Abstract:
Imam Sajjad, the fourth leader of the Shiites, according to historical data, did not participate in the uprising of the people of Medina against the caliphate of Yazid. Two years after the event of Karbala, the people of Medina, in opposition to Yazid, launched a costly rebellion that, due to its occurrence in al-Harra, a location east of Medina, became known as the Battle of al-Harra. This great event has long attracted various analyses and opinions. Among them, some consider the Battle of al-Harra to be a result of the violence of the Yazidis against the family of the Messenger of God, especially what occurred on the day of Ashura, while others, with slight reduction, consider that event to be involved in it. However, in any case, what confronts a person with a serious question is the lack of participation and non-alignment of Imam Sajjad, as the sole seeker of blood for Imam Hussain and the martyrs of Karbala, in that rebellion or protest movement. Truly, why did the Imam not participate with the people of Medina in a movement that could have been revenge against the tyrannical rule of Yazid and a way to soothe past pains, and did not even endorse them, and even more, with mysterious behavior, responded to the request of Marwan ibn al-Hakam, who was himself one of the individuals hated and pursued by the Medinans, and supported his family? These actions, on one hand, subject the action of the people of Medina to a crisis of legitimacy, and on the other hand, target the Imam's reputation regarding why he was not in harmony with the people. This article, with a look at the original event, under the hypothesis that the uprising of the people of Medina was an attempt to recover a lost political position, explains the behavior of Imam Sajjad. The hypothesis of this writing is that His Eminence's refusal to participate in the rebellion of the Medinans was because they did not find that valuable and religious effort to justify accompanying them, not out of a desire for comfort or fear of consequences and costs.
Machine summary:
A) A look at the Harra event In the year 63 AH, the people of Medina, who seemingly acted based on socio-political calculations, following the removal of Yazid from the caliphate, proceeded to expel the Umayyad governor of the city, Uthman ibn Muhammad ibn Abi Sufyan and all the Umayyans residing in Medina, who numbered more than a thousand, were expelled.
This uprising, despite all its extent and comprehensiveness, was without the presence and companionship of a group of prominent figures; individuals such as Abdullah ibn Umar, son of the second Caliph; Amr ibn Uthman, son of the third Caliph; Muhammad ibn al-Hanafiyyah, son of Imam Ali, the fourth Caliph; Ali ibn Abdullah ibn Abbas, the grandnephew of the Prophet; and at the head of all, Imam Sajjad Zayn al-Abidin, son of Imam / Husayn, who was the object of attention and respect of the majority of the people of Medina, and indeed the Islamic world, and who undoubtedly could not shoulder the leadership of the uprising against Yazid like his father, yet he did not do so.
With the clarification that although the citizens were not unaware of Yazid's character and his type of interaction with religion and Muslims, the action of Uthman ibn Muhammad ibn Abu Sufyan, the new governor of Medina, in sending a group of dignitaries to Sham and the court of Yazid—which was, of course, intended to create closer ties—had the opposite effect; because during their meetings with Yazid, they observed behaviors that were not in line with Islamic characteristics, and naturally, overlooking them was impossible.
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