Open the gates, guards!
Quickly, quickly
Open the gates
Come on!
- Come on! - Utba, what happened?
Mu'awiya, answer me for Allah's sake
- Don't worry, he will be fine - Mu'awiya
Come on!
This way
May I stay with the Governor alone?
What happened?
Rest assured, it wasn't fatal
My Lord, the dagger is poisoned
There is no cure except that I give you a potion
But...
But what?
The potion will cut off your ability to bear children and offspring
What do you command me to do?
I find myself like someone seeking refuge from the heat of the sun into the fire
All right
May Allah fulfill what was to be done
In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most merciful
"Episode 16"
Thank Allah you are safe Aba Abd al-Rahman
Thank Allah you are safe, Brother
Did you know anything about him?
It's more serious than we thought
The man was not a spy for the Byzantines
- Who was he then? - He was a Kharijite
His name is Al-Borak Ibn Abdullah
He is one of three who conspired to kill you and kill Amr Ibn al-As
and Ali Ibn Abi Talib
It is a traitorous dagger that missed you
The dagger is not to be traitorous nor covenant
but the hand that holds it
Why did you want to kill me?
I wanted to kill you in support of the faith
You support the faith and extinguish seditions
by killing Muslims in mosques in the hands of Allah?
And you conspire to kill the Governors by treachery?
There is no governance nor rule except for Allah
Who has entrusted you with implementing Allah's judgment?
And who entrusted you to implement Allah's judgment?
- All Muslims - I feel sorry for you, Mu'awiya
You sit on your comfortable chair
and you luxuriate in ostrich feathers as regal plumes wave over you
and the guards are crowded around you
and you consider yourself a Governor of this nation?
What do you say about Ali Ibn Abi Talib?
He is just like you not innocent of disbelief
Both of you are in the same darkness
Kill me and don't deny me what I wish for
I hasten my reward in Paradise in the attempt to kill you
Do you consider yourself going to Paradise?
Rather, my seat is in the Highest Paradise
Send him to his seat
What woke you up early?
I received a message that disturbed my day
Is it bad news from Egypt?
Was Amr Ibn al-As killed?
Amr did not go out to pray
but his deputy did
The Kharijite killed him thinking that he was Amr Ibn al-As
Ali was killed
May Allah have mercy on him
But we were fighting him yesterday
Was there anything else at the end of that road, Aba Abd al-Rahman?
We fought as knights in a battle
Our swords clashed but our hearts did not
Opinions differed
The nation was divided into fractions and parties
We hoped to establish justice
but we did not hope to end up as fractions torn apart by swords of treachery
I survived and Ali was killed
May Allah have mercy on you Aba al-Hasan
They pledged allegiance to Al-Hasan as a successor to his father
I didn't think they would do anything else
The people of Kufa love Ali and his sons more than all the previous companions
Did Ali benefit from this love?
They loved him but did not support him
Rather, they turned against him
they divided his army
and disobeyed his order
Do you think he knows that and refrains from fighting us?
Or might he want to achieve what Ali's army did not achieve?
This is the Messenger of Allah's grandson may Allah bless him and grant him peace
He and his father may Allah have mercy on him...
hold a special place and high regard in the hearts of Muslims
We will not exceed the bounds like the Kharijites, may Allah curse them
Rather, we will uphold for the man...
what is our duty to do for him
We shall not show him strength and severity
except where we also show him gentleness and patience
And I have always known Al-Hasan to be...
a man of reason and wisdom
He is not one of those who revel in shedding blood
But the matter of war is not in the hands of Al-Hasan alone
"Kufa"
Commander of the Faithful, I have gathered the men and prepared the army battalions
so order me to attack him
Won't you say something Commander of the Faithful?
Aba Muhammad
- If we delay fighting him... - My father was killed here, Qays
His blood has not yet dried and you are talking about fighting
Men have resolved to support you with an irrevocable resolve
If this was enough, my father may Allah have mercy on him
would have been be with us now
If the Commander of the Faithful fears the weakness of the army
We'll send to Ziyad Ibn Abihi in Al-Mada'in to ask him for support and assistance
as he still refuses to pledge allegiance to Mu'awiya
Did you receive his pledge of allegiance to me?
We'll write for him
How long will we have to wade through blood, Qays?
Until the nation's affairs are set right
and they return to the rightful leaders who are most deserving of it
And if we do not reach that...
will we, our families and our children remain at war until the end of time?
