Tabari Volume 27

The
History of al-Tabari
The Abbasid Revolution
The Àbbasid Revolution

Volume XXVII
Translated and Annotated by
John Alden Williams
By 735 an Arab empire stretched from Aries and

Avignon in southern France to the Indus River and
Central Asia, and a vital young civilization fostered by a
new world religion was taking root. Yet the Muslim
conquerors were divided by tribal quarrels, tensions
among new converts, and religious revolts. In 745 a
vigorous new successor to the Prophet took control in
Damascus and began to restore the waning power of the
Umayyad dynasty. Marwan 11's attempts were thwarted,
however, by revolts on every hand, even among his own
relatives. The main body of dissidents was a well -trained
group of revolutionaries in Khurasan, led by the
remarkable Abu Muslim. By 748 they had seized control
of the province and driven the governor, Nasr b. Sayyar
al-Laythi, to his death and were advancing westward.
This volume tells of the end of the Umayyad caliphate,
the Àbbasid Revolution, and the establishment of the
new dynasty.
ISBN 0-7914-0625-3
90000
SUNY Series in Near Eastern Studies

Said Amtr Aqomand , Editor 9
780791: 406250
The State University of New York Press
THE HISTORY OF AL -TABARI

AN ANNOTATED TRANSLATION
VOLUME XXVII

A.D.
743-750/ A .H. 12 6 -132
e
SUNY
SERIES IN NEAR EASTERN STUDIES
Said Amir Arjomand, Editor
The History of al-Tabari

Editorial Board
Ihsan Abbas, American University of Beirut
C. E. Bosworth, The University of Manchester
Jacob Lassner, Wayne State University, Detroit (Supervising Editor)
Franz Rosenthal , Yale University
Ehsan Yar-Shater, Columbia University (General Editor)
Bibliotheca Persica
Edited by Ehsan Yar-Shater
The History of al-Tabar!

(Ta'rikh al-rusul wa'l-muluk)
VOLUME XXVII
THE
Àbbasid Revolution
translated and annotated
by
john Alden Williams

University of Texas at Austin
State University of New York Press
The preparation of this volume was made possible by a grant from

the Translation Program of the National Endowment for the Humanities, an independent federal agency; and by the Persian Heritage Foundation.
Published by
State University of New York Press, Albany
1985 State University of New York
All rights reserved
Printed in the United States of America
No part of this book may be used or reproduced

in any manner whatsoever without written permission
except in the case of brief quotations embodied in
critical articles and reviews.
For information, address State University of New York
Press, State University Plaza, Albany, N.Y., 12246
Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data
Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data
Tabari, 744-754.
The Abbasid revolution.

)The History of al-Tabari Tarikh al-rusul
wa'l-muluk ; v. 27) (SUNY series in Near Eastern studies)
i. Islamic Empire-History-66x-750.2. AbbasidsEarly works to 1800 . 3. World history-Early works to
18oo. I. Williams, John Alden. II. Title. III. Series:
Tabari, 838?-923. Tarikh al-rusul wa-al-muluk.
English ; v. 27. IV. Series: SUNY series in Near
Eastern studies.
DS38.6.T32 1984 909'.t 83-24 249
ISBN 0-87395-884-5 ISBN 0-7914-0625-3 (pbk)
987654321
Acknowledgement
In 1971 the General Editor proposed to the UNESCO to

include a translation of al-Tabari 's History in its Collection
of Representative Works . UNESCO agreed, but the Commission in charge of Arabic works favored other priorities.
Deeming the project worthy, the Iranian Institute of Translation and Publication, which collaborated with UNESCO,
agreed to undertake the task . After the upheavals of 1979,
assistance was sought from the National Endowment for the
Humanities . The invaluable encouragement and support of
the Endowment is here gratefully acknowledged.
The General Editor wishes to thank sincerely also the participating scholars, who have made the realization of this
project possible; the Board of Editors for their selfless assistance; Professor Franz Rosenthal for his many helpful suggestions in the formulation and application of the editorial
policy; Professor Jacob Lassner for his painstaking and meticulous editing; and Dr. Susan Mango of the National Endowment for the Humanities for her genuine interest in the
project and her advocacy of it.
Preface
THE HISTORY OF PROPHETS AND RINGS (Ta'rikh al-rusul wa'Imulnk) by Abu JaCfar Muhammad b. Jarir al-Tabari (839-9231, here
rendered as the History of al-Tabari, is by common consent the
most important universal history produced in the world of Islam. It
has been translated here in its entirety for the first time for the benefit of non-Arabists, with historical and philological notes for those
interested in the particulars of the text.
Tabari's monumental work explores the history of the ancient nations, with special emphasis on biblical peoples and prophets, the
legendary and factual history of ancient Iran, and, in great detail, the
rise of Islam, the life of the Prophet Muhammad, and the history of
the Islamic world down to the year 915. The first volume of this
translation will contain a biography of al-Tabari and a discussion of
the method, scope, and value of his work. It will also provide information on some of the technical considerations that have guided the
work of the translators.
The History has been divided here into 38 volumes, each of which
covers about two hundred pages of the original Arabic text in the
Leiden edition. An attempt has been made to draw the dividing lines
between the individual volumes in such a way that each is to some
degree independent and can be read as such . The page numbers of
The 'Abbasid Revolution

the original in the Leiden edition appear on the margins of the translated volumes.
Each volume has an index of proper names . A general index volume will follow the publication of the translation volumes.
Ehsan Yar-Shater
06
Contents
0
Foreword / xiii
The Caliphate of Marwan b. Muhammad

The Year 127 (7451 / I
Why the Oath of Allegiance was Given to Marwan / i
Revolt of the People of Hims / 4
Revolt of al-Dahhak b. Qays the Kharijite / 9
Revolt of Sulayman b. Hisham / 19
The Year 128 (745/46) / 28

The Slaying of al-Harith b. Surayj in Khurasan / 28
Death of al-Dahhak b . Qays the Kharijite / 49
Slaying of al-Khaybari the Kharijite / 5 r
Yazid b. Umar b. Hubayrah is Sent to Iraq / 52
Abu Hamzah the Kharijite in Arabia / 53
The Year 129 (746/47) / 54
The Death of Shayban b. 'Abd al -'Aziz the Kharijite / 54
Abu Muslim Openly Preaches the 'Abbasid Revolution in
Khurasan / 6 i
Khazim b. Khuzaymah Takes Marwarrudh / 70

The Arab Tribesmen of Khurasan Ally Against Abu Muslim / 75
Death of juday' b. 'Ali al -Kirmani / 8i
'Abdallah b. Mu'awiyah al-ja'fari Gains Control of Fars / 85
Abu Hamzah the Kharijite Leads the Pilgrimage / 90
x The 'Abbasid Revolution

The Year 130 (747/48) / 93
Abu Muslim Enters the Walled City of Marw / 93
Death of Shayban b. Salamah the Kharijite / 103
Abu Muslim Kills 'Ali and 'Uthman the Sons of Juday'
al-Kirmani / 104
Qahtabah b. Shabib Comes to Abu Muslim / 107

Marwan's Governor for Jurjan is Killed / I io
Battle of Qudayd by Madinah / 112
Abu Hamzah the Kharijite Enters Madinah / I 13
Other Events / 120
The Year 131 (7481491 / 124
The Death of Nasr b. Sayyar / 124
Qahtabah Camps at Rayy and Abu Muslim Moves to
Naysabur / 126
'Amir b. Dubarah is Slain by Qahtabah / 126

The Battle of Jabalq by Isbahan / 127
Qahtabah Enters Nihawand / 129
The Battle of Shahrazur / 131
Other Events of This Year / 132
The Year 132 (749/50) / 134
The Death of Qahtabah b. Shabib / 134
Muhammad b . Khalid al-Qasri Revolts at Kiifah in the Name of the
'Abbasids / 140
The Caliphate of Abu al-Àbbas al-Saffah

Other Events of the Year 132 / 158
Marwan's Defeat at the Zab / 162
Death of Ibrahim the 'Abbasid Imam / 166
Slaying of Marwan b . Muhammad / 168
Revolt of Abu al-Ward at Qinnasrin / 176
Defection of Habib b . Murrah / 179
Revolt of the Men of the Jazirah / 180
Abu Ja'far the 'Abbasid's journey to Khurasan / 182
The Battle of Wasit / 185
Contents xi
Death of Ibn Hubayrah / 19 r
The Year 133 (750/5I) / 196
Events of This Year / 196
The Year 134 1751/521 / 199

The Rebellion of Bassam b. Ibrahim / 199
Khazim b. Khuzaymah 's War Against the Kharijites of 'Uman / 201
Death of Mansur b. Jumhur in Sind / 203
The Year 135 1752/53) / 205
The Rebellion of Ziyad b. Salih in Transoxania / 205
The Year 1361753/54) / 209

The Visit of Abu Muslim to Abu al-'Abbas in Iraq / 209
Abu Ja ' far the 'Abbasid and Abu Muslim go on the Pilgrimage / 211
The Death of Abu al -'Abbas al-Saffah / 212
Bibliography / 213
Index / 216
l^
Translator's Foreword
In this volume I have followed the transliteration system adopted

by the Series, in deference to the judgement of the editor . My personal preference would always be to eliminate the Greek suffix id
on Arabic and Persian names and nouns to obtain an adjectival form,
e.g. Àbbasid, Àlid, Umayyad, and to use the Islamic nisba form
used in the Middle East ending in -i, which has gained currency in
modem English usage, e.g. Israeli , Pahlavi, Saudi. The terminal h for
a to marbuta (h) might also in my view be left to the general desuetude into which it is falling, e.g. in the new Enclopaedia of Islam.
I must express my deep gratitude to the Center for Middle Eastern
Studies of Harvard University which kindly sustained me with a research fellowship for one year during which parts of this volume and
of others were completed ; to the Harvard Center for the Study of
World Religions, which offered me and my family its hospitality
during the year, and to the American University in Cairo which allowed me a year of leave . My colleagues Ahmed Sharkas at Harvard
and Adel Sulaiman Gamal at American University in Cairo and
University of Arizona helped me often with the poetry passages, and
I would record my thanks to them here.
Professor George Makdisi of the University of Pennsylvania read
the greater part of the translation against the originals and offered
invaluable suggestions in the midst of trying circumstances: a most
generous act. Professor Jacob Lassner made many thoughtful addi-
xiv The Àbbasid Revolution

tions to the footnotes, and where this occurred I have indicated it in
the notes . To Professor Ehsan Yar- Shater who has seen to the publication of this volume and others of al-Tabari , very special thanks are
due.
John Alden Williams

Center for Middle Eastern Studies
The University of Texas at Austin
16
The Caliphate of Marwan b.

Muhammad
qI
In this year the oath of allegiance was given in Damascus to Marwan

b. Muhammad as Caliph.'
Why The Oath of Allegiance Was Given to Marwan

'Abd al-Wahhab b. Ibrahim reported the following from Abu Hashim
Mukhallad b. Muhammad, the mawla of 'Uthman b. 'Affan: When
people announced that Marwan's cavalry had entered Damascus,
Ibrahim b. al-Walid fled and went into hiding. At this, Sulayman (b.
Hisham) seized what was in the treasury, divided it among his
troops, and left the city. Those mawlas of al-Walid b. Yazid who
were in the city rushed to the house of 'Abd al-'Aziz b. al-I;Iajjaj and
slew him. Then they ransacked the grave of Yazid b. al-Walid and
hung his body on the Jabiyah Gate. Marwan entered Damascus, and
Footnotes followed by (J.L.) have been added by Jacob Lassncr. Others are those of the
translator.
i. See Tabari, 11/3, 1879; Ibn Khayyat, II, 392; Azdi, 62ff; FHA, 156; Ya'qubi,
Ta'rikh, II, 4o4ff; Mas'udi, Murdj, VI, 46; Ibn Qutaybah, Ma'arif, 366.
The
'Abbasid Revolution
stopped at 'Aliyah .2 The two young sons of al -Walid b. Yazid who

had been slain were brought to him , as well as the body of Yusuf b.
'Umar, and he ordered that they be given burial .' Abu Muhammad
al-Sufyani was carried to him in shackles, and he saluted Marwan as
118911 Caliph . Up until that day, Marwan had only been hailed with the title of amir, so he asked al-Sufyani , " What's this ?" Al-Sufyani replied, "Both [the sons of al-Walid] made the Caliphate over to you as
their successor."
He then recited some verses composed by al-Hakam in prison.

Our source adds that they had both reached legal maturity; alHakam had begotten offspring, and the other had reached puberty
two years before.4
The verses of al-Hakam were:
Who shall tell Marwan about me,
and my noble uncle, yearning long there,
That I have been oppressed and my people
have become parties to the slaying of al-Walid?
Shall their Kalb (also : dog) take my blood and my substance
while I obtain neither gristle nor fat?
And Marwan is in the land of the Banu Nizar
like a lion of the thicket, a neckbreaker in his lair.
Does not the slaying of that youth of Quraysh afflict you,
and their shattering the staff [of unity] of the Muslims?
Now convey my regards to Quraysh.

and to Qays in the Jazirah, all of them:
2. The text is 'Aliyah; perhaps it should be read al 'Aliyah. Ya'qubi, Ta'rikh, [I, 403
reads Dayr a1-'Aliyah. The term al-'aliyah generally means the heights of an area as
distinct from the low lying areas . See Y3qut, Mu'jam , III, 592.
3. Yusuf had been imprisoned throughout the reign of al-Walid . His death and that
of al-Walid was ordered by 'Abd al- Aziz. The two boys are elsewhere identified as
'Uthman and al-Hakam. They are also called the "two lambs " (I aml). See n. i above.
4. That is, it was legal for them to transfer their authority. A short variant of these
verses is found in FHA, 15 6 - 5 7.
The Events of the Year 127 3

The deficient Qadari5 has lorded it over us
and incited war among the sons of our father.
Had the riders of Sulaym taken part in the battle,
and those of Ka'b, I would not be a prisoner.
Had the lions of the Banu Tamim taken part,

we'd not have sold the inheritance we had from our fathers.
Did you break your oath to me because of my mother?
you have sworn allegiance before to a concubine's son.
Would that my maternal uncles were other than Kalb,
and had been born to some other people!
Yet if I and my heir-presumptive should perish,
then Marwan shall be Commander of the Faithful.

