Abraj al-Zujaj fi Sirat al-Hajjaj
- Author died
- 1422 AH
- Editions
- مطبعة سفير
Abraj al-Zujaj fi Sirat al-Hajjaj (Towers of Glass on the Biography of al-Hajjaj) is a concise biographical treatise by Abd al-Rahman bin Wahf al-Qahtani (1403–1422 AH / 1983–2001 CE) examining the life, governance, and legacy of the Umayyad governor al-Hajjaj ibn Yusuf .
Composition and Publication
The work originated as a research paper written by the author during the second semester of the 1420–1421 AH academic year while he was in his second year of secondary school at the Abu 'Amr al-Basri Quran Memorization Secondary School in Riyadh, under the supervision of teacher Muhammad al-Sulaym . Following the author's death in 1422 AH, his father, Said bin Ali bin Wahf al-Qahtani, obtained the handwritten manuscript from the school's vice-principal, Muhammad al-'Awshan, and edited the text .
The editor collated the text against the author's original manuscript, documented its historical citations from primary historical and biographical sources, placed his own textual additions in brackets, and added supplemental points of benefit in footnotes, including accounts of encounters between al-Hajjaj and leading figures of the Successors (al-Tabi'un) . The book was published as an independent monograph and was also included as the fourth treatise in a posthumous compendium of the author's collected writings (Majmu' Rasa'il al-Shabb al-Salih Abd al-Rahman ibn Sa'id ibn Ali ibn Wahf al-Qahtani) .
Contents and Structure
The treatise provides an overview of al-Hajjaj's life and historical role, organized into thematic discussions that cover:
- Lineage and Early Life: His ancestry, birth, family background, number of children, wives, and personal reports concerning his household .
- Rise to Power and Governorship: His status prior to entering political office, the beginning of his authority, the military campaign against and killing of Abdullah ibn al-Zubayr, his appointment over Iraq, and the territorial conquests conducted during his administration .
- Character, Oratory, and Governance: His personal traits, administrative reforms, eloquence in public speeches (khutab), correspondence and letters, and the praise, censure, and poetic satire directed at him .
- Scholarly Assessments and Death: Critical evaluations and statements of Islamic scholars regarding his character and deeds, the timing of his death, public reactions to his demise, and dreams and visions reported about him posthumously .
The work concludes with the author's research findings, recommendations, and a bibliography of historical sources consulted .
Answer updated