Abbasid Prejudice

However, Abbasid prejudice is the primary reason for his unfavorable image. The Abbasid discontentment is a result of Umayyad nepotism particularly when Muawiya, the first Umayyad caliphate, allowed his incompetent son Yazid to ascend to power and effectively concentrated the Islamic rule amongst the Umayyad clan. The majority believed there were other more pious and appropriate individuals . Muawiya was also instrumental in the first fitna against Ali which killed multiple prominent Muslim figures. Non-Arab converts also contested the increasing disparities amongst their status and that of Arab Muslims under the Umayyad rule . In contrast, Hajjaj’s “obedience towards the Umayyads and his willingness to serve them were unbounded” . This is evident in the first source when Hajjaj ruthlessly executes Umayr, “an old man, sick and broken down” simply because …show more content…
This merciless nature is also proclaimed by the last source whose story-telling structure implicitly attributes Hajjaj’s death as punishment for berating prisoners’ suffering. Hajjaj’s legal consultation further reinforces his devotion to Uthman and the Umayyads. He ascertains Five companions’ opinions on the case, including Ali’s and Uthman’s. Not only does Hajjaj follow Uthman’s ruling but he specifically states he “must not follow Ali’s opinion” . This is primarily because “the scholars did not want to alienate the…pro- Alids,” to further propagate their anti- Umayyad agenda beyond their Abbasid audience . The fourth source highlights Hajjaj’s impious nature beyond his brutality as it claims he was only happy in the presence of a woman, She, herself is described as irreligious for refusing to visit her cousin’s grave and pay her respects. This frivolity is also accredited to Abd al- Malik in source six who depicts him spending irresponsibly on boorish jokes and court