Peace of God be on him and his companions.
When in Jamadi of year 41 A.H., Muawiyah bin Abu Sufyan appointed
Mughira bin Shoba as governor of Kufa, he wrote to him divine praise and
glorification:
So to say: Indeed, for a man having means and intellect, before this the staff
was not hit on the ground and was not needful of being roused1 and Mutalammis
says:2
To the forbearing and aware man before this day was given awareness and
he became aware, and man does not see education, except for what he knows.
And the wise acquire goodness, without learning. I want to advise you a great
deal, but due to your awareness you know what pleases me and what helps me in
my kingdom. I want you never are overlook one advice: that is abusing Ali and
condemning him; and invoking blessings on Uthman and praying for his
forgiveness; and condemning supporters of Ali and driving them out and not
paying attention to them; and do not abstain from extolling supporters of Uthman
and making them proximate.
So Mughira said: I have experienced it and acted upon and before you I have
done the same for others; I have resorted to all these acts for which I should not be condemned and very soon you will test me and either praise me or condemn me.
Muawiyah said: “On the contrary, I would praise you.”
So Mughira was the governor of Muawiyah in Kufa for seven years and
during that time, he did not refrain from speaking ill of Ali and cursing killers of
Uthman, invoking blessings on Uthman, seeking forgiveness on his behalf, and
regarding the companions of 1Uthman as honest and chaste.
Hujr bin Adi heard this and said: On the contrary, Almighty Allah has
condemned and cursed you in excess. Then he stood up and said: Indeed, Allah,
the Mighty and Sublime says:
كُونُوا قَوْمِينَ بِالْقِسْطِ شُهَدَاءَ لِلَّهِ
“Be maintainers of justice, bearers of witness of Allah’s sake.”3
I bear witness that whom you condemn and curse is worthier for precedence
and those you praise, are worthier for condemnation. So Mughira said:
“Hujr, when I become your ruler, I would have you shot. O Hujr, woe upon,
fear the ruler; fear his anger. Indeed, if he is enraged, he would eliminate many
like you. So keep away from him and overlook his defects.”
He was always trying this till at the end of his rule, Mughira arose and he
said whatever he wanted about Ali and Uthman and his statement was as follows:
“May God have mercy on Uthman bin Affan, and may He overlook his
faults and give him a good reward. He acted according to divine commands and
according to direction of Messenger of Allah (s.a.w.a.). He united people and
secured our lives, and he was killed unjustly. O God have mercy on his friends,
confidants, and seekers of revenge on his behalf, and curse his killers.”
Hujr bin Adi arose and screamed so loudly on Mughira that everyone in the
Masjid and outside it, heard it and said:
“O man, due to old age, you don’t know whose fan you have become. Order
them to issue our allowance as you failed to pay us. You don’t have any right to
stop it. Those before you were not greedy in this regard. Today you condemn
Ameerul Momineen (a.s.) and you extol the guilty.”
More than two-thirds of the people rose up and said: “By God, Hujr is right.
Issue order to them to grant us our sustenance and allowance, because we do not
benefit from this statement of yours,” and they mentioned many such things.
Till Mughira died in the year 51 A.H. and Kufa and Basra was combined
under governorship of Ziyad. So he came to Kufa to enter the palace. Then
mounted the pulpit and delivered a sermon in which he extolled Uthman and his
supporters and named his killers and cursed them.
Then Hujr arose and said what he had told Mughira.
Muhammad bin Sirrin says: On the day Ziyad recited a sermon in prayers
and prolonged the sermon and delayed the prayer, Hujr bin Adi said: “It is the
time for prayer.” But Ziyad continued his sermon. Again Hujr said: “It is the time
for prayer.” But Ziyad continued his sermon. And when Hujr feared that time of
prayer would lapse [due to prejudice] he took a handful of sand and arose for
prayer and people arose with him. When Ziyad saw this, he came down and
prayed with people.
After the prayer, he wrote a letter to Muawiyah regarding the conduct of
Hujr and mentioned a great deal. Muawiyah replied: Fasten him in iron and send
him to me. When Muawiyah’s letter arrived, Hujr’s people wanted to prevent him
from going, but he said: “No, I will obey him. [and I will go there].”
So he was tied up in chains and dispatched to Muawiyah. He and his
companions set out from there. They took them upto Marz Azra, which is at a
distance of twelve miles from Damascus. They were imprisoned over there.
Muawiyah’s messenger came with order to free six of them and kill eight of
them.
He said: “I have been ordered to ask you to declare immunity from Ali and
to curse him. If you do that, I would free you. And if you refuse, I would
eliminate you. Indeed the chief of believers believes that shedding your blood has
become lawful due to testimony of the folks of your city, but if you declare
immunity from that man, I would emancipate you.”
They said: “O God, we will do this.”
Muawiyah’s messenger ordered the digging of their graves and to place their
shrouds near them; and they stood in prayer the whole night.
In the morning, Muawiyah’s men said: O people, indeed I saw you last night
that you prolonged the prayers and supplicated much, so tell us what is your
belief about Uthman?
They replied: “He was the first of those, who ordered oppression and acted
without rightfulness.”
Muawiyah’s men said: “The chief of believers was wiser than you.”
Then they arose and said: “Declare immunity from this man (Ali).”
They said: “On the contrary, we are affectionate upon him and we declare
immunity from one, who declared immunity from him.”
Thus, each of them took one person to kill him and killed them one by one,
till they killed six of them, one of them being Hujr.4
This was the belief of the senior companion, Hujr and his senior and
righteous associates regarding Uthman. They regarded him as one, who had ordered injustice and acted wrongly. Hujr, in his reply to Mughira said: “Regard
Uthman among the guilty;”
He and his supporters went so far in this belief that they preferred to give up
their lives for this; but did not accept Uthman’s honesty. Finally they were
executed for their conviction.