Then Abu Muhammad said, "Stretch out your hand and I'll swear
allegiance to you." Those of the Syrian army (ahl al-sham) who
were with Marwan heard him, and the first to come forward was
Mu'awiyah b. Yazid b. al-Husayn b. Numayr with the chief people
of Hims. They swore allegiance to Marwan, whereupon he commanded them to choose governors for their military districts. The
men of Damascus chose Zamil b. 'Amr al -Jibrani ; the men of Hims
chose 'Abdallah b. Shajarah al-Kindi; the people of the Jordan chose
al-Walid b . Mu'awiyah b. Marwan; and those of Palestine chose
Thabit b. Nu'aym al-Judhami, whom Marwan had extricated from
Hisham's prison, and who then had betrayed him in Armenia.' Marwan took sure promises and binding oaths from them when they
5. Yazid b. Walid had been a Qadari, or believer in free will. He was called "the Deficient," because he reduced his soldiers ' pay. See Tabari, 11/3, 1874.
6. As chief of the local Yamani faction, Thabit acted out of partisan motives against
Marwan whose support was mostly from the Qays. Thabit took the title al-Qahtani
to indicate descent from the alleged progenitor of the southern tribes and to thus
draw wide support . See Tabari, II/3, 1871ff; Ibn Khayyat, II, 393; Azdi, 66; Mas'ndi,
Tanbih. 314.
118921
The
' Abbasid Revolution
gave him the handclasp of allegiance ; then he withdrew to his residence in Harran.'
Abu Ja'far reported that when order had been restored in Syria (alSham) on behalf of Marwan b . Muhammad and he had gone off to his
residence in Harran, Ibrahim b. al-Walid and Sulayman b . Hisham
asked for a guarantee of security (amdn), and Marwan granted it.'
Sulayman , who was then at Tadmur ( Palmyra), came to Marwan
with his brothers , the members of his family and his mawlas, the
Dhakwaniyyah ,9 who were there , and they swore allegiance to Marwan.
In this year, too, the people of Hims as well as some of the other
people of Syria rebelled against Marwan, and he fought with them.
Revolt of the People of Ilims'
118931
According to Ahmad -'Abd al -Wahhab b. Ibrahim - Abu Hashim

Mukhallad b . Muhammad b. Salih : When Marwan left for his residence in Harran after settling with the Syrian army, he had not been
there more than three months before they openly opposed him and
rebelled against him. The one who incited them to that was Thabit
b. Nu'aym, who sent them messengers and wrote them letters. Information about them reached Marwan, and he marched against
them himself. The army of Hims sent word to the Kalb who were at
Tadmur, whereupon al-Asbagh b . Dhu'alah al-Kalbi set off toward
them, accompanied by three of his sons, full grown men , Hamzah,
Dhu'alah and Furafisah . Also accompanying him were Mu'awiyah
al-Saksaki, one of the Syrian cavalry, and 'Ismah b . al-Mugsha'irr,
Hisham b. Masad, Tufayl b. Harithah and about a thousand horsemen of their tribe . They entered the city of Hims on the night of the
7. Harran thus became the unofficial capital of the new Caliph . Not surprisingly
Marwan wished to avoid taking up residence among the followers of his enemies, preferring to remain instead in the area where he had long resided . For Harran see LeStrange, Lands, 103.
8. See Ibn Khayyat, 11, 393; Azdi, 64; FHA, 15 7; Ibn 'Abd Rabbihi, IV, 468.
9. A Syrian regiment named after its commander Muslim b. Dhakwan. These were
apparently Sulayman 's guard . While Tabari 's terming them mawlas does not necessarily mean they were non-Arabs , it suggests that some of them may not have been
Arabs. Such elite regiments supplied the backbone of Marwan 's support . See Wellhausen, Arab Kingdom , 372, 375 . For a challenging and highly speculative view of the
late Umayyad military, see P . Crone, Slaves on Horses , esp. 42-57.
io. See Ihn Khayyat , II, 393ff; Azdi, 66; FHA , i 58ff.

Id al-Fitr" in 127 ( June 25, 745 ). Marwan was at Harrah, no more
than thirty miles12 from Hims when the news of them reached him
on the morning of the Id al-Fitr, so he moved quickly. With him at
the time were Ibrahim b. al-Walid, the deposed Caliph, and Sulayman b. Hisham. They had sent him messages and asked him for a
guarantee of security, and (having received it) they traveled with
him as part of his army. Treating them generously, he positioned
them both near him, so they sat at his table for dinner and supper
and rode with him in his train. He reached Hims two days after the
Id al-Fitr, and the Kalb in the city had blocked the gates from inside.
He was prepared, as his guard (rdbitah) was with him. Surrounding
the city with his horsemen, he stationed himself opposite one of the
gates and looked out over a group of defenders along the wall. His
herald then called out, "What call had you to break faith?" They answered, "We still obey you; we have not broken faith with you!" He
then told them, "If what you say about yourselves is true, then open
the gate!" At this, they opened it. 'Amr b. al-Waddah burst in
at the head of the Waddahiyyah,13 who numbered about three thousand men, as they fought the Kalb inside the city. When Marwan's
cavalry became too much for them, they ran for one of the gates,
called Bab Tadmur. They went out by it, but Marwan's guard was stationed there and fought them; most of them were thus killed. AlAsbagh b. Dhu'alah and al-Saksaki got away, but Dhu'alah and Furafisah, the two sons of al-Asbagh, and more than thirty of their men
were captured. They were brought to Marwan, who had them killed
on the spot. He ordered that all their slain, some five or six hundred,
be collected and crucified around the city, and he tore down about a (1984)
bowshot's length of the city wall.
The inhabitants of the Ghutah (the oasis of Damascus), attacked
the city, besieged their governor, Zamil b. 'Amr, and chose Yazid b.
Khalid al-Qasri to rule over them. The city and its inhabitants and
an officer, named Abu Habbar al-Qurashi, with about four hundred
men held fast with Zamil. Marwan sent Abu al-Ward b. al-Kawthar
b. Zufar b. al-Harith, whose name was Majza'ah, from Hims to aid
the defenders, as well as 'Amr b. al-Waddah and ten thousand men.
i r. 'Id al -Fitr is the Feast of Fast -breaking at the end of Ramadan, see El s.v. 'id.
12. One Arabic mil is 2 km., one third of a farsakh . See E .12, S.V.
13. The Waddahiyyah were a military contingent similar to the Dhakwaniyyah.
See n .8 above.
The
'Abbasid Revolution
When they came near the city they attacked the besiegers. Abu alHabbar and his horsemen came out from the city, and they routed
the rebels and seized their camp. Then they burned al-Mizzah, one
of the villages of the Yamanis. Yazid b. Khalid and Abu 'Ilagah
sought refuge with a man of the Lakhm tribe from al-Mizzah. Their
whereabouts was reported to Zamil, who sent for them, but they
were both killed before they were brought before him. He then sent
their heads to Marwan at Hims.
Thabit b. Nu'aym of the army of Palestine rebelled, advancing as
far as Tiberias,'4 and besieged its people. Their governor was Walid
b. Mu'awiyah b. Marwan, son of the brother of the Caliph 'Abd alMalik b. Marwan. They fought the rebel for several days, whereupon
Marwan wrote to Abu al-Ward ordering him to go there and assist
them. Abu al-Ward set off from Damascus some days later. When
word reached the inhabitants that he was near, they came out of the
city against Thabit and his men and seized their camp. Thabit fled
to Palestine and gathered his kinsmen and military forces (jund).
Abu al-Ward now moved against him and put him to flight a second
time, and those who were with Thabit deserted him. Three of his
grown sons were captured: Nu'aym, Bakr, and 'Imran. Abu al-Ward
sent them to Marwan; they were brought to him at Dayr Ayyub,15
wounded, and he gave orders for their wounds to be treated.
Thabit b. Nu'aym went into hiding, and al-Rumahis b. 'Abd al( 18951 'Aziz al-Kinani was made governor of Palestine . Escaping with Thabit was one of his sons, Rifa'ah, who was the worst of them all.
(Later) he joined Mansur b. Jumhur,16 who honored him with gifts,
gave him a position and made him his lieutenant along with a
brother of his called Manzur b. Jumhur. But Rifa'ah assaulted Manzur and murdered him. This came to Mansur's ears as he was setting
out for Multan-his brother had been at Mansurah," so Mansur
14. Tiberias (Tabariyyah) was the headquarters of the military district of the Jordan
(al-Urdunn). See EI s.v. Tabariyya.
15. A village situated in the Hawrin district near Damascus. See Yiqut , Mu' jam, 11,
645.
M Mansur b. Jumhur was a leader of the Kalb who had helped plan the death of alWalid b. Yazid . He was subsequently made governor of Iraq and later , of Sind. See
Tabari, 11, 1778, 1800, 18og , 1836 ; also Wellhausen, Arab Kingdom , 367, 368.
17. Yiqut, Mu'jam , IV, 629 lists a Multin which he indicates is also recorded as
Multin . It was a great city in Hind on the way to Mansurah (the capital of Sind). For
Mansurah, see LeStrange, Lands, 33 1.

turned back and seized Rifa'ah. He then built a hollow column of
burnt brick, placed Rifa'ah inside it, fastened him to it , and bricked
him in." Marwan wrote al-Rumahis to look for Thabit and display
kindness to him. At last a man from Thabit's tribe told where he
was, and he was taken , along with a number of others . After two
months, he was brought in. Marwan ordered that Thabit and his
sons, who were already in Marwan's hands, be brought forward.
Then their hands and feet were cut off, and they were transported to
Damascus . Abu Hashim stated , "I saw them cut in pieces and fixed
on the gate of the city mosque." This was done because word had
reached Marwan that people were spreading alarming rumors about
Thabit, saying that he had gone to Egypt, gained control there, and
slain Marwan's governor.
Marwan now came from Dayr Ayyub to arrange the oath of allegiance to his sons 'Ubaydallah and 'Abdallah. He married them to
two daughters of (the Caliph) Hisham b. 'Abd al-Malik, Umm Hisham and 'A'ishah. For this occasion he gathered together all the
people of his family ; Muhammad, Said and Bakkar, the sons of (the
Caliph) 'Abd al-Malik, and the children of (the Caliphs) al-Walid, Sulayman, Yazid and Hisham, and others of the Quraysh and the chiefs
of the Arabs.
He mobilized the army of Syria , strengthened it, and placed one of
the Syrian officers over each corps. He then ordered them to join
Yazid b. 'Umar b. Hubayrah, whom he had sent ahead before his Syrian campaign with twenty thousand men of Qinnasrin and the Jazirah. He had ordered Ibn Hubayrah to camp at Durayn19 until he
should come, thus establishing this force as his vanguard. Marwan [x896)
left Dayr Ayyub for Damascus when all of Syria except for Tadmur
had been pacified. He ordered that Thabit b. Nu'aym, his sons, and
the group he had mutilated be brought forward. They were put to
death and then crucified on the gates of Damascus. Abu Hashim reports, " I saw them at the time they were slain and gibbeted." He
18. This elaborate execution may be indirectly explained by a variant in Ya'qubi,
Ta'rikh, II, 407. The victim is identified here as one Ibn 'Arar , governor of Sind and a
relative. When the treacherous Ibn 'Arir was apprehended , Mansur put him to death
without shedding his blood, because he was a kinsman . On the legal ramifications of
such executions see Lassner , 'Abbdsid Rule, 39-57, esp. 43-46. ((.L.(
t9. There is no entry for this place in Yaqut 's geographical dictionary . Dur and
Duran were common place names in Iraq.
8 The 'Abbasid Revolution

adds, "Marwan spared one man among them, called 'Amr b. alHarith al-Kalbi; it is claimed he had knowledge of the wealth which
T'habit had deposited with certain kinsmen ." Then Marwan moved
on with his men to camp at Qastal,20 in the territory of Hims adjacent to that of Tadmur, the distance between them being three days'
march. Word reached him there that the enemy (i.e., the Kalb) had
spoiled all the wells lying between him and Tadmur, filling them in
with stones, so he prepared waterskins, canteens, fodder, and camels
to transport the provisions for him and his men. Al-Abrash b. alWalid, Sulayman b. Hisham and other Umayyads interceded with
him and asked that they (the Kalb) be excused, and that they make
representations to them. He agreed to this, and al-Abrash sent them
his brother 'Amr b. al-Walid. Al-Abrash wrote them a letter urging
caution and informing them that he feared they would be the death
of him and all their kinsmen. They drove 'Amr away, however, and
did not comply. Al-Abrash now asked Marwan to let him go to them
himself, and to give him a few days. This, Marwan did. Al-Abrash
went to them, spoke to them, and put fear into them. He told them
that they were stupid and that they could not withstand Marwan
and his troops. Most of them agreed with this, while those who did
not trust him fled into the desert lands of the Kalb. These were alSaksaki, Ismah b. al-Muqsha'irr, Tufayl b. al-Harithah, and Mu'awiyah b. Abi Sufyan b. Yazid b. Mu'awiyah, who was the son -in-law
of al-Abrash. Al-Abrash wrote to Marwan informing him of this, and
Marwan wrote back to him, "Tear down the walls of their city and
come back to me with those who have given you their allegiance."
He therefore went back to Marwan with their chief men, al-Asbagh
b. Dhu'alah and his son Hamzah, and a number of others. Marwan
(z 8971 then set out with them on the desert road for Suriyyah21 and Dayr
al-Lathig22 until he came to Rusafah (residence of the Caliph Hisham). With him were Sulayman b. Hisham, his paternal uncle Said
b. 'Abd al-Malik and all his brothers, as well as Ibrahim the deposed
Caliph and a number of the sons of the Caliphs Walid, Sulayman
and Yazid. They stayed there for a day; and then Marwan left for
20. A place between Hims and Damascus . See Yaqut, Mu'jam, IV, 95.
as. A place in Syria between Khunasirah and Salamiyyah . See Yaqut, Mu'jam, III,
87.
22. Vocalization conjectural . This place is not listed by Yaqut.
Raqqah. Sulayman b . Hisham asked for permission and begged Marwan to allow him to stay on for some days , so that his mawlas might
recover their strength and his beasts be rested . Sulayman would
then follow after him. Marwan gave him permission and went on
his way, halting at a camp on the bank of the Euphrates where he
used to stay, near Wasit 1 He remained there for three days and
went on to Qarqisiyyah (Circesium), where Ibn Hubayrah was waiting to precede him to Iraq to fight al-Dahhak b. Qays al-Shaybani alHaruri. 20 At this time about ten thousand men of those whom Marwan had mobilized for the campaign in Iraq while he was at Dayr
Ayyub came up with their officers and stopped at Rusafah. Here
they called on Sulayman to renounce his allegiance to Marwan and
fight him.
This year al-Dahhak b. Qays al-Shaybani entered Kufah.
The Revolt of al-Dahhak the Khdrijite (Muhakkim)ZS
Sources differ in their accounts of this affair. As for Ahmad b. Zuhayr-'Abd al-Wahhab b. Ibrahim-Abu Hashim Mukhallad b. Muhammad: The occasion for the revolt of al-Dahhak was that when
al-Walid was slain, a Haruri called Sa'id b . Bahdal al-Shaybani rebelled in the Jazirah at the head of two hundred men of the region.
One of them was al -Dahhak, who took advantage of al-Walid's death
and Marwan's preoccupation with Syria to rebel in the territory of
Kafartutha.1 At the same time Bistam al-Bayhasi , who differed J18981
with Sa' id in his views, set out with a like number of the Rabi'ah,
and each of them marched against the other . When the two forces
were near each other, Said b. Bahdal sent al -Khaybari, one of his of23. Not to be confused with the famous city of Wasil founded by al-Hajjaj b . Yusuf.
This city was situated near Qargisiyah. See Yaqut, Mu'jam. II, 882 If.
24. Harura' was the district near Kufah where the Kharijites rebelled against 'Ali in
Rabi' I, 37 (August 17-September 15, 758). It subsequently gave its name to the sect
known as the Haruriyyah. See Ell s.v. Harura'.
25. Literally one who submits only to God 's judgment; that is, the Kharijites who
opposed the arbitration at Siffin by crying out ]a hukm illu li-Ilah. For al -Dahhak's
entry, see Ibn Khayyat, 11, 395ff; Azdi, 67ff; FHA, 157; Wellhausen, Arab Kingdom,
389-92, and The Religious Political Opposition Parties, 164ff; Ell s.v. ad-Dahhak b.
Kays al-Shaybani.
26. The Kafartutha mentioned here is a large village in the Jazirah some five
farsakhs (30 km) from Dara.
Io The Àbbasid Revolution

