Editor's Note / Introduction:
This text marks the opening section of the book, detailing the history of the Idrisids and the historical context of early Islamic governance. Following this introduction, the work presents the biographical genealogies (Trajim) of the Alamiyin Al-Mushishi branch, specifically focusing on the lineage in the regions of Bani Arous and Ahl Sarif.
English Translation of "Hisn al-Salam Bayna Yaday Awlad Moulay Abd al-Salam"
A Strange Vision I Saw
When initiating this humble work, I had set my mind on addressing and criticizing what I know to be improper behavior among some families of my cousins who belong to the noble lineage [Ahl al-Bayt]. My intention was for them to recognize its ugliness and refrain from practicing it, as it affects us all equally. I specifically intended the descendants of the Qutb, Mawlay Abd al-Salam, residing in Bani Arous on Jabal al-Alam. However, I was surprised by a strange dream-vision that diverted me from that resolve. Thereafter, I intended not to touch upon anyone I had previously resolved to criticize, settling for everything else. The vision was as follows: I saw myself in a dream going to visit my grandfather, the Qutb Mawlay Abd al-Salam, while I was naked with my private parts exposed. I was in the utmost state of regret, shame, and fear that people would see me in such a condition.
As I approached and reached the blessed shrine, I began creeping along, taking shelter behind large stones, passing behind them. When I got very close and cast my eyes upon the courtyard of the shrine—which is usually packed with visitors—I found it completely empty, with nothing there except the walls of the shrines, the courtyard lying desolate. I then cast my gaze into the distance and saw no one, neither walking nor coming, as if there were no living souls there. The place seemed devoid of inhabitants, even though it is normally teeming and densely populated, with crowds of people coming and going day and night constantly. The only exception to this is during days of heavy snow and bitter cold in the winter season, when the ground is covered with thick layers of snow. Because of this emptiness, I felt reassured and at peace.
Then I began descending toward the paved road that passes through the middle of the local village. While standing at the beginning of the paved section, I was suddenly surprised by a brother of mine wearing two djellabas, ascending on his way to visit the shrine of the Sheikh. I requested one from him to wear so that people would not see me exposed in that state. Then I woke up and began reflecting on this vision and what it contained. I interpreted it to mean that the Sheikh—may Allah have mercy on him—is protective of his descendants and does not allow anyone to expose them to criticism, and that his noble spirit remains dominant over them and others. At that moment, I tore up...
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...what I had written regarding that matter and retracted it, due to the disgrace it would have brought upon myself and my cousins. Moral criticism often carries bitterness for the one targeted, which they may not endure. May Allah grant us success in doing what pleases Allah and His Messenger, benefit us through the righteous among our fathers and grandfathers, and grant us their intercession, Amen.
I hope from them that this vision will be a source of good for me and them, so that they may take heed and refrain from practicing what they have become accustomed to regarding negligence toward noble and honorable morals. May they return to their righteous guidance and follow the path of their glorious ancestors of the recent and distant past, because bad morals stamp the noble person with a mark foreign to his origin. This is a trait that contradicts noble lineage, for logic dictates that an authentic person acts according to his origin, as the proverb goes. We possess no valid argument establishing the connection of our lineage to the Prophet (peace be upon him) that proves the truth and negates all else, except adhering to the noble character that our ancestors maintained, for it is the authentic mark.
Indeed, bad character has opened a breach for criticism that cannot be healed by the rabble and unruly among Muslims. In their blind belief, this quenches their thirst in thinking that prophetic lineage no longer exists in this era of theirs. In the eyes of the questioning observer, the noble woman has sold her chastity cheaply. We do not deny that moral failures exist among us, as is the case in every society, but the rare exception carries no rule, and judgment is based on the majority. The majority is still upon goodness, praise be to Allah. Nothing prevents these accusations from sticking to us except adhering to noble morals, no matter how far corruption reaches in the nation, because it is a true inheritance. Rather, it is the remaining standard for the validity of our claim of connection to him (peace be upon him), and the nation looks at our actions and judges us.
