As is well-known, the ʿUbaydī Bāṭiniyyah who ruled over northern Africa, would openly revile the Messenger (صلى الله عليه وسلم) and the Companions (صلى الله عليه وسلم) on the streets and Ahl al-Sunnah were severely oppressed.

During this era in the early 4th century hijrah, there was a Kharijite by the name of Abū Yazīd Mukhallad bin Kaydād who was upon the way of a sect of the Khārijites called the Ṣufriyyah. He was much given to devotion and worship and was obeyed by his people. He revolted against Banī ʿUbayd, incited the people against them, and had many victories, taking many cities during his battles and excursions.

Many of Ahl al-Sunnah thought that it was a duty upon them to revolt due to the disbelief of Banī ʿUbayd and so they joined with Abū Yazīd, without intending to come under his obedience and hoping that a just imām would eventually be imposed over him.

Those who joined him were some notables such as Abu al-Faḍl al-Mumsee, Rabīʿ bin Sulaymān al-Qaṭṭān, Ibrāḥim bin Muḥammad al-Ḥanafī, ʿAbd al-Malik bin Marwān and a group of civilians.

After consulation, they decided to fight against “a cursed mubaddil (alterer) of the religion (the ʿUbaydī ruler at the time, al-Manṣūr)” and they saw it as a means of expiation of their sins.

Then they went and on their way they incited the people to make jihād, while they made takbīr, tahlīl and the likes through the streets and sending salāt upon the Messenger (صلى الله عليه وسلم) and asking for mercy upon his family and companions and reciting verses from the Qur'ān, from them: ( فَقَـٰتِلُوۤا أَىِٕمَّةَ ٱلۡكُفۡرِ ) “And fight against the heads of kufr” (9:12-) and ( قَـٰتِلُوهُمۡ يُعَذِّبۡهُمُ ٱللَّهُ بِأَيْدِيكُمۡ ) “Fight them, Allāh will punish them through your hands...” (9:14-).

A powerful jumuʿah khutbah was given by Aḥmad bin Abī al-Walīd, inciting the people to jihād, and reviling the Banī ʿUbayd.

So the next morning the people went out with Abū Yazīd (al-Khārijī) for their jihād. They surrounded the ʿUbaydiyyah in the city of al-Mahdiyyah, and when Abū Yazīd saw this, and was certain of victory, he manifested what he concealed of his Khārijite doctrine and he said to his associates, when you meet those people (the enemy) then expose the Scholars of al-Qayrawān so that their enemies (from the ʿUbaydiyyah) can subdue them.

So then those whom Allāh willed (from Ahl al-Sunnah) were killed by the ʿUbaydiyyah and they included 35 people from the jurists and righteous. This was in the month of Rajab 333H.

In this is a great and mighty lesson for those from Ahl al-Sunnah who are deceived today by the revolt of a Takfiri Kharijite (Abu Bakr al-Baghdādī) against the Shiʿite government of Irāq and his alleged khilāfah (ISIS). This criminal has much Sunni blood on his hands due to his bombings of civilians in the streets of Baghdad since 2010.

Likewise, one should never be deceived by the apparent cordiality and pleasantry of the Rāfiḍī, because deeply-rooted (false) convictions and enmities are not relinquished that easy, and in everything, there is an undisclosed agenda at play.

Footnotes