ficers, the one who later routed Marwan, with about a hundred and
fifty riders to attack Bistam by night. He came to Bistam 's camp undetected, and ordered each of his men to have with him a white
cloth to wrap around his head so they might recognize each other.
Then they gave the cry of "Allah u Akbar! 127 in Bistam 's camp and
smote them hard for their neglect (to keep watch). On this, al-Khaybari recited:
Though he was Bistam, surely I am al-Khaybari;

I strike with the sword and set guards in my camp.
They slew Bistam and all who were with him except for fourteen
men who escaped to Marwan . They stayed with him, and he gave
them positions in his personal guard (rabitah), putting one of them,
a man called Mugatil who had the patronymic (kunya) of Abu alNa`thal, in charge of the others.
Said b. Bahdal then moved in the direction of Iraq, because word
had reached him of the disorders there and of the differences within
the Syrian army leading to clashes between the supporters of 'Abdallah b. 'Umar (b. 'Abd al -'Aziz) and al-Nadr b. Said al-Harashi. The
Yaman tribesmen among the Syrians were with Àbdallah b. Ùmar
at Hirah, while the Mudar tribesmen were with Ibn al -Harashi at
Kufah, and they fought each other morning and evening in the area
between them 28
Said b. Bahdal died of pestilence he contracted en route to Iraq,
and al-Dahhak b. Qays was appointed his successor . Said had a wife
named Hawma', and in connection with this, al-Khaybari recited
the verse:
God moisten, 0 Hawma', the grave of Ibn Bahdal;
When the night riders saddle up, he'll no longer depart.
118 99
Around a thousand men joined al-Dahhak , and they turned toward Kufah . He passed through the territory of Mosul , and around
three thousand men from there and from the army of the Jazirah followed him. Al-Nadr b. Said al- Harashi and the Mudaris were in Kufah at this time, and 'Abdallah b. Ùmar and the Yamanis were in
27. The text is bakkaru ; it should be read kabbaru, following the Cairo edition.
28. The distance between the old Christian town of Hirah and the Muslim city of
Kufah was three farsakhs X18 km).

Hirah. They were ) engaged in a tribal feud in the territory between,
but when al-Dahhak approached, Ibn 'Umar and al-Harashi made
peace and joined forces to fight him. They entrenched themselves at
Kufah, and between them at that time they had about thirty thousand men of Syria, a strong force well armed and provisioned. With
them was an officer from the forces of Qinnasrin called 'Abbad b. alGhuzayyil, commanding a thousand horsemen whom Marwan had
sent to reinforce Ibn al -Harashi. The enemy challenged them to give
combat, and they fought. 'Asim b. 'Umar b. 'Abd al-'Aziz and Ja'far
b. 'Abbas al-Kindi were both slain that day, and al-Dahhak's forces
put them to a most ignominious flight. 'Abdallah b. 'Umar escaped
to Wasit with his men, and Ibn al -Harashi, i.e., al-Nadr, and the Mudaris set out along with Ismail b. 'Abdallah al-Qasri for Marwan. AlDahhak and the men of the Jazirah thus took possession of Kufah
and its territories, and they collected the taxes of the Sawad. AlDahhak put one of his followers , a man called Milhan, in charge of
Kufah with two hundred horsemen, and set off with most of his men
after 'Abdallah b. 'Umar at Wasit. There, he laid siege to the city.
'Abdallah had with him an officer of Qinnasrin called 'Atiyyah alTha'labi, one of the hardiest of men. When it seemed likely that alDahhak would besiege the city, 'Atiyyah left with seventy or eighty
of his own men intending to reach Marwan. They left by way of Qadisiyyah, and Milhan received word of their movements; so he
moved out quickly, seeking him. 'Atiyyah met him at the bridge of
Saylahun,2' where Milhan had hastened with about thirty horsemen. Milhan engaged 'Atiyyah, and the latter killed him and some [ i 9oo]
of his men. The rest of them fled until they came into Kufah, and 'At.iyyah went on with his men until he reached Marwan.
Another account, from Abu 'Ubaydah Ma'mar b. al-Muthanna-Abu Said: When Said b. Bahdal al-Murri died and the
Kharijites gave their allegiance to al-Dahhak as their Imam, he
stayed at Shahrazur.30 The Sufriyyah" came to him from every direction, until he headed some four thousand of them . No such num29. Al-Saylahun or Saylahin was a village situated between Kufah and Qadisiyyah.
See Yaqut, Mu'jam, III, 21g and index, 125.
30. A large district in Jibal between Irbil and Hamadhan . This places al-Dahhak surprisingly far from the events he was to participate in. See Yaqut , Mu'jam, III, 320.
31. The Sufriyyah were a less intransigent subgroup of the Kharijites . A brief description of them can be found in Watt , Islamic Thought. 24-27.

her had ever joined any Kharijite leader before him. When Yazid b.
al-Walid perished, his functionary in Iraq was 'Abdallah b. 'Umar.
Marwan then came down from Armenia and ultimately camped in
the Jazirah. He appointed al-Nadr b. Said, one of the officers of Ibn
'Umar, as his governor for Iraq. Al-Nadr set out for Kufah, and Ibn
'Umar settled in Hirah. The Mudar tribesmen rallied to al-Nadr and
the Yaman to Ibn 'Umar, who fought the former for four months.
Then Marwan reinforced al-Nadr with Ibn al-Ghuzayyil, but al-Dahhak advanced on Kufah. This was in 127 (744-5). Ibn 'Umar sent a
message to al-Nadr saying, "This man means [harm] to none but you
and me; so come, let us unite against him." And they made a pact
agreeing to this.
Ibn 'Umar came forward and camped at Tall al-Fath, while alDahhak advanced to cross the Euphrates, so Ibn 'Umar sent Hamzah
b. al-Asbagh b. Dhu'alah al-Kalbi to prevent him from crossing.
Then 'Ubaydallah b. 'Abbas al-Kindi said, "Let him cross over; it is
easier for us than looking for him ." Hence Ibn 'Umar sent a message
to Hamzah telling him to desist from this. Ibn 'Umar then camped
at Kufah. He would pray at the governor's mosque with his followers, while al-Nadr b. Said would pray with his own followers in the
outskirts of Kufah. He neither associated with Ibn 'Umar nor prayed
with him; however, they had both stopped fighting each other and
had agreed to fight al-Dahhak. When Hamzah returned, al-Dahhak
advanced. He crossed the Euphrates and camped at Nukhaylah32
11901] on the fourth of Rajab, 127 (April 9, 745). The Syrian troops of Ibn
'Umar and al-Nadr rushed upon them before they were settled in
their camp, and killed fourteen horsemen and thirteen women. AlDahhak then dismounted, bivouacked, and set his followers in order, and they rested. Beginning early the next morning, a Thursday,
the two forces fought a fierce battle. Ibn 'Umar and his followers
were put to flight, and the Kharijites slew his brother 'Asim. The
man who killed him was al-Birdhawn b. Marzuq al-Shaybani. The
descendants of al-Ash'ath b. Qays buried him in their residence.'
The Kharijites also slew Ja'far b. al-'Abbas al-Kindi, the brother of
32. A place situated near Kufah . See Yaqut, Mu'jam , IV, 771.
33 Burial within a residence was a common practice in early Islam. There was, of
course, the example of the Prophet, who was buried under the floor of his wife 'A'ishah's quarters.

'Ubaydallah. Ja'far was in command of the security force (shurtah)
of 'Abdallah b. 'Umar, and the one who slew him was 'Abd al-Malik
b. 'Algamah b. 'Abd al-Qays. Just as this man was overtaking him,
Ja'far called to a paternal cousin of his named Shashilah. The latter
wheeled toward him, but one of the Sufriyyah struck him, splitting
his face in two.
Abu Said reported: I saw him after that; as if he had two faces.
'Abd al-Malik bent down and slit Ja'far's throat. Umm al-Birdhawn
al-Sufriyyah" made up these verses:
We slew both 'Asim and Ja'far, also

The Dabbi rider, when they came out,
And we came to the hollowed-out trench.
The followers of Ibn 'Umar took flight and the Kharijites came after us, stopping at our defensive trench until nightfall. Then they
went away. We got up early Friday morning, and by God we hadn't
come out at all before they put us to flight; we retreated behind our
trench. On Saturday we got up and our people were all slipping out
and running away to Wasit. They' d seen an enemy whose like they
had never seen before, of the fiercest courage, like a lion over its
cubs. Ibn 'Umar went to look at his followers, and lo, most of them
had run away under cover of night. The majority of them reached 119021
Wasit. Some of those who got there were al-Nadr b. Sa'id, Ismail b.
'Abdallah, Mansur b. Jumhiir, Asbagh b. Dhu'alah with his two sons
Hamzah and Dhu'alah, al-Walid b. Hassan al-Ghassani and all of the
chiefs (wujuh). Only Ibn 'Umar remained, leading such of his followers as stayed; he stood his ground and did not quit.
It is said that when 'Abdallah b. 'Umar was made governor of Iraq,
he appointed 'Ubaydallah b. 'Abbas al-Kindi governor of Kufah with
'Umar b. al-Ghadban b. al-Qaba'thari in charge of security. Neither
one of them stepped down until Yazid b. al-Walid died; then Ibrahim
b. al-Walid came and reappointed Ibn 'Umar as governor in Iraq. Ibn
'Umar made his brother 'Asim governor of Kufah, and reappointed
Ibn al-Ghadban to take charge of security. They continued in this
capacity until 'Abdallah b. Mu'awiyah rebelled,-15 whereupon
34. Kharijite women often rode with their men in battle . This is evidence that some
of them also improvised mocking verses about enemies in the old Arab manner.
3 S. For this rebellion, see text above.
119031
'Umar b. al-Ghadban came under suspicion. When the affair of 'Abdallah b. Mu'awiyah was ended (in Kufah), 'Abdallah b. 'Umar appointed Umar b. 'Abd al-Hamid b. 'Abd al-Rahman b. Zayd b. alKhattab governor of Kufah, with al-Hakam b. 'Utaybah al-Asadi,
from the army of Syria, over security. Then he removed 'Umar b.
'Abd al-Hamid from his position at Kufah, appointing 'Umar b. alGhadban governor there with al-Hakam b. 'Utaybah al-Asadi over
security. Then he removed 'Umar b. al-Ghadban as governor of Kufahm and gave this post to al-Walid b. Hassan al-Ghassani. Ibn
'Umar then appointed Ismail b. 'Abdallah al-Qasri governor, with
Aban b. al-Walid in charge of security. He then relieved Ismail and
appointed 'Abd al-Samad b. Aban b. al-Nu'man b. Bashir al-Ansari.
Removing him, he appointed his brother 'Asim b. 'Umar governor.
Al-Dahhak b. Qays al-Shaybani advanced. It is also said
that al-Dahhak only advanced when Isma'il b. 'Abdallah al-Qasri
was residing in the governor's palace at Kufah. 'Abdallah b. 'Umar
was situated at Hirah, and Ibn al-Harashi was at the Convent of
Hind" Then al-Dahhak prevailed over Kufah, and made Milhan b.
Ma'ruf al-Shaybani governor there, with Sufr, a Haruri Kharijite of
the Banu Hanzalah, in charge of security. Then Ibn al-Harashi came
out, seeking to make his own way to Syria. Milhan opposed him and
Ibn al-Harashi slew him. After this, al-Dahhak made Hassan governor of Kufah, with Hassan's son al-Harith in charge of security. Lamenting his brother 'Asim when the Kharijites killed him, 'Abdallah b. 'Umar said:
The ill vicissitudes of time cast at the object of their aim,
leaving to the morrow no arrow in the hand for bow to throw;
They cast at my most precious target and killed 'Asim,

a brother; to me a fortress, a shelter, and a refuge.
If grief and flowing tears have dissolved
the fresh blood of my vitals pooled,
36. Following the suggestion of the editor in the apparatus to the Leiden edition.
The text reads, " from (his position in charge of( security."
37. There were two convents of that name at Hirah. One was built by Hind bt. alNu'man b . Mundhir (Dayr Hind al-Sughra (, the other by Hind the mother of 'Amr b.
Hind (Dayr Hind al-Kubra). Both were from the pre-Islamic period . See Yaqut,
Mu'jam , II, 707-708.

