The Ahulbayt in Quran [Electronic resources] نسخه متنی

Tragedy of Karbala as reported by the Sunnis (Part II)

The events that transpired with Muslim b.

Aqil

Al Husayn, peace be upon him, summoned Muslim b.

Aqil
and

despatched him with Qays b.

Mushir al Saydawi and
Umara b.

Abd

Allah al Saluli, and Abd Allah and Abd al Rahman, sons of

Shaddad al Arhabi.

He enjoined him to be pious
before God and to

conceal his affair, and to act in a kindly way.

If
he saw that the

people were united and had commited themselves to an
agreement, he

should speedily inform him of that.

Muslim, the mercy of God be on him, departed until he came to

Medina.

There he prayed in the mosque of the
Apostle of God, may

God bless him and his family, and said farewell to the
dearest

members of his family.

Then he hired two guides.

These
two set out

with him, but they missed the way and got lost.

Both
were struck by

severe thirst and were unable to continue their journey.

They
indicated

the path to him after it again appeared clear to them.

Muslim
carried

on along the path and the two guides died of thrist.

Muslim
b.

Aqil,

the mercy of God be with them both, wrote a letter from the
place

known as al Madiq and sent it with Qays b.

Mushir:

I set out from Medina
with two guides and they missed the way

and got lost.

Both
were overcome by thirst and soon died.

But

we kept going until we
came to water.

We were only saved at the

last moment of our
lives.

That water is in a place called al-

Madiq in a low valley.

I
have taken this as a bad omen for my

mission.

If
you consider it so, you could relieve me and send

another in my place.

Greetings.

Al-Husayn, peace be upon him, wrote (back):

I am afraid that your
urging me in the letter to relieve you from

the task which I sent
you on is only cowardice.

Therefore go on

with your task which I
gave you.

Greetings.

Muslim read the letter, he said: "It is not for myself
that I am

afraid.

" So he continued (once more) until he came
to a well

belonging to (the tribe of) Tayyi'.

He stayed there
(the night) then as

he rode off (he saw) a man hunting.

He saw him
shoot a fawn as it

came into his sight, and kill it.

Muslim said:
"(Thus), will we kill our

enemies, God willing.

"

He went on until he entered Kufa.

There he stayed
in the house of

al-Mukhtar b.

Abi Ubayda, which is called today the
house of

Muslim b.

al-Musayyib.

The Shia began to
come regularly to (see)

him.

Whenever a group of them gathered together
with him, he would

read the letter of al-Husayn, peace be upon him, and they
would

weep.

The people pledged allegiance to him (on
behalf of al-Husayn)

to the extent that eighteen thousand men made such a pledge
to him.

Therefore Muslim wrote to al-Husayn, peace be upon him,
informing

him of the pledge of allegiance to him of the eighteen
thousand and

urging him to come.

The Shia began to visit Muslim b.

Aqil so
frequently that his place

(of residence) became well-known.

Al-Numan b.

Bashlr,
who had

been Muawiya's governor of Kufa and had been confirmed in
office

by Yazid, knew of his where abouts.

He went up on
the the pulpit and

after praising God said: "Servants of God, fear God and
do not rush

into rebellion and discord.

For in that men will be
destroyed, blood

will be shed, and property will be plundered.

I do
not combat anyone

who does not combat me, nor do I disturb those of you who
remain

quiet.

I do not oppose you, nor do I apprehend (you
merely) on

grounds of suspicion, accusation or hearsay.

However,
if you turn

your faces away from me, violate your pledge of allegiance
and

oppose your Imam, by God, other than Whom there is no deity,
I will

strike you with my sword as long as its hilt remains in my
hand, even

though I do not have any of you to help me.

Yet I
hope that those

among you who know the truth are more numerous than those
whom

falsehood will destroy.

"

Abd Allah b.

Muslim b.

Rabi'al al-Hadrami,
an ally of the Banu

Umayya stood before him and said: "O governor, what you
see can

only be adequately dealt with by violence; for the view which
you

hold about what (should be done) between you and your enemy
is

that of the weak.