I think that a decisive war with Mu'awiya would be enough to be a fortress
to protect your caliphate from the evil of sedition and plots
In war, we are united
and in abstention, we are divided only Allah knows the extent of it
Enough for Allah's sake Qays, enough!
- Amer is my son - Amer
You will never see him again
- Let go of him - I will take him
- Mother - Leave him, Qatada
- Mother - Amer
You act as a brave man on women you coward, go away
- Shut up! - I won't
Tomorrow my brother Al-Aswad will come and you will see, let go of me, Amer
Your brother Al-Aswad will never come
He will come, Qatada despite you and you will see
Mu'awiya killed him
Just as he killed your uncle Al-Borak before him
Liar!
- Commander of the Faithful? - Yes
You are the Commander of the Faithful Aba Abd al-Rahman
There is no one but you as a Caliph to the Muslims
By Allah, Aba Abd al-Rahman, we wanted to name you Commander of the Faithful
since we and the people of Iraq have been at odds
but we refrained from doing so as Ali Ibn Abi Talib was the Commander of the Faithful
Now that Ali is dead, no one is more deserving of it than you
and you are the leader of Quraysh today
The people of Syria have chosen you as a Caliph over the Muslims
The people of Kufa chose Al-Hasan Ibn Ali
Today, we do not know a caliph except Mu'awiya Ibn Abi Sufyan
- Yes, Commander of the Faithful - Yes, Commander of the Faithful
Peace be upon you
May the peace, mercy and blessings of Allah be upon you
The news from Kufa is not what you wish, Aba Abd al-Rahman
What is there?
Al-Hasan Ibn Ali ordered the march of an army from Kufa to Damascus
Who is the commander of this army?
Ubaydullah Ibn Abbas
So, the advocates of war have triumphed over the seekers of peace
What to do now?
Prepare the army
We will march tomorrow Allah willing, towards Iraq
and let your army leaders know
that we are going out towards those people not to fight them, but to prevent fighting
I will do my best to spare their blood and ours
This is what I will count on you to succeed in, Utba
We will seek to support Al-Hasan Ibn Ali and thwart the plot of those seeking war
Qatada!
Qatada, open the door I know you are inside
Open the door, Qatada
Qatada?
I want my son, Amer Qatada!
Qatada, you coward!
Open the door, I'm not moving from here, open the door
Open the door
I want my son
Open the door, Qatada
Amer, my son
Amer
There are knights coming
"Ubaydullah Ibn Abbas's Camp"
I am Utba Ibn Abi Sufyan a messenger from Mu'awiya
I have a message that I want to deliver to Ubaydullah Ibn Abbas
Wait!
He must trust you so that he'd listen to what you want to say
because you will put him to a test he has never encountered before
You will wait for his reply
that may change his fate and the fate of this entire nation forever
In situations like this...
one must be alone so that no ally influences his judgment
- Peace be upon you - And be upon you
May I have a drink of water?
In the name of Allah
Praise be to Allah
May I talk to you privately?
We are united there is nothing hidden among us
or among our soldiers
By Allah, this is the mark of good judgment and strong resolve
We don't want to hide anything from anyone
Read Mu'awiya's letter alone
then tell it to whomever you want
This is his condition
Al-Hasan intends to make peace
Don't miss out on the favor of the Governor of Syria
Don't dwell on it for too long
At sunrise, the armies of Syria will storm in on you
Did you come in peace or war?
Do you think we will come back if peace is not made?
Accept what is offered to you and seize it before it passes you by and you regret it
Either peace...
or war
He might not believe you and doubt your words and think it's a trick
At that moment, block his path with dinars for their gleam is enough to persuade
What is the price for this peace?
500 thousand dinars now and he will have the same amount when I enter Kufa
Don't leave before he writes a letter in his own handwriting admitting it
At your command, my Lord
About 200 soldiers from Ubaydullah's army will come
and four thousand from Al-Kindi's army
Now, what do we do?
We will write to Al-Hasan and send him the letters of Ubaydullah and Al-Kindi
and he will know who pushes him into war and who extends his hand to him for peace
"Cousin, do not sever the ties of kinship between us"
"People have betrayed you just as they did to your father"
If you were to place me at the head of the army
I would be a better choice for you than Ubaydullah, Commander of the Faithful
This is what Ubaydullah wrote to Mu'awiya
and this is what Al-Kindi wrote
Mu'awiya did not send it to me except to prove to me that many of my men
that their hearts are with me yet their swords are against me
You will only find me with you with my heart and my sword
You are indeed a loyal companion, Qays
but the matter cannot be set right neither with you nor a few of our men
You have turned to peace then
No, Commander of the Faithful I beg you by Allah
After all this, will the Muslims' affairs be decided by Mu'awiya?