I've swallowed them , sipping them slowly for 'Asim.
much greater are those he's supped and swallowed.
And would the Dooms had left me 'Asim,
so we might live together, or taken us together!
It is mentioned that 'Abdallah b. 'Umar used to say, "I have heard
that 'Ayn b. 'Ayn b. 'Ayn slew Mim b. Mim b. Mim. He had hoped to
kill him, but 'Abdallah b. 'Ali b. 'Abdallah b. 'Abbas b. 'Abd al- 1119041
Muttalib killed him (Marwan b. Muhammad b. Marwan)!"3"
It is also mentioned that when the followers of 'Umar fled and got
away to Wasit, they asked him, "What are you staying for, when
these people have run away?" He told them , "I'll linger and see!"
They stayed a day or two, and saw no one but deserters whose hearts
were filled with dread of the Kharijites. At last he ordered the journey to Wasit. Khalid b. al-Ghuzayyil gathered his followers together
and joined Marwan, staying in the Jazirah. 'Ubaydallah b. 'Abbas alKindi saw what had befallen the people, and did not feel that he was
safe, so he went over to al -Dahhak, swore allegiance to him and
served in his army. Abu 'Ata' al-Sindi" coined these verses, shaming him for following al-Da(ihak, who had slain his brother:
Tell Ubaydallah, "If it were Ja'far who
had lived, he'd not submit once you were slain.
He'd not have followed the heretics when revenge was due
while in his hand was a sharp and shining blade!
A rabble who killed your brother and called your
father an infidel; what do you say to that?"
When 'Ubaydallah b. 'Abbas heard this verse of Abu 'Ata', he said,
"Why, I say, 'God make you bite your mother's clitoris!"' Abu
'Ata"s verses continue:
May your kinship be disowned by any relative

or one seeking revenge : low lies the lowly.
38. The literary device using the first initials of a name to predict a future event is
characteristic of the apocalyptical traditions. For other examples of these traditions
see Lassner, 'Abbasid Rule, 42-43, also Tha alibi, Lata'if, 87-88 J.L.)
39. A pro-Umayyad poet from Knfah . See Ell s.v. Abu ' Ata' al -Sindi.

You let the brother of Shayban plunder his weapons
while a fleet-wheeling horse on a long rein rescued you!
[1905] Ibn Ùmar occupied the residence of al-Hajjaj b. Yusuf at Wasit, it
is said, with the Yaman, while al-Nadr b. Said and his brother Sulayman and Hanzalah b. Nubatah with his sons Muhammad and
Nubatah settled with the Mudar on the right side of the road as you
come up from Basrah. They abandoned Kufah and Hirah to alDahhak and the Kharijites, and everything there fell into their
hands. The war between 'Abdallah b. 'Umar and al-Nadr b. Said alHarashi reverted to its situation before the advent of al-Dahhak, alNadr demanding that Ibn 'Umar deliver the government of Iraq to
him according to Marwan 's writ and Ibn 'Umar refusing ; the Yaman
(siding) with Ibn 'Umar and the Nizar with al-Nadr. This was because the forces (fund) of the Yaman were on the side of Yazid the
Deficient' in their feud with al-Walid, after he delivered Khalid alQasri over to Yusuf b. 'Umar al-Thaqafi who put him to death. The
Qays, however, were with Marwan, since he had called for vengeance for al-Walid. The Qays were the maternal relatives of alWalid, by way of Thagif, since his mother was Zaynab bt. Muhammad b. Yusuf, the niece of al-Hajjaj. Thus, war resumed between Ibn
'Umar and al-Nadr.
A1-Dahhak entered Kufah and stayed there, and he appointed as
governor of the city Milhan al-Shaybani in Shayban 127 (May 745).
At the head of the Kharijites, al-Dahhak moved swiftly against
Wasit in pursuit of Ibn 'Umar and al-Nadr, and he camped at the
Hippodrome Gate (Bab al-Midmar). When they saw that, Ibn 'Umar
and al-Nadr abstained from fighting each other and united against
al-Dahhak, as they had at Kufah. Al-Nadr and his officers would
cross the bridge and fight al-Dahhak and his followers alongside Ibn
'Umar; then they would return to their own places, and not stay
with Ibn 'Umar. They continued in this fashion during the months
(19061 of Sha'ban, Ramadan and Shawwal (May-July 745). One day, they
were engaged in combat when the battle grew fierce. At the gate
called Bab al-Quraj, Mansur b. Jumhur charged at one of al-Dahhak's
officers, a man of great rank with the Kharijites called 'Ikrimah b.
Shayban, and struck him, cutting him in two and killing him. Al40. See n. 5 above.

Dahhak sent one of his officers called Shawwal-he was from the
Banu Shayban-to the Zab Gate, saying, "Burn it down over them;
the siege has gone on too long for us." Shawwal set off in the company of al-Khaybari, also one of the Banu Shayban, at the head of
their horsemen. 'Abd al-Malik b. 'Alqamah met them and asked,
"Where are you going?" Shawwal told him, "We're going to the Zab
Gate. The Commander of the Faithful (i.e., al-Dahhak) has ordered
me to do this and that." 'Abd al-Malik then said, "I'm with you,"
and went back with them, though he was bare-headed and had no
breastplate on him . He, too, was an officer of al-Dahhak and a most
redoubtable man. They went to the Zab Gate and set fire to it, and
'Abdallah b. 'Umar sent out Mansur b. Jumhur against them with
six hundred cavalry of the Kalb. The latter engaged them in fierce
combat. 'Abd al-Malik b. 'Alqamah attacked them, although he had
no armor, and killed a number of them. Mansur b. Jumhur saw this,
and 'Abd al-Malik's prowess enraged him. He therefore charged him
and struck him between his shoulder and neck, cutting him to the
haunch, and he fell dying. A hardy Kharijite woman then came forward and seizing the bridle of Mansur's horse cried, "You sinner!
Answer to the Commander of the Faithful!" But he cut off her hand
-or, it is also said, he cut the rein of his horse while it was in her
hand-and got away. Al-Khaybari came into the city after Mansur,
and a paternal cousin of Mansur from the Kalb came at him, but alKhaybari struck and killed him.
(Habib b. Khudrah, the mawla of the Banu Hilal)" claimed that
'Abd al-Malik b. 'Algamah was a descendant of the kings of Persia,
and composed these verses lamenting him:
The woman speaks while tears flow from her eye: [1907)
"may peace be on the soul of Ibn 'Algamah!"
Has death overtaken you in mid-career?
each man in his due course finds death.
And so there is no trembling of the hands, nor slowing down of age;

no slackening in the battle, nor weakening with time.
41. This phrase is missing from the Leiden text and is supplied from the Cairo
edition.
1 8 The 'Abbasid Revolution

Being killed for the Kharijites is no disgrace;
but they are slain, and they are noble.
The dregs of mankind have no path to follow;
'tis they who make me mourn, 0 Ibn 'Algamah, the dregs.
Mansur then said to Ibn'Umar, "I've never seen anyone like these
people," meaning the Kharijites. "Why are you fighting them and
keeping them too busy to deal with Marwan? Give them your approval, and put them between yourself and Marwan. If you do that,
they'll let us alone and go off to [fight] him. Their intensity and
courage will be directed against him, and you can remain at rest here
in your own place. If they defeat him, you will have gotten what you
wanted, and you'll be on good terms with them. If he should defeat
them and you want to oppose him and fight him, you'll do battle
with him fully rested; his dispute with them will go on a long time,
and they'll. give him ample trouble." But Ibn 'Umar said, "Don't
rush; let's wait and see!" "What shall we wait for?" Mansur asked.
"You can't get out with them, and you can' t go on . If we went out
against them, we could not stand up to them. What can we expect
will happen to them? Meanwhile, Marwan is untroubled, because
we have absorbed the cutting edge of their power and diverted them
from him! As for me, I'm going out and joining them!" He then went
out, and, standing opposite their lines, he cried, "I am ready to listen! I want to submit as a Muslim and hear the Word of God!" The
informant adds, "This is their trial [mihnahJ." Then Mansur went
over to them and gave them his oath of allegiance, saying, "I have
become a Muslim." With that, they invited him to the mid-morning
meal, and he ate. Then he asked them, "Who was the rider who
seized my bridle that day by the Zab?" meaning the day he slew Ibn
'Alqamah. They called, "0 Umm al-'Anbar!" Lo, the most beautiful
woman came out to them. She asked him, "Are you Mansur?"
II 908 ] "Yes," he answered. "May God shame your sword wherever you
mention it," she told him. "By God, it did nothing, and gave nothing!" She meant by this, why could he not have killed her when she
seized his bridle so she would have entered Paradise (as a martyr).
Until that moment, Mansur had not known that she was a woman.
He said, "0 Commander of the Faithful, marry her to me!" AlDahhak replied, "She has a husband." She was, in fact, the wife of
The Events of the Year 127
19
'Ubaydah b. Sawwar al-Taghlibi.'Z Finally, 'Abdallah b. 'Umar sent

out to them at the end of Shawwal (late April 745) and gave alI?ahhak the oath of allegiance.
In this year , 127 (744- 745), Sulayman b. Hisham b. 'Abd al-Malik
b. Marwan threw off his allegiance to Marwan b. Muhammad, and
waged open war.41
The Revolt of Sulayman b. Hisham

According to Ahmad b. Zuhayr-'Abd al-Wahhab b. Ibrahim--Abu
Hashim Mukhallad b. Muhammad b. Salih : When Marwan set out
from Rusafah to Raqqah to send lbn Hubayrah to Iraq to fight alpahhak b. Qays al-Shaybani, Sulayman b. Hisham requested his
permission to stay behind a few days to rest his forces and set his affairs in order. Marwan consented and went his way. About ten thousand men came forward, of those whom Marwan had levied at Dayr
Ayyub to campaign in Iraq . They journeyed with their officers to
Rusafah, where they called on Sulayman to throw off his allegiance
to Marwan and fight him. They told him, "You are considered more
acceptable than he is by the army of Syria, and more worthy of the
Caliphate ." On this, Satan caused Sulayman to err, and he agreed.
He went out to them with his brothers , his sons, and his mawlas. He
formed his army, and then he marched with all his forces to Qinnasrin. He wrote letters to the troops of Syria , and they slipped away )1909)
to join him from every direction and from the district forces ( jund).
Then Marwan drew near, having turned back after he had gone
above Qargisiyya!'
He wrote to Ibn Hubayrah ordering him to secure himself with his
troops at Durayn until he moved his camp to Wasit . The mawlas of
Sulayman and the children of Hisham who had been at Hani's gathered together with their families and entered the fortress of al42. Al-Taghlibi was one of the leading Khirijites and a member of the electoral
council (shdra) that chose al -Dahhik.
43. See Azdi, 5r; FHA, 158ff; Ya'qubi, Ta'rikh , II, 4o5ff.
44. Qargisiyyah (ancient Circesium) was situated on the left bank of the Euphrates
20o miles below al-Raqqah . See LeStrange, Lands, io5.
45 the Hini was one of two canals ( the other being the Mari ) dug by the Caliph,
Hishim b. 'Abd al-Malik . They gave their names to adjacent estates. See Yaqut,
Mu'jam , IV, 994.
1910)
Kamil, fortifying themselves within and barring the doors against

Marwan. He sent to them asking, "What have you done? Have you
thrown off obedience and broken your oath of allegiance to me after
you gave me solemn pledge and covenants?" They replied to his
messengers, " We are with Sulayman, against all who oppose him."
He then told them, "I earnestly warn you and caution you that if
you oppose any one of those following me in my army, or let any
harm come to him from you, you will bring my punishment upon
you. There will be no safety for you from me." They sent word, "We
shall desist ." And Marwan passed on. Then they took to coming out
of their fortress , attacking stragglers and scattered groups of the
army who were following Marwan, and stripping them of their
horses and weapons. Word of this came to him, and he burned with
rage against them . Around seventy thousand men of the Syrian
army had gathered around Sulayman, including the Dhakwaniyyah
and other groups, and camped at a village of the Banu Zufar, called
Khusaf,46 in the territory of Qinnasrin. When Marwan drew near
there, Sulayman sent out al -Saksaki at the head of about seven thousand men, and Marwan sent 'Isa b. Muslim with about the same
number. The two forces met in the area between the two camps and
fought a fierce battle . Al-Saksaki and Isa, each one a heroic cavalryman, clashed in battle . They jousted until their lances were broken,
then they drew their swords. Al-Saksaki struck the forepart of Isa's
horse so its harness fell down to its chest, and the horse went out of
control. Al-Saksaki cut him off, struck him with his mace, and
felled him . He then dismounted and took him prisoner . At this, one
of the cavalry of Antioch called Silsaq,07 an officer of the Slavs
(Sagalibah)4' appeared and captured al-Saksaki . Marwan's vanguard
was put to flight, and word of this reached him en route. He kept on,
concentrating on his preparations , and did not dismount until he
reached Sulayman. Marwan had set his troops in order and was now
ready to fight. Sulayman did not expect him and was taken by surprise. He and those with him fled. Marwan's horsemen pursued
them, killing some and capturing others, until he reached and
46. Yaqut, Mu'jam, II, 441 lists a Khusaf but makes no mention of this particular
village.
47. Silsaq: the initial 'i' is conjectural.
48. The Sagalibah were captives of Slavic origin who were brought to the Islamic
lands as slaves . The initial "i" in Silsaq is conjectural.