"

"I would prefer to be one of the weak (while remaining)
in

obedience to God than to be one of the mighty (while at the
same time

being) in rebellion against God," answered al-Nu'man.

Then
he went

down (from the pulpit).

Abd Allah b.

Muslim went out and wrote the
(following) letter to

Yazid b.

Mu'awiya:

Muslim b.

Aqil
has come to Kufa and Shia have pledged

allegiance
to him on behalf of al-Husayn b.

Abi Talib,

peace be on
them.

If you have any need for Kufa, then send it a

strong man,
who will carry out your orders and act in the same

way as you
would against your enemy.

Al-Nu'man b.

Bashir
is a

weak man, or
he is acting like a weak man.

Umara b.

Uqba wrote to him in a similar vein, as
did Umar b.

Sa'd b.

Abi Waqqas.

When the letters
reached Yazid, he summoned

Sarjun, a retainer (mawla) of Muawiya and asked (him):
"What is

your view (of the fact) that Husayn has sent Muslim b.

Aqil
to Kufa

to receive pledges of homage on his behalf? I have (also)
learnt that

Numan is weak,and had other bad reports of him.

Who
do you think

that I should appoint as governor of Kufa?"

Now Yazid was angry with 'Ubayd Allah b.

Ziyad so
Sarjun

answered him, "Do you think, if Muawiya was alive and
advising

you, that you would take his advice?"

"Yes," he answered.

Sarjun produced a (letter of) appointment for 'Ubayd Allah b.

Ziyad (as governor) of Kufa, and said: "This
is the advice of

Mu'awiya, which he ordered before he died.

So join
the two cities of

Basra and Kufa (under the authority) of Ubayd Allah.

"

"I'll do that," replied Yazid.

"I'll
send the letter of authority

(which my father wrote) for 'Ubayd Allah b.

Ziyad
to him.

"

After this he summoned Muslim b.

'Amr al-Bahili and
he sent him

to 'Ubayd Allah with the following (letter):

My Shia
among the people of Kufa have informed me that Ibn

'Aqil is
there gathering units in order to spread rebellion among

the Muslims.

Therefore,
when you read this letter of mine, go to

Kufa and
search for Ibn Aqil as if you were looking for a bead

until you
find him.

Then bind him (in chains), kill him or
expel

him.

Greetings.

In this way he gave him authority over Kufa.

Muslim
b.

'Amr went

to Ubayd Allah at Basra and brought him the authorization and
the

letter.

'Ubayd Allah ordered that preparations
should be made

immediately and that the departure for Kufa would take place
on the

next day.

He himself left Basra after he had made
his brother,

'Uthman, his deputy.

He took with him Muslim b.

Amr,
Sharik b.

al-

A'war al-Harithi, together with his entourage and household.

When he reached Kufa, he was wearing a black turban and he
was

veiled.

News of al Husayn's departure had reached
the people and

they were expecting his arrival.

When they saw
Ubayd Allah, they

thought that he was al-Husayn.

He (i.

e.

Ubayd
Allah) did not pass a

group of people without them greeting him.

They
were saying:

"Welcome, son of the Apostle of God, your arrival is a
happy

(event).

"

He saw in their welcoming of al Husayn something which
(greatly)

troubled him.

Muslim b.

Amr said, when
their number had become

so great (that) they were delaying them: "This is the
governor 'Ubayd

Allah b.

Ziyad.

"

He went on so that he was approaching the (governor's) palace
at

night.

With him was (still) a great crowd who had
gathered round him

and who did not doubt that he was al-Husayn.

Al-Numan
b.

Bashir

had (the palace) bolted against him and against his
entourage.

One of

those with him called on him to open the door to them.

But

al-Numan, still thinking that he was al-Husayn, went up to
the

balcony and called down: "I invoke God before you,
unless you

withdraw (from me), by God, I will not hand over my of fice (amana)

to you but I have no wish to fight you.

"

(Ibn Ziyad) did not answer him.

But he went closer
while al-

Nu'man was hanging over the balcony of the palace.

Then
he began

to say to him: "Open, you have not opened yet and you
have already

had a long night (in which you have slept instead of
governing).

A man behind him heard this and withdrew to the people from

Kufa who had followed (Ibn Ziyad) (believing) him to be al-Husayn.

