ABSTRACT
POPULAR Muslim opinion has made Yazid, the son of Muawiya, a monster of iniquity. In its fierce wrath it has forgotten his amiable qualities and distinctive poetical talent. The poet Hafiz—the sweetest of Persian poets—begins his “Diwan” with a verse from a famous poem of this “universally condemned” Caliph. And those who have read his poems cannot but admire and applaud their vigour, their spontaneity, their enticing charm, their moving simplicity. Whatever else he may or may not have done—he has enriched Arabic Literature, and has handed down to the world a book of poems of everlasting renown. But, whatever his excellence as a poet, to the Muslim world Yazid’s name is associated with the tragedy of Kerbala. The “Sunnis” condemn him; the “Shias” make it their business to shower annual curses on him and his kinsmen. The facts are briefly these: Yazid—the undisputed Caliph—was resisted by a band of Muslims headed by Al-Hussain, the son of Ali and grandson of the Prophet.
