The Dimensions and Results of Killings of Shias out of the Battlefields During Umayyad Age

Umayyad age (41 – 132) was a difficult era for Shias during which they were oppressed severely by caliphates. The Shias made considerable sacrifices to survive their ideology and a large number of them was killed. In addition to these casualties in battlefields, the scale and results of massacre against Shia Muslims out of the battlefields are unknown and there is no meticulous and extensive research in this regard. The current study aims to investigate two subjects: First, exploring the dimensions and the rate of killings of Shias out of the battlegrounds and also establishing reliable statistics (beyond the all advertisements and exaggeration of adversaries). Second, examining the results of oppression and massacre of Shias and showing the damages that they were sustained. Owing to this the Sufyanis and the Marwanids, two branches of Umayyad dynasty, were studied through the Persian and Arabic texts of Islam history; also all the measures and killings committed by the caliphates of this dynasty were categorized in two classes: mass murder and individual killing; then their reasons and stimuli were studied. The killings of Shias had a great effect on political, cultural, and economical history of this branch. On the one hand it resulted in their internal solidarity but on the other hand from the social perspective it marginalized this branch and made them separate from the main body of Muslims. Into the cultural perspective it grew their internalization and in economical perspective weakened their economic power.