He said: "O people, it is Ibn Murjana, by Him other than
Whom

there is no deity.

" Al-Numan opened the door for him
and he

entered.

They slammed the door in the faces of the
people and they

dispersed.

In the morning the call was made among the people: "Al
Salat

jamia (the prayer is a general prayer which all should gather
for).

"

The people gathered and he went out to them.

He
praised and

glorified God and said: "The Commander of the faithful (Yazid)
has

appointed me to be in charge of your town and your
frontier-station

and the distribution of your booty (fay).

He has
ordered me to give

justice to the oppressed among you, to be generous to those
of you

who are deprived, and to treat the obedient among you with

generosity like a good father, but to use the whip and the
sword

against those who abandon my commanus and oppose my

appointment.

Let each man protect himself.

True
belief (sidq) should

declare itself on your behalf, not the threat of punishment (wadis).

"

Then he went down, he took the group leaders (arifs) and
(some

of) the people forcibly and he said: "Write to me about
the strangers,

those among you who supported the Commander of the faithful
(i.

e.

'Ali b.

Abi Talib), those among you who support the
Haruriyya (i.

e.

Kharijites), and the trouble-makers whose concern is discord
and

turmoil.

Whosoever of you makes these lists for us
will be free from

harm.

But those of you who do not write anyone,
will have to

guarantee that there is no opponent in his group (irifa) who
will

oppose us, and no wrongdoer who will try to wrong us.

Anyone
who

does not do so, will be denied protection and his blood and
his

property will be permitted to us.

Any group leader
(arif) in whose

group is found anyone with partisanship for the Commander of
the

faithful, who has not been reported to us, will be crucified
at the door

of his house, and I wil abolish the pay (atal) of that group
(irafa)"

When Muslim b.

Aqil heard of the coming of Ubayd
Allah to

Kufa, of the speech he had made and his treatment of the
arifs and

(other) people, he left the house of al-Mukhtar and went to
the house

of Hani' b.

Urwa and went in (to stay) there.

The
Shia began to visit

Hani's house secretly to keep it hidden from Ubayd Allah and
they

enjoined that it should be kept secret.

Ibn Ziyad summoned a retainer (mawla) of his called Maqil.

"Take three thousand dirhams," he told him,
"and look for Muslim

b.

'Aqil and search out his followers.

If
you get hold of one or a group

of them, give them these three thousand dirhams.

Tell
them to use it

to help in the war against your enemy.

Let them
know that you are

one of them.

For if you give them it, they will be
sure of you and have

confidence in you, and they will not keep any of their
information

from you.

So go (looking) for them and continue
until you find where

Muslim b.

'Aqll is staying and you have met him.

"

He did that.

He came (to a place where) he sat near
Muslim b.

Awsaja al-Asad; in the great mosque.

The latter was
praying, and he

(Maeqil) heard some people saying that this (was one of those
who)

had pledged allegiance to al-Husayn.

He went up and
sat right next to

him until he had finished praying.

"O servant of God," he said, "I am a Syrian
whom God has blessed

with love for the House and love for those who love them.

"

He pretended to weep (in front of) him.

Then he
continued: "I have

three thousand dirhams with which I want to meet a man from
them

(the House) whom I have learnt has come to Kufa to receive
pledges

of allegiance on behalf of the son of the daughter of the
Apostle of

God, may God bless him and his family.

I have been
wanting to meet

him but I have not found anyone who will direct me to him and
I

don't know the place (where he is staying).

While I
was sitting (here), I

heard a group of the faithful saying that this is a man (i.

e.

Muslim
b.

Awsaja) who is acquainted with this House.

Therefore
I have come

to you so that you may take this money from me and introduce
me to

your leader (sahib); for I am one of your brethren and
someone you

can trust.

If you wish, you may receive my pledge
of allegiance to him

before my meeting him.

"

"I thank God for you meeting me," replied (Muslim)
b.

'Awsaja,

"and it gives me great joy to get (you) what you desire,
and that God

should help the House of His Prophet, peace be on them,
through

you.