overran their camp . Then Marwan took up his position, and commanded his two sons to take theirs, while Kawthar, the chief of security, was in another place. He then ordered his army to take no
prisoners except those who were slaves (mamluk). The count of the
slain on Sulayman 's side that day exceeded thirty thousand . Ibrahim
the oldest son of Sulayman was slain , and a maternal uncle of
Hisham b. 'Abd al-Malik called Khalid b. Hisham al-Makhzumi was
brought in. A big and very fleshy man, he was brought up to Marwan
with his tongue lolling out. "You profligate!" cried Marwan.
"Weren't the wines and slave girls of Madinah49 enough to keep
you from running out with this excrement to fight against me?" He
said, "Commander of the Faithful, he made me do it! I beg you, for
God's sake, and that of kinship!" Marwan answered, "So you tell
lies, too! How would he have forced you, when you came out with
your singing-girls and wineskins and guitars (barabit) with you in
his camp!" Marwan then killed him. Many of the prisoners from the
district forces claimed that they were slaves. He therefore refrained
from slaying them and commanded that they be sold with the other
slaves, along with the booty taken from their camp.
Sulayman fled on until he reached Hims, where he was joined by
those of his supporters who had escaped. He made camp there and
rebuilt that part of the city walls which Marwan had ordered tom
down. On the day that Sulayman was routed, Marwan sent ahead officers and guards (rabitah) with a detachment of cavalry . He ordered
them to reach the fortress of al-Kamil before any news (of the battle ) ( rgi r)
arrived, and in his rage against those within (he ordered this detachment ) to surround it until he came there. The advance force arrived
and set up camp, and Marwan advanced and halted at his camp at
Wasit. He sent a message to the defenders to deliver themselves to
his judgment, but they replied, "No, not until you guarantee all of
us safety." He took his time with them, and had mangonels set up
against them. When the stones began to fall on them, they submitted to his judgment . He made an example of them , mutilating
them, but the people of Raqqah transported them, gave them shelter
and treated their wounds. Some of them perished, but most of them
survived. Their number altogether was around three hundred.
49. Madinah was the resort of the idle rich in the Umayyad period and noted for its
pleasures; see Mas 'udi, Muruj, IV, 254-44, or Hitti, History of the Arabs, 236-37.
22 The ' Abbasid Revolution

Then Marwan set out after Sulayman and those who had gathered
around him at Hims. As he drew near , they had a meeting, and some
of them said to the others, " How long shall we be forced to run from
Marwan? Come, let us make a covenant to seek death, and not disperse once we have seen him until all of us are dead! " Around nine
hundred of their cavalry who were prepared to die agreed to this.
Sulayman put Mu'awiyah al-Saksaki in charge of half his forces, setting Thubayt al-Bahrani over the other half. They set out against
Marwan, having agreed to attack him by night , if they could take
him unawares . News of them and their plan reached Marwan, however, and he took precautions . He marched slowly, digging
trenches, and staying in defensive battle formation . They were eager
to attack him by night but could not , so they prepared for him by
setting an ambush among some olive groves above the route he
would take, in a village named Tall Mannas of Jabal al-Summaq.S
They came out against him while he was marching in battle formation, and turned their weapons on those who were with him, so he
withdrew and called up his cavalry . Elements of his vanguard, the
two wings and the rearguard gathered about him, and they fought
1 1912) the enemy from midmorning until after the afternoon prayer. AlSaksakis' encountered one of the riders of the Banu Sulaym, and
they clashed. The Sulami pulled him off his horse , and dismounted
to deal with him. He was assisted by a man of the Banu Tamim, and
together they brought him prisoner to where Marwan had stationed
himself. He said, " Praise to God who has empowered us over you;
you've had too much from us!" AI-Saksaki cried, "Spare me , for I am
the best rider among the Arabs!" But Marwan told him , "You lie, for
the man who brought you in is a better rider than you are." He gave
the order, and he was bound . The number of those bound like him
and put to death was six thousand . Thubayt and those who had been
put to flight escaped.
When they came to Sulayman , he put his brother Said b.

50. Yaqut, Mu'jam, IV, 871 lists Tall Mannas as a village in the district of Hims and
as a fortress near Ma'arrat al-Nu'man. The latter was situated between Hims and
Halab (Aleppo) and was famous for its olive groves . See Yaqut, Mu'jam , IV, 575. The
Jabal al- Summaq was a large mountain region with many settlements . It was considered part of the western districts of Halab . Yaqut, Mu'jam, II, 2 r.
5 r. At least two men of the Banu Saksak are identified in the accounts of the times:
Mu'awiyah and Abu 'IlAqah . The text rarely distinguishes between them . The identity of the individual here cannot be ascertained.

Hisham in charge of the city of Hims. Recognizing that there was
nothing he could do there, Sulayman went to Tadmur and stayed
there. Marwan encamped against Hims and besieged the defenders
for ten months. He erected more than eighty mangonels and bombarded them with stones night and day. Throughout this time they
made daily sallies and fought him. At times they raided the outskirts of his camp by night, attacking positions where they hoped
they would find a breach or a gap in his defenses . When one setback
after another had befallen them, they were forced to act humbly.
They asked him to guarantee them all safety on condition they deliver to him Said b. Hisham and his two sons 'Uthman and Marwan,
as well as a man named al - Saksaki,52 who used to raid Marwan's
camp, and an Abyssinian who used to insult and slander him.
Marwan consented to these terms. The story of the Abyssinian was
that he would climb up on the city wall and fasten to his own penis
that of a donkey. Then he would shout, "0 Banu Sulaym, you sons
of this and that, here is your banner! "I and he would revile
Marwap. When Marwan got control of him, he handed him over to
the Banu Sulaym, who cut off his male organs and his nose and
made an example of him. Marwan ordered the man called al-Saksaki
killed, and Said and his two sons tightly secured. Then he began to
move against al-Dahhak.
A source other than Abu Hashim Mukhallad b. Muhammad gives
a different account of what happened to Sulayman b. Hisham after
he was routed at the Battle of Khusaf : When Marwan routed Sulayman b. Hisham b. 'Abd al-Malik on the day of Khusaf, he fled to
'Abdallah b. 'Umar and went with him to al-Dahhak. He gave alDahhak his oath of allegiance and informed him of Marwan 's transgressions and injustice. Inciting them against him, Sulayman said,
"I'll march with you, with my mawlas and all who follow me." He
accompanied al-Dahhak when he moved against Marwan.
Shubayl b. 'Azrah al-Dubba'i says of their pledging allegiance to

al-Dahhak:
See ye not that God made His religion prevail,
so Quraysh prayed behind Bakr b. Will?
52. See n. 51 above.
S 3. This was an insult to Marwan who was called Marwan "al-Himar," that is, "the
ass." The expression "al-Himar" was not intended to denigrate the Caliph's intelligence. On the contrary, it denoted strength and endurance.
119131
[ 191 4)
Ibn 'Umar and his companions were of one accord in opposing alNadr b. Said. Thus he he knew that there was nothing he could do
with them, so he departed at once to seek Marwan in Syria.
According to Abu 'Ubaydah - Bayhas : By Dhu al-Qa'dah 127
(early August 745), Syria was pacified under Marwan and he had removed all those opposing him. Hence he summoned Yazid b. 'Umar
b. Hubayrah and sent him as governor to Iraq, adding the troops of
the Jazirah to his command . He advanced until he camped at the Canal of Said b. 'Abd al -Malik'54 and Ibn 'Umar sent a message to alDahhak informing him of this. Bayhas continues: Al-Dahhak assigned Maysanss to us, saying, "That will suffice you until we see
what transpires." Ibn 'Umar appointed his mawla al -Hakam b.
Nu'man in charge of it.
As for Abu Mikhnaf - Hisham :sb 'Abdallah b. 'Umar made peace
with al-Dahhak with the understanding that al -Dahhak should retain all of Kufah and its surrounding lands, while Ibn 'Umar should
retain all that he still held of Kaskar, Maysan, Dastmaysan, the districts of the Tigris, Ahwaz and Fars . Al-Dahhak moved on to encounter Marwan at Kafartutha in the Jazirah territory.
Abu 'Ubaydah reported : Al-Dahhak made preparations to go
against Marwan, and al -Nadr passed making for Syria. He camped at
Qadisiyyah, and word of it came to Milhan al -Shaybani, al-Dahhak's
governor of Kufah . Milhan came out against al-Nadr and fought
him, although he had with him only a few of the Kharijites . Al-Nadr
gave battle, and Milhan persisted until al -Nadr slew him . In a lament for him and 'Abd al-Malik b . 'Alqamah, Ibn Khudrah said:
How many are like Milhan , Kharijite trusted brother,
and Ibn 'Algamah, a Kharijite who found martyrdom?
A sincere man to whom I devoted my affection,

who sold my house at highest bargain of any abode;57
54 The canal (nahr) named after Sa 'id b. 'Abd al-Malik was situated outside of
Raqqah . The reference here is probably to a second Nahr Sa 'id which was in the area
of Basrah . See n. 54 below and Yiqut, Mu'jam, IV, 840.
55. Maysan was a district between Basrah and Wasit . See Yaqut, Mu'jam, IV, 840.
56. Hisham b. 'Ammar al -Dimashgi d. 244-46/858-60. See Ta 'rikh Dimashq, I,
PP-581,586,587.
57. I.e., exchanged this world for paradise.
25
Brothers in truth whom I hoped for and forsook;

I complain to God of my desertion and abandonment.
Word reached al-Dahhak of the slaying of Milhan, so he appointed
al-Muthanna b. 'Imran of the Banu 'A'idah as his governor in Kufah.
Then al-Dahhak marched in Dhu al-Qa'dah 127 (May 745), and took
Mosul. Ibn Hubayrah now moved from the Canal of Said and
camped at Ghazzah by 'Ayn al-Tamr.SR Word of this reached alMuthanna b. 'Imran al-'A'idhi, al-Dahhak's governor in Kufah, so he
marched against Ibn Hubayrah with the Kharijite troops at his disposal . With him was Mansur b. Jumhur, who had gone over to him
when he pledged allegiance to al-Dahhak, in opposition to Marwan.
The two forces met at Ghazzah and fought a violent battle for several days. Al-Muthanna was slain , as were 'Uzayr and 'Amr, two of
al-Dahhak's chieftains, while Mansur fled and the Kharijites were
routed. Muslim, the chamberlain of Yazid, said concerning this:
War let al-Muthanna see his death, that day of Ghazzah,

and flung 'Uzayr dead among those boulders,
She brought to 'Amr doom, while already
about Mansur were drawn the ropes of the snare.
Ghaylan b. Hurayth says in his panegyric of Ibn Hubayrah:
You vanquished on the Day of al-'Ayn those whom you met,
like the victory of a David over a Goliath.
When those slain on the Day of al-'Ayn were slain and Mansur b.
Jumhur had fled, he went straight on until he entered Kufah and
gathered together a group of the Yaman faction and the Sufriyyah,
including those who had dispersed the day Milhan was slain and
those who had held back from following al-Dahhak. Mansur gathered all these together and marched with them to camp at
Rawha',59 while Ibn Hubayrah advanced with his troops until he
encountered them. He fought them for several days and then put
58. 'Ayn al-Tamr is situated between al-Anbar and Kufah. It commanded the military approaches from the western desert to Iraq and especially Kufah. See Ell s.v.
'Ayn al-Tamr. The Ghazzah mentioned here cannot be identified.
59. Yiigiit, Mu'jam, II, 820 lists al-Rawha ' as a village in the vicinity of Baghdad
along the 'Isa Canal.
119151

them to flight. Al-Birdhawn b. Marzuq al-Shaybani was slain, and
Mansur fled. Concerning this, Ghaylan b. Hurayth said:
The day of Rawha' al-'Udhayb when they dispatched

Ibn Marzuq, a deadly swift poison.
Ibn Hubayrah advanced until he was settled in Kufah and drove
[1916) the Kharijites from the city. Word of what had happened to his followers reached al-Dahhak, who sent for 'Ubaydah b. Sawwar alTaghlibi and sent him against Ibn Hubayrah's forces. Ibn Hubayrah
moved from Kufah, intending to get to Wasit while 'Abdallah b.
'Umar was there. He appointed 'Abd al-Rahman b. Bashir al-' Ijli as
governor of Kufah. On the next day 'Ubaydallah b. Sawwar came up
with his cavalry and stationed himself at the Sarat Canal,60 where
he was joined by Mansur b. Jumhur. Word of this reached Ibn
Hubayrah and he marched against them. The two forces encountered each other at the Sarat in the year 127 (745)
According to what is mentioned," in this year (the 'Abbasid
naqibs) Sulayman b. Kathir, Lahiz b. Qurayz, and Qahtabah b.
Shabib went to Mecca, where they met with Ibrahim b. Muhammad
the Imam (of the'Abbasid Shi'ah). They informed him that they had
with them twenty thousand dinars and two hundred thousand
dirhams, as well as much musk and other goods. He ordered them to
turn it over to Ibn 'Urwah the mawla of Muhammad b. 'Ali. This
60. It is not clear from context whether the reference to the Sarat is to the canal
that emptied into the Tigris at Baghdad (at this time a village) or to the Shatt al-Nil
which Ibn Serapion called the "Great Sarat" that linked the Euphrates and Tigris
north of the ruins of Babylon . See LeStrange, Lands, 72.
61. General surveys of the 'Abbasid Revolution can be found in G. Van Vloten, De
Opkomst der Abbasiden in Khunasan (Leiden, 1882), Recherches sur la domination
arabe, le chiitisme et les croyances messianiques sous le Khalifat des Omayyades
(Amsterdam, 1890); Wellhausen, Arab Kingdom, 357-566; R. Frye, "The 'Abbasid
Conspiracy and Modem Revolutionary Theory," Indo-Iranica, 5/3 (1952-53): 9-14;
C. Cahen, " Pointes de vue sur la revolution 'Abbaside," Revue Historique, 230
(1963): 295-338; F. Omar, The'AbbisidCaliphate 132-70/750-8o (Baghdad, 1969),
57-136; AI-'Abbnsiyyiin al-awu'il: 132-70/750- 86 (Beirut, 1970), v.1; M. Shaban,
The 'Abbasid Revolution (Cambridge, 1970); H. Kennedy, The Early Abbasid Caliphate (New York, 1981 ), 35-45. See also the dissertations of M. Sharon, "'Aliyat ha'Abbisim la-Shilton," Hebrew University, Jerusalem, 1970 (soon to be published in
Hebrew and in an expanded two-volume work in English ); and D. Dennet, " Marwin
b. Muhammad; the passing of the Umayyad Caliphate," Harvard University, 1939.
(J.L.)
year they had brought Abu Muslim with them, and Ibn Kathir told
Ibrahim b. Muhammad, "This is your mawla."
Also this year, Bukayr b. Mahan wrote to Ibrahim b. Muhammad
informing him that he was at death's door, and that he had chosen
(Abu Salamah) Hafs b. Sulayman as his successor and the latter was
willing." Ibrahim wrote to Alin Salamah instructing him to take
command of his followers, and wrote to his people in Khurasan informing them that he had entrusted Abu Salamah with their affairs.
Abu Salamah then went to Khurasan. The Khurasanis approved of
him and accepted his leadership, and turned over to him what had
been gathered on their behalf as contributions of their Shi'ah, and
the fifth part of their wealth.
'Abd al-Aziz b. 'Umar b. 'Abd al-Aziz led the Pilgrimage this year.
He was Marwan's governor for Madinah, Mecca and Ta'if. Ahmad b.
Thabit al-Razi reported this from someone-Ishaq b. 'Isa-Abu
Ma'shar; al-Wagidi and others have said the same.
The governor of Iraq in this year was al-Nadr b. al-Harashi. We
have already mentioned what transpired between him and'Abdallah
b. 'Umar and al-Dahhak al-Haruri. In Khurasan Nasr b. Sayyar was
governor, but there were also those who contended with him for
power there, such as Juday' al-Kirmani (leader of the Yamanis) and
al-Harith b. Surayj (al-Murji'i).'
62. Bukayr was the non -Arab leader of the revolutionary apparatus of the 'Abbisid
Shi'ah in Kufah . Abu Salamah, his son-in-law, had taken his place on a mission to
Khurasin the previous year . See Akhbnr al-Dawlah, z47-49; Balidhuri, Ansvb, III,
118 seemingly refers to this event and places it in the lifetime of Muhammad b. 'Ali
Id. 125 or 125 .AH.I.
63. Al-Hirith is identified elsewhere as a Murji ' i, or member of a sect which left
judgment of others to God.
119171
lb
The Events of the Year