Therefore, it is mandatory upon us not to expose the Prophet (peace be upon him) to their attacks because of our bad deeds, for we are the sinners responsible for what the fools of the nation commit against themselves, against us, and against the Prophet (peace be upon him) because of us. O Allah, inspire us with our guidance, make us guided guide-providers, and make our inheritance from the Noble Prophet an established, everlasting inheritance until the Day of Judgment.
Then we return to completing the statement of Al-Bazzar, who said: "Hence, if a wicked person among the People of the House [Ahl al-Bayt] is disliked due to lack of piety or committing an innovation, the hatred is directed only toward his actions, not his person, out of courtesy toward the Prophet (peace be upon him), because the person itself is a part of him, even if there are intermediaries between them." This is because it was narrated regarding the saying of the Exalted: "And their father was a righteous man" [Quran 18:82], that there were seven or nine forefathers between them and the father through whom they were preserved. From this, Ja'far al-Sadiq (may Allah be pleased with him) said: "Respect us for our sake, just as Allah preserved the righteous servant in the two orphans." Anyone who criticizes his [the Prophet's] descendants while loving him is doing so out of love. End of quote.
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Scholars have explicitly stated that it is necessary to honor the inhabitants of his city (peace be upon him) in general, even if innovation or the like is realized from them, out of respect for his noble neighborhood.
Abu Sa'id in Sharaf al-Nubuwwah and Ibn al-Muthanna narrated that he (peace be upon him) said: "O Fatima, indeed Allah becomes angry at your anger and is pleased with your pleasure." Therefore, whoever harms any of her children has exposed himself to the wrath of Allah, because he angered her through her child. They said: If the neighborhood of his noble sanctuary deserves the right of neighborly respect, then what about his family, who are a part of him (peace be upon him)?
Al-Daylami narrated as a directly attributed tradition [Marfu']: "Whoever wishes to seek a means to me, and that I should have a hand with which to intercede for him on the Day of Resurrection, let him maintain ties with my family and bring joy to them."
It was reported from Omar (may Allah be pleased with him) through various chains that he said to Al-Zubayr: "Come with us to visit Al-Hasan ibn Ali." Al-Zubayr hesitated, so Omar said: "Did you not know that visiting the Banu Hashim is an obligation?" That is, similar to the Prophet's saying (peace be upon him): "Taking a bath on Friday is an obligation," meaning to emphasize it as a Sunnah, and Omar intended the same by his word "obligation."
Al-Bukhari narrated in his Sahih from Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) that he said: "By Him in Whose hand my soul is, maintaining ties with the relatives of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) is dearer to me than maintaining ties with my own relatives." In another narration: "...dearer to me than my own relatives." In another: "By Allah, that I should maintain ties with you is dearer to me than maintaining ties with my own relatives, because of your kinship to the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him), and because of the greatness that Allah has placed upon every Muslim." Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) said this by way of apology to Fatima (may Allah be pleased with her) when she came to him requesting the inheritance of her father, and he withheld it from her.
Al-Daraqutni narrated that Omar (may Allah be pleased with him) said to Fatima: "There is no creation dearer to us than your father, and there is no one dearer to us than you after your father."
It was narrated that an act of boldness occurred from Al-Hasan in his childhood out of protective jealousy over the pulpit of the Prophet (peace be upon him). He rushed toward the Caliph Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) while he was on the pulpit and said: "Get down from my father's seat!" Abu Bakr replied: "You have spoken the truth; by Allah, it is indeed your father's seat." Then he took him, seated him in his lap, and wept. Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) said: "By Allah, this was not done upon my advice." Abu Bakr said: "You have spoken the truth; by Allah, I did not accuse you." Consider the love of the Caliph of the Messenger...
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...of Allah (peace be upon him), and his veneration and respect for Al-Hasan. It was agreed that a similar incident occurred with Al-Husayn and the Caliph Omar (may Allah be pleased with him) while he was on the pulpit. Al-Husayn said to him: "My father's pulpit, by Allah, not your father's pulpit!" Omar replied: "My father has no pulpit, by Allah!" Ali said: "By Allah, I did not order that." Omar said: "By Allah, I did not accuse you." Ibn Sa'd added that Omar took him, seated him by his side, and said: "Did anyone grow the hair upon our heads after Allah except your father?" Meaning that whatever status we achieved, we attained it only through him.
