Verdict on Yazeed ‘The Drunkard’

Imam Dhahabi’s naration and verdict on Yazeed ‘the drunkard’

Yazeed’s drinking despite Abu Sulaiman’s denials is such an established fact that even Dhahabi, relied on as an authority by Abu Sulaiman, testifies to this fact.

In “Siyar A’lam Al-Nubala” Volume 4 pages 37, Dhahabi narrates:

“Ziyad Haarthi narrated: ‘Yazeed gave me alcohol to drink, I had never drunk alcohol like that before and I enquired where he had obtained its ingredients from’. Yazeed replied: ‘it is made of sweet pomegranate, Isfahan’s honey, Hawaz’s sugar, Taif’s grapes and Burdah’s water’. Ahmed bin Masama’ narrated: ‘Once Yazeed drank alcohol and started to dance, suddenly he fell down and his nostril began to bleed’.

After citing the above cited traditions, Imam Dhahabi then gave his own verdict regarding Yazeed that has also been recorded by Allamah Ibn al-Emaad al-Hanbali (d. 1089 H) in “Shadharat al Dhahab” Volume 1 page 69:

وقال الذهبي فيه كان ناصبياً فظاً غليظاً يتناول المسكر ويفعل المنكر افتتح دولته بقتل الحسين وختمها بوقعة الحرة فمقته الناس ولم يبارك في عمره

“Al-Dhahabi said about him (Yazeed) that he was Nasibi, rude, harsh, would drink alcohol and committed evil deeds. He commenced his reign by killing al-Hussain and concluded it with the battle of al-Hara, so the people hated him and Allah didn’t bless his life”

Moreover, in his other authority work ‘Tarikh Islam’ Volume 5 page 30, Imam Dhahabi states:

قلت: ولما فعل يزيد بأهل المدينة ما فعل، وقتل الحسين وإخوته وآله، وشرب يزيد الخمر، وارتكب أشياء منكرة، بغضه الناس، وخرج عليه غير واحد، ولم يبارك الله في عمره، فخرج عليه أبو بلال مرداس بن أدية الحنظلي

I say: ‘When Yazeed did to the people of Madina what he did and killed al-Hussain and his brothers and progeny, and Yazeed drank alcohol, and performed abominable things, then the people hated him and rose up against him more than once. God didn’t bless his life and Abu Bilal Mirdas bin Adya al-Hanzali rose against him.’

Ibn Jauzi’s comments on Yazeed ‘the drunkard’

Allamah Samhodi in his book Wafa al-Wafa records the following from Imam Ibn Jauzi:

“After the incident of Karbala, Yazeed appointed his cousin Uthman bin Muhammad bin Abu Sufyan as Governor of Madina and asked him to secure Bayah his (Yazeed’s) Bayah from the people of Madina. He (Uthman) came to Madina and prepared a delegation and sent it to visit Yazeed so that it can give Bayah to Yazeed. Yazeed gave them gifts but despite this, when the delegation returned, it expressed negative things about Yazeed and said: ‘We have returned having visited a man who has no religion, he drinks alcohol, plays instruments, keeps the company of singers and dogs [civil word for bestiality], we declare that we have broken our allegiance to him…’ Abdullah bin Abi Umro bin Hafs Mukhzomi commented: ‘Although Yazeed gave me gifts and other benefits but the reality is this man is an enemy of Allah (swt) and a drunkard. I shall separate myself from him in the same way that I remove my turban from my head’ and having said that he removed his turban from his head and a person said: ‘I come out from his Bayah in the way that I come out from this shoe of mine’ then all people began to do this to the extent that there became a pile of turbans and shoes”

Ibn Hajr’s comments on Yazeed

In his book written against the Shi’a namely ‘Sawaiq al Muhriqa’ page 221, Ibn Hajr Makki al-Haythami sets out the Sunni position on Yazeed:

One group that includes Ibn Jauzi deem Yazeed a kaafir, another group says that he was not a kaafir, this is a matter of dispute in the Ummah and the majority of Ahl’ul Sunnah agree that he was a fasiq (transgressor), a fajir (one that commits debauchery) and a drunkard.

