QUESTION:
What is your opinion on the Umayyad ruler, Umar bin Abdul-Aziz?
It is said that he forbade insulting the Commander of the Faithful (peace be upon him) atop the pulpits, an act widely practised before his reign. Assuming this is true, why would an Umayyad ruler make such a decree?
ANSWER:
In the Name of Allah, the All-Beneficent, the All-Merciful.
May Allah bless Muhammad and his Family and damn their enemies.
We may only say what our pure Imams (peace be upon him) said about this person. It is reported that Imam al-Baqir (peace be upon him) saw him in a mosque when he was a child and said:
This child will gain leadership. He will show (pretend) justice, and he will live for four years. When he dies, the people of the earth shall weep, but the people of Heaven shall curse him.” Then it was said to him: “O son of Allah’s Messenger, did you not mention his justice and equity?” He said: “He will usurp our right [of leadership], but he has no claim over it.
Thus, we know that Allah reviles this man for claiming what is not his – the right of succession which belongs to Ahl al-Bayt (peace be upon them). Umar bin Abdul-Aziz may have appeared as a just ruler, but his so-called justice was a ploy to win the hearts and minds of people and keep himself in power. It is foolish to think that true justice can be found outside the jurisdiction and the mandates of Ahl al-Bayt (peace be upon them). The greatest injustice one could do is deprive the people of earth of the divine leadership that Allah had bestowed upon them. He was yet another deceitful and cunning tyrant who extinguished support for Ahl al-Bayt (peace be upon them) and claimed to be something he was not.
With that in mind, it becomes clear that when he forbade insults hurled at the Commander of the Faithful (peace be upon him) atop the Umayyad pulpits, it was only done with that purpose.
The Office of Sheikh al-Habib