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Yazeed Ibn Muhallab

Question

Can you give me a biography on Yazeed Ibn Muhallab ?

Answer

Praise be to Allah, the Lord of the Worlds; and may His blessings and peace be upon our Prophet Muhammad and upon all his Family and Companions.

Yazeed Ibn al-Muhallab Ibn Abi Sufrah was born during the era of Muawiya in the year 53 after Hijra. He succeeded his father in governing Al-Mashriq region. Then he was appointed governor of Basrah by Sulaiman Ibn Abd-al-Malik . After that, he was dismissed by Caliph Umar Ibn Abd-al-Aziz who jailed him as well. He was known for his bravery and his generosity, but, he was reported to be Fassiq (dissolute).
Shuba Ibn al-Hajjaj said: 'I heard al-Hassan al-Basri saying about Yazeed and the temptations he caused, this is an enemy of Allah. Whenever something befalls them (people who admired him) they follow him' . After Yazeed Ibn Abd-al-Malik was appointed governor of Basrah, Yazeed Ibn al-Muhallab attacked the city, over took it and tried to split it from the remaining Muslim state. But Maslamah Ibn Abd al-Malik gathered an army and attacked Basrah. He fought with Yazeed Ibn al-Muhallab and killed him in the year 102 after Hijra.
al-Zahbi writes: 'His age was 49 when he was killed. He fought with tremendous ferocity. But his army fell apart. Nevertheless he kept on fighting alone against thousands of soldiers until he was killed. He did not do that for Jihad sake. It was only in ignorance and fanatic zeal. We ask Allah to grant us refuge with Him from such a death' .
For more details about this man you could consult: Siyar A'alam al-Nubala by al-Zahbi or Al-bidaya Wal Nihaya by Ibn Katheer .
Allah knows best.

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