Obayd-Allah Ibn Ziad: Difference between revisions

==Ibn Ziad’s Hostility toward Imam Hussain==

Ibn Ziad’s role in the death of Hussain has made him a symbol of tyranny in the Shiʿite world. Though it is said that the advice of Shamer b. Dhu’l-Jawshan prevented him from accepting the compromise negotiated by Ibn Saʿd, there is ample evidence that he was largely responsible for the outcome of the battle of Karbala. [[ʿAbbasid]] historical sources stress his intransigence toward Hussain and his followers. He is said to have struck the mouth of Hussain’s severed head with a stick, provoking the indignation of an old companion of the Prophet, Zayd b. Arqam, who had seen the Prophet kiss those lips (Tabari, II, pp. 370 f.). He is also said to have refrained from killing [[ʿAli b. al-Hussain|ʿAli Zayn-al-ʿAbedin]] only because of the pleas of Hussain’s sister, [[Zaynab]] (Tabari, pp. 372 f.). Most accounts, both historical and semi-legendary, mention his sending the women of the [[Ahl Al-Bayt|Ahl-al-Bayt]] to Damascus in uncovered palanquins. The account in Balʿami’s Persian “translation” of [[Tabari]] shows the growth of the Hussain legend; Ibn Ziad is said to have had Hussain’s head presented to him on a golden plate (ed. Bahar, p. 271). Legend has embellished Ibn Ziad’s death. A drop of blood from the head of Hussain is said to have fallen on Ibn Ziad’s thigh, causing a deep sore with such a foul stench that he was forced to tie a pouch of musk to it. The odor of musk identified his body on the battlefield (Dinavari, p. 288; Calmard, pp. 568 f.).

==Ibn Ziad in Mourning Rituals==

Ibn Ziad ‘s tyranny has become a symbol in Persian folklore and [[taʿziya]]. Allusion to his deceitful character can be found in proverbs (Dehkhoda, I, p. 11), and he figures in nearly all [[taʿziya]]s connected with Karbala. His tyranny is illustrated in numerous majales, particularly those forecasting the sufferings of Karbala martyrs, those sometimes called “Bazar-e Kufa” showing his attitude toward the surviving Ahl-al-Bayt and Zaynab’s famous imprecations against him, and those connected with Mukhtar’s and Muhammad b. Hanafiya’s revenge (Calmard, pp. 262 ff.; on Malayan literature on the subject, see Brakel). The actor playing Ibn Ziad, clad in red, had to declaim his part with a harsh voice. When seated in his court, he generally wore a cashmere robe and a cashmere or rezaʾi turban on his head (Mostawfi, Sharh-e zendagani I, p. 289). Most of these features have been retained in recent taʿziya staging in Persia. ʿObayd-Allah b. Ziad is so accursed by the Shiʿites that the word “Allah” is sometimes omitted from his name. He is then called ʿObayd-e Ziad in some taʿziyas (Rossi and Bombaci, no. 723) and in popular literature such as the Mukhtar-nama (Calmard, p. 247).