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Most of the Yemen was now
his. And in order to get the maximum pleasure from his military
and political success, Aswad forcibly married the lovely Azad. The
poor widow had no choice but to submit to the drunken embraces of
the loathsome Donkey-Walah.
Having occupied Najran and San'a, Aswad
consolidated his gains and extended his sway over all Yemen, many
tribes of which acknowledged him as ruler and prophet. As his authority
grew, he began to feel discontented with the title of prophet and
proclaimed himself Rahman of Yemen. 1 The
word 'Rahman' means the Merciful One, and is one of the titles by
which Muslims know Allah. Thus Aswad attempted to enter the divine
province to which no man has laid claim without suffering disastrous
consequences. Anyway, to his followers he became known as the Rahman
of Yemen. His drunken orgies continued, as did his enjoyment of
the ill-starred Azad, whose loathing for him grew so intense that
she confided to a friend: "To me no man is more hateful
than he." 2 In his viciousness
Aswad also turned against the family of the Persian Bazan and heaped
every manner of indignity and insult upon the surviving members.
By doing so he earned the bitter hostility of a stalwart and true
Muslim by the name of Fairoz Al Deilami-a member of this Persian
family and a cousin of Azad.
Unknown to the false prophet, the real Prophet
at Madinah had already initiated measures to deal with him. Having
received full reports of Aswad's mischief, the Holy Prophet sent
Qais bin Hubaira to organise the liquidation of Aswad. Qais got
to Sana' undetected, laid the foundations of an underground movement
against the impostor and made contact with the Persian Fairoz. Qais
and Fairoz became the brains of the organisation that was to draw
the sword of vengeance against Aswad and his apostates. In secret
they laid their plans.
The killing of Aswad was not going to be
an easy matter. The Black One was a huge, powerfully-built man,
known for his strength and ferocity, and he already suspected Fairoz
of disloyalty. Moreover, he lived in a palace that was surrounded
by a high wall and guarded by a large number of warriors who were
chosen for their loyalty and their faith in Aswad. They paced the
wall and treaded the corridors of the palace. The only possible
entrance was over a certain part of the wall adjacent to the chamber
of Azad. The wall would have to be scaled.
Fairoz got in touch with Azad, explained
his purpose and sought her help, which she readily promised, seeing
this as the only way out of the wretched life that she led.
The fateful night of May 30, 632 (the 6th
of Rabi-ul-Awwal, 11 Hijri) was chosen as the night. Just
after midnight, when the moon had set, and at a moment when no guards
were near, Fairoz scaled the wall of the palace with the aid of
a rope and slipped into the chamber of Azad. She hid him in the
room and the two cousins, fired by the same mission, waited.
Shortly before dawn Azad stole out of her
room and walked to Aswad's chamber, which was next to hers. She
knew that there was a sentry on duty nearby, though not in sight.
She opened the door, looked in, and then returned to Fairoz. The
fire of vengeance burnt in her eyes as she whispered, "Now!
He is lying drunk!"
Fairoz, followed by Azad, tiptoed out of
her chamber and to the door of Aswad's room. The woman stationed
herself at the door while Fairoz entered with drawn sword. Suddenly
Aswad sat up in bed and stared in horror at Fairoz, whose appearance
left no doubt as to his purpose. In the face of this danger the
drunkenness of the Black one vanished; but before he could get off
the bed, Fairoz sprang forward and struck him on the head with his
sword. Aswad fell back on his pillow. According to the chroniclers,
"He began to bellow like a bull" 3
His cries attracted the attention of the
sentry who rushed to Aswad's chamber. He saw Azad standing by the
door and asked, "What is the matter with the Rahman of Yemen?"
The plucky girl raised her finger to her lips. "Shush!"
she whispered. "He is receiving a revelation from Allah!"
4 The sentry nodded knowingly, and disregarding
the shouts of his master, walked away.
1. Balazuri: pp. 113 - 125.
2. Tabari: Vol. 2, p. 467.
3. Balazuri: p. 114.
4. Ibid
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