It was reported from Al-Hasan that he said to a man who exaggerated in his reverence for them: "Woe to you! Love us for the sake of Allah. If we obey Allah, love us, and if we disobey Allah, hate us." The man said to him: "You are relatives of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) and his family." He replied: "Woe to you! If Allah were to benefit anyone through kinship to the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) without obedience to Him, He would have benefited those who were closer to him than us. Indeed, I fear that the punishment for the disobedient among us will be doubled twofold," referring by "those closer to him than us" to those who died as disbelievers among his family.
The Prophet (peace be upon him) had tried to save his uncle Abu Talib in fulfillment of the covenant he made with him, which was his saying: "I will surely seek forgiveness for you as long as I am not forbidden from doing so." So he began seeking forgiveness for him, hoping that Allah would allow him to intercede for him, and a group of believers joined him in seeking forgiveness. Then Allah forbade him and them from doing so through His saying, the Exalted: "It is not for the Prophet and those who have believed to ask forgiveness for the polytheists, even if they were relatives, after it has become clear to them that they are companions of Hellfire" [Quran 9:113], meaning it was not proper for the Prophet, nor permissible for him according to Allah's decree and wisdom to seek forgiveness.
Ibn Majah narrated that the Prophet (peace be upon him) saw some young men from Banu Hashim, and his eyes filled with tears. When asked about it, he said: "We are a household for whom Allah has chosen the Hereafter over this world. Indeed, my family after me will face trial, expulsion, and banishment..." to the end of the Hadith.
Imam Ahmad narrated: Amr al-Aslami, who was one of the companions of Al-Hudaybiyyah, went with Ali (may Allah be pleased with both of them) to Yemen, and he felt some harshness from Ali. When they returned to Medina, he voiced his complaint. The Prophet (peace be upon him) said to him: "You have harmed me." He replied: "I seek refuge in Allah from harming you, O Messenger of Allah!" The Prophet said: "Nay, whoever harms Ali has harmed me." Ibn Abd al-Barr added: "And whoever loves Ali loves me, and whoever hates Ali hates me, and whoever harms Ali harms me, and whoever harms me harms Allah."
Al-Mala narrated: "None loves us, the People of the House [Ahl al-Bayt], except a pious believer, and none hates us except a wretched hypocrite."
Imam Ahmad and Al-Tirmidhi narrated: "Whoever loves me and loves these two—meaning Al-Hasan and Al-Husayn—and their father and mother, will be with me in Paradise." In another narration: "...in my status." Abu...
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...Dawud added: "...following my Sunnah." Through this, it is known that mere love for them without following the Sunnah—as claimed by the Rafidite Shia, who claim love for them while abandoning the Sunnah—does not benefit its claimant in any good manner. Rather, it becomes a burden upon him and a painful punishment in this world and the Hereafter.
And he (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Indeed, my family after me will face killing and expulsion from my nation, and the most severe of our people in hatred toward us are Banu Umayyah, Banu al-Mughirah, and Banu Makhzum." It was authenticated by Al-Hakim, but objected to on the grounds that its narrator was weakened by the majority.
Ibn Asakir narrated: "The first people to perish will be my family." In another narration: "What will be our survival after them?" He said: "The survival of a donkey when its spine is broken."
Among the most hostile people to the People of the House was Marwan ibn al-Hakam. This was the secret behind the Hadith authenticated by Al-Hakim, that Abd al-Rahman ibn Auf (may Allah be pleased with him) said: "No child was born to anyone without being brought to the Prophet (peace be upon him) to pray for him. When Marwan ibn al-Hakam was brought to him, the Prophet said: "This is the gecko, son of a gecko, the cursed son of the cursed." Shortly after, it was narrated from Muhammad ibn Ziyad that when Mu'awiyah (may Allah be pleased with him) took the pledge of allegiance for his son Yazid, Marwan said: "This is the tradition [Sunnah] of Abu Bakr and Omar." Abd al-Rahman ibn Abi Bakr (may Allah be pleased with both of them) replied: "Rather, it is the tradition of Heraclius and Caesar!" Marwan said to him: "Are you not the one regarding whom Allah revealed: 'And he who says to his parents, "Uff to you"' [Quran 46:17]?" This reached Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her), and she said: "He lied, by Allah, it is not about him! Rather, the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) cursed Marwan's father while Marwan was still in his loins."
