"Episode 20"
I was hanging by a thread between life and death
Here!
But Allah has decreed and His will shall be done
I do not believe I consumed enough poison to end my life
yet it was sufficient to weaken me
I sacrifice my life to you, my brother
What sinful hand dares to plot the murder of the Commander of the Faithful?
It seems assassination has become a tradition among the caliphs
after Umar, Uthman and Ali...
- And now... - It shall not happen while I live, Father
Perhaps you refrained from harming others because of me
What use is it if I find no one among them who is suspicious?
They are but cooks who have spent their lives within the palace
Only Mayya and Sawda entered their quarters
- and my aunt's maid, Juwayriya - My maid, Salma?
I doubt myself but I do not doubt her
And Mayya and Sawda as well Who is responsible then?
Come in!
My lord, the Commander of the Faithful Al-Ahnaf Ibn Qays awaits at the palace gate
Where to? You are still weary
And when have I not been? I must receive Al-Ahnaf Ibn Qays
Who is this Al-Ahnaf Ibn Qays that you hold in such high regard?
Assist me, Yazid, in dressing
Should I not care for a man whose anger stirs a hundred thousand souls...
none daring to question his wrath?
He is Al-Ahnaf Ibn Qays the master of Basra
The Sheikh of Bani Tamim and the most forbearing of the Arabs
Ensure he is hosted with a feast worthy of his stature
Above all, ensure the food is free from poison
As you command, Father
You are the master of the people of Basra and the most knowledgeable of its people
Many seditions have arisen there
Most of my governors have failed to manage its affairs
Who do you deem most worthy to govern it and restore order?
Since you have sought my advice...
the advisor must be trusted
Then appoint your brother Ziyad Ibn Abi Sufyan, as its governor
He is the youth who does not tolerate dishonor
and no empty threats can sway him
You speak thus of Ziyad though you are known to despise him?
Hatred does not prevent me from being just
Hatred only clouds the judgment of women
not men
May Allah reward you for that O noble sir, Tamim
May Allah bless you, Al-Ahnaf
We shall treasure your counsel and efforts
I see the Commander of the Faithful showing more mercy to his enemies
than to his friends
Your enemy is not the one who declares his enmity openly, yet conceals his loyalty
Your enemy is the one who proclaims loyalty while hiding discord and hypocrisy
A noble adversary is more valuable than a cowardly friend
Write to my brother Ziyad Ibn Abi Sufyan to appoint him governor of Basra
"From the Commander of the Faithful Mu'awiya Ibn Abi Sufyan"
"to his brother, Ziyad Ibn Abi Sufyan"
"We have decided to entrust you with the governance of Basra"
"while you remain to govern Persia and Sistan"
"You are known not to refuse a task"
"that benefits the nation and improves its condition"
"Go to Basra at once, if you are able"
"Stay there until you secure its affairs and ensure the safety of its people"
"And peace be upon you"
What troubles you, my Lady?
Sawda
She seems to occupy the thoughts of all within the palace
What are you implying?
Not an implication, my Lady
But it appears that Sawda with her cunning
has captured the attention of the Commander of the Faithful
This is what concerns me, Mayya
Sawda's cunning
Do you suspect her of being behind what befell my lord?
Even if she is not...
What happened to Mu'awiya...
makes me doubt even those closest to him
Even you
Come in!
My lord, the Commander of the Faithful summons you
Praise be to Allah for your safety, my Lord
Now, Sawda?
Forgive me, my Lord
I could not bear to see you bedridden
I sacrifice my life to you
My Lord, please
My Lord, I beg you
Why did you poison my food?
My Lord, I beg you I will confess everything
Release me
Please, I will tell you the truth I will tell you everything...
Release me
It was I who poisoned you
Yes
I intended to kill you
but the Kharijites forced me
They kidnapped my son
They threatened to kill him if I did not comply with their demands
- Your son? - Yes
My son, his name is Amer
What lies have I been living?
Believe me, my Lord
Believe me
I endured the separation from my son whom I have not seen for five years
because I love you
That was not love
It was mere lurking in wait
plotting for treachery... anything but love
No, my Lord
It was love
Believe me
I wished to tell you the truth but I feared losing you
Had you told me first you would not have to lie
- I feared you would not believe me, my Lord - You feared I would not believe you?
Did all that we shared not earn your trust?
