Debate Between Al-Hajjaaj and Sa`eed bin Jubayr
Shaykh `Aa'idAbdullah al-Qarnee
ibnMuslim writes "Allah caused him to die after a month. He is considered wretched and miserable, although he belonged to Muslims. This is because he didn't know the guidance or uprightness and because he couldn't make sense out of his life mission.
Al Hajjaaj kept pursuing the noble scholar Sa`eed bin Jubayr for eight years or more until he eventually found him. Bin Jubayr was a scholar known for his scrupulous piety and a man of great knowledge and action who was waging jihad to raise the flag of La ilaha illAllah the upper most. When he was arrested - as in the story mentioned by the author of TuhfatulAhwadhi - Sa`eed bin Jubayr entered upon al Hajjaaj,
so al Hajjaaj told him: Whatis your name (and he knew his name well)?
He answered: Sa`eed bin Jubayr.
So Al Hajjaaj responded to him saying: Nay,you are Shaqiy bin Kusayr. (Al-Hajjaaj is playingwith words here: Sa`eed means happy and Shaqiy means unhappy, wretched. Jubayrmeans one who splints broken bones, and Kusayr one who breaks them.)
Sa`eed told him: My mother knew better whenshe named me.
So Al Hajjaaj told him: You are wretched (shaqayta)and your mother is wretched (shaqiyat - Al Hajjaaj isagain playing with words, referring to Shaqiyy - unhappy/wretched).
Then he told him: By Allah, I will replace yourdunya with a blazing Fire. Sa`eed said, If I knew you could do it, Iwould take you as a god.
So al Hajjaaj told him, I have gold andwealth. Bags of gold and silver were brought and spread before Sa`eed bin Jubayr inorder to try him.
Sa`eed bin Jubayr said: O Hajjaaj, if yougathered it to be seen and heard in show-off, and to use it to avert others fromthe way of Allah, then by Allah, it will not avail you (lan yughneeka)against Him in any way.
So Al Hajjaaj said: I have a femaleslave-singer (al-mughanniyah - al-Hajjaajcontinues to play with words, responding in mockery to Sa`eed's words 'lanyughneeka/it will not avail you' with a word that has the same triliteralroot).
He told her: Sing for me andentertain me. Sa`eed bin Jubayr cried, and Al Hajjaaj told him: >Areyou crying out of joy?
So Sa`eed told him: By Allah, I do not cry outof joy, but I cry for the slave girl that was subjected to other than what shewas created for, for she was not created to sing, and `ood (musical instrument)was not built but for disobedience of Allah.
Al Hajjaaj said: Take him and turn him toother than the Qiblah. By Allah, O Said bin Jubayr, I will kill you with akilling with which I have not killed any of the people.
Sa`eed said: O Hajjaaj choose for yourselfwhatever killing you want, by Allah you will not kill me with a killing exceptthat Allah will kill you with a like of it, so choose for yourself whateverkilling you like.
Al Hajjaaj said: Turn him (wallooh)to other than the Qiblah.
Sa`eed said: Wherever you [might] turn(tuwalloo), there is the Face of Allah. [Qur'an, 2:115] Al
Hajjaaj said, Put him under the earth.
Sa`eed said: From it [the earth]We created you, and into it We will return you, and from it We will extract youanother time. [Qur'an, 20:55] The Death of Al-Hajjaaj
Al-Hajjaaj said: Kill him.
Sa`eed said: Laa ilaha ill Allah MuhammadunRasulullah. Take it, O Hajjaaj, until you meet me with it tomorrow before Allah.O Allah, do not give him authority over anyone after me! O One who cuts up thetyrants, cut up al Hajjaaj! - and in the same gathering ablister appeared on Al-Hajjaaj's hand and he became enraged like a bull for awhole month - he couldn't sleep from the pain and fatigue, nor could he eat anddrink. Al-Hajjaaj said about himself: No night haspassed except that I saw myself swimming in blood and no night has passed exceptthat I saw as if al Qiyamah took place and that Allah took me to account andthat I was killed for whoever I killed with one killing, except Sa`eed binJubayr - Allah punished me for killing him with seventy killings.
Allah caused him to die after a month. He is considered wretched andmiserable, although he belonged to Muslims. This is because he didn't know theguidance or uprightness and because he couldn't make sense out of his lifemission.