I28
(OCTOBER 3, 745-SEPTEMBER 21, 746)
00
Among the events of this year was the slaying of al-Harith b. Surayj
in Khurasan.6
The Slaying of al-Hdrith b. Surayj

We have already mentioned the letter of Yazid b. al-Walid b. alWalid to al-Harith with a pardon for him, and how al-Harith then
left the land of the Turks for Khurasan and went to Nasr b. Sayyar.
We also mentioned how Nasr treated him,65 and how adherents collected around al-Harith in answer to his call.
According to 'Ali b. Muhammad (al-Mada'ini)-his shaykhs:
When Ibn Hubayrah took control of Iraq, he wrote to Nasr b. Sayyar
of his appointment, and Nasr gave his allegiance to Marwan. Then
al-Harith said, "It was only Yazid b. al-Walid who gave me his promise of safety, and Marwan will not confirm a pardon made by Yazid
-I do not trust him."
Nasr called for the oath of allegiance to Marwan, but Abu al-Saul
reviled Marwan. When he called on al-Harith to give the oath, Salm
64. See Ibn Khayyat, II, 405.
65. See Tabari, 11/3, 1887ff, sub anno 126.
29
b. Ahwaz al-Tamimi came to him, as well as Khilid b. Huraym,

Qatari b. Muhammad, 'Abbid b. al-Abrad b. Qurrah and Hammid b. [1918)
'Amir. They spoke with him, saying, "Why should Nasr render his
authority and his governorship into the hands of your people? Didn't
he bring you out of the land of the Turks, away from the rule of the
Khagan? He delivered you so that your enemies would not take
heart against you. But you opposed him; you forsook the rule of your
own tribe ('ashirahJ and emboldened their enemy against them. We
would remind you of God, lest you scatter our unity (jama'ahJ!" AlHarith replied, "Truly, I see the governorship in the hands of alKirmani, but the rule in the hands of Nasr." Thus he would not
agree with them as they desired. He went out to a walled garden belonging to Hamzah b. Abi Silih al-Sulami, opposite the palace of the
Bukhirakhuda,M and camped there. He sent a message to Nasr saying, "Submit the [question ofJ rule to consultation (sht raJ."' But
Nasr refused. Then al-Harith came out and went to the dwellings of
Ya'qub b. Dawud. He ordered Jahm b. Safwan the mawla of the Banu
Risib" to read a document describing al-Hirith's program (sirah) to
the people. At that, they went away exclaiming "Allahu Akbar!" AlHarith sent a messenger to Nasr saying, "Discharge Salm b. Ahwaz
from your security force and employ Bishr b. Bistim al -Burjumi."
There occurred some words between him and Mughallis b. Ziyad,
whereupon the Qays and the Tamim split into separate factions.
At this, Nasr discharged Salm, but employed Ibrahim b. 'Abd alRahman. The two groups then chose some men to nominate for
them men mindful of the Book of God. Nasr chose Mugatil b. Sulayman and Mugatil b. Hayyan, while al-Harith selected al-Mughirah
b. Shu'bah al-Jahdami and Mu'adh b. Jabalah. Nasr instructed his
secretary to record whatever precedents (sunan) were acceptable to
66. Bukhirakhudi was the title of the native prince of Bukhara.
67. That is, the ruler would have been chosen by an electoral council (shurdj. The
decision would thus have been taken out of the hands of Nasr b. Sayyar and given to a
wider community.
68. rahm b. Safwan was the secretary and advisor of al-Harith as well as the intellectual protagonist of his revolt. His views were obscure, but a sect identified as his
followers was later condemned by Ahmad b. Hanbal as propagating belief in the
created Qur an. They also held to an extreme view of predestination. See Ell s.v.
Djahmiyya. The Bann Rasib were a sub-group of the Azd, a major group of the Yaman
in Khurisin. See E12 s.v. Azd.
69. Text: faqarrat; read fatafarragat Qays wa Tamim following the Cairo ed.
30
] 1919]
them70 and the governors they chose, so that he might appoint

them to the two frontier zones, that is, the frontier of Samarqand
and that of Tukharistan .71 He also instructed him to write to those
who governed there what they saw fit in the way of programs and
precedents. At this, Salm b . Ahwaz asked Nasr for permission to assassinate al-Harith, but he refused, and appointed in his stead
Ibrahim b . 'Abd al-Rahman al -Sa'igh, who used to send his son Ishaq
to Marw with turquoises.
Al-Harith had proclaimed that he was "He of the Black Banners ."' Nasr sent to him saying, " If you are the one you claim, you
will tear down the walls of Damascus and bring the rule of the Banu
Umayyah to an end . So take five hundred men from me and two
hundred camels, and load up with whatever wealth and weapons
you will, and go! By my life, if you are the one you mention, then I
am indeed in your hands ; but if you are not that one, then you have
destroyed your tribe ." Al-Harith replied, "I have learned that this
]claim] is true, but none of my followers have given me an oath of allegiance on that basis ." Nasr answered, "Then it is clear that they
are not of your opinion, and have nothing like your clairvoyance,
and that they are sinners and ruffians. I exhort you in God's name
for the twenty thousand of the Rabi'ah and the Yaman that shall
perish in the conflict between you !" Nasr also proposed to make alHarith governor of Transoxiana, and to give him three hundred
thousand ( pieces of silver), but he did not accept . Then Nasr told
him, "If you wish then begin with al-Kirmani, and if you kill him,
then I will obey you. Or if you wish , stay out of our quarrel, and if I
am victorious over him, then do as you see fit. Or if you wish, then
70. Perhaps the precedents of the Prophet and his companions . Al-Hirith 's movement had called for governing by the book of God and the precedent (sunnah) of the
Prophet, and Nasr was trying to conciliate al-Harith and the pietists, who demanded
justice for the convert element.
71. These areas had a large Turkish population and many Iranians who had converted to Islam . Ibn Surayj had a large following there.
72. That is, he who leads the revolt against the Umayyad regime and ushers in the
messianic age. The movement of Ibn Surayj had many parallels to that of the 'Abbasids who were similarly imbued with messianic fervor and saw themselves as restoring the sunnah of the Prophet. See Sharon , 'Aliyat, 139ff. On the black flags see
Omar, "al-Alwin," Bulletin of the College of Arts (Baghdad University, XIV (1571):
8z8ff.

go with your followers," and once you pass Rayy then I shall do as
you say!"
Nasr and al-Harith came face to face , and agreed that Mugatil b.
Hayyan7' and Jahm b. Safwan should arbitrate their differences.
Their judgment was that Nasr should abdicate, and the government
be decided by consultation (shwa), but Nasr did not accept it. Jahm
kept telling stories in his tent in al-Harith's camp, while al-Harith
kept opposing Nasr . Then Nasr issued orders to his people of the
Band Salamah and others. He sent Salm into the city to the house of
Ibn Sawwar, and gave him command of the guard (rabitah). He gave 119201
Hudbah b. 'Amir al-Sha'rawi some cavalry, and sent him into the
city as well. Nasr appointed 'Abd al -Salim b. Yazid b. Hayyan alSulami governor of the city , and transferred the weapons and the
government registries to the Quhandiz.75 He suspected that a group
of his followers had corresponded with al -Harith. He thus had those
whom he suspected , and who had not been put to the test , sit to his
left, and he had those whom he had empowered and entrusted sit at
his right. He then spoke, and mentioned the Band Marwan and
those who had rebelled against them , and how God had given him
victories. Then he said, "I praise God, but I blame those on my left
hand. I took over Khurasan when you, 0 Ydnus b. 'Abd Rabbihi,
were one of those who wanted to flee from the burden of providing
for Marw. You and the people of your family were of those who
wanted Asad b. 'Abdallah76 to put his seal on their necks , and make
foot-soldiers of them." Yet I befriended you when I became your
governor and treated you well. I commanded you to take away what
you had received when I wanted to travel to al-Walid . Some of you
73. Text: ashabi "my followers;" read ashabuka "your followers " as in the Cairo
ed.
74. Muqitil b. Hayyin was the son of the Iranian convert and mediator Hayyin alNabati . For the latter see Tabari, index, 158, and Wellhausen , Arab Kingdom, pp. 473,
496, 536.
75. The Quhandiz was the inner citadel at Marw, the size of a small city. It was surrounded by a larger walled urban area beyond which were the suburban districts that
stretched along the canals of the oasis. Sec LeStrange, Lands, 358.
76. That is Asad b. 'Abdallah al-Qasri, the former governor of Khurasin who favored the Yamani faction and brought Juday' al-Kirmini in as his lieutenant.
77. Arabs rode to battle . To be made infantry was regarded as degrading. Footsoldiers were usually non-Arabs.
32
took a million [pieces of silver], more or less. And then you conspired with al-Harith against me. Why didn't you look at these free
men who stuck with me, recipients of bounty, suffering no distress?" Here he indicated those who were on his right hand. At this,
those on his left apologized to him, and he accepted their plea.
A number of people came to Nasr from the districts of Khurasan
when word reached them of the internal strife he was encountering.
Among them were 'Asim b. 'Umayr al-Suraymi, Abu al-Dhayyal alNaji, 'Amr al-Fadusban" al-Sughdi al-Bukhari and Hassan b. Khalid
al-Asadi from Tukharistan with their cavalry. They also included
'Aqil b. Ma'gil al-Laythi, Muslim b. 'Abd al-Rahman b. Muslim and
Sa'id al-Saghir with more horsemen.
Al-Harith b. Surayj wrote out his program and it was read in the
119211 great public street of Marw and in the mosques, and many people responded to it.
A man read it out at Nasr's door in Majan,7q whereupon Nasr's
slaves beat him. At this, al-Harith broke his compact with Nasr.
Hubayrah b. Sharahil and Yazid Abu Khalid came and informed
Nasr, and he summoned al-Hasan b. Sa'd, the mawla of Quraysh, ordering him to proclaim, "Al-Harith b. Surayj is the enemy of God.
He has broken faith and declared war, so call upon God for aid; there
is no might nor power save in God!" That same night he sent 'Asim
b. 'Umayr to al-Harith, and asked al-Khalid b. 'Abd al-Rahman,
"What shall we employ as our battle cry tomorrow?" Mugatil b.
Sulayman said, "When God sent a prophet and he fought the enemy,
his battle cry was 'Ha-Mim, they shall not be victorious!"' Thus
their battle cry was "Hd-Mim, they shall not be victorious!" The
emblem on their lances was wool.""
Salm b. Ahwaz, 'Asim b. 'Umayr, Qatan, 'Agil b. Ma'gil, Muslim
b. 'Abd al-Rahman, Said al-Saghir, 'Amir b. Malik, and a number of
others were on the edge of the Tukhariyyah quarter, while Yahya b.
Hudayn and the Rabi'ah were in (the quarter of) the Bukharis. A
man from the city of Marw guided al-Harith to a hole in the wall,
and al-Harith went there, breached the wall and entered the city in
78. Text: al-Qawusan; Cairo ed. al-Fddusbdn.
79. A large western suburb of Marw where the Government Palace )Dar al-Imarah)
stood in'Abbasid times. See LeStrange, Lands, 399.
8o. The wearing of wool was a sign of asceticism in early Islam. It appears that
Nasr 's forces were countering pietism with pietism.

