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The pledge to Yazid as heir apparent

البيعة ليزيد بولاية العهد

c. 670 CE · 50 AH

Mu'awiya summoned the Syrians to pledge the succession to his son Yazid — the first to bequeath the caliphate to a son and the first to do so in his own lifetime — and wrote to Marwan at Medina to take the pledge. Marwan preached that the caliph wished to appoint Yazid 'after the manner of Abu Bakr and Umar'; Abd al-Rahman ibn Abi Bakr rose: 'rather after the manner of Chosroes and Caesar — neither of them gave it to a son or any of their house'. When Muawiya made the hajj in 51 he took the pledge in person: Ibn Umar answered that earlier caliphs had sons no worse than Yazid yet chose for the Muslims, while disclaiming any wish to break the community's staff; Ibn Abi Bakr leapt up vowing to return the matter to shura; Ibn al-Zubayr retorted 'if you are weary of rule, retire and bring your son — whom would we obey if we pledged you both?'. Muawiya then announced from the minbar that the three had 'heard, obeyed and pledged' — which the crowd affirmed and they denied 1.

Depth

At a glance

Era
The Umayyad Period
Region
Arabia
Review
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In time

660670680 c.
The Rashidun Caliphate · The Umayyad Period

Overview

Mu'awiya called for the oath of allegiance to his son Yazid as heir apparent. al-Suyuti says that the people of Syria gave their allegiance in 50 AH in one report, and in 56 AH in another, and that he was the first to designate a successor for his son while he was alive. 2

Medina

Mu'awiya wrote to Marwan in Medina to take the oath. Marwan gave a sermon and said that the Commander of the Faithful had decided to appoint Yazid as successor on the model of Abu Bakr and Umar. Abd al-Rahman, son of Abu Bakra, said, according to al-Suyuti: "Rather, the custom of Khosrow and Caesar; Abu Bakr and Umar did not place it among their own children." 2

Mu'awiya's pilgrimage

Mu'awiya made the pilgrimage in 51 AH and took the oath for his son. al-Suyuti relates that Ibn Umar answered him that the caliphs before him had sons, and they did not see in them what he saw in his son. Ibn Abi Bakr replied that the matter should be returned to consultation. Mu'awiya told Ibn al-Zubayr that he was a wily fox, and Ibn al-Zubayr answered that he should withdraw and let them pledge to his son. 3

Mu'awiya went up the pulpit and declared that they had heard and obeyed and pledged, while the people said that they had not pledged. 3

The Gregorian date is derived. The disagreement between the years 50 and 56 stands in the source, and the museum does not favour either.

Connections

Explore the connections

Had participant
Mu'awiya ibn Abi Sufyan· Yazid ibn Mu'awiya· Abd al-Rahman ibn Abi Bakra· Abdullah ibn Umar ibn al-Khattab· Abdullah ibn al-Zubayr ibn Abd al-Muttalib

People and things also explored

The pledge to Yazid as heir apparent· The Conquest of Rhodes and the Demolition of Its Fort· The Second Raid on Cyprus· Mu'awiya ibn Abi Sufyan· Yazid ibn Mu'awiya· Abd al-Malik's Coinage Reform· Ali declines to keep Muawiya in office· Letters between Ali and Muawiya after the Camel

Sources

  1. Tarikh al-Khulafa — al-Suyuti (Dar al-Minhaj edition) , p. 326-327
  2. Tarikh al-Khulafa — al-Suyuti (Dar al-Minhaj edition) , p.326
  3. Tarikh al-Khulafa — al-Suyuti (Dar al-Minhaj edition) , p.326-327
  • The Umayyad State — Bakr Muhammad Ibrahim Bakr (1st ed., Markaz al-Raya lil-Nashr wal-I'lam, Cairo 2002)
Cite this page

islam.museum contributors. “The pledge to Yazid as heir apparent”. islam.museum, https://islam.museum/en/event/baya-wilayat-ahd-yazid/. CC BY-SA 4.0. Last updated 2026-10-22.

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The pledge to Yazid as heir apparent

In 56 AH Mu'awiya ibn Abi Sufyan called for the pledge to his son Yazid as heir apparent, at the suggestion of al-Mughira ibn Shu'ba. Ziyad ibn Abihi had disliked this, because he knew Yazid's frivolity and his devotion to hunting; he sent to Mu'awiya to dissuade him, but the matter was completed after Ziyad's death. Then, on his way from Mecca to Syria, Mu'awiya summoned the five who had refused: Abd al-Rahman ibn Abi Bakr, Abd Allah ibn Umar, Abd Allah ibn al-Zubayr, al-Husayn ibn Ali and Ibn Abbas. Abd al-Rahman was the most vehement in refusing. Mu'awiya preached in Medina while they sat beneath his pulpit, and the people pledged to Yazid without showing dissent.