Yet the people's knowledge of my (connection)
with this affair

before it is finished troubles me, because of (my) fear of
this tyrant

and his severity.

"

"It would be better (if) you took the pledge of
allegiance from me

(now)," Maqil told him.

So he took his pledge
of allegiance and

testaments heavily supported by oaths that he would be
sincere and

keep the matter concealed.

He (Maqil) gave him
whatever would

make him content in that way.

"(Some to visit me at my house for (a few) days,"
said (Muslim b.

'Awsaja), "for I will seek permission for you (to visit)
your master.

"

He began to go to visit him frequently with the people (i.

e.

the
other

members of the Shia) and sought permission for him (to
visit).

Permission was given and Muslim b.

Aqil received (Maqils)
pledge

of allegiance.

He told Abu Thumama al Saidi to take
the money

from him.

The latter was the one who collected
money from them and

what could be used to help each other, and he used to buy
their arms.

He was a perceptive man and one of the knights (faris) of the
Arabs

and one of the notables of the Shi'a.

That man (i.

e.

Ma'qil) began to visit them
regularly.

He was the

first to enter and the last to leave, in order to become
acquainted with

(everything of ) their affairs which Ibn Ziyad wanted.

He
used to keep

him informed about that at regular intervals.

Hani' b.

Urwa began to fear for himself and he
stopped attending

Ibn Ziyad's assembly (majlis).

He pretended to be
sick.

Ibn Ziyad

asked those who did attend, "Why is it I don't see Hani'?"

"He is sick.

" they replied.

"If I had been informed of his illness, I would have
paid him a sick

visit," said Ibn Ziyad.

Then he summoned
Muhammad b.

al-Ashath,

Asma' b.

Kharija and 'Amr b.

al-Hajjaj al
Zubaydi.

Ruwayha,

daughter of 'Amr was married to Hani' b.

Urwa, she
was the mother

of Yahya b.

Hani'.

"What prevents Hani' from coming to visit us?" he
asked them.

"We don't know," they replied, "but it is said
that he is sick.

"

"I have learnt," replied (Ibn Ziyad), "that he
is better and that he

sits at the door of his house.

Go and tell him that
he should not

abandon his duty towards us.

For I do not like one
of the Arab nobles

like him to ill-treat me.

"

They went until they stood before his (house) in the evening.

He

was sitting at his door.

"What is stopping you from seeing the governor?"
they asked.

"For he has mentioned you and said that if he had been
told you were

ill, he would have paid you a sick-visit.

"

"An illness has stopped me," he answered.

"He has been informed," they said, "that you
sit at the door of

your house every evening.

He finds you tardy and
tardiness and

churlish behaviour are things which the authorities will not
tolerate.

We adjure you to ride with us.

"

He called for his clothes and got dressed.

Then he
called for a mule

and rode (with them).

When he got near the palace,
he began to feel

some apprehension.

He said to Hassan b.

Asma'
b.

Kharija,

"Nephew, by God,l fear this man.

What do you
think?"

"Uncle, by God, I do not fear anything for you.

why
do you invent

a reason (for blame) against yourself?" he answered, for
Hassan did

not know why Ubayd Allah had sent for him.

(So)
Hani' went on

until he came to 'Ubayd Allah b.

Ziyad.

With
him was a group (of

people).

When he looked up, 'Ubayd Allah said (to himself): "The
fool's

legs have brought him to you.

" Then, when Hani' had
drawn near Ibn

Ziyad who had the qadi Shurayh, with him, Ibn Ziyad turned

towards him and recited:

I want his
friendship but he wants my death.

The one who makes excuses to you is one of your own bosom

friends from the tribe of Murad.

He was referring to his earlier kindness and gentleness to
him

(Hani').

"What is that, governor?" asked Hani'.

"Yes, Hani', what are these matters which you have been
plotting

in your house against the Commander of the faithful and the
general

community of the Muslims?" asked Ibn Ziyad.

"You
have brought

Muslim b.

Aqil and taken him into your house.

You
have gathered

arms and men for him in houses around you.

You
thought that was

hidden from me.

"

"I have not done that and Muslim is not with me,"
he replied.

"Oh yes (you have)," was the answer.

