Abū Dāwūd narrated that ʿĀṣim said: I heard Hajjāj say the following from the pulpit:
"Fear Allah as much as you can. Let there be no flattery in your fear. Listen and obey the commander of the believers, ʿAbd al-Malik, without flattery. By Allah, if I command people to leave the mosque through a certain door and they leave through another, their lives and property become lawful to me. By Allah, if I command people to leave the mosque through a certain door and they leave through another, their lives and property become lawful to me. By Allah, if I seize and punish the Rabīʿa tribe—because of their enmity towards the Muḍar tribe—this too is lawful for me before Allah. If I punish ʿAbdihuzayl (ʿAbdullāh b. Masʿūd), who claims that the Qur'an in his hand was sent down from Allah, who can prevent me! By Allah, the book in his hand is one of the Arabic rajaz poems. Allah did not send down that book to His Prophet. Look at these red people who claim that if a stone they throw falls to the ground, an event has occurred. If I punish them, who can prevent me! By Allah, I will annihilate them as yesterday has perished, I will uproot them!"
When I transmitted these words to Aʿmash, he said: "By Allah, I too heard this from Hajjāj."
Abū Bakr b. Abī Khaythama narrated that both ʿĀṣim b. Abī Najūd and Aʿmash heard these words from Hajjāj. May Allah curse and destroy Hajjāj, the author of these words. In this address, he also said:
"By Allah, if I command you to leave through this door and you leave through another, your blood and lives become lawful to me. If I see someone reciting the Qur'an according to the recitation of ʿAbdullāh b. Masʿūd, I will surely strike his neck and erase his recitation from the Qur'an even if with a pig's rib."
This is also an example of Hajjāj's extreme audacity. May Allah curse him. He never hesitated to utter evil words and to shed blood unjustly. He harbored enmity toward ʿAbdullāh b. Masʿūd because he recited the Qur'an in a manner contrary to the "Imam" codex of ʿUthmān. However, according to strong reports, ʿAbdullāh b. Masʿūd later conformed his recitation to ʿUthmān's codex. Allah knows best.
ʿAlī b. ʿAbdullāh b. Mubashshir narrated from Salṭ b. Dīnār:
"I heard Hajjāj say from the pulpit of the mosque in Wāsiṭ: 'ʿAbdullāh b. Masʿūd is the chief of the hypocrites. If I were to seize him, I would make his blood flow to the ground.'"
Again, Hajjāj, from the pulpit in the mosque of Wāsiṭ, recited the verse, "My Lord, grant me a kingdom such as will not belong to anyone after me" (Ṣād 38:35), and said: "By Allah, Sulaymān was an envious person." This is another example of his extreme audacity that amounts to kufr (disbelief). May Allah curse him and disgrace him in the Hereafter. May He distance him from His mercy." Abū Nuʿaym narrated from ʿAlqama that a man came to ʿUmar b. al-Khaṭṭāb and said: "I have come to you from someone who recites and dictates the muṣḥaf from memory." ʿUmar became afraid and angry, then said to the man:
- Woe to you, be careful with your words!
- I have told you the truth.
- Who is this man?
- ʿAbdullāh b. Masʿūd.
- I know of no one more worthy of this than him. I will tell you why: One night, we stayed with Abū Bakr to serve the Messenger of God (peace be upon him) and attend to some of his needs; we did not sleep. Then we went outside. The Messenger of God (peace be upon him) was walking between me and Abū Bakr. When we reached the mosque, we saw a man reciting the Qur'an. The Messenger of God (peace be upon him) stood and listened to him. I asked, 'O Messenger of God, have you prayed the night prayer?' He signaled me to be silent. ʿAbdullāh recited, bowed, and prostrated. He rose, sat, and began to supplicate and seek forgiveness. The Messenger of God (peace be upon him) said, 'His voice has become hoarse.' Then he said: 'Whoever wishes to recite the Qur'an fresh as it was revealed, let him recite according to the recitation of Ibn Umm ʿAbd (ʿAbdullāh b. Masʿūd).' Abū Bakr and I understood that the Messenger of God (peace be upon him) meant ʿAbdullāh b. Masʿūd. In the morning, I went early to give him the good news, but he said: 'Abū Bakr brought me the good news before you.' Whenever I competed with Abū Bakr in good, he always surpassed me."
Abū Dāwūd narrated that ʿAbdullāh b. Masʿūd said: I learned seventy surahs from the mouth of the Messenger of God (peace be upon him). Zayd b. Thābit was a child playing with other children, but I never forgot the surahs I learned from the Messenger of God."
According to the narration of Ṭabarānī, ʿAbdullāh b. Masʿūd said: "I learned and memorized seventy surahs from the Messenger of God (peace be upon him) before Zayd b. Thābit became Muslim. Zayd had a hair braid and played with other children."
According to Abū Dāwūd, ʿAbdullāh b. Masʿūd narrated that he used to graze the sheep of ʿUqba b. Abī Muʿayṭ and said: The Messenger of God (peace be upon him) said to me: 'You are a good learning boy.' I learned seventy surahs from his mouth; no one disputed with me in this matter."