I have never treated anyone as I have treated you
and yet you say "I feared you would not believe me?"
They blackmailed me with my son
I lost my senses, my Lord
I lost my mind, my Lord
- My Lord... - Begone from me!
You...
you are a heartless woman
You care only for yourself
You matter to me...
Today...
and tomorrow...
and until my last breath
Shihab Al-Ghasani
For what crime do you imprison me?
For the crime of poisoning the Commander of the Faithful
Seize him!
"Basra Year 45 After the Hijra"
People of Basra
As for what follows...
The extreme ignorance and the blind misguidance...
and the wrong path that leads its people to Hell
What your fools have adopted and your scholars have endorsed...
of grave matters...
As if you have not read the Book of Allah
and you have not heard of the great reward Allah has prepared for the obedient
and the painful torment for the disobedient
in the eternal time which shall never cease
Is there no one among you to prevent the misguided
from creeping at night and raiding at day
You bring kinship closer yet distance yourselves from faith
You excuse the inexcusable
and you turn a blind eye to the embezzler
Every man among you defends his fool
a deed of one who fears no consequences
and fears no Judgment Day
You lack wisdom yet you follow the foolish
Food and drink are forbidden to me
until I level it to the ground demolishing and burning it
I see that the end of this matter will only be resolved by what made it begin
I will not allow a man bearing arms to terrorize the peaceful
without imposing upon him the punishment of Allah
My sword shall strike in the name of the Commander of the Faithful
upon the sinners
Our resolve to pursue the aggressors shall not waver
Whoever disobeys the Caliph of the Muslims disobeys Allah and His Messenger
and opens the door for the enemies of Islam to strike us from within
A falsehood spoken at the pulpit is well-known and infamous
If you attribute falsehood to me then my disobedience becomes permissible for you
You have fabricated events that never occurred
so we ordained a punishment for every sin
Whoever drowns a people we shall drown him
Whoever digs into a house I shall dig into his heart
and whoever ventures out at night his neck shall be struck
and whoever desecrates a grave...
I shall bury him alive
Hold your tongues and hands from me and I shall hold mine from you
Let those among you who do good increase in their goodness
and let those who have wronged cease their wrongdoing
Many distressed by our arrival shall rejoice
and many joyful shall grieve
"Allah does not burden a soul beyond what it can bear"
"for it, is what it has earned..."
- Mu'awiya ? - Say Commander of the Faithful, you fool
I did not pledge allegiance to him to be the Commander of the Faithful for me
Those who are better than you and your impertinent group pledged allegiance to me
Such as Al-Hasan Ibn Ali, and the prominent companions of the Muhajireen and Ansar
Qurayshites pledged allegiance to a Qurayshi just like them
You praise yourself for yourselves
You have lied and spoken falsehood
Allah has praised them in His Book, saying...
"And the first forerunners among the Muhajireen and Ansar"
"and those who followed them in righteousness..."
"May Allah be pleased with them and may they be pleased with Him"
However, I am not surprised by your foolishness
You are among those who recite the Quran yet they don't comprehend it
We are not fools
We are the soldiers of Allah striving in His cause
Tell me, who among the disbelievers have you fought, other than Muslims?
We have fought those who are more harmful to Islam than the disbelievers
Do you know who are more harmful to Muslims than the disbelievers?
Those who kill children, women and the elderly, showing no mercy or compassion
Those who declare others to be disbelievers based on their whims
Those are your allies...
- the Kharijites, the dogs of Hell - Mu'awiya ...
Tomorrow, you shall know who is more deserving of Hell
As for you, you shall know today who is more deserving of it
By the Lord of Quraysh, I swear I shall scatter you across the lands
I shall not rest until I rid the Muslims of your evil
"Allah does not burden a soul beyond what it can bear"
"for it, is what it has earned..."
The cunning behind this woman does not surprise me
but that we failed to notice that all this time
At times, the intensity of love becomes a veil...
As the Arabs say...
Your love blinds and deafens
Sometimes, love is a stab in the back
Shall I tell you a story to amuse my lord?
It is said there was a village whose people refused to enter it
fearing a snake that lurked for those who entered or exited
Two brothers from the village set out to hunt it down
When they found it...
it attacked and killed one of them
The second brother overpowered it and was about to kill it
Then it said to him...