After the argument between them had gone on for some time and

Hani' persisted in contradicting and denying (the
accusations), Ibn

Ziyad summoned that spy, Maqil.

He came and stood
before him.

"Do you know this man?" (Ibn Ziyad) asked him.

"Yes," he replied.

At that (moment) Hani' realised that he had been a spy
against

them and had brought (Ibn Ziyad) all their information.

For
a

moment he was bewildered, and then his spirit returned to
him.

"Listen to me," he said, "and believe what I
say.

I swear by God

that I do not lie.

By God, I did not summon him to
my house.

I did not

know anything about his business until he came to me asking
to stay

with me.

I was too ashamed to refuse him.

As
a result of that, the duty

of giving (him) protection fell upon me.

Therefore
I gave him lodging

and refuge.

Then his affair developed as you have
been informed.

If

you wish,I will give you strongly sworn testaments that I
will not do

you any harm and danger, and I will come to you and put my
hand in

your hand.

If you wish, I will give you a guarantee
which will be in

your hand until I return to you.

Then I will go to
him and order him to

leave my house for wherever in the land he wants to go.

Then
he will

leave his right of protection.

"

"You will never leave me unless you bring him,"
answered Ibn

Ziyad.

"No, by God, I will not bring him to you," (the
other) declared.

After the argument between them had gone on for some time,

Muslim b.

'Amr al-Bahih rose (to speak).

There
was no other Syrian

or Basran in Kufa except him.

"May God make you prosper, governor," he
interjected, "(please)

leave me with him (for a time) so that I can speak to him.

"
He arose

and took him (Hani') aside from Ibn Ziyad.

They
were (standing)

where he could see them and when they raised their voices, he
could

hear what they were saying.

"I adjure you before God, Hani'," said Muslim,
"you are killing

yourself and bringing tribulation on your clan.

By
God, I hold you

too precious to be killed.

This man is the cousin
of (your) tribe so they

will not fight against him, nor harm him.

Therefore
give him (i.

e.

Muslim b.

Aqil) to them (the authorities).

There
will be no shame

and failure for you by that for you would only be handing him
over to

the authorities.

"

"By God, indeed there would be shame and disgrace for
me,"

answered Hani', "were I to hand over one who has come
under my

protection and is my guest, while I am still alive and sound.

I
can hear;

I see well; I have a strong arm and many helpers.

By
God, if I was the

only one without any helper, I would not hand him over until
I had

died on his behalf.

"

He began to shout at him saying: "By God, I will never
hand him

over to him.

"

Ibn Ziyad heard that.

"Bring him to me,"
he said.

They brought

him.

"Either bring him to me or I will have
your head cut off,"

demanded Ibn Ziyad.

"Then there will be much flashing (of swords) around
your house,"

replied Hani, thinking that his clan would prevent him (from
being

killed).

"Come near me,"demanded (Ibn Ziyad).

He
came nearer and Ibn

Ziyad struck his face with his cane and went on beating at
his nose,

forehead and cheeks so that he broke his nose and the blood
flowed

from it on to his face anal heard and the flesh of his
forehead and

cheeks was sprinkled over his beard.

Eventually the
cane broke.

Hani' stretched out his hand towards the hilt of the sword of
one of

the armed attendants but the man pulled it away and prevented
him.

"You have been behaving like one of the, Haruri (i.

e.

Kharijites)
all

day long!" yelled Ibn Ziyad, "so your blood is
permitted to us.

Take

him away!"

They took him and threw him into one of the rooms in the
building.

They locked the doors on him.

He had told them to
put guards on him

and that (also) was done.

However Hassan b.

Asma'
arose and said:

"Are (we) messengers of treachery now? For you told us
to bring the

man to you.

yet when we brought him to you, you
smashed his nose

and face, and his blood flowed on his beard.

Then
you claimed that

you would kill him.

"

"You will be for it here (and now)," cried 'Ubayd
Allah and he

ordered him to be struck, shaken, and pushed aside.

"We are satisfied with the governor's attitude on our
behalf and

against (those of ) us (who are wrong); the governor is only
punishing

(those who are wrong)," declared Muhammad b.

al
Ashath.