Abū Ayyūb al-Ifrīqī and Abū ʿAwāna narrated from Abū Dharr that the Prophet (peace be upon him) said to ʿAbdullāh b. Masʿūd: "You have permission to lift the curtain and enter. You may see my shadow and listen to me. You have this permission until I forbid you."
According to Ṭabarānī, from ʿAbdullāh b. Shaddād b. al-Ḥadd: ʿAbdullāh b. Masʿūd was responsible for keeping the Prophet's pillow, miswāk, and sandals, and for accompanying him as an attendant.
It is narrated from ʿAlqama: "I came to Shām. I went and sat with Abū al-Dardāʾ. He asked me:
- Where are you from?
- From the people of Kūfa.
- Is there not among you (ʿAbdullāh b. Masʿūd), who was responsible for keeping the Prophet's miswāk and accompanying him?"
Ḥāriṯ b. Abī Usāma narrated from Abū Wāʾil:
"While ʿAbdullāh b. Masʿūd was standing beside me, I heard Ḥudhayfa say: 'Among the Companions (ṣaḥāba) of Muḥammad (peace be upon him), those whose names are preserved know who will be closest to the Messenger of God (peace be upon him) on the Day of Resurrection.'"
Abū Dāwūd al-Tayālisī narrated from ʿAbd al-Raḥmān b. Zayd:
"We said to Ḥudhayfa: 'Tell us who among those who follow the Messenger of God (peace be upon him) and are closest to his way, so that we may go to him and never leave him.' He replied: 'I do not know anyone closer to the Messenger of God (peace be upon him) in conduct and life, even within his own house, than ʿAbdullāh b. Masʿūd. The Companions (ṣaḥāba) know that among them, ʿAbdullāh b. Masʿūd is the closest to Allah.'"
I say: This is what Ḥudhayfa b. al-Yamān, the confidant of the Messenger of God (peace be upon him), said about ʿAbdullāh b. Masʿūd. Therefore, Hajjāj lied and sinned. Because of his words, he has swallowed stones and fire. For accusing ʿAbdullāh b. Masʿūd of hypocrisy, for saying his recitation is like the rajaz poetry of Hudhayl, for stating that his recitation should be erased from the muṣḥaf even with a pig's rib, and for claiming he would strike his neck if he caught him, Hajjāj has committed a great sin. This is due to his vile intentions.
ʿAffān narrated that ʿAbdullāh b. Masʿūd said:
"I was breaking a miswāk from an arāk tree for the Messenger of God (peace be upon him). The wind lifted my garment, revealing my thin legs. Those who saw them laughed. The Prophet (peace be upon him) asked: 'Why are you laughing?' They replied: 'We are laughing at the thinness of ʿAbdullāh's legs.' The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: 'By Allah, in Whose hand is my soul, the thin legs of ʿAbdullāh will be heavier on the scale on the Day of Resurrection than Mount Uhud.'"
Salama b. Nahshal narrated that ʿAbdullāh b. Masʿūd said: The Messenger of God (peace be upon him) said: "Hold firmly to the covenant of ʿAbdullāh b. Umm Masʿūd."
Imām Aḥmad b. Ḥanbal narrated from Abū Aḥwas:
"At the time of the death of ʿAbdullāh b. Masʿūd, I saw Abū Mūsā and Abū Masʿūd. One said to the other:
- Look! Did ʿAbdullāh leave anyone like himself behind?
- If you say so, it is true. When we were prevented, he could enter upon the Messenger of God (peace be upon him). When we could not see the Messenger of God, he was with him."
Abū Muʿāwiya narrated from Zayd b. Wahb:
"While ʿUmar was sitting with us, one day ʿAbdullāh b. Masʿūd came. ʿUmar, referring to him, said: 'How full of fiqh (understanding) is his head.'"
ʿUmar b. Ḥafṣ narrated from Abū Mūsā al-Ashʿarī:
"As long as this deep scholar (ʿAbdullāh b. Masʿūd) is among us from the Companions (ṣaḥāba) of Muḥammad (peace be upon him), do not ask me anything."
Jarīr narrated from Abū al-Bakhtarī:
"They said to ʿAlī:
- Tell us about the Companions (ṣaḥāba) of Muḥammad (peace be upon him).
- Which one should I tell you about?
- Tell us about Ibn Masʿūd.
- He learned the Qur'an and the sunnah. He did not look beyond that, and that sufficed him as knowledge."
It is narrated from ʿAlī regarding Ibn Masʿūd: "He learned the Qur'an, then stopped at that limit. That sufficed him."
Our guides among the Companions (ṣaḥāba) knew the Qur'an. They followed its path and are more worthy of being followed. Their words are truer than those who deviate from the group out of whim and desire. Indeed, they are truer than the words, nonsense, lies, and slanders of Hajjāj and other people of whim. Some of the words of Hajjāj and his likes are kufr (disbelief) and heresy. Hajjāj was a supporter of ʿUthmān and the Umayyads. He had an excessive inclination and sympathy for them. He believed that opposing the Umayyads was kufr (disbelief) and claimed that opposing them made killing permissible, not caring about anyone's reproach in this matter.
The greater calamity is described in the following narration of Abū Dāwūd. Buzayʿ b. Khālid al-Dabbī reported that Hajjāj said in a sermon:
"Is the messenger (rasūl) you send to handle your affairs more valuable, or the successor (khalīfa) you leave over your family more valuable?"