Spare my life...
and I shall give you a dinar each day
He agreed
Day by day, he took a dinar from it until he grew wealthy
As his wealth increased
He remembered his brother that was killed by that snake
He thought to himself...
How can I live in comfort while my brother lies dead?
He resolved to hunt the snake
Taking an axe in hand...
he tracked it to its lair
As it emerged...
he struck it on the head with his axe
yet it did not die
Realizing he had failed to kill it
He begged for its forgiveness and offered to remain friends
He asked it to continue giving him a dinar each day, as before
It replied...
Never shall I give you this, I see you as a traitor and your oath is wicked
There's a grave that still lies before me
and a blow of an axe on my head struck me down
Have you made your choice?
I have chosen the bay horse with the marking on its legs
Why?
It seems spirited and driven to me
I choose the black horse beside it
But it is old
Let us see
Get ready
One, two, three...
Go!
Your brother Ziyad has sent word
He reports that Basra and its people pray for the Commander of the Faithful
after he restored peace and security to the city
How did you know it was the best choice?
"To the Commander of the Faithful Mu'awiya Ibn Abi Sufyan"
"We belong to Allah and to Him we shall return"
"It grieves us to inform you of the passing of your brother, Utba Ibn Abi Sufyan"
There is no power nor strength except with Allah
I sacrifice my soul for you O Commander of the Faithful
What happened?
We belong to Allah and to Him we shall return
Utba
My brother Utba has passed away
Utba?
May Allah have mercy on you, Utba
We belong to Allah and to Him we shall return
"Kufa Year 50 After the Hijra"
Noble people of Kufa
May Allah grant you solace for the loss of Governor Al-Mugheira Ibn Shuba
may Allah have mercy on him
But you must remain in your homes
until a new governor arrives to Kufa
appointed by the Commander of the Faithful, Mu'awiya
The enemies of Allah, the Kharijites lie in wait for you
We belong to Allah and to Him we shall return
We must seize this opportunity before the enemy of Allah, Mu'awiya, sends us...
a governor more cunning and ruthless than Al-Mugheira
Allah Akbar!
Peace be upon the Commander of the Faithful
And may the peace, mercy and blessings of Allah be upon you
May Allah grant you comfort for the loss of Governor Al-Mugheira Ibn Shuba
We belong to Allah and to Him we shall return
May Allah have mercy on you, Aba Issa
I knew he would not survive the plague
The Governor was among the finest of Muslim men
The loss of such a man is irreplaceable May Allah accept him with mercy
In the name of Allah the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful
What is wrong, my Lord?
It's wrong indeed when the Kharijites spread corruption in the lands of the Muslims
They seize every opportunity to sow fear among the believers
What have they done this time?
They have seized Kufa and fought its people with swords
There is no power nor strength except with Allah
Woe to them forever!
They neither tire nor relent
How long shall these people remain a thorn in my side?
Whenever one of them stands out
they would raid the peaceful spreading fear and death in their wake
I will send upon them a cunning hand who will erase their very trace
"From the Commander of the Faithful Mu'awiya Ibn Abi Sufyan"
"to his brother, the governor of Basra Ziyad Ibn Abi Sufyan"
"We have united for you the governorship of Kufa and the governorship of Basra"
"If you needed Kufa"
"Rise and march forth for the Kharijites have seized it"
"spreading corruption and chaos"
"And peace be upon you"
Do you not see that you have granted Ziyad an authority unlike any other?
He is worthy of it
You have placed all of Iraq at the mercy of Ziyad's allegiance
Ziyad is now Ziyad Ibn Abi Sufyan my brother
If I cannot trust my own brother whom can I trust?
This state that we built with our sacrifice
requires loyal men to ease the Governor's heart
and strong men to deter the envious the spiteful and the foolish
Ziyad Ibn Abi Sufyan embodies both traits
Loyalty and strength
You have been deceived by the years of turmoil
and the forbearance of the companions towards you
until you became a lasting affliction upon this nation
You declare Muslims as disbelievers
and you unlawfully shed their blood and violate their honor
But today, you face a new era
An era in which no mercy shall be shown
nor shall I be
It is a harsh time for the deceitful
and easy for the righteous Muslim
A time when you will find no refuge, no forgiveness
No friends, no brothers
This is the era of the Commander of the Faithful
Mu'awiya Ibn Abi Sufyan