the area near the Balin Gate" with fifty men. They cried out "Ya
Mansur! (0 divinely aided),"" al-Harith's battle cry. They then came
to Bab Niq, where Jahm b. Mas'iid al-Naji fought them. A man
charged at Jahm, but he speared him in the mouth, killing him.
Then they went out through Bab Niq until they came to the pavilion
(qubbah) of Salm b. Ahwaz, where Ismah b. 'Abdallah al-Asadi,
Khadir b. Khalid and al-Abrad b. Dawud of the family of al-Abrad b.
Qurrah fought them. At the Balin Gate was Hazim b. Hatim, and
they slew all who were guarding it and began to plunder the dwellings of Ibn Ahwaz and of Qudayd b. Mani', Al-Harith forbade them
to take anything except mounts and weapons from these houses or [1922[
from the house of Ibrahim and 'Isa, the two sons of 'Abdallah alSulami. This occurred on Sunday night at the end of Jumada II
(March 14, 746).
A messenger from Salm came to inform Nasr that al-Harith was
nearby, and he sent back the message, "Delay him until morning."
Then Muhammad b. Qatan b. Imran al-Asadi also sent word to him
that most of his followers had rebelled, and Nasr replied, "Don't you
be the one to begin the fighting." What provoked the conflict was
that a slave of al-Nadr b. Muhammad the jurist, a man called 'Atiyyah, went over to Salm's followers. At this, the followers of alHarith said, "Give him back to us." This they refused, and so they
started fighting. A slave of 'Asim was struck in the eye and died, and
'Asim fought them along with 'Agil b. Ma'qil and put them to flight.
They ran off to al-Harith, who was saying the prayer of daybreak in
the mosque of Abu Bakrah, the mawla of the Banu Tamim. As soon
as he finished the prayer he went up to them, and they went back to
the edge of the Tukharian quarter. Then two men approached him
and 'Asim called out to them, "Hamstring his horse!" At this, alHarith struck one of them with his mace killing him, and retreated
to the street of the Sughdis. There he saw A'yan, the mawla of
Hayyan, and forbade him to fight, but he fought (nonetheless) and
was killed. Al-Harith turned into the street of the Banu Ismah, and
Hammad b. 'Amir al-Himmani and Muhammad b. Zur'ah followed
8i. The Balin Gate was the northwest gate of the inner city. See LeStrange, Lands,
399.
82. For messianic titles in late Umayyad and early'Abbasid times see Lewis, "Regnal Titles" in the Dr. Zakir Hussain Presentation Volume (New Delhi, 1968).
[1 923]
him. He broke both their spears, and then charged Marzuq, the
mawla of Salm . As he drew near him, however, al-Harith's horse
bolted with him into a shop . He drove his mount into the rear wall,
and it was killed.
When Salm awoke in the morning, he rode to Bab Niq and ordered
the people to dig a trench. They dug it, and he instructed a herald to
proclaim, " Whoever brings in [an enemy ] head shall have three hundred [silver pieces]." The sun had hardly risen before al-Harith was
routed - he had fought them all night long. When we awoke in the
morning Nasr's followers took the Raziq Canal ." They overtook
'Abdallah b . Mujja'ah b. Sa'd, and slew him. Salm went as far as alHarith 's camp and then turned back to Nasr , who forbade him to advance, but he said, " I'm not stopping until I get into the city and
fight that dabbusi [club-wielder]!"" Muhammad b. Qatan and
'Ubaydallah b. Bassam went with him to the Dar Sankan Gate,85
which is in the Quhandiz, and found it shut. However, 'Abdallah b.
Mazyad al -Asadi climbed the wall with three men and opened the
gate . Ibn Ahwaz entered, and set Abu al-Mutahhar Harb b . Sulayman to guard the gate . That day Salm slew a secretary of al-Harith b.
Surayj whose name was Yazid b. Dawud . He gave the order to 'Abd
Rabbihi b. Sisan, who killed him. Salm went on to Bab Niq and
opened it and killed a man from the Butchers' Quarter who had
showed al-Harith the hole (in the wall).
Al-Mundhir al-Raggashi , the paternal cousin of Yahya b. Hudayn
said, mentioning the fortitude of al-Qasim al -Shaybani:
None of you fought the enemy but our comrade,
With a band who fought steadfastly, unafraid;
They fought at the gate of the fortress and weakened not

Till God's help came to them and they conquered.
83. The Raziq was one of the four main canals which issued from the basin created
by damming the Murghab River . The canals watered the Marw Oasis and then ran
into a marsh and were lost in the desert . See LeStrange, Lands, 398-99.
84. Dabbusi was a disparaging term . Clubs, which were a favored weapon of the Iranian converts to Islam, may have acquired a symbolic meaning, e.g. schismatics.
85. That is the gate leading to Dar Sankan , a village adjacent to Marw . According to
Yaqut the village was also called Sinjan or Sanjan . See Mu 'jam, III, 16o.
The Events of the Year 128 is
Thus Qasim following God's command guarded it,

While you confined yourself to withdrawal from that place.
It is said that when the matter of al-Kirmani and al-Harith grew
rough, Nasr sent a message to al-Kirmani, who came to him under a
truce. Present with them were Muhammad b. Thabit the Qadi, Miq-
daam b. Nu'aym the brother of 'Abd al-Rahman b. Nu'aym al- [1924)

Ghamidi, and Salm b. Ahwaz. Nasr called on them to unite, and said
to al-Kirmani, "You will be the happiest of men in that." Then some
words occurred between Salm and Migdam, and Salm spoke rudely
to him. Migdam's brother then took his part, and al-Sughdi b. 'Abd
al-Rahman al -Hazmi became angry with them both. Salm said, "I'd
like to cut your nose off with a sword." And al-Sughdi told him,
"Were you to touch your sword, your hand would not come back to
you." At this, al-Kirmani feared that this was a plot on Nasr's part,
so he rose and clung to Nasr. He would not sit down, but went back
to the door of the magsurah."R His followers met him with his
horse, and he mounted there in the mosque. Nasr said, "He intended
treachery to me ." Al-Harith then sent Nasr the message, "We do not
accept you as a leader of prayer." Nasr replied, "How should you
know [of such things)? You dissipated your life in the land of idolatry and raided the Muslims with idolators! Do you think that I
would humble myself to you more than I have already done?"
That day Jahm b. Safwan, the leader of the jahmiyyahB7 was
taken prisoner and he told Salm, "I have a promise" from your son
Harith!" He replied, "He should not have given it, and even if he did,
I would not give you protection. Even if you filled this wrapper with
stars, and Jesus the son of Mary pronounced you guiltless to me, you
would not be delivered! By God, if you were in my belly, I would cut
my belly open to kill you! And by God, no one will rise against us
with the Yamanis to an extent greater than you have done!" He then
ordered 'Abd Rabbihi b. Sisan to kill him, and the people said, "Abu
Muhriz is slain;" for Jahm's patronymic was Abu Muhriz.
86. It appears that this meeting was arranged in the magsurah of the mosque, the
governor's prayer enclosure, so as to afford the participants maximum privacy and
protection.
88. The text is wall; it should be read walth, following the Cairo edition.

(1925 (
(1926 j
Hubayrah b. Sharahil and 'Abdallah b. Mujja 'ah were taken prisoner that day, and he ( Salm) said, "May God not spare him who
spares you, though you are both of Tamim ." It is also said that Hubayrah was killed when the cavalry overtook him at the house of
Qudayd b . Mani'.
When Nasr routed al -Harith, the latter sent his son Hatim to alKirmani . At this, Muhammad b . al-Muthanna89 told al-Kirmani,
"They are both your enemies . Let them fight each other ." But alKirmani sent al-Sughdi b . 'Abd al-Rahman al -Hazmi back with him,
and al -Sughdi entered the city near the Maykhan Gate .90 Then alHarith came, and entered the tent of al-Kirmani . With al-Kirmani
were Dawud b . Shu'ayb al-Huddani and Muhammad b. al-Muthanna . The time for prayer came, and al -Kirmani prayed with
them."' Then al-Harith mounted, and Jama'ah b. Muhammad b.
'Aziz Abu Khalaf went with him . The next day al-Kirmani went to
the gate of Maydan Yazid, and fought Nasr 's followers . Sa'd b. Salm
al-Maraghi was slain , and the banner of 'Uthman b . al-Kirmani was
captured.
The first to bring the news of al-Harith 's rout to al-Kirmani-he
was encamped at Bab Masarjasan , one farsakh ( 6 km) from the city
-were al -Nadr b. Ghallaq al-Sughdi and 'Abd al -Wahid b. al-Munakhkhal. Then came Sawadah b . Surayj92 ( Hatim b. al-Harith, and
Khalil b . Ghazwan al-'Adawi, bringing him the oath of al-Harith b.
Surayj ( 93 The first to give the oath of allegiance to al-Kirmani was
Yahya b. Nu'aym b. Hubayrah al-Shaybani . Then al-Kirmani sent
Sawrah b . Muhammad al-Kindi to al-Harith (at Asmanir),94 as well
89. According to Dinawari , 352, this man was a chief of the Rabi'ah in Marw who
joined al - Kirmani, while Tabari 's accounts seem always to associate him with the
Azd. Dinawari 's extended account 1352-62) of the tribal war contains details not
found in Tabari, but there is no mention of Ibn Surayj . The account is confined to alKirmani 's quarrel with Nasr b . Sayyar.
9o. Both editions read mnykhan , " tavern ;" miian is also possible.
9t. This was the forging of a coalition against the Qays . It was, however, an inherently unstable alliance, for while al - Harith had a following of converts and tribesmen
of the Yaman, he and his core following were from the Tamim . Some of the Tamim,
such as Salm b. Ahwaz , supported Nasr b . Sayyar . The Tamim were the natural allies
of the Qays.
92. The brother of al-Harith b. Surayj.
93. This phrase is missing from the text and is supplied from the Cairo edition.
94. The text records that a word is missing. The reading is supplied by the Cairo
edition . There is no entry for Asmanir in Yaqut.

as al-Sughdi b. 'Abd al-Rahman Abu Tu'mah, and Sa'b or Su'ayb, and
Sabbah. They entered the city from Bab Maykhan until they came to
Bab Rakak. Then al-Kirmani advanced to the gate of Harb b. 'Amir
and sent his followers against Nasr on Wednesday. They exchanged
volleys, but abstained from further combat, and there was no fighting on Thursday. Then they encountered each other on Friday, and
the Azd fled back to al-Kirmani. He took their standard in his hand
and fought with it. Al-Khadir b. Tamim charged (Nasr's men) wearing a coat of mail, and they shot arrows at him. Then Hubaysh, a
mawla of Nasr, dashed at him, and wounded him in the throat. AlKhadir tore the spearhead from his throat with his left hand and his
horse set off with him. He charged Hubaysh, speared him and threw
him off his horse, and al-Kirmani's foot-soldiers finished him off
with clubs.
Nasr's followers fled, and al-Kirmani's men captured eighty of
their horses. Tamim b. Nasr was thrown, and two mounts of his
were taken; al-Sughdi b. 'Abd al-Rahman took one of them, and alKhadir took the other. Al-Khadir encountered Salm b. Ahwaz, took
a mace from his nephew and clubbed Salm, and wrested him off his
horse. Two men of Tamim charged Salm, but he got away, and
threw himself from the bridge. He had sustained some ten blows on
his iron helmet, and he collapsed. Muhammad b. al-Haddad carried
him to Nasr's camp, and the forces withdrew. A few nights later,
Nasr came out of Marw, and Ismah b. 'Abdallah al-Asadi was slain.
He was defending Nasr's men, and Salih b. al-Qa'ga' al-Azdi overtook him. Ismah called, "Come on, Mazuni!" And Salih replied,
"Hold tight, eunuch!" For Ismah was childless. Ismah turned his
horse and it reared, whereupon he fell. Then Salih speared him and
killed him. Ibn al-Daylimari,% a rajaz poet, fought and was slain
at Ismah 's side . 'Ubaydallah b. Hawtamah al-Sulami was slain;
Marwan al-Bahrani hurled an iron bar at him , and he was killed.
They brought his head to al-Kirmani, and he recoiled, for
'Ubaydallah had been a friend of his. A Yamani man seized the reins
of Muslim b. 'Abd al-Rahman b. Muslim's horse, but he recognized
him, so he let him go. They fought each other for three days and on
95. This was an insult reserved for the Azd JMazun was once a Persian name for
'Umanj . The Azd regarded it as an ethnic sneer. Sec Lisdn al-'Arab, XVII, 294 and n.
103.
96. Vocalization conjectural.
119271

the last day the Mudar put the Yaman to flight . Then al-Khalil b.
Ghazwan called , " 0 men of Rabi ' ah and Yaman, al-Harith has entered the bazaar ; Ibn al-Aqta' ] Nasr] is slain; Mudar's strength has
been broken !" The first who fled was Ibrahim b. Bassam al-Laythi.
Tamim, Nasr's son, dismounted to fight on foot, 'and 'Abd alRahman b. Jami' al-Kindi took his horse . Hayyaj al-Kalbi was slain,
and Lag-it b. Akhdar was killed by a slave of Hani ' al-Bazzar.
It is said that when Friday came, they prepared for battle and tore
down (part of ) the walls in order to give themselves more space. AlNasr sent Muhammad b. Qatan to al-Kirmani with the message,
"You are not like this club-wielder; fear God , and do not enter civil
war (fitnahJ." Tamim b . Nasr sent his armed retinue ( Shakiriyyah],97 who were within the house of Janub bt . al-Qa'ga', but the
followers of al-Kirmani shot at them from the roofs and were wary
of them . Then 'Aqil b. Ma'qil said to Muhammad b. al-Muthanna,
"Why are we killing ourselves for Nasr and al-Kirmani ? Come, let
us return to our own country in Tukharistan !" However,
Muhammad replied, " Nasr did not keep faith with us, and we shall
not stop fighting him."
The partisans of al-Harith and al-Kirmani used to shoot at Nasr
and his followers with a ballista . Nasr's awning was struck while he
was under it, but he did not move from it. Then he sent Salm b.
Ahwaz against them, and he engaged them in battle . At first, the
victory went to Nasr, but when al -Kirmani saw that, he took his
banner from Muhammad b . Muhammad b. 'Umayrah and fought
(1928] with it until he broke it. Muhammad b. al-Muthanna then set out
with al-Zagh and Hittan for Karabakul ,98 so that they emerged on
the Raziq Canal where Tamim b . Nasr held the bridge. When he
came up to Tamim , Muhammad told him, " Stand aside, boy!"
Muhammad was carrying a yellow banner while al -Zagh accompanied him . They unhorsed A'yan the mawla and chief clerk of Nasr
and slew him, along with a number of his Shakiriyyah. Al-Khadir b.
Tamim attacked Salm b. Ahwaz and speared him, but he deflected
the blow. Then al-Khadir struck him on the chest with an iron bar,
97. Shakiriyyah are frequently mentioned in Arabic sources of the early period.
Their precise composition and function however remains unknown.
98. Reading conjectural . Al-Zagh and Hittan seem to be non -Arab names, and Karabakul a place.
39
and again on his shoulder. He struck him a third time on his head,
and Salm fell down. Nasr defended his followers with eight hundred
men, and kept the enemy from entering the market.
When the Yaman had put the Mudar to flight, al-Harith sent Nasr
the message, "The Yaman blame me for your getting away, and I am
refraining from fighting . Now set the staunchest of your followers in
front of al-Kirmani." At this, Nasr sent Yazid al-Nahawi or Khalid"
to him to ascertain from him that he would keep his word to refrain
from fighting. It is said that al-Harith only desisted from fighting
Nasr so that 'Imran b. al-Fadl al-Azdi and the people of his house,
and 'Abd al-Jabbar al-'Adawi and Khalid b. 'Ubaydallah b. Habib al'Adawi and most of his followers might be avenged on al-Kirmani
for what he did to the people of Tabushkan.' That was when Asad
had sent al-Kirmani against them , and they came out to submit
themselves to Asad's judgment. However, he slit open the bellies of
fifty men and threw them into the Oxus, and cut off the hands and
feet of three hundred of them . He crucified three men and sold their
households to the highest bidder . They were thus taking revenge on
al-Harith for helping al -Kirmani and fighting Nasr.
When matters changed between him and al-Harith, Nasr said to

his followers, "Mudar will not unite in support of me as long as al - ( 1929]
Harith is with al-Kirmani . They cannot agree on anything; the best
idea is to leave them both , since they are quarreling ." He then went
out to Julfar'' where he found 'Abd al-Jabbar al-Ahwal al-'Adawi
and 'Umar b. Abi al-Haytham al-$ughdi, and asked them, "Are you
pleased to stand with al-Kirmani?" 'Abd al-Jabbar told him, "May
you never lack for affliction so long as you occupy this place!" When
Nasr came back to Marw, he ordered that 'Abd al-Jabbar be given
four hundred lashes.
Nasr now went to Kharaq'm and stayed there for four days. With
him were Muslim b. 'Abd al-Rahman b. Muslim, Salm b. Ahwaz and
Sinan al-Arabi. Nasr told his wives, "Al-Harith will take my place,
99. The text has "and Khilid," but the Cairo edition says it should read "or
Khilid."
ioo. Tabushkin was a fortress in upper Tukharistin where in 117 (January 31,
735-January 20, 736 ), Asad b. 'Abdallah al-Qasri had al-Kirmini massacre the relatives of al -Hirith b. Surayj . See Tabari, 11/3, 1589 sub anno n8.
101. Julfar (also Julfar) was one of the villages of Marw . See Yiqut, Mu'jam . 11, io4.
1o2. Yiqut lists Kharaq as a village in the Marw oasis. See Mu 'iam, II, 445.