It was narrated from Amr ibn Murrah al-Juhani, who was a Companion (may Allah be pleased with him), that Al-Hakam ibn Abi al-Aas asked permission to enter upon the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him), and he recognized his voice. He said: "Admit him; upon him is the curse of Allah and upon whoever comes from his loins, except the believers among them—and how few they are! They will live in luxury in this world and be lost in the Hereafter, possessors of deceit and trickery; they are given in this world while having no share in the Hereafter." It was said that if this is authentic, it should be understood as having been said before his conversion to Islam, and that the Prophet (peace be upon him) retracted it after his conversion.
The Politics of Deceit and Trickery Are Not from the Religion of Allah
Since the dawn of Islam in its radiant era, it was afflicted by the Umayyads with the politics of deceit and trickery, which are far removed from the religion of Allah and from what Muhammad ibn Abd Allah (may Allah's blessings be upon him) brought forth. The one who established this...
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...bad tradition in Islam for those after him was their commander and chief, Mu'awiyah ibn Abi Sufyan (may Allah forgive him), and his counselor and minister in that, Amr ibn al-Aas. In the event of Arbitration [Al-Tahkim], the era of this tyrannical, cunning politics began between Imam Ali and Mu'awiyah ibn Abi Sufyan. This tyrannical politics was the start of a new era in Islam at the hands of Mu'awiyah, and it was the sole reason that prevented him from joining the ranks of the Rightly-Guided Caliphs before him, who conducted their politics according to the Book and the Sunnah. The last of them was Imam Al-Hasan, who abdicated his right to the Caliphate seeking to unite the Muslims and out of regard for the general interest of Islam.
Anyone who is carried away by emotion to place Mu'awiyah among the Rightly-Guided Caliphs will find a vast gulf filled with his actions that contradicted the religion of Islam and its noble morals, posing a severe barrier between him and them. His reign in early Islam was a new opening for the era of kings and rulers who followed his political approach after him. The game of deception during Arbitration was a successful political move in which Mu'awiyah gained the lion's share. Therefore, anyone who approved of it beat the drums for him and considered it among the everlasting deeds in the record of Mu'awiyah the Companion, who had previously served as a scribe for the Prophet (peace be upon him).
The Prophet once called him to write for Banu Khuzaymah when Khalid ibn al-Walid afflicted them, but the messenger returned to the Prophet three times, and each time he reported that Mu'awiyah was eating. So the Prophet prayed against him, saying: "May Allah never fill his belly!" Thus, he used to eat and never feel full. Yet, the virtue of Companionship and other merits he possessed were not enough to incline him toward piety and restraint from self-desire.
This was contrary to his opponent, Imam Ali (may Allah be pleased with him), to whose truthfulness the religious evidence and texts testified. The scholars of the nation and the People of the Sunnah and the Community from the early generations unanimously agreed that Ali was on the truth in his politics and opinion. Nothing prevented him from committing what his opponent committed of deceitful politics except religious and moral restraint, as well as his upbringing in the house of Prophethood and Message.
Hence, his famous saying was preserved when he saw affairs proceeding contrary to their moral and religious path, namely: "Were it not for piety, I would have been the shrewdest of the Arabs." Nothing prevented him from committing what his opponent Mu'awiyah committed except piety, religion, and fear of tampering with the destiny of the Islamic nation. That was the sole motive that made him endure what he endured for the reform of the nation, as recorded in the history books.
After he joined his Lord, his son Al-Hasan—the master of the youth of Paradise—assumed the right of the Caliphate, which was held by his father through the choice of the Islamic nation. Then Imam Al-Hasan...
