Nasb-and-the-Nawasib

Jihād was alive and active in the Umayyads, they had no occupation
besides that. The word of Islam had risen high in the east and the west of
the earth, in its lands and in its oceans. They had subdued disbelief and
its people. And the hearts of the polytheists were filled with awe for the
Muslims. The Muslims would not advance toward any land or region but
would conquer it and capture it. The pious, the ascetics, and great scholars
of the successors participated in their campaigns and were part of their
armies. 1 To the extent that even Ḥusayn ibn ʿAlī I was part of the army
which attacked Constantinople. 2
However, their interaction with the Alawids was governed by more than one
aspect, the political aspect being the greatest of them, even though it blended
at times with the religious aspect. 3 The religious aspect did not emerge but in
comparatively lesser times, especially during the era of ʿUmar ibn ʿAbd al-ʿAzīz. 4
The Second Aspect: The familial aspect:
This refers to the family ties which existed between the Banū Hāshim and the
Banū Umayyah, for they were paternal cousins. 5
Blood relations in essence lay at the very core of humanity, which is why it always
remain attached to its roots and can never completely detach from them.
In light of this, it will be easy to understand some of the very noble stances taken
by the Umayyads, which at times seem inaccurate or inexplicable due to there
being a very huge contrast between them and between their stern and harsh
positions, towards the Alawids.
1 Al-Bidāyah wa al-Nihāyah 9/87.
2 Ibid. 8/151.
3 Al-Kāmil fī al-Tārīkh 4/362; Siyar Aʿlām al-Nubalāʾ 4/111; al-Bidāyah wa al-Nihāyah 9/229.
4 Al-Muntaẓam 6/337; al-Bidāyah wa al-Nihāyah 9/133.
5 Fatḥ al-al-Bārī 8/328.
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