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'Yazīd ibn Mu‘āwiya ibn Abī Sufyān, Template:Lang-ar (23 July 645 – 11 November 683), commonly known as Yazid I, was the second Caliph of the Umayyad Caliphate (and the first one by birthright). Yazid was the Caliph as appointed by his father Muawiyah I and ruled for three years from 680 CE until his death in 683 CE.

Oath of Allegiance of Yazid

Upon succession, Yazid asked Governors of all provinces to take an oath of allegiance to him. The necessary oath was secured from all parts of the country. Husayn ibn Ali and Abdullah ibn Zubayr refused to declare allegiance. Yazid sent Marwan, a soldier in his army, to assist in this task.

Husayn ibn Ali and Ibn az-Zubair

Husayn ibn Ali, along with many other prominent Muslims, not only disapproved of Yazid's nomination for caliph but declared it against the spirit of Islam. While the nomination issue was deliberated upon in Medina, Abdullah ibn Zubair went with Husayn to Mecca because some prominent Muslims thought that Mecca would be the best base for launching a campaign to build up public opinion against Yazid's nomination. However, before any significant work could be done in this regard, Muawiyah died and Yazid took over the reins of government.

Kufa, a garrison town in what is now Iraq, had been Caliph Alī's capital and many of his supporters lived there. Husayn ibn Ali received letters from Kufa expressing its offer of support if he claimed the caliphate. As he prepared for the journey to Kufa, Abdullah ibn Umar and Abdullah ibn Abbas argued against his plan and, if he was determined to proceed to Kufa, asked him to leave women and children in Mecca, but Husayn ignored their suggestions. On the to Kufa, Husayn received the report of Muslim ibn Aqeel's death at the hands of Yazid's men and that the Kufans had changed their loyalties to Yazid, pledging support to him against Husayn and his followers.

Ubayd-Allah ibn Ziyad, governor of Basrah, executed one of Husayn's messengers and warned the citizens to avoid the insurgency. He sent a message to Husayn, at instruction of Yazid, stating "You can neither go to Kufa nor return to Mecca, but you can go anywhere else you want." Despite this warning, Husayn continued towards Kufa and during the trip, he and many members of his family were killed or captured at the Battle of Karbala.

Many Sahaba, the most prominent being Abdullah ibn Zubayr, refused to give their oath of allegiance to Yazid as they saw it as usurpation of power and not the proper way of choosing a Caliph by the Shura.{cn|July 2012}}

Abdullah launched an insurgency in the Hejaz. Yazid sent armies against him in 683. After the Battle of al-Harrah, Medina was recaptured and Mecca was besieged. During the siege, the Ka‘bah was damaged. The siege ended when Yazid died suddenly in 683 CE.

Setbacks

During the caliphate of Yazid, Muslims suffered several military setbacks. In 682 AD Yazid restored Uqba ibn Nafi as the governor of North Africa and Uqba won battles against the Berbers and Byzantines. Uqba then marched westward towards Tangier and then marched eastwards the Atlas Mountains. With cavalry numbering about 300, he proceeded towards Biskra where he was ambushed by a Berber force . Uqba and all his men died fighting and the Berbers launched a counter-attack and drove Muslims from North Africa. This was a major setback for the Muslims as lost supremacy at sea and had to abandon the islands of Rhodes and Crete.

Death

Yazid died at the age of 38 after ruling for three years and was succeeded by his son Muawiyah II. Yazid was buried in Damascus. Although it is thought that his grave no longer exists some believe that it is located in a small street near Umayyad Mosque without any mark or distinction, as is customary in Islamic tradition.

See also

• Battle of Karbala
• Umayyads

References

1. ^ Hitti, Philip K. (1943). The Arabs: A short history. Princeton University Press. ISBN 9780895267061.
2. ^ Hasan, Masudul (1998). History of Islam. North Haledon, NJ: Islamic Publications International.
3. Glubb, John Bagot (1965). The Empire of the Arabs. Prentis-Hall. {{cite book}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |1= (help)

 This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). Encyclopædia Britannica (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. {{cite encyclopedia}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)

v t e Umayyad dynasty
Family tree Media
Caliphs of Damascus (661–750)	Mu'awiya I Yazid I Mu'awiya II Marwan I Abd al-Malik Al-Walid I Sulayman Umar Yazid II Hisham Al-Walid II Yazid III Ibrahim Marwan II
Emirs of Córdoba (756–929)	Abd al-Rahman I Hisham I Al-Hakam I Abd ar-Rahman II Muhammad I al-Mundhir Abdullah Abd al-Rahman III
Caliphs of Córdoba (929–1031)	Abd al-Rahman III Al-Hakam II Hisham II Muhammad II Sulayman Hisham II Sulayman Abd Allah al-Mu'ayti Abd al-Rahman IV Ali ibn Hammud al-Nasir Al-Qasim al-Ma'mun ibn Hammud Yahya ibn Ali al-Mu'tali Al-Qasim al-Ma'mun ibn Hammud Abd al-Rahman V Muhammad III Yahya ibn Ali al-Mu'tali Hisham III
indicates Hammudid usurpers

Template:Persondata

• Misplaced Pages neutral point of view disputes from August 2010
• Umayyad caliphs
• 645 births
• 683 deaths
• 7th-century caliphs