I've been looking at this and turning it over for months
As long as Mu'awiya did not give up the caliphate
There is no way but peace but it will not be without a price
Rather, we will impose on Mu'awiya what will preserve us our rights
Come on, let's go to pray
"Upper Mesopotamia Year 41 After the Hijra"
Peace be upon you
And be upon you, Aba Abd al-Rahman
Muslims will never forget that you are the one who united our word
and our group, Aba Muhammad
Preserving bloodshed through peace is better than shedding it through war
And if you govern us by the Book of Allah and the laws of His Prophet
the people will praise me
but if you go otherwise people will not remember me well
Praise be to Allah, I have done and will do nothing but according to the Book of Allah
and the laws of his Prophet and the Rightly-Guided Caliphs after him
Have a seat
May Allah have mercy on the past and help us in the coming days
What are your terms?
Do not harm the people of Kufa who pledged allegiance to the Commander of the Faithful
Ali, may Allah have mercy on him in any way
as long as I live
and that you give me what is in the treasury of Kufa
It is about five thousand thousand dinars
and I shall have the tax of Dar Abjard from Persia
and I will be the Governor after you
and not to insult my father
As for the people of Kufa they are our subjects
We care for them as a father cares for his son
and all people are safe, Allah willing
No one is held accountable for a mistake or revenge
The spoils shall not be withheld from those who deserve them
and people shall not be wronged in their wealth or lives
What is in the treasury and the tax of Dar Abjard
Rest assured, it's yours
As for cursing Ali may Allah have mercy on him
We have no power over people's tongues
We have been cursed and slandered in your presence
We did not blame you or anyone for that
But we will do our best so he won't be insulted, may Allah have mercy on him
in your presence
As for the Caliphate
I promise you that it will be yours after me
"No soul knows what it will earn tomorrow"
"and no soul knows in what land it will die"
Today, we thank Allah who spared the blood of Muslims
Wouldn't you like to visit Syria and be my guest, you and your children and family?
I have no place in Syria or in Kufa
but in the Medina next to my beloved grandfather
We are waiting for you to visit us
- Allah willing - Commander of the Faithful
I want you to summon all the Umayyads to my court
I want only the Umayyads
Send a messenger to Bani Kalb asking Governor Yazid to come
and a messenger to Ramla and her husband to bring them back to Damascus
At your command
Umayyads, cousins, the closest of people to the Commander of the Faithful
A wise man does not need a custodian
and the intelligent needs only a hint
and people like you were the lords of the Quraysh in the Age of Ignorance
and Arab leaders in Islam
they are the most worthy of knowing the intricacies of governance
and people's management
Allah has blessed you by making you the lords of the Arabs twice
The first was during the reign of Uthman Ibn Affan
May Allah have mercy on him
The second was during the reign of Mu'awiya Ibn Abi Sufyan
Umayyads
Your mistakes today are magnified tenfold in the eyes of the people
and your missteps are multiplied many times over
Hearts are either filled with love for you
holding you accountable for small and big matters
or they are filled with hatred seeking to find your flaws
Be a shield for the people
they will protect you in return
Be a ground for them
they will be a sky in return
For the most deserving of forgiveness are the most who have the power to punish
and know that the most beloved to me among you
are those who make me most beloved to the people
Umayyads
Treat people with patience
By Allah, I would encounter a man in the Age of Ignorance
He would insult me yet I would respond with patience
and I would return and he would be my friend
If I seek his help, he would help me
and if I revolt he would revolt with me
Patience never diminishes the honor
It only increases nobility
And remember the words of Allah Almighty
"And not equal are the good deed and the bad"
"Repel that deed which one that is better"
"and thereupon the one whom between you and him is enmity"
"will become as though as he was a devoted friend"
"But none is granted it except those who are patient"
"and none is granted it except one having a great portion"
- What are the news from Medina? - All right
But Qays Ibn Saad worries me
When did you become a young man, Yazid?
- Men mature early in the desert - True
But I hope that you have taken from the desert good morals and eloquent language
and avoided its evils of harshness and rudeness
and longing for women
He who enters the den of wolves will not come out of it completely safe
Come, come
Qays Ibn Saad gave his companions the choice between peace and war
Most of his companions want to fight
What do you think about him, Marwan?