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...(may Allah be pleased with him), when he saw that the affairs of the Islamic nation were collapsing and that conditions after his father were only escalating in disagreement, divergence of viewpoints, and conflict over power—a matter that Allah Almighty forbade through His saying: "And do not dispute, lest you fail and your strength depart" [Quran 8:46]—and since affairs had not stabilized before that even for his father, who was more capable of managing the affairs and politics of the nation by virtue of wisdom, religion, morals, and strength, he realized that the situation called for abdication in order to unite the Muslims.
Thus, he fulfilled what he had carried since childhood from the Hadith of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him): "Indeed, this son of mine is a master, and perhaps Allah will reconcile through him between two great groups of Muslims." So he actually abdicated and distanced himself from every single one of those terrors, and that year was named the "Year of the Community" [Aam al-Jama'ah].
In his abdication, he endured indescribable insults and mockeries from his opponents and his father's opponents, and his family and followers suffered unquantifiable hardships. At that point, he saw it necessary to unsheathe the sword of speech to defend himself and his family, as documented by researchers, carrying details that evoke immense wonder. Thus his life continued until he joined his Lord as a poisoned martyr, having vomited pieces of his liver during his lifetime.
At that moment, the atmosphere cleared for his opponent Mu'awiyah (may Allah forgive him), and he turned the Caliphate into a Heraclean dynasty, as explicitly stated to him by the noble Companion Abd al-Rahman ibn Abi Bakr al-Siddiq (may Allah be pleased with both of them) when he said: "Heraclius dies, and another Heraclius succeeds him!" Thus was established the tyranny of autocratic rule in the Islamic nation at the hands of Mu'awiyah, building his politics upon deceit and trickery in the first phase of the Islamic nation's eras.
Afterward, it became a concrete reality and an established tradition followed by every tyrannical usurper, regardless of the nature of his system. Yet, there is no system better than the application of Islamic law. Mu'awiyah was the first to take the pledge of allegiance for his son Yazid under the threat of the sword, after the gathering of the people of authority and influence [Ahl al-Hall wa al-Aqd] among the Companions and Successors. One of those appointed by Mu'awiyah for this purpose said: "O people, Commander of the Faithful is this one"—pointing to Mu'awiyah—"and if he dies, then this one"—pointing to Yazid—"and whoever refuses, then this!"—pointing to the sword.
Where is justice, one wonders? Islamic historians criticized Mu'awiyah (may Allah forgive him) for this, because it is unfitting for someone who assumes the Caliphate of Muslims on behalf of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him). Where is the justice of Islam, O Mu'awiyah? Where are the morals of Islam, when he (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "I was sent only to perfect noble character"? Where is your Islamic upbringing? Where is your companionship with the Prophet (peace be upon him)? And where is the piety that your opponent, Imam Ali (may Allah be pleased with him), sought out of fear of committing in Islam what you committed? All these questions...
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...were thrown by Mu'awiyah (may Allah forgive him and us) against the wall [i.e., completely ignored]. He established hereditary monarchy in Islam after the pattern of the Heracleans, Caesars, and Chosroes in oppressing subjects. This was an injustice to Islam recorded in your record, O Mu'awiyah, at the dawn of Islam, by introducing into it what is foreign to it, driving it through force after coercing the Companions of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) to pledge allegiance to his son Yazid. Everyone viewed Yazid as unfit to rule the Muslims, while among the Companions were those far better suited to bear its burdens, were it not for the principle of the dab-lizard that says: "Everyone seeks good for himself."
The primary result of this was the martyrdom of Imam Al-Husayn, the martyr of Karbala (may Allah be pleased with him). Had Mu'awiyah desired good for the nation, he could have united it under someone other than his son, choosing someone agreed upon by the people of authority and influence among the Companions of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him), in obedience to the tolerant teachings of Islam and staying away from foreign practices. Instead, he introduced pre-Islamic traditions and hereditary afflictions.