When I heard this, I said to myself: "For Allah's sake, it is obligatory upon me that I will never again pray behind you. If I see a group fighting against you, I will surely fight with them against you."
According to Isḥāq's narration, Buzayʿ b. Khālid fought against Hajjāj until he was killed at the Battle of Jamājim. If the narration that Hajjāj said these words is authentic, this is outwardly kufr (disbelief). If he intended to consider the rank of caliphate superior to that of prophethood, or to claim that the Umayyad caliphs were superior to the Messenger (rasūl), this is clearly kufr (disbelief).
Al-Aṣmaʿī narrated from Abū Ḥafṣ al-Thaqafī:
"One day, Hajjāj gave a sermon, turned to the right and said: 'Beware, Hajjāj is a kāfir (disbeliever).' He lowered his head and said: 'Indeed, Hajjāj is a kāfir.' He lowered his head again, then turned to the left and said: 'Beware, Hajjāj is a kāfir.' He repeated this several times, then said: 'O people of Iraq, know that Hajjāj is a kāfir of Lāt and ʿUzzā; he denies them.'"
Ḥanbal b. Isḥāq narrated from Mālik b. Dīnār:
"One day, while Hajjāj was delivering a sermon, he said: 'Hajjāj is a kāfir!' We said: 'What is wrong with him, what does he mean?' He said again: 'Hajjāj is a kāfir, a denier of the dappled mule of Wednesday.' By this he meant difficult matters, i.e., that he did not recognize hardship and difficulty."
According to al-Aṣmaʿī, Caliph ʿAbd al-Malik once said to Hajjāj:
"There is no one who does not know his own faults. Tell us your faults." Hajjāj replied: "O commander of the believers, excuse me from answering this question." But ʿAbd al-Malik insisted.
Hajjāj answered: "I am stubborn, vindictive, and envious." ʿAbd al-Malik replied: "The evils you describe are not even found in Satan." In another narration, ʿAbd al-Malik said: "Then you must be related to Satan."
In summary, Hajjāj harbored resentment against the Iraqis because they rebelled against the imams, committed sins in the past, abandoned the imams, rebelled and opposed them, and wounded and killed them.
Yaʿqūb b. Sufyān narrated from Shurayḥ b. ʿUbayd:
A man came to ʿUmar b. al-Khaṭṭāb and informed him that the Iraqis had stoned their governor. ʿUmar became angry, went out, and led us in prayer. He was confused in his prayer, so the congregation said, "Subḥānallah, subḥānallah!" After the prayer, he turned to the congregation and said: "Who among you is from Shām?" One man stood up, then another, and I stood up as the third or fourth. He said:
"O people of Shām! Prepare to fight the Iraqis. For among them, Satan has laid eggs and hatched. O Allah, they have confused us; so confuse them, and quickly set upon them the young man from Thaqīf, so that he may rule over them with the judgment of jāhiliyya. Let him not accept the good of their good ones, nor forgive the evil of their evil ones."
ʿAbd al-Razzāq narrated that ʿAlī said about the Iraqis:
"O Allah, I trusted them, but they betrayed me. I advised them, but they deceived me. Set over them the young man from Thaqīf, who will wear a fur coat, rule them with the judgment of jāhiliyya, eat their produce, boast, and incline to oppression."
Ḥasan said: "At the time ʿAlī said this, Hajjāj had not yet been born."
Muʿtamar b. Sulaymān narrated that ʿAlī said:
"The boastful, arrogant youth is the governor of the Egyptians. He will wear a fur coat, eat their produce, kill their nobles. He will be greatly feared, and many will lose sleep out of fear of him. Allah will set him upon his own supporters."
Ḥāfiẓ al-Bayhaqī, in his work Dalāʾil al-Nubuwwa, narrated from Ḥabīb b. Abī Thābit:
ʿAlī said to a man: "May you not die before meeting the young man from Thaqīf."
- Who is the young man from Thaqīf?
- On the Day of Resurrection, it will be said to him: 'Hold a corner of Hell for us.' He will rule for twenty years. He will commit all acts of disobedience against Allah. If there remains a single sin, and there is a locked door between him and that sin, he will break the door to commit it. He will kill those who rebel against him by means of those who obey him."
Ṭabarānī narrated from Umm Ḥakīm bint ʿUmar b. Sinān al-Jadaliyya:
"Aʿshas b. Qays wanted to enter upon ʿAlī, but Qanbar turned him back and bloodied his nose. Finally, ʿAlī came out and said:
- What is the matter, O Aʿshas? What happened between you and Qanbar? By Allah, if you were to contend with a servant from Thaqīf, the hairs on your back would stand up like thorns.
They asked ʿAlī:
- O commander of the believers, who is the servant from Thaqīf?
- He is a young man who will become their leader and will not leave anyone from the Arab houses without humiliating them.
- How long will his rule last?
- If he lives, it will last twenty years."
Bayhaqī narrated from ʿUmar b. ʿAbd al-ʿAzīz:
"If nations were to boast of their evil men, and we put forward only Hajjāj, we would surpass them all."
Abū Bakr b. ʿAyyāsh narrated from ʿĀṣim b. Abī Najūd: "Hajjāj did not leave any of Allah's prohibitions uncommitted."
As we have narrated earlier, in a hadith: "From the Thaqīf tribe, two men will come: one a liar, the other a killer." The liar was Mukhtār. He used to display his Rāfiḍī tendencies but concealed his outright disbelief. As for the killer mentioned in the hadith, it is Hajjāj b. Yūsuf, whose biography we are relating. He made enmity toward ʿAlī and his supporters his principle. He did this to curry favor with the Marwān family of the Umayyads. He was a tyrant, stubborn, and quick to shed blood on the slightest suspicion. As previously mentioned, he uttered many words that are outwardly considered kufr (disbelief). Even if he repented and retracted those words, he still bears their responsibility. However, we fear that some of these words may have been exaggerated or fabricated against him, as the Shīʿa harbored deep enmity toward him for many reasons. Perhaps they distorted some of his words or added to the ugly statements attributed to him.
As previously mentioned, Hajjāj never drank wine; he made this a principle. He recited the Qur'an often and avoided forbidden things. There is no report that he ever violated others' honor. However, he was extremely quick and excessive in shedding blood. Allah, who knows the reality of matters, the hidden, and what is in hearts, knows best.
I say: Hajjāj is a greater man than the enmity felt toward him. But the reports of his bloodshed are authentic. Yet, his punishment with Allah will suffice him. He was eager for jihād and the conquest of lands. He was generous in giving money and wealth to the people of the Qur'an. It is said that when he died, he left behind only 300 dirhams. Allah knows best.
Muʿāfa b. Zakariyyā al-Jarīrī, known as Ibn Ṭarrār al-Baghdādī, narrated from ʿAwana b. Ḥakam al-Kalbī:
"Anas b. Mālik went to Hajjāj b. Yūsuf. When he arrived, Hajjāj said to him: 'Ah, ah, O Anas, one day you were with ʿAlī, another day with Ibn al-Zubayr, another day with Ibn al-Ashʿath. By Allah, I will slaughter you like a sheep and uproot you. I will brand you as one brands gum.'"
Anas replied:
- Do you mean me, O emir? May Allah set you right.
- Yes, I mean you. May Allah seal your ear.
- Innā lillāh wa innā ilayhi rājiʿūn (Indeed, we belong to Allah and to Him we shall return). If it were not for my young children, I would not care how I was killed or how I died.
After this, Anas left Hajjāj and wrote a letter to ʿAbd al-Malik b. Marwān. When ʿAbd al-Malik read Anas's letter, he became very angry, pitied Anas, and considered what Hajjāj had done a great crime. In Anas's letter to ʿAbd al-Malik, it was written:
"In the name of Allah, the Most Merciful, the Most Compassionate. From Anas b. Mālik to the commander of the believers, ʿAbd al-Malik b. Marwān.
Hajjāj has spoken to me words I dislike. I am not deserving of such words. Question him for my sake. If I am killed, know that I am the servant and Companion (ṣaḥāba) of the Messenger of God. May Allah's peace, mercy, and blessings be upon you." ʿAbd al-Malik summoned Ismāʿīl b. ʿUbaydullāh b. Abī al-Muhājir, who was a friend of Hajjāj, and said to him:
- Take these two letters, mount the postal carriage, and go to Iraq. First, go to Anas b. Mālik, the Companion (ṣaḥāba) of the Messenger of God. Present my letter to him and convey my greetings. Tell him: "O Abū Ḥamza (O Anas), I have sent a letter to the accursed Hajjāj b. Yūsuf. When he reads my letter, he will be more obedient to you than his own slave girls."
In the letter ʿAbd al-Malik sent to Anas b. Mālik, it was written:
"In the name of Allah, the Most Merciful, the Most Compassionate. From ʿAbd al-Malik b. Marwān to Anas b. Mālik, the servant of the Messenger of God (peace be upon him).
I have read your letter and understood your complaint about Hajjāj. I did not set him over you, nor did I command him to mistreat you. If he does so again, inform me so that I may punish him and help you, and peace be upon you."
When Anas read the letter of the commander of the believers, he said: "May Allah reward the commander of the believers for his kindness to me, grant him well-being, and grant him Paradise as a reward for this kindness. This is what I expected and hoped from him."
Ismāʿīl b. ʿUbaydullāh went to Anas and said: "O Abū Ḥamza! Hajjāj is the governor of the commander of the believers, ʿAbd al-Malik. He will not dismiss Hajjāj for your sake or for the sake of your family. Even if ʿAbd al-Malik were to shackle Hajjāj and send him to you, approach him and manage your affairs with him so that you may live in goodness and safety." Anas said: "If Allah wills, I will do so." Then Ismāʿīl left Anas and went to Hajjāj. Hajjāj said to him:
"Welcome to the man I love and am pleased to meet."
Ismāʿīl replied: "By Allah, except for this visit, I always enjoy meeting you." Hajjāj's face changed color, he became afraid, and asked:
- Why have you come?
- When I left the commander of the believers, he was extremely angry with you and seemed to have distanced himself from you.
Hajjāj stood up, sat down, and was afraid. Ismāʿīl gave him the letter. Hajjāj took it, opened it, looked at it, and began to sweat. Then he turned to Ismāʿīl and said:
- Get up, let us go to Abū Ḥamza (Anas), apologize, and win his heart.
- Do not rush.
- You have brought trouble upon me; how can I not rush?
In the letter ʿAbd al-Malik sent to Hajjāj, it was written:
"In the name of Allah, the Most Merciful, the Most Compassionate. From the commander of the believers, ʿAbd al-Malik b. Marwān to Hajjāj b. Yūsuf.
You are a servant through whom affairs have multiplied. You have risen in these matters but have exceeded your limits. You have entered a severe calamity. I had previously commanded you to consult me in your affairs. If I approved, you should proceed; if not, you should desist. O cross-eyed and urine-stained servant! May Allah curse you. Have you forgotten how your ancestors earned money in Ṭāʾif, digging wells and carrying stones on their backs for water channels? O son of the woman who picked dried grape stalks! By Allah, I will pounce on you as a lion pounces on a fox, or a wild beast on a hare! One of the Companions (ṣaḥāba) of the Messenger of God (peace be upon him) was among us. You do not treat him well, accept his kindness, or overlook his faults. This is your audacity against the Mighty and Majestic Lord and your disregard for your promise.
By Allah, if the Jews and Christians were to see a man who had served ʿUzayr b. Azrāʾ or ʿĪsā b. Maryam, they would honor, respect, and love him. Even if they saw someone who had served the donkey of ʿUzayr or the disciples of Jesus, they would honor and respect him. How can you treat in this way a man who served the Messenger of God (peace be upon him) for eight years, was privy to his secrets, and consulted with him in his affairs? Moreover, he is the last of the remaining Companions (ṣaḥāba) of the Messenger of God. When you read this letter, you will be more obedient to Anas than to your own socks and shoes. Otherwise, an arrow from me will reach you and kill you. Every news has its appointed place, and you will soon know."
Ibn Ṭarrār mentioned the strange things described in this letter. Ibn Qutayba and other lexicographers have also mentioned them. Allah knows best.
Imām Aḥmad b. Ḥanbal narrated from Zubayr b. ʿAdī:
"We went to Anas b. Mālik to complain to him about the mistreatment we suffered from Hajjāj. He said to us: 'Be patient, for after a year, a time, or a day, what will come upon you will be worse. This will continue until you meet your Mighty and Majestic Lord. I heard this from our Prophet (peace be upon him).'"
Al-Bukhārī narrated from Anas: "Every time that comes upon you will be worse than the one before it."
I say: Some people narrate this hadith as: "You will be disgraced every year." This wording has no basis. It is only derived from the meaning of the hadith. Allah knows best.
I say: I once came across the saying of ʿĀʾisha: "You will be disgraced every day." I also saw a statement from Imām Aḥmad b. Ḥanbal on this matter. According to a narration, a hadith says: "You will be disgraced every day as vile creatures." It is possible that this was narrated as marfūʿ by Imām Aḥmad b. Ḥanbal. A person like Imām Aḥmad would not transmit such a statement without a basis. A similar statement is narrated from Ḥasan. Allah knows best. This shows that this narration has a basis, whether marfūʿ or from the early generations. People have transmitted this statement from generation to generation, and it has reached our time, and it is present every day, even every hour, its odor is perceived, especially after the tribulation of Timur-Lenk, and up to now we see disgrace in everything. This is clear to those who reflect. Allah, exalted above all deficiencies, knows best.
Sufyān al-Thawrī narrated from al-Shaʿbī: "People will reach a time when they will send blessings upon Hajjāj."
Abū Nuʿaym narrated from al-Shaʿbī: "If you live, by Allah, you will seek out Hajjāj."
It is narrated from al-Aṣmaʿī: Ḥasan al-Baṣrī was asked:
- You say that those who come later are worse than those before. Yet ʿUmar b. ʿAbd al-ʿAzīz came after Hajjāj and is better than him.
- Occasionally, people need to catch their breath. Maymūn b. Mihrān said: Hajjāj sent word to Ḥasan, angry with him. When Ḥasan came, Hajjāj asked:
- O Hajjāj! How many fathers are there between you and Adam?
- Many.
- Where are they now?
- They are dead.
After this, Hajjāj lowered his head. Ḥasan al-Baṣrī left.
Ayyūb al-Sakhtiyānī said: "Hajjāj tried to kill Ḥasan al-Baṣrī many times, but Allah protected him from Hajjāj."
It is narrated that there were some debates between Ḥasan al-Baṣrī and Hajjāj. However, Ḥasan al-Baṣrī was not among those who approved of rebellion against Hajjāj. He forbade the men of Ibn al-Ashʿath from rebelling against Hajjāj, but unwillingly participated with them. As previously mentioned, Ḥasan said: "Hajjāj is a trial from Allah upon us. One should not respond to Allah's trial with the sword. Be patient and calm, and supplicate to Allah in this matter."
Ibn Durayd narrated from Ibn ʿĀʾisha: "A man from the Khārijites was brought before al-Walīd b. ʿAbd al-Malik and was asked:
- What do you say about Abū Bakr and ʿUmar?
