al-Hajjaj repeatedly, 00:12:21.120 --> 00:12:23.120 and when he verified his death, 00:12:23.120 --> 00:12:25.120 he recited: "So the remnants of the people who did wrong were cut off. 00:12:25.120 --> 00:12:27.120 “So of the people who did wrong the last remnant was cut off. Praise be to Allah, Lord of the Worlds!” (6:45) 00:12:27.120 --> 00:12:29.120 And praise be to Allah, 00:12:29.120 --> 00:12:31.250 the Lord of the worlds." 00:12:31.250 --> 00:12:33.250 More than one narrator reported 00:12:33.250 --> 00:12:35.250 that when al-Hasan was given the glad tidings 00:12:35.250 --> 00:12:37.250 of the death of al-Hajjaj, 00:12:37.250 --> 00:12:39.250 he fell prostrate in gratitude to Allah 00:12:39.250 --> 00:12:41.250 the Almighty; he had been 00:12:41.250 --> 00:12:43.250 in hiding, so he came out 00:12:43.250 --> 00:12:45.250 and said, "O Allah, 00:12:45.250 --> 00:12:47.250 You have caused him to die, so rid us 00:12:47.250 --> 00:12:50.139 of his oppressive ways." 00:12:50.139 --> 00:12:52.139 From this event, there are several lessons: 00:12:52.139 --> 00:12:54.139 First, 00:12:54.139 --> 00:12:56.139 a person's biography 00:12:56.139 --> 00:12:58.139 constitutes his lasting history after him, 00:12:58.139 --> 00:13:00.139 whether in praise or condemnation; 00:13:00.139 --> 00:13:02.139 whoever lives his life 00:13:02.139 --> 00:13:04.139 righteously will be praised, 00:13:04.139 --> 00:13:06.139 and whoever spends his life 00:13:06.139 --> 00:13:08.559 corruptly will be condemned. 00:13:08.559 --> 00:13:10.559 Second, 00:13:10.559 --> 00:13:12.559 a single person may combine 00:13:12.559 --> 00:13:14.559 commendable traits with vile, 00:13:14.559 --> 00:13:16.559 wicked qualities; 00:13:16.559 --> 00:13:18.559 there is scarcely an evil person who does not have 00:13:18.559 --> 00:13:20.559 some praiseworthy qualities 00:13:20.559 --> 00:13:22.720 alongside his wickedness. 00:13:22.720 --> 00:13:24.720 Third, 00:13:24.720 --> 00:13:26.720 injustice is an enduring stigma of blame and disgrace 00:13:26.720 --> 00:13:28.720 that cannot be erased by 00:13:28.720 --> 00:13:30.720 any of the merits mentioned, 00:13:30.720 --> 00:13:32.879 nor does it fade with the passing of time. 00:13:32.879 --> 00:13:34.879 Fourth, 00:13:34.879 --> 00:13:36.879 a person must maintain good expectations 00:13:36.879 --> 00:13:38.879 of Allah, no matter how numerous 00:13:38.879 --> 00:13:41.009 his sins may be. 00:13:41.009 --> 00:13:43.009 Fifth: 00:13:43.009 --> 00:13:45.009 fairness and detachment from the emotions 00:13:45.009 --> 00:13:47.009 and whims of the self 00:13:47.009 --> 00:13:49.009 are the true standard by which 00:13:49.009 --> 00:13:51.009 we ought to measure people, 00:13:51.009 --> 00:13:55.179 and through which we should pass just judgment. 00:13:55.179 --> 00:13:57.179 Ramadan: 00:13:57.179 --> 00:13:59.179 lessons and reflections.