Was Yazid ‘forgiven’?

Answer

Hundreds of years after the tragedy of Karbala, no Muslim has forgotten the sacrifices of
Imam Hussain (may Allah be pleased with him) and his followers. By refusing to give in to the demands of the tyrant Yazid, Imam Hussain taught us the invaluable lesson that Islam does not tolerate injustice, oppression and evil. until the Day of Judgment, the name of Hussain will live on to denote bravery, courage, unparalleled devotion and piety.

However, to the astonishment and surprise of countless devotees, there is a small minority of
Muslims who argue that Yazid should not be categorized as a bad leader. In fact, they go as far as suggesting that he is forgiven. To defend their position they offer in evidence a Hadith narrated in Sahih Bukhari;

Imam Bukhari narrates from Ishaq ibn Yazid al-Dimashqi , who narrates from Yahya ibn Hamza, who narrates from Thaur ibn Yazid , from Khalid ibn Ma’dan that Umair
ibn al-Aswad al-Anasi told him that he went to Ubaada ibn as-Samit while he was
staying in his house at the sea-shore of Hums with (his wife) Umme Haram. Umair
said; Umme Haram informed us that she heard the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) saying;
“Paradise is granted to the first batch of my followers who will undertake a naval
expedition. Umme Haram added, I said ‘O Allah’s messenger! Will I be amongst
them?’ He replied; ‘You are amongst them. The Prophet (peace and blessings of
Allah be upon him) then said ‘The first army amongst the followers who will invade Caesar’s City will have their sins forgiven’. I asked ‘Will I be one of them, O Allah’s Messenger?’ He replied in the negative.”

Yazid’s supporters purport that Yazid was the first to invade Caesar’s City, and therefore he is deemed as ‘forgiven’.

This Hadith does not offer a vindication for Yazid. In no sense does the saying of the Prophet act as an appraisal for him, or a form of forgiveness.

There is clear historical evidence to prove conclusively that Yazid was not the first person or part of the first army to attack Caesar’s City (Constantinople). The reason is as follows;

* According to Ibn Khaldun, one of the most famous and credible Muslim historians, the
first group of Muslims to attack went in the year 42 A.H. He writes; “The Muslims first
entered the Roman territories in 42 A.H. and they fought with them and killed a number of
them”.

According to Ibn Kathir, in his book al-Bidaya wa al-Nihaya, Mu’awiya was the first to attack Constantinople, in the year 32 A.H.

According to Sheikh Muhammad Khudri, “In the year 48 A.H. Mu’awiya(may Allah be pleased with him ) prepared a large army to conquer Constantinople”.

These three authentic sources differ with regards as to when the first attack took place (42, 32, or 48 A.H.) But two of the sources believe that it was Mu’awiya ( may Allah be pleased with him ) who prepared the first mission there.

As for Yazid, his army, by unanimous agreement of the scholars first went to
Constantinople in 52 A.H. According to Ibn Kathir, by this time, Mu’awiya ( may Allah be pleased with him ) had already been
there sixteen times. He writes; “Mu’awiya ( may Allah be pleased with him ) prepared armies to Constantinople sixteen times. He used to send an army there twice a year, once in the summer and once in the winter.”

How do we know Yazid’s first visit was in 52 A.H.?

The historians all agree that Yazid was
head of the army in the year Abu Ayub al-Ansari passed away. The historians agree that he passed away in 52 A.H. Ibn Hajar writes;

“Yazid’s mission to Constantinople took place in the year 52 A.H. In this mission,
Abu Ayub al-Ansari passed away. Before he died, he asked to be buried next to the
main door of Constantinople.”

Ibn Kathir writes: “…Yazid went in 52 A.H., the same year Abu Ayub passed away.”
This analysis, from authentic sources, shows that Yazid was by no means the first person to attack Constantinople. It was Mu’awiya, and thus he was most likely to be ‘forgiven’, in the
words of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him).

The words of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) were ‘the first army to…who will invade Caesar’s City…’. Yazid was one of the last to go there. Thus, historical texts conclusively prove that Yazid cannot be deemed as ‘forgiven’, in the context of this
Hadith.

Conclusion

Our biggest concern is that anyone who shows any amount of sympathy towards Yazid is
forgetting the magnitude of the crime committed against the Sovereign of Martyrs Imam
Hussain (may Allah be pleased with him). After all, the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said, “I am from Hussain, and Hussain is from me”. In another Hadith, he said “Whoever loves [Hasan and Hussain] they love me, and whoever shows hatred
towards them, is showing hatred towards me”. By even indirectly showing support or sympathy for Yazid, one can risk being counted as those unfortunate beings that have upset and angered the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him).