Thus, Mu'awiyah (may Allah forgive him) turned back on his heels, returning the Islamic nation to pre-Islamic customs and hereditary disasters. Autocratic rule inevitably continued its course, disregarding the nation's right to choose its opinion. It was maintained only by a tyrannical usurper devoid of restraint or morals to prevent him from following his personal desires and resorting to the law of the jungle, leaving human value behind.
It was inevitable for him to proceed along his path and commit major atrocities as a natural outcome, because deep down he felt he was an unjust usurper of another's right, living in fear and apprehension over his fate. For this reason, his character was bound to transform from human traits into those of a "predatory tiger." Yazid ibn Mu'awiyah, possessing these combined traits, transformed into a predatory tiger. He killed Imam Al-Husayn, and subsequently all Islamic sanctities became trivial to him: he permitted his army to pillage Medina for three days, violating three sacred boundaries at once—the sanctity of the Muslim, the Sacred City, and the Sacred Month.
From there, he targeted the Meccan Sanctuary, permitting his army to violate it and breaching three sacred boundaries: the sanctity of Islam, the Sacred City, and the Sacred Month. During his violation of these sanctities, news of his death and the death of his commander, Muslim ibn Uqbah, arrived, so his army returned to its headquarters in the Levant. All of this was done to dominate the Islamic nation at the height of its glory through coercion and subjugation—a nation that had practiced justice and happiness during the era of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) and the Rightly-Guided Caliphs after him, and had shown great devotion in supporting Islam and applying its teachings. How could those who lived a blessed life submit to someone who...
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...was incompetent in managing the affairs of Muslims? In order to force the nation onto the path of absolute autocratic rule, sacrifices had to be offered as gifts to establish and solidify its pillars. Thus, Imam Al-Husayn, the grandson [of the Prophet] and master of the youth of Paradise (may Allah be pleased with him), was the first victim of this absolute autocratic rule. He was soon followed by his great-grandson, Sayyiduna Zayd ibn Ali, and immediately after him, his son Yahya. The fate of these victims was unified at the hands of the Umayyad aggressors, who were thirsty for the pure blood of the Prophetic Household to consolidate their usurped kingdom out of fear of those rightfully entitled to it.
The Islamic nation, after its surrender to the status quo, was forced to sacrifice its finest, most virtuous, and glorious men, while standing at a distance making excuses as if seemingly satisfied with the establishment of this type of usurped autocratic rule built on deceit and trickery. This led to the slaughter of the rising young elite of Islam. During this period of history, the sun of freedom was eclipsed and remained hidden from its virtuous and brilliant geniuses among the free-born.
The situation worsened and the danger multiplied during the eras of the Abbasid State. Covenants that the Arab man used to take pride in fulfilling—and which Muslims in the era of Islam considered among their proudest virtues, encouraged by Islam's principles—were broken. Moral brutality increased among them to the point where covenants were turned into traps for their goals once their schemes succeeded.
Consequently, matters became easy for the men of the state, so they gave orders to the bloodthirsty commander Abu Muslim al-Khurasani to kill anyone accused of leaning toward the Alawite Household, whom they considered the most dangerous opponent to their usurped sovereignty. Historians noted that the pressure of the Abbasids upon their cousins of the Alawite Household reached such extreme distress that they became like a bird trapped in a cage, trying to escape aimlessly.
This was seen when Al-Husayn ibn Ali ibn al-Hasan al-Muthallath ibn al-Hasan al-Muthanna ibn al-Hasan al-Sibt revolted in Mecca during the reign of Musa al-Hadi ibn Ja'far al-Mansur in the year 169 AH. He was killed and crucified in a famous battle at a place near Mecca called "Fakh," where most of the descendants of Banu al-Hasan perished. This location lies 6 miles from Mecca al-Mukarramah.
Two men of noble history from the Alawite Household survived. The first was Idris ibn Abd Allah al-Kamil, who went to the land of the Maghreb [Morocco] and established a state there carved out of the Abbasid realm. His brother, Imam Yahya, went to the land of Daylam attempting to establish a state, but did not succeed due to its proximity to the capital of the Caliphate in Baghdad. Then in the end...