and will protect you." When he drew near to Naysabur the people
sent messengers asking, "What has brought you? Has some tribal
quarrel flared up which God had extinguished?" Nasr's governor at
Naysabur was Dirar b. 'Isa al-'Amin, and Nasr sent him Sinan alA'rabi, Muslim b. 'Abd al-Rahman and Salm b. Ahwaz, who spoke
to the Naysaburis. Then they came out, and met Nasr with a
princely retinue, slave-girls, and gifts. At this, Salm told him, "God
make me your ransom! This tribe is of Qays, and Qays was only
remonstrating ." Nasr replied:
I am the son of Khindif; its tribe increases me

In good deeds, and my paternal uncle is Qays Àylan!
1 1 9301
When Nasr departed from Marw, Yunus b. 'Abd Rabbihi, Muhammad b. Qatan and Khalid b. 'Abd al-Rahman accompanied him, with
others who were their peers.
The source says that 'Abbad b. 'Umar al-Azdi, 'Abd al-Hakim b.
Said al-'Awdhi and Abu Ja' far Isa b. jurz came to Nasr at
Abrashahr103 from Mecca, and Nasr told 'Abd al-Hakim al-'Awdhi,
"Do you not see what the foolish men of your folk have done?" He
replied, "Say rather the foolish men of your own folk. Their rule was
prolonged in your governorship, and you rendered the government
to your own people, excluding Rabi'ah and Yaman, so that they became insolent. There are forbearing people and foolish ones in both
the Rabi'ah and Yaman, and the foolish ones prevailed over the
wise." 'Abbad said, "Do you receive the Amir with such words?"
But Nasr told him, "Let him alone; he's spoken the truth." Then
Abu Ja'far 'Isa b. Jurz-a man who came from a village on the river
of Marw-said, "0 Amir, you have merit JhasabJ in these matters
and in your governorship, for truly a momentous matter is at hand.
A man of obscure origins will rise and display black colors, and call
men to a revolution JdawlahJ104 which is to come. He will take the
authority, and you shall see it and be shaken." However, Nasr said,
"I do not think that will be, because of the lack of agreement among
the people, their rancor and their mutual enmity. I sent an emissary
103. In early Islamic time Naysabur (Nishapur) was known as Abrashahr. See LeStrange, Lands, 383.
104. For the term dawlah, see E/2 s.v. Dawla. The man of unknown origins is a reference to Abu Muslim al-Khurasani, and the aim of the account is to score a propaganda point for the 'Abbasids.

to al-Harith when he was in the land of the Turks and offered him a
governorship and money , yet he refused and stirred up mischief, and
rose up against me." Then Abu Ja'far 'Isa said, "Al-Harith is already
slain and crucified, and al-Kirmani is not far from that fate." Nasr
bestowed gifts on 'Isa for this. Salm b. Ahwaz used to say, "I never
saw a folk more generous in response or more giving of their blood
than the Qays."
When Nasr departed from Marw , al-Kirmani gained the upper
hand there, and told al-Harith, "I want only the Book of God."
(Later) Qahtabah said, "If he'd been telling the truth, I would have
reinforced him with a thousand horsemen."10S
Mugatil b. Hayyan asked, "Is it in the Book of God to tear down
houses and seize wealth?" And al-Kirmani confined him in a tent in
the camp. Then Mu'ammar b. Mugatil b. Hayyan, or Mu'ammar b.
Hayyan, spoke to al-Kirmani, and he let Mugatil go. Later al-Kirmani went to the mosque, and al-Harith stood by. Al-Kirmani addressed the people and gave all of them a guarantee of safety , except
Muhammad b. al-Zubayr and one other man. Dawud b. Abi Dawud
b. Ya'qub then asked him for surety for Muhammad b. al-Zubayr.
The secretary came in and gave Muhammad a guarantee. Al-Harith
went to the Gate of Duran and Sarakhs,'E while al- Kirmani
camped in Musalla Asad. He sent for al-Harith, who came before
him and denied that he had destroyed people's homes and taken
their possessions. Al-Kirmani pondered but did nothing, and he remained for several days. Then Bishr b. Jurmuz al-Dabbi rebelled at
Kharg5n,10' summoning men to the Quar'an and the sunnah. He
told al-Harith, "I only fought beside you seeking justice, but since
you have been with al-Kirmani I have realized that you only fight so
that it will be said 'al-Harith has won.' These people are [only] fighting out of tribalism, so I'm not fighting on your side." He then with1o5. The reference here is to Qahtabah b. Shabib, the great 'Abbasid general who
did much to defeat the Umayyads see Ell s.v. Kahtaba b. Shabib). This interjected
tradition supports the "message " that the 'Abbasids alone were able and willing to
support the Book of God, and so fulfill the apocalyptic traditions.
ro6. That is, the main gate of Marw, Bab al -Madinah, to the southwest. See LeStrange, Lands, 399.
107. Yaqut, Mu'jam , II, 424-25 lists several places under Kharagan, Khargan and
Kharragan, but none seems to be the place mentioned here . He also mentions a Kharqan Canal in the vicinity of Marw (I, 66), which is mentioned later in Tabari 's narrative . There is also the possibility that Kharaq was intended. See n. 102 above.
[1931)

drew (i'tazal)108 at the head of fifty-five hundred men-some say
with only four thousand-and said, "We are the just detachment;
we summon [people] to the truth, and we fight none but those who
fight us." Al-Harith came to the Mosque of 'Iyad, and sent to alKirmani calling upon him to let the government be decided by consultation, but al-Kirmani refused. Al-Harith sent his son Muhammad, and he moved his household109 from the house of Tamim b.
Nasr. At this, Nasr wrote to his own tribe and the Mudar, "Stay
with al-Harith as good advisers." So they came to him, and al-Harith
told them, "You are the root and branch of the Arabs, but you are
about to be routed, so come out to me with your households." They
replied, "We never agree on anything without encountering it."
One of the administrative assistants in al-Kirmani's camp was
Mugatil b. Sulayman. A man of the Bukharis came to him and said,
"Give me the payment for the mangonels I set up." He told him,
"Establish the proof that you set them up for the sake of the Muslims." At this, Shaybah b. Shaykh al-Azdi testified for him. A draft
on the treasury was then written for the man at Mugatil's behest.
[1932] The followers of al-Harith wrote to al-Kirmani, "We advise you to
fear God and to obey Him, to follow the path of imams of guidance
and to forbid of your blood what God has forbidden. If God joins us
together, it will be for al-Harith's earnest desire for a relationship
with God and his sincere advice to His servants. We have exposed
ourselves to war, our blood to spilling, and our property to destruction. All that is little to us, beside the reward we hope for from God.
We are all brothers in religion, and helpers against the enemy. So
fear God and return to the truth, for truly we desire not the spilling
of blood unless it be lawful."
They remained for several days, and then al-Harith b. Surayj came
and bored a hole in the wall, near Nawban at the house of Hisham b.
Abi Haytham. At this, cautious people parted company with alio8. Bishr b. Jurmnz had fought with the Murii'ites of Jahm b. Safwan earlier. Some
of the early Mu'tazilah were accused of following the teachings of Jahm later on. The
Mu'tazilah, whose political program was "an upright Imam," took their name from a
hadith which orders withdrawal from factions when the Imamate is in doubt. The expression i'tazala, "he withdrew," is at least suggestive of possible connections between the followers of Jahm b. Safwan and the Mu'tazilah.
ro9. The text is nagalahu, "he moved him;" it should be read hawala thaqalahu,
"he moved his household," as in the Cairo edition.
43
Harith, saying, " You have acted treacherously ." Al-Qasim alShayban! and Rabi ' al-Taymi remained in one group , while al-Kirman! came into the city from the Sarakhs Gate. Al-Harith opposed
them. Al-Munakhkhal b. 'Amr al-Azdi passed by, whereupon alSamayda', one of the Banu al-'Adawiyyah, slew him, crying out,
"Now for the avengers of Laglt!" Thereupon the two sides fought
one another. Al-Kirmani put Dawud b. Shu'ayb and his brothers
Khalid, Mazyad and Muhallab on his right wing, and Sawrah b.
Muhammad b. 'Aziz al -Kind! on his left, leading the Kindah and the
Rabi'ah. The fighting grew fierce and al -Harith 's followers were put
to flight and slain in the area between the breach in the wall and alHarith's camp. Al-Harith, who was on a mule , got off it and
mounted a horse . He struck it, and it sped off as his followers fled.
He stayed with some of his followers , and was slain at a tree. His
brother Sawadah, Bishr b. Jurmuz and Qatan b. al-Mughirah b.
'Ajrad were also killed . Then al-Kirmani stopped the fight. A hundred men were slain along with al-Harith, and so were a hundred of
al-Kirmani's followers . Al-Harith's headless body was crucified at
the city of Marw . Hid death came thirty days after Nasr 's departure
from Marw, the last Sunday of Rajab (April 25, 746).
It was said that al -Harith was killed in this manner under an olive
or sorb tree in the year 128 (745-746). Al-Kirmani found sheets of
gold belonging to al-Harith, which he seized. He put al-Harith's concubine (umm walad) in confinement; then he let her go-she had
once belonged to Hajib b. 'Amr b . Salamah b. Sakan b. lawn b.
Dabib. He also seized the property of those who departed with Nasr,
and he took his choice of the furnishings of 'Asim b. 'Umayr.
Ibrahim10 asked him, "By what right do you acquire his property?"
At this, $alih of the family of al -Waddah said, " Pour out his blood
for me! " But Mugatil b. Sulayman stepped between them and
brought him to his house.
According to 'Ali (al-Mada'ini)-Zuhayr b. al-Hunayd: AlKirmani went out to Bishr b . Jurmuz and camped outside the city of
Marw. Bishr had four thousand men, and al-Harith camped with alKirmani . Al-Kirmani stayed thus for some days, at a distance of two
farsakhs ( 12 km) from Bishr's camp. Then he advanced until he was
close to it, intending to do battle with Bishr . He told al-Harith,
i io. Perhaps Ibrahim b . 'Abdallih al-Sulami, mentioned above.
119331
]1 934]
"Move up." But al-Harith regretted having followed al- Kirmani and
said, "Don't be in a hurry to fight them; I'll get them back for you."
He left the camp with ten horsemen and rode until they came to
Bishr's camp in the village of Darzijan and stayed with them, saying,
"I was not one to fight against you with the Yamanis!" Then the
Mudar began to steal away from the camp of al-Kirmani to al-Harith
until none of the Mudar remained with al-Kirmani except two men:
Salamah b. Abi 'Abdallah the mawla of the Banu Sulaym, who said,
"By God, I shall never follow al-Harith, for I know that he is a deceiver;" and Muhallab b. Iyas, who said, "I will not follow him, for I
have never seen him except leading cavalry which has been repulsed."
Then al-Kirmani engaged them repeatedly. They would fight each
other, and then go back behind their trenches. One time the advantage would be with one side, and another time with the other. On
one such day they met in battle when Marthad b. 'Abdallah alMujashi'i had been drinking. He went out drunk on a horse belonging to al-Harith. He was hit with a lance and thrown from his
mount. Some horsemen of the Banu Tamim protected him until he
was safe, but the horse ran away. When he came back, al-Harith
blamed him, and said, "You almost killed yourself." He told alHarith, "You only say that because of your horse; may his wife be
divorced if I don't bring you a livelier [horse than yours from their
camp!" The next day they fought again, and Marthad said,]'"
"Who has the liveliest horse in their camp?" They told him,
"'Abdallah b. Daysam al-'Anazi," and pointed to where he stood.
Marthad fought until he reached him, and then struck him. Ibn Daysam threw himself from his horse, and Marthad hooked the reins of
the horse on his lance and led it until he came to al-Harith. Then he
said, "Take this in place of your horse." Mukhallad b . al-Hasan encountered Marthad later, and said in jest, "How fine the horse of Ibn
Daysam is under you!" At this, he dismounted and said, "Take it!"
He replied, "You want to disgrace me! You took it from us in war,
and shall I take it in peace?"
They remained thus for some days. Then al-Harith moved off by
night and came to the walls of Marw and bored an opening and entered within the walls. Then al-Kirmani entered, and al-Harith
i i r. The text lacks the bracketed words, which are supplied by the Cairo edition.
45
moved off. At this the Mudar told al-Harith, "We left the trenches
when the day was ours, and you've run away more than once, so dismount and fight on foot!" He told them, "I'm more good to you as a
horseman than as a foot-soldier." However, they said, "We will not
be satisfied unless you dismount ." He thus dismounted to fight between the wall of Marw and the city. Al-Harith was killed along
with his brother and Bishr b. Jurmuz and a number of cavalry from
the Tamim, while the rest were put to flight. Al-Harith was crucified, and Marw was given over to the Yaman, who tore down the
houses of the Mudar.
When al-Harith was slain, Nasr b. Sayyar composed these verses:

Now, bringer of humiliation upon his folk,
may removal and distance be yