Tag Archives: Marwan

The Divided Caliphate and lots of rebels, 683-692

Posted on September 25, 2021 by Ruth

Before the Syrian army could push farther into rebellious Arabia, it was called back to Damascus. Yazid had suddenly died. His son was a young man who died soon after him. (Shi’ite history records that he criticized his family for … Continue reading →

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The Sack of Medina, 683

Posted on September 25, 2021 by Ruth

Don’t imagine that Medina and Mecca took the news of Husayn’s head on a lance quietly. They may have imagined that Yazid’s men would not dare to hurt the Prophet’s grandson, or they may have been prepared for news of … Continue reading →

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Caliph Mu’awiya, 660-680

Posted on August 21, 2021 by Ruth

Let’s remember that Mu’awiya was raised in Mecca by clan chief Abu Sufyan and his wife, Hind. Hind is the woman who paid a slave to kill Muhammad’s kinsman at Uhud, and then cut a piece from his liver and … Continue reading →

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The Battle of Siffin, 657

Posted on June 5, 2021 by Ruth

At last, after refusing to resign and circulating insulting satire against Caliph/Imam Ali, Mu’awiya made a formal allegation that Ali had engineered the death of Caliph Uthman. Further, he challenged Ali’s position as Caliph at all. In his allegation, he … Continue reading →

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The Battle of the Camel, 656

Posted on May 30, 2021 by Ruth

Ali’s army from Medina, joined by several thousand men from Kufa, camped on a wide plain outside Basra in Iraq. Facing them on the plain was an equally large army from Mecca, joined by several thousand men from Basra. But … Continue reading →

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Revolt And Death of Uthman, 655-6

Posted on May 27, 2021 by Ruth

Another Umayyad cousin named Marwan was Uthman’s chief secretary, or probably Chief of Staff. As in the White House, access to the ruler goes through the Chief of Staff. Marwan could determine who got to talk to Uthman, and he … Continue reading →

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Uthman’s Umayyad Clan Problem

Posted on May 23, 2021 by Ruth

Uthman was the heir of two very wealthy clans of the Quraysh, and he was also a second cousin of Muhammad. His great-grandfather was Umayyah, the patriarch of the clan known as Umayyads. They had been ruling in Mecca, and … Continue reading →

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