- They are good men.
- What about ʿUthmān?
- He is a good man.
- What about ʿAlī?
- He is a good man.
They asked him about the caliphs one by one, and he praised them all. Finally, they asked:
- What do you say about ʿAbd al-Malik b. Marwān?
- Now the real question comes. Whatever I say about the man of Hajjāj, I will only mention one or a few of his faults."
Al-Aṣmaʿī narrated from ʿAlī b. Muslim al-Bāhilī: "A woman from the Khārijites was brought before Hajjāj. He spoke to her, but she did not look at him or answer his questions. One of the guards said to her:
- The emir is speaking to you, but you turn away from him.
- I am ashamed before Allah to look at a man whom Allah does not look at!
Thereupon, Hajjāj ordered her to be killed." We have previously mentioned the killing of Saʿīd b. Jubayr by Hajjāj in the year 94 AH and the conversations and debates between them.
Abū Bakr b. Abī Khaythama narrated from Qatāda: "They said to Saʿīd b. Jubayr: - Did you rebel against Hajjāj?
- By Allah, I did not rebel against him until he became a kāfir." It is said that after Saʿīd b. Jubayr, only a man named Mahān was killed, but before him many were killed, most of whom had rebelled against Hajjāj with Ibn al-Ashʿath.
Abū ʿĪsā al-Tirmidhī narrated from Hishām b. Ḥassān: "The number of people whom Hajjāj had captured and killed reached 120,000."
Al-Aṣmaʿī narrated from Kahdam:
"Sulaymān b. ʿAbd al-Malik, one morning, released 81,000 prisoners from the prisons of Hajjāj. He was told that there were still 80,000 prisoners in Hajjāj's prisons, of whom 30,000 were women. When the prisons were opened after Hajjāj, none of those released deserved amputation or execution. Among the prisoners was an Arab who had been detained for urinating at the base of the city wall of Wāsiṭ. When released, he said: 'When we passed through Wāsiṭ, we relieved ourselves and prayed without restriction.'"
Despite being so harsh and severe, Hajjāj did not obtain a large sum from the land tax of Iraq. Ibn Abī al-Dunyā and Ibrāhīm al-Ḥarbī narrated from ʿUmar b. ʿAbd al-ʿAzīz:
"If all nations were to boast of their evil men, and we put forward Hajjāj, we would surpass them all. Hajjāj was of no benefit to this world or the Hereafter. When he became governor of Iraq, it was a prosperous land. He made it barren, so that only 40,000,000 dirhams were given as annual tax. In the year I became caliph, my governors gave me 80,000,000 dirhams. If I remain caliph until next year, I hope to receive 120,000,000 dirhams, as was given to ʿUmar."
Abū Bakr b. al-Maqarri narrated that ʿUmar b. ʿAbd al-ʿAzīz sent a letter to ʿAdī b. Artāt:
"I have heard that you are following the way of Hajjāj. Beware of following his way. He used to pray outside its time and forcibly take zakāt from those not obligated to pay it. He did not observe the law in other matters either."
Yaʿqūb b. Sufyān narrated from Rayyān b. Muslim:
"ʿUmar b. ʿAbd al-ʿAzīz sent the clan of Abū ʿUqayl, the family of Hajjāj, with a letter to the governor of Yemen, saying: 'I have sent you the clan of Abū ʿUqayl. They are the worst family in administration. Distribute them to work for us and Allah according to their disgrace.'"
Thus, ʿUmar b. ʿAbd al-ʿAzīz exiled the clan of Hajjāj.
Al-Awzāʿī narrated from Qāsim b. Muḥaymira: "Hajjāj loosened the handle of Islam." He then related a story about him.
Abū Bakr b. ʿAyyāsh narrated from ʿĀṣim: "Hajjāj b. Yūsuf committed all of Allah's prohibitions."
Yaḥyā b. ʿĪsā al-Ramlī narrated from Aʿmash: "People differed about Hajjāj and asked Mujāhid about him. Mujāhid said: 'Are you asking me about that disbelieving old man?'"
According to Ibn ʿAsākir, al-Shaʿbī said: "Hajjāj believed in magic and Satan, but denied Allah, the Exalted." Allah knows best.
Al-Thawrī narrated from Ṭāwūs: "I am amazed at our Iraqi brothers. They call Hajjāj a believer."
Al-Thawrī narrated from Ibn ʿAwf: I asked Abū Wāʾil about Hajjāj and said: "Will you testify that Hajjāj is among the people of Hell?" He replied: "Do you want me to testify before Allah that Hajjāj is not among the people of Hell?"
Al-Thawrī narrated from Manṣūr: I asked Ibrāhīm about Hajjāj or one of the tyrants. He replied: Do you not know that Allah said: "Unquestionably, the curse of Allah is upon the wrongdoers." (Hūd 11:18). Then Ibrāhīm added: "A person's ignorance of Hajjāj's condition is blindness enough for him."
Salām b. Abī Muṭīʿ said: "I have more hope for Hajjāj than for ʿAmr b. ʿUbayd. For Hajjāj killed people for worldly reasons, but ʿAmr b. ʿUbayd introduced a vile innovation among people, causing them to kill each other."