Al-Waqidi has recorded from various ways that Abdullah bin Hanzallah narrated: ‘verily we opposed Yazeed at that time when we feared that Allah (swt) would send down stones on us, Yazeed considered nikah (marriage) with mothers, daughters and sisters to be permissible, drank alcohol and abandoned prayers’.

Ibn Hajr al Makki like Abu Sulaiman and Azam Tariq was a major adherent of Mu’awiya, and in fact wrote a book in honour of Mu’awiya. Yet even he deemed Yazeed to be a fasiq. The Ulema of Ahl’ul Sunnah are united that Yazeed was a fasiq. Nasibis such as Abu Sulaiman and Azam Tariq of course beg to differ as they support anyone who hates Ahlulbayt, even if that person uses his penis to penetrate the anuses of young boys and dogs, and the vaginas of his sisters and mother.

A Sahabi’s testimony that Yazeed was an incestuous drunkard

We read the following testimony of the Sahabi Maqal bin Sinan in al-Mustadrak al-Hakim, Volume 3 page 522:

هو رجل يشرب الخمر ويزني بالحرم

“…he is a man who drinks alcohol and performs adultery with Mahram (blood relatives)”

al Muhaddith Shah Abdul Aziz’s comments on Yazeed

Renowned Sunni scholar of Pakistan (Late) Allamah Shafi Okarvi Qadri who was known by the title “Khateeb A’zam of Pakistan” wrote a book “Imam Paak aur Yazeed Paleed” [The pure Imam and filthy Yazeed] wherein he refuted one of the lovers of Yazeed [la] Maulana Mahmood Abbasi. During the course of the argumlent, Allamah Okarvi quoted the famed anti-Shia scholar and the beloved of Ahle Sunnah Muhadith Shah Abdul Aziz Dehalwi who wrote the following about Yazeed:

“Verily, Hussain (as) rejected the proposal to give bayah to Yazeed because he was Fasiq, drunkard and an oppressor and Hussain went Makkah.[Sirul Shahadatayn, page 12]“

Imam Paak aur Yazeed Paleed, page 97 (Zia ul Quran publications, Lahore)

Qadhi Thanaullah’s comments on Yazeed’s kufr

We read in Tafseer Mazhari:

Moreover, he made alcohol Halal and these are his couplets for alcohol:

‘The treasure of alcohol is in a utensil which is like silver and the branch of grapes are loaded by grapes which are like stars, the depth of the branch of grapes is alternate for the stars over sun, the east of this sun (alcohol) is the hand of the drinker whilst the place for the sunset (alcohol) is my mouth, thus, if one day alcohol was made Haram in Ahmad’s religion, then O addressee, just take it according to the religion of Masih ibn Mariam (i.e. deem it Halal)’

Tafseer Mazhari [Arabic], Volume 5 page 271, commentary of 14:29

Tafseer Mazhari [Urdu], Volume 6 pages 202-203, commentary of 14:29

At another place (under the commentary of 24:55), Qadhi Thanaullah wrote:

“It is possible that this verse refers to Yazeed bin Muawiyah. Yazeed had martyred the grandson of Holy Prophet (s) and his companions, those companions were actually the members of the Prophet’s family. He disgraced the honor of the Prophet (s) and then became proud of it and stated: ‘Today, vengeance for the day of Badr has been taken’. He was the one who brought the army to storm Madina and destroyed it during the incident of Hara, and he dishonored the mosque that had been founded on the basis of Taqwa and which has been referred to as one of the gardens of heaven. He installed positions in order to stone the house of Allah, he was the one who martyred Abdullah bin Zubair [ra] the grandson of the first caliph Abu Bakr [ra]. He did such indecent things that he finally denounced the religion of Allah and made alcohol Halal that had been made Haram by Allah”

Tafseer Mazhari [Urdu], Volume 8 page 268