Quick Facts
Biography
Hujr ibn 'Adi al-Kindi (died 660 CE) was a companion of the Islamic Prophet Muhammad. He was sentenced to death by the Umayyad Caliph Muawiyah I for his unwavering support and praise for Ali, the fourth Rashidun Caliph of Islam and the first Imam of the Shias, when he objected to the tradition of publicly cursing Ali. He belonged to the tribe of Kindah.
Hujr's titles
Hujr was given two title: al-Kindi and al-Adbar. The first title given to Hujr was al-Kindi. Al-Kindi in English means the person from Kindah, an Arabian tribe. The second title that was given to Hujr was al-Adbar.
Character and life
According to some narrations, his last wish was that his son should be executed before him lest death terrifies him (his son) and therefore accede to the condition of cursing Ali.
Desecration of shrine
Hujr, his son Humaam ibn Hajar, and some other companions are buried in Adra, in the outskirts of the Syrian capital Damascus. A mosque has been built around his grave and is a pilgrimage site for Muslims.
On 2 May 2013, US-backed extremists (allegedly from the Wahhabi movement) attacked the mausoleum and exhumed his remains. His body was taken to an unknown location by the rebels. According to a report published in the NY Times, a widely distributed Facebook photo of the desecration of the pilgrimage site gives credit for the exhumation to a man named Abu Anas al-Wazir, or Abu al-Baraa, a leader of a military group called the Islam Brigade of the Free Army.