Zubayr said: "One day, I cursed Hajjāj in the presence of Wāʾil. Abū Wāʾil said to me: 'Perhaps one day he will say, "O Allah, have mercy on me," and Allah will have mercy on him. Beware of sitting in the same gathering as those who say, "What are you saying, what are you saying?"'"
ʿAwf said: When Hajjāj was mentioned in the presence of Muḥammad b. Sīrīn, he said: "Abū Muḥammad (Hajjāj) was a poor man. If Allah, the Mighty and Majestic, punishes him, it is for his sin. If He forgives him, blessed is he. If he meets Allah with a sound qalb (heart), he is better than us. Even better people than him have sinned."
When Muḥammad b. Sīrīn was asked what a sound qalb (heart) is, he replied: "That Allah knows him to be modest and faithful; that he knows Allah is true, that the Resurrection will certainly occur, and that Allah will resurrect and gather those in the graves."
Abū al-Qāsim al-Baghawī narrated from Abū Usāma:
"A man asked Sufyān al-Thawrī:
- Will you testify that Hajjāj and Abū Muslim al-Khurasānī are in Hell?
- If they affirmed tawḥid (the oneness of God), then no."
Rayyāshī narrated from Sirrī b. Yaḥyā:
"One Friday, as Hajjāj was passing by the prisons, he heard cries for help. When he asked what it was, he was told: 'The prisoners say they are dying from the heat.' He ordered his men: 'Tell them: Be disgraced in prison and do not speak.'"
After this incident, Hajjāj did not live until the next Friday. Allah destroyed him, as He destroys all tyrants."
A man said: "I saw Hajjāj coming to Friday prayer while dying of illness."
Al-Aṣmaʿī said: "When Hajjāj fell ill, people began to gossip and stir up trouble by talking about his death. Hajjāj then gave a sermon, saying:
"Some wicked and rebellious people have been incited by Satan to say, 'Hajjāj is dead.' What if Hajjāj dies? Hajjāj only hopes for good after death. By Allah, I would rather die than possess the world and all it contains. Allah has decreed eternity only for His most despicable creature, Iblīs, and has been pleased with this. Allah said to him: 'Indeed, you are of those reprieved.' (al-Aʿrāf 7:15), and postponed him until the Day of Resurrection. The righteous servant prayed: 'My Lord, grant me a kingdom such as will not belong to anyone after me.' (Ṣād 38:35). Allah gave that righteous servant everything except eternity. When his task was complete, the righteous servant wished to die and said: 'Cause me to die a Muslim and join me with the righteous.' (Yūsuf 12:101). If only I could be like that righteous man. You will all be like that. By Allah, I see every living person among you as dead, and every fresh thing as withered. After this, each person will be wrapped in a shroud three cubits long and carried to the grave. The earth will consume his flesh and suck his pus. His unlawful wealth will pass to his children, and they will divide it among themselves. Those with understanding know what I am saying."
After this, he descended from the pulpit."
Ibrāhīm b. Hishām b. Yaḥyā al-Ghassānī narrated from ʿUmar b. ʿAbd al-ʿAzīz:
"I envied the enemy of Allah, Hajjāj, only for his love of the Qur'an, his generosity to the people of the Qur'an, and his saying at the time of death: 'O Allah, forgive me, for people claim You will not forgive me.'"
Abū Bakr b. Abī al-Dunyā narrated from Muḥammad b. al-Munkadir:
"ʿUmar b. ʿAbd al-ʿAzīz was angry with Hajjāj, but he admired his statement at the time of death and envied him for it. When Hajjāj was dying, he said: 'O Allah, forgive me, for people think You will not forgive me.'"
Also from Muḥammad b. al-Munkadir: a scholar said to Ḥasan al-Baṣrī:
- Hajjāj said this when dying.
- Did he really say that?
- Yes.
- What benefit could that be to him?
Abū al-ʿAbbās al-Mirrī narrated from al-Aṣmaʿī: Hajjāj, while dying, recited the following poem:
"O Lord, the enemies have sworn excessively, saying that Hajjāj is among the people of Hell.
Are they swearing blindly?
Woe to them. They know nothing about the Great, Forgiving, and Exalted Allah."
When this was related to Ḥasan al-Baṣrī, he said: "By Allah, if Hajjāj is saved, it will be because of these two verses."
According to some, Hajjāj added the following verses while dying: "Masters free their slaves when they grow old in their service,
O my Creator! You are more generous in this matter. I have grown old in Your service; free me from the Fire."
Ibn Abī al-Dunyā narrated from Aḥmad b. ʿAbdullāh al-Taymī:
"When Hajjāj died, no one knew of his death. Finally, a slave girl climbed to a high place, wept, and said: 'Behold, the master of the people of Shām, who fed the hungry, orphaned children, widowed women, and separated heads from bodies, has died.
He who was angry with us before now has mercy on us.
He whom we feared before, we now feel safe from.'"
ʿAbd al-Razzāq narrated from Ibn Ṭāwūs: When my father heard the news of Hajjāj's death several times and was sure he had died, he recited the following verse:
"All praise is due to Allah, Lord of the worlds, who has cut off the root of the wrongdoing people." (al-Anʿām 6:45).