However when it was reported to Amr b.

al-Hajjaj
and he learnt

that Hani' had been killed, he advanced with Madhhij and

surrounded the palace.

He had a great crowd with
him.

"I am 'Amr b.

al-Hajjaj," he called out,
"and these are the knights

of Madhhij, and their leading men.

We have not
broken away from

obedience, nor have we separated from the community.

"

It had been reported to them that their colleague had been
killed,

and they regarded that as a great crime.

Ubayd
Allah was told that

Madhhij were at the gate.

He told the qadi Shurayh:
"Go in to their

colleague, look at him and then go out and inform them that
he is still

alive and has not been killed.

"

Shurayh went in and looked at him.

When Hani' saw
Shurayh, he

said, with blood flowing down his beard: "Oh what a God!
Oh what

Muslims! Has my clan been destroyed? Where are the people of

religion? Where are the people of the town?" When he
heard the

tumult at the door of the palace he said: "I think those
are the voices

of Madhhij and my group of the Muslims.

If ten of
them got in, they

would be able to rescue me.

"

After Shurayh had listened to what he had to say, he went out
to

them and told them: "When the governor learnt about your
attitude

and your statements concerning your collegue, he ordered me
to go

and see him.

I went and I saw him.

Then
he ordered me to meet you

and inform you that he is still alive and that the report
that he had

been killed was false.

"

"Praise be to God since he has not been killed,"
answered CAmr b.

al-Hajjaj and his colleagues.

Then they went away.

Ubayd Allah b.

Ziyad went out and went up on the
pulpit.

(He had

brought) with him the nobles of the people, his bodyguard (shurat)

and his entourage.

He said: "O people, seek
refuge in obedience to

God and your Imams.

Do not cause division, for you
will be

destroyed, humiliated, killed or harshly treated and
deprived.

Your

brother is he who speaks the truth to you.

He who
warns is excused.

"

After he had finished, he was about to go down but had not
gone

from the pulpit, when the look-outs at the date-sellers' gate
of the

mosque rushed in yelling: "Muslim b.

Aqil has
come!"

Ubayd Allah quickly went into the palace and locked the
gates.

Abd Allah b.

Hazim reported:

By God, I was Ibn 'Aqil's messenger at the
palace to see what was

done to Hani'.

When he was
beaten and imprisoned I mounted my

horse and was the first to enter the house
to bring information of him

to Muslim b.

Aqil.

There
the women of Murad had gathered and

they were crying out: "O tears of
grief for him! O bereavement of

him!"

I went in to see Muslim and gave him the news of him (Hani').

He

ordered me to summon his supporters.

The houses
around him were

full of them; there were four thousand men there.

He
told his

messengers to cry out: "O victorious, kill!" so I
cried out: "O

victorious, kill!" Then the Kufans gathered and
assembled before

him.

Muslim, may God have mercy on him, appointed
leaders over

the quarters, over the tribes of Kinda, Madhhij, Tamlm, Asad,

Mudar and Hamdan.

The people had answered the call
and gathered,

except for a few who had delayed so that the mosque and the
market

place were full of people.

They were full of
enthusiasm until the

evening.

Ubayd Allah's situation was grim.

All
his energy was

concentrated on holding the door, for he only had thirty
members of

his bodyguard with him in the palace, twenty nobles of the
people,

and his family and entourage.

The nobles who had
not been with him

began to come to him through the door which adjoined the
building

of the Romans.

Then those of the nobles who were
with Ibn Ziyad

began to look down on them (the people outside).

(These)
were

looking at them, while they hurled stones at them and cursed
them

and abused 'Ubayd Allah and his father.

Ibn Ziyad
summoned

Kathir b.

Shihab and ordered him to go out among
those of Madhhij

who obeyed him and to go round Kufa and make the people
desert

Ibn Aqil; he should make them afraid of (the possibility of)
war and

threaten them with the punishment of the authorities.

Then
he

ordered Muhammad b.

al-Ashath to go out among those
of Kinda

and Hadramawt who obeyed him; he should raise a standard
which

would guarantee security to those people who came to him.

