Hujr ibn 'Adi
Hujr ibn 'Adi
حجر بن عدي (Arabic)
Hujr ibn Adi's Shrine.jpg
His shrine before being desecrated in 2013
Died 660 CE
Cause of death Death sentence ordered by Umayyad Caliph Muawiyah I
Resting place Adra, Syria
33°36′27″N 36°31′3″E
Ethnicity Yemeni Arab
Known for being a Companion of the Prophet
Religion Islam[1]
Children Humaan ibn Hujr
Hujr ibn 'Adi al-Kindi (died 660 CE) was a companion of the Islamic prophet Muhammad. He was sentenced to death by the Umayyad Caliph Muawiyah I for his unwavering support and praise for Ali, the fourth Rashidun Caliph of Islam and the first Imam of the Shias,[2] when he objected to the tradition of publicly cursing Ali. He belonged to the tribe of Kindah.
Contents [hide]
1 Hujr's titles
2 Character and life
3 Desecration of shrine
4 See also
5 References
6 External links
Hujr's titles[edit]
Hujr was given two title: al-Kindi and al-Adbar. The first title given to Hujr was al-Kindi. Al-Kindi in English means the person from Kindah, an Arabian tribe. The second title that was given to Hujr was al-Adbar.[3]
Character and life[edit]
Sunni scholar Sayyid Abul Ala Maududi in his book Caliphs and Kings writes:"Hajar ibn Adiy was a pious companion of the Prophet (saws) and played a vital role in the correction of the Ummah. During Muawiyah's reign when the custom of cursing Ali from the pulpit's of Mosques began, hearts of the Muslims were being bled dry but people bit their tongues fearing death. In Kufa Hajar ibn Adiy could not remain silent and he began to praise Ali (as) and condemn Muawiyah. Until Mughira ibn Shu'ba remained the Governor of Kufa, he adopted a lenient attitude towards this, but when Ziyad's Governorship of Basra was extended to include Kufa, serious altercations arose. He would curse Ali (as) during the khutbah and Hajar would refute him.
On one occasion he (Hajar) warned Ziyad for being late for Jummah prayers. Ziyad then arrested him along with twelve of his companions on false accusations of forming an opposition group to overthrow the Khalifa and was cursing the Khalifa. He also gathered witnesses to testify against them alleging that they claimed that khilafath was the exclusive right of the lineage of `Ali ibne Abi Talib and further accused them of creating an uproar, throwing out the commander and of supporting `Abu Turab Ali, of sending blessings upon him and hating his enemies. From amongst these witnesses, Qadi Shudhri's testimony was used. He later wrote to Muawiyah that the blood and property of people who said they offered Salaah, paid zakaat, and performed Hajj and Umrah, preached right and declared that evil was haram, however if you want to kill them so be it, otherwise forgive them.
The accused were sent to Muawiyah and he sentenced them to death. A condition was placed that if they cursed `Ali (as) and showed their hatred to him they would be pardoned. They refused and Hajar ibn Adiy said `I will not say that thing that will displease Allah'.
Finally Hajar ibn Adiy, his son Humaan ibn Hajar and his seven companions were murdered. From amongst them Abdur Rahman bin Hasan was sent back to return with a written instruction that he be murdered in the worst possible manner, Ziyad buried him alive."[4]
According to some narrations, his last wish was that his son should be executed before him lest death terrifies him and therefore accede to the condition of cursing Ali.[5]
Desecration of shrine[edit]
Mosque Minaret
Hujr, his son Humaam ibn Hajar, and some other companions are buried in Adra, in the outskirts of the Syrian capital Damascus. A mosque has been built around his grave and is a pilgrimage site for Muslims.
On 2 May 2013, foreign-backed extremists (allegedly from the Wahhabi movement) attacked the mausoleum and exhumed his remains.[6] His body was taken to an unknown location by the rebels.[7] According to a report published in the NY Times, a widely distributed Facebook photo of the desecration of the pilgrimage site gives credit for the exhumation to a man named Abu Anas al-Wazir, or Abu al-Baraa, a leader of a military group called the Islam Brigade of the Free Army.[1]