According to several narrators, when Ḥasan al-Baṣrī received the news of Hajjāj's death, he prostrated in gratitude before Allah. Previously, he had concealed his feelings toward him, but upon hearing of his death, he expressed them openly and said: 'O Allah, You have killed him, so remove his path from among us.'"
Ḥammād b. Abī Sulaymān said: When Ibrāhīm al-Nakhaʿī was given the news of Hajjāj's death, he wept with joy.
Abū Bakr b. Abī Khaythama narrated from Ṣāliḥ b. Sulaymān:
"While Ziyād b. Rabīʿ b. Ḥāris was in prison, he told his companions that due to Hajjāj's last illness, he would die on a certain night. When that night came, the prisoners could not sleep for joy. They sat up waiting for news of Hajjāj's death. This was on the twenty-seventh night of Ramadan in the ninety-fifth year of the Hijra."
According to another narration, it was five nights before the end of Ramadan. It is also said that he died in the month of Shawwāl of the same year. Hajjāj was fifty-five years old when he died, as he was born in the fortieth year of the Hijra, known as the year of the community. Some weak reports say he was born in the forty-first or thirty-ninth year. He died in the city of Wāsiṭ. The location of his grave was made unknown, and water was poured over it so that his enemies would not exhume and burn him. Allah knows best.
Al-Aṣmaʿī said: "How strange was the state of Hajjāj. When he died, he left only 300 dirhams."
Al-Wāqidī narrated from ʿAbd al-Raḥmān b. ʿUbaydullāh b. Sarīk:
"My uncle told us: It is said that when Hajjāj died, he left only 300 dirhams, a muṣḥaf, a sword, a saddle, a mount, and one hundred endowed coats of mail."
Shihāb b. Ḥarrāsh narrated from his uncle Yazīd b. Hawshab:
"Abū Jaʿfar al-Manṣūr sent for me and when I arrived, he said:
- Tell me the will of Hajjāj b. Yūsuf.
- O commander of the believers, excuse me from this.
- Tell me, I said.
- His will was as follows: 'In the name of Allah, the Most Merciful, the Most Compassionate. This is the will of Hajjāj b. Yūsuf, who testifies that there is no god but Allah, alone without partner, and that Muḥammad is His servant and Messenger. He recognized no obedience except to al-Walīd b. ʿAbd al-Malik. He lived, died, and will be resurrected upon this testimony.'"
Hajjāj left 900 iron coats of mail. Six hundred belonged to the hypocrites of Iraq, who wore them in battle. Three hundred belonged to the Turks.
Abū Jaʿfar looked up at Abū al-ʿAbbās al-Tūsī, who was standing beside him, and said: "By Allah, this is true Shīʿism; yours is not."
Al-Aṣmaʿī narrated from his father:
"I saw Hajjāj in a dream. I asked him: 'What did Allah do to you?' He replied: 'For every person I killed, Allah killed me many times.' A year later, I saw him again and asked: 'O Abū Muḥammad, what did Allah do to you?' He replied: 'O man who suckled his mother's breast! Did you not ask me this question last year?'"
Qāḍī Abū Yūsuf said: "I was with Hārūn al-Rashīd when a man came and said:
- O commander of the believers, yesterday I saw Hajjāj in a dream.
- In what state did you see him?
- I saw him in a wretched state. When I asked him, 'What did Allah do to you?' he replied: 'Is it for you, O man who suckled his mother's breast, to ask this question?'
- By Allah, he spoke the truth. Did you really see Hajjāj? In life and in death, he never submitted to anyone's words or cared for anyone's opinion."
Ḥanbal b. Isḥāq narrated from Ashʿath al-Ḥarrāz:
"I saw Hajjāj in a dream in a bad state. When I asked him, 'O Abū Muḥammad, what did your Lord do to you?' he replied: 'For every person I killed, Allah killed me. Then He ordered me to be thrown into Hell.' When I asked, 'Then what happened?' he replied: 'Then I began to hope for what the people of tawḥid (the oneness of God) hope for.'"
Ibn Sīrīn said: "I hope that Hajjāj will be saved." When Ḥasan al-Baṣrī heard this, he said: "By Allah, Allah will disappoint his hope."
Aḥmad b. Abī al-Ḥawārī narrated from Abū Sulaymān al-Dārānī:
Whenever Hajjāj was mentioned in a gathering where Ḥasan al-Baṣrī was present, he would curse him. He saw him in a dream and asked:
- Are you Hajjāj?
- Yes, I am Hajjāj.
- What did Allah do to you?
- For every man I killed, Allah killed me many times. Then I was left aside with the people of tawḥid (the oneness of God).
After this, Ḥasan al-Baṣrī stopped cursing him. Allah knows best."
Ibn Abī al-Dunyā narrated from Sufyān: "Hajjāj went to ʿAbd al-Malik b. Marwān, accompanied by Muʿāwiya al-Qurra. ʿAbd al-Malik asked Muʿāwiya about Hajjāj. He replied: 'If we tell you the truth, you will kill us; if we lie, we fear Allah, the Mighty and Majestic.' Hajjāj looked at him, and ʿAbd al-Malik said: 'Leave him alone.' He then exiled him to Sind, where he engaged in some activities."