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Revision as of 11:48, 15 July 2004 by 65.162.184.6 (talk)(diff) ← Previous revision | Latest revision (diff) | Newer revision → (diff)Yazid bin Muawiyah (c. 645 - 683) was the second Umayyad Caliph, and succeeded his father Muawiyah.
He is most notoriously remembered for the Battle of Kerbela where the grandson of Muhammad, Husayn bin Ali was violenty killed after being denied food and water while being seiged over the burning sands of desert. Husayn wasn't the only eminent figure to oppose Yazid's ascension to the caliphate, he was also opposed by Abdullah bin Zubayr who claimed to be the true caliph. When the people of the Hejaz began giving allegiance to Abdullah, Yazid sent armies to subdue the province, and Mecca was besieged after stopping in Medina. There his armies plundered and raped the holy city brutally killing refugees from the terror even those who took refuge in the Prophets (SAS) mosque. It is said that blood from the murders that took place splattered on the grave of the Prophet (SAS). During the siege, the Kaba was damaged, and the Holy Black Stone was borken into pieces by a catpult attack but the siege was ended with Yazid's sudden death in 683.
His ruthlessness in pursuing Husayn, his brutal rule, his addiction to alcohol, and his obsession for playing with animals has made him a despised person in Islamic History
| Preceded by: Muawiya I |
Umayyad Leader | Succeeded by: Muawiya II |
| Caliph |