Said ibn Jubayr

Said ibn Jubayr realized that if he fell into the hands of al-Hajjaj, he would have to choose one of two things: either his head would be cut off or he would have to admit that he was an unbeliever. It was a difficult choice. Said chose to leave Iraq and hide. He moved from place to place, hiding from al-Hajjaj and his spies, until he found himself in a small village near Mecca. Ten full years passed.

It would seem that this time would be enough for the flame in al-Hajjaj’s heart to go out and his anger to subside. But something happened that no one expected. A new governor from among the governors of Banu Umayya arrived in Mecca. This was Khalid ibn Abdallah al-Qasri. Said ibn Jubayr’s friends were wary, because they knew that the new governor was a bad person and evil could be expected from him.

Some of them came to Said and said, “Indeed, this man has arrived in Mecca, and we fear that he may cause you harm. Fulfil our request: leave this area.”

But Said said, “By Allah ﷻ, I have been on the run for so long that I am ashamed before Him. I have decided to stay in this place and may Allah ﷻ do with me what He wills...”

The suspicions were confirmed. As soon as he learned where Said ibn Jubayr was, the governor sent a detachment of soldiers there and ordered them to seize him and deliver him in chains to al-Hajjaj in Wasit. The soldiers surrounded the house where Said was and chained him in front of his friends. They told him that they would take him to al-Hajjaj. Said received this news with a calm heart. He turned to his companions and said, “Indeed, I think that this oppressor will certainly execute me. One of the nights of worship, I was with two of my companions and we, wanting to experience the sweetness of supplication, turned to Allah ﷻ with supplications - each asked for what he wanted. Then we asked the Almighty to grant us martyrdom and it was granted to both of my companions, and I am still waiting for it.”

Hardly had he finished speaking, when his little daughter entered. Seeing her father in chains and soldiers leading him, she rushed to him. Clinging to her father, she began to cry. He gently pushed her away from him and said, “Tell your mother, daughter, that we will meet in Paradise, if it is the will of Almighty Allah.” Having said this, he left with the soldiers. The detachment brought him, an imam and eminent scholar, to the city of Wasit. They brought him to al-Hajjaj.

He cast an angry glance at him and asked, “What is your name?”

He replied, “Said ibn Jubayr.”

Al-Hajjaj shook his head, “No, you are Shakiyy ibn Qusayr!”

He deliberately distorted his name.

Said replied, “My mother knew my name better than you.”

Al-Hajjaj continued asking questions, “What do you say about Muhammad ﷺ?”

Said clarified, “About Muhammad ibn Abdullah ﷺ?”

Al-Hajjaj answered in the affirmative.

Said said, “The Master of the descendants of Adam, the chosen Prophet ﷺ. He is better than all who will live and better than those whose lives have already ended. He conveyed the message and fulfilled the mission entrusted to him. And he was sincere in his heart towards Allah ﷻ, His Book, ordinary Muslims and influential ones among them.”

Al-Hajjaj asked, “What do you say about Abu Bakr ?”

Said answered, “As-Siddiq is the successor of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ. He followed the path of the Prophet ﷺ, without changing or replacing anything.”

Al-Hajjaj asked, “What do you say about Umar ?

Said replied, “Al-Faruq, through whom Allah ﷻ separated the truth from falsehood, is the chosen one of Allah ﷻ and the chosen one of His Messenger ﷺ. He followed the path of his predecessors, lived a glorious life and died a martyr.”

Al-Hajjaj asked, “And what do you say about Uthman ?”

Said replied, “A man who provided for an army that was going on a campaign in difficult conditions, dug the well of Ruma and bought himself a house in Paradise. He was the son-in-law of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, the husband of his two daughters. The Prophet ﷺ married him based on a revelation that came from the Lord. And he was killed unjustly.

Al-Hajjaj asked, “What do you say about Ali ?”

Said replied, “The cousin of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, the first youth to accept Islam, the husband of the most pure Fatima, the father of al-Hasan and al-Husayn - the leaders of the youth of Paradise.”

Al-Hajjaj asked, “Which of the caliphs of Banu Umayya is dearer to you?”

Said replied, “The one with whom the Creator is more pleased.”

Al-Hajjaj asked, “Which of them is the Creator more pleased with?”

Said replied, “This is known only to the One Who knows what they were hiding.”

Al-Hajjaj asked, “What do you say about me?”

Said replied, “You know yourself better.”

Al-Hajjaj said, “I want to hear what you know about me.”

Said said, “It will sadden you, not please you.”

Al-Hajjaj said, “I want to hear it from you.”

Said said, “Indeed, I know that you are contradicting the Book of Allah Almighty. You do things to make people fear you and these deeds push you to your doom and push you into the fire of Hell.”

Al-Hajjaj exclaimed, “By Allah ﷻ, I will certainly execute you!”

Said said, “So you will ruin my earthly life and I will ruin your eternal life.”

Al-Hajjaj suggested, “Choose for yourself the death you wish.”

Said replied, “No, you choose for yourself, O Hajjaj, for by Allah ﷻ, no matter how you kill me, He will certainly kill you in the same way in the eternal world.”

Al-Hajjaj asked “Do you want me to forgive you?”

Said replied, “If there is forgiveness, it will only be from Allah Almighty. As for you, there can be no forgiveness or justification from you.”

The enraged al-Hajjaj said, “The sword and the mat, servant!”

Said smiled, and al-Hajjaj asked, “Why are you smiling?”

Said replied, “I am surprised by your insolence towards Allah ﷻ and the leniency of Allah ﷻ towards you.”

Al-Hajjaj ordered his servant, “Kill him!”

Said turned towards the qibla (Kaaba) and recited the ayah of the Koran (the meaning of the commentary): “I have turned my face towards Him Who created the heavens and the earth, being in pure faith (the One Lord), and I am not of the polytheists!” (Sura Al-An’am, ayah 79).

Al-Hajjaj ordered, “Turn his face away from the qibla!”

Said recited another ayah (the meaning of the commentary), “To Allah ﷻ belongs the east and the west. Whichever way you turn, there is the qibla of Allah ﷻ...” (Sura Al-Baqara, ayah 115).

Al-Hajjaj ordered, “Put him on the ground!”

Said recited from the Koran (the meaning of the commentary), “From it (the earth) We created you (your forefather Adam), to it We will return you (after death) and from it We will bring you out again (on the Day of Resurrection).” (Sura Ta-ha, ayah 55).

Al-Hajjaj ordered, “Kill him! Indeed, I have never seen a man who could remember the appropriate ayah for any occasion better than he could.”

Said raised his hands and said, “O Allah ﷻ! Do not give al-Hajjaj power over anyone after me.”

Just fifteen days after Said’s execution, al-Hajjaj developed a fever. The illness worsened, and he would fall into unconsciousness and then regain consciousness. Whenever he dozed off for a while, he would wake up, overcome with fear, and cry out, “This is Said ibn Jubayr! He is holding me by the throat. He is asking, “Why did you kill me?!””

Then he would cry and say, “What does Said ibn Jubayr want from me? Save me from him!”

When he died and his body was buried, someone saw him in a dream and asked, “What did Allah ﷻ do to you for those you killed, O Hajjaj?”

He replied, “Allah ﷻ killed me once for each person, and for Said ibn Jubayr He killed me seventy times.”

Adil Ibragimov

Theologian