He
gave

similar instructions to al-Qa'qa al-Dhuhli, Shabath b.

Rib'i
al-

Tamimi, Hajjar b.

Abjar al-'Ijli and Shamir b.

Dhi
al-Jawshan al-

Amin.

He kept the rest of the nobles of the people
with him, not

wishing to be without them because of the small number of
people

who were with him.

Kathir b.

Shihab went
out (and began) making

the people desert Muslim.

Muhammad b.

al-Ashath
went out until

he reached the houses of the Bana Umara.

Ibn 'Aqil
sent 'Abd al-

Rahman b.

Shurayh al-Shibami to Muhammad b.

al-Ashath
from

the mosque.

When Muhammad b.

al-Ashath
saw the great number

of those who had come to him (Muslim), he lingered where he
was

(i.

e.

he did not carry out Ibn Ziyad's
instructions).

Then he-

Muhammad b.

al-Ashath- Kathir b.

Shihab,
al-Qaqa b.

Shawr al-

Dhuhli, and Shabath b.

Ribi began to make the
people withdraw

from their close adherence to Muslim for they made them
afraid of

the authorities so that a great number of their tribesmen and
others

gathered to them and they went to Ibn Ziyad through the house
of the

Romans.

The tribesmen went in with them.

"May God make the governor prosperous," said Kathir
b.

Shihab,

"you have many of the nobles of the people with you, (as
well as) your

bodyguard, family and servants.

Let us go out
against them.

"

Ubayd Allah refused but he gave Shabath b.

Ribi a
standard and

he sent him out.

The people with Ibn Aqil remained
numerous until

evening.

Their situation became strong.

'Ubayd Allah sent
for the nobles

and he assembled them.

They (went up to the roof
to) look down on

the people.

They offered additional (money) and
kind treatment to

those who would obey and they terrified the disobedient with
(threats

of) dispossession and (dire) punishment.

They told
them that the

army from Syria was coming against them.

Kathir b.

Shihab
spoke

until the sun was about to set.

He said: "O
people, stay with your

families.

Do not hurry into evil actions.

Do
not expose yourselves to

death.

These are the soldiers of the Commander of
the faithful Yazid,

who are approaching.

The governor has given God a
promise that if

you persist in fighting him and do not go away by nightfall,
he will

deprive your children of their (right to a) state allotment
of money

fate') and he will scatter your soldiers in Syrian campaigns.

He
will

make the healthy among you responsible for the sick and those

present responsible for those who are absent until none of
those

rebellious people will remain who has not tasted the evil

consequences of what their hands have earned.

"

The (other) nobles spoke in a similar vein.

After
the people had

heard what they had to say, they began to disperse.

Women
began to

come to their sons and brothers (saying): "Go, the
people will be

enough (without) you.

" Men were going to their sons
and brothers

and saying: "Tomorrow, the Syrians will come against
you.

What are

you doing, causing war and evil? Come away.

" Thus (a
man) would

be taken away or would leave.

They continued to
disperse so that by

the time evening came and Muslim b.

Aq'il prayed
the evening

prayer, he had only thirty men with him in the mosque.

When
he saw

that it was evening and he only had that group with him, he
left the

mosque and headed for the gates of Kinda.

He
reached the gates with

only ten of them (left) with him.

When he left the
gate, there was no

one with him to guide him.

He looked around but
could see no one to

guide him along the road, to show him to his house and to
give him

personal support if an enemy appeared before him.

He wandered amid the lanes of Kufa without knowing where he

was going until he came to the houses of the Banu Jabala of
Kinda.

He went on until he came to a door (at which was) a woman
called

Tawa.

She had been a slave-wife (umm walad) of al-Ashath
b.

Qays

and he had freed her.

She had, then, married Usayd
al-Hadrami and

had borne him (a son called) Bilal.

Bilal had gone
out with the people

and his mother was standing at the door waiting for him.

Ibn 'Aqil greeted her and she returned the greeting.

"Servant of God, give me water to drink," he asked
her.

she gave

him a drink and he sat down.

she took the vessel
inside and then came

out again.

"Servant of God, haven't you had your drink?" she
asked.

"Yes," was the answer

"Then go to your people," she said.