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...Abu Muslim met the exact same fate from them that he had inflicted upon others; they killed him in the most evil manner. They then continued this tyrannical policy that led to the killing of thousands of their loyalists, going to extreme lengths to the point of killing a man over a mere well-crafted slander. All of this was out of fear for their usurped authority through deceit and trickery, without relying on the approval of the Islamic nation or depending on anything to achieve it other than the methods of trickery, deceit, and the power of arms.
Any kingdom relying on this method resulted in bloodshed and crucifixion, even if it meant the complete destruction of their religion. Their souls found no comfort except in the intoxication of victory in their politics and the reassurance of maintaining their rule. The affliction of the Alawites was even harsher because of the virtue and goodness people saw in them, which drove people to love them even more and long for the Caliphate to be in their household. They viewed them as possessing a broader spiritual influence over the hearts of the nation than the rulers.
Since spiritual influence held special weight at that time, the rulers exerted all efforts to block their path so they would not reach any temporal power, which would have completed their authority and expanded their power to dismantle the usurped rule.
The Islamic nation at that time aspired for the Islamic Caliphate to be within the Alawite Household from the descendants of Al-Hasan and Al-Husayn, because they considered them the essence of the Prophetic Household. Through them, they sought to return to the authentic source from which it emerged, hoping to find in them their desired goal in governing the nation with morals and religion. They saw these qualities missing among those who built their politics on trickery, deceit, and murder over mere elaborate slanders.
This policy even extended to the ordeal of the Barmakids, who were the statesmen of the Abbasid realm during the reign of Harun al-Rashid. Envious people and slanderers continuously portrayed them to the tyrannical nature of the ruler as equals in status, emphasizing their growing power and influence until the ruler grew bitter toward them.
Finding no option except resorting to the nature of autocracy, the ruler began tracking their faults, recording their mistakes, and turning a blind eye to their virtues, making it easy to punish them for their shortcomings—even if fabricated like spiderwebs by slanderers. Thus came the ordeal, and Harun al-Rashid executed three of their prominent leaders: Yahya ibn Khalid and his two sons, Ja'far and Al-Fadl. These three had held high positions of state under Al-Rashid, until people witnessed them ruined after steadfast glory and manifest honor, all due to the slanders of the envious.
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The spirit of revenge on the part of autocratic rule raged so fiercely during the era of Al-Mutawakkil that he was not satisfied merely with executing the target of his wrath; rather, he followed his execution with the confiscation of his property, including movables and real estate, even if it led to the ruin of his family. To this extent reached the weakness of religious restraint in the hearts of despots under autocratic rule during the early Islamic eras.
Historians have proven through this that the passion for revenge grew so tyrannical that it stood between these people and their religion, which explicitly forbade torture, crucifixion, and mutilation.
And the spirit of revenge on the part of autocratic rule raged so fiercely during the era of Al-Mutawakkil that he was not satisfied merely with executing the target of his wrath; rather, he followed his execution with the confiscation of his property, including movables and real estate, even if it led to the ruin of his family. To this extent reached the weakness of religious restraint in the hearts of despots under autocratic rule during the early Islamic eras.
Historians have proven through this that the passion for revenge grew so tyrannical that it stood between these people and their religion, which explicitly forbade torture, crucifixion, and mutilation.
End of the Section, to be continued
Author
Taher Ben Abdessalam El Lhioui Al-Wahhabi Al-Alami Al-Hassani
Foreword
Abdallah Guennoun
Digital Edition, Translation and Presentation
Jaafar El Lhioui
Northern Morocco Archive
Conclusion
The archival lineage records preserved by historian Taher El Lhioui offer critical insights into the structural dynamics of the early prophetic households. By documenting these primary transmissions and clarifying descendant pathways, his work serves as an essential bridge connecting foundational Islamic history with the genealogical heritage of Northern Morocco.
Stay tuned for the upcoming chapters of this digital series as we continue to unlock rare documents from the Northern Morocco Archive.
Researcher, Editor, and Digital Activist
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