As long as you have secured the side of Al-Hasan
You must go to those who pledged allegiance to him and take revenge on them
Thousands pledged allegiance to Al-Hasan before he abdicated the caliphate to me
Should I start my caliphate with a great massacre
while people's souls have not yet calmed down from the effects of the seditions?
Moreover, most of them are from Kufa
and you know that I had made a pact with Al-Hasan
not to harm the companions of Ali may Allah have mercy on him, in any way
Should we leave Qays free to incite people against you and reject your caliphate?
Cousin of the Commander of the Faithful
Has not Allah made our affair easy as we desire?
Trust me and don't question me about this
War, Marwan, begins with whispers
continues with complaints and ends with suffering
The country and its people are tired of wars
After this, it is fitting for the leader to show the public a merciful face
through which he gains their affection
What if Qays did the same thing again?
If not with Al-Hasan then with someone else
Don't worry! I won't leave him to do as he pleases
If there is anything in this world that I am more skilled at than fighting and war
it is peace
"People of Ansar..."
"as for the good you mentioned you are its deserving people"
Do you know who said this, Qays?
The Caliph of the Messenger of Allah
Aba Bakr Al-Siddiq
He said this in the presence of your father may Allah have mercy on him, in Saqifah
May Allah have mercy on Al-Siddiq
He never said a word that was not fair and sincere
that contained the best for the nation and the community
But what he said about the Ansar
You destroyed it after you did what you did
I thought you would begin by mentioning Al-Siddiq, may Allah have mercy on him
and then to speak gently
Yet, instead, you start with a harsh reception
and contradict what was in your letter which called for peace
So, what have I done?
I am the one who should deny what you have done
Is this how you speak to the Commander of the Faithful?
I have not pledged allegiance to you yet
No allegiance to you, Mu'awiya
If the price of peace is that I admit to you that I am wrong
You are wrong indeed, Qays
After the word was united and the pledge of allegiance was established...
are you going back to incite discord isolate yourself with your own opinion
and split the group with your friends?
We only did that because we saw you raising the shirt of Uthman
may Allah have mercy on him
and you take it as a means that you send in the hands of your wishes and hopes
to ride vengeance as a submissive steed until it brought you to where you are now
If you wish, Mu'awiya
let me go back or kill me right now
Let us both find rest
Kill you? Should I do this after I gave you safety?
What then do you seek to accomplish by speaking of breaking the unity of obedience?
I want to extract your anger to say what's in your chest
I'm afraid you'll accept now and leave me
and when you are alone anger comes back to you
Say what you have to say in front of me and wash away what is in your chest, Qays
If you come to me walking in peace I will come to you running
As for me raising the shirt of Uthman to reach the caliphate, that is not true
I only wanted retribution
The Umayyads made me the avenger of Uthman, and he was killed unjustly
Things went like this without my intention
I am not the one who killed Ali may Allah have mercy on him
Rather, those who killed him tried to kill me, and I was seriously injured
Then Allah granted me life afterwards
I could have been killed and Ali could have lived
As for Ali, who you pledged allegiance to
he has passed away to the mercy of Allah
and his son, Al-Hasan has abdicated to me
Will your Governor abdicate yet you disobey?
You're disobeying him before you disobey me
So, see and decide what you believe
I see that you grant me covenants and pacts of safety for me
and to all supporters
Peace be upon you
And may the peace, blessings and mercy of Allah be upon you
May Allah protect you Commander of the Faithful
- May Allah protect you, Commander - May Allah protect you all
May Allah prolong your life Commander of the Faithful
Please, have a seat
Praise be to Allah, who commanded us to praise Him and promised us His reward for it
Praise be to Allah...
We thank Him very much as He has blessed us greatly
I bear witness that there is no god but Allah alone, without partner
and that Muhammad is His servant and messenger
May Allah bless him and grant him peace
As for what follows...
The caliphate is Allah's decree
that He bestows upon whomever He wills of His servants
I took it upon myself to succeed those who are better than me
I know that I will leave it for those who I am better than them
If you do not find me good for you...
I am the best for you in governance and the most formidable against your enemy
I swear to Allah I will not carry a sword against someone who has no sword
and if all that remains from you is the slanderer
I'd put his words behind my ears and under my feet
If you do not find me fulfilling all your rights
accept some of it from me
And if something good comes to you from me, accept it
For indeed, when the rain is abundant it enriches
and when it is scarce, it suffices
Go to your prayers, may Allah have mercy on me and on you
Join your brothers
Straighten your rows may Allah reward you
- Allah Akbar - Allah Akbar