But
he was silent.

She repeated

it but he was still silent.

A third time she said:
"Glory be to God,

servant of God, get up - may God give you health - (and go)
to your

people.

For it is not right for you to sit at my
door and I will not

permit you to do it.

"

(At this) he got up and said: "Servant of God, I have
neither house

nor clan in this town.

Would you (show) me some
generosity and

kindness? Perhaps I will be able to repay it later on.

"

"What is it, servant of God?" she asked.

"I am Muslim b.

Aqil," he replied.

"These
people have lied to me,

incited me (to action) and then abandoned me.

"

"You are Muslim," she repeated.

"Yes," he answered.

"Come in," she said and he was taken into a room in
her house but

not the room she used.

She spread out a carpet for
him and offered

him supper but he could not eat.

Soon her son returned.

He saw her going frequently
to and fro

between the rooms and exclaimed: "By God, the number of
times

which you have gone into and come out of that room this
evening,

makes me suspect that you have something important (there).

"

"My little son, forget about this," she answered.

"By God, tell me," he replied.

"Get on with your own business and don't ask me about

anything," she retorted.

However he persisted
until she said: "My

little son, don't tell any of the people anything about what
I am going

to tell you.

"

"Indeed," he answered and she made him take an
oath.

When he

swore (not to do) that, she told him.

He went to
bed without saying

anything.

After the people had deserted Muslim b.

'Aqil, a
long time passed

for Ibn Ziyad without him hearing the voices of the
supporters of Ibn

Aqil as he had heard them before.

He told his
followers to look down

at them and see whether they could see any of them.

They
looked

down and did not see anyone.

Then he told them to
see whether they

were in the shadows and were lying in ambush for them.

They

removed the (bamboo) roof covers of the mosque and began to
lower

the torches of fire in their hands, and to look.

Sometimes
the torches

gave light for them and sometimes they did not give (as much)
light

for them as they would have wished.

They let down
the torches and

sticks of cane tied with rope on which was fire.

They
were let down

until they reached the ground.

They did this in
(places in which was)

the deepest darkness, (as well as) those parts which were
closer and

those which were in between.

They (also) did that
in the darkness

around the pulpit.

When they saw that there was
nothing, they

informed Ibn Ziyad that the people had dispersed.

Then
he opened

the gateway which (went) into the mosque.

He came
out and went up

on the pulpit.

His followers had come out with him.

He
told them to

sit for a little while before the night prayer.

He
ordered 'Amr b.

Nafi

to call out that there would be no guarantees of security for
any man

of the bodyguard, the arifs, the supporters and the fighters
who

prayed the night prayer (anywhere) except in the mosque.

Not
an

hour passed before the mosque was full of people.

After
ordering his

caller (to call for prayer), he rose for the prayer.

His
guard rose

behind him but told them to guard him against anyone coming
in

(to try) to assassinate him.

After praying with the
people, he went up

on the pulpit, When he had praised and glorified God ,he
said:

Ibn 'Aqil, stupid and ignorant (man as he
is) has attempted the

opposition and rebellion which you have
seen.

There will be no

security from God for a man in whose house
we find him.

Whoever

brings him, will have the reward for his
blood.

Fear God, you

servants of God, and keep to obedience and
your pledge of allegiance.

Do not do (anything which will be) against
yourselves.

Husayn b.

Numayr, your mother will lose you, if any
of the gates of the lanes of

Kufa is open or this man gets away, and
you do not bring him to me.

I

give you authority over the houses of the
inhabitants of Kufa.

Send

lookouts (to inspect) people on the roads.

Tomorrow
morning clear

out (the people from) the houses and
search them thoroughly so that

you bring me this man.

"

Al-Husayn b.

Numayr was in charge of the bodyguard
and was of

the Banu Tamim.

After this, Ibn Ziyad went back
into the palace.

He

gave Amr b.

Hurayth his standard and put him in
charge of the

people.

In the morning he held an assembly and gave
permission for

the people to come to him.

Muhammad b.

al-Ash'ath
approached.

"Welcome to one of those whose loyalty is above
suspicion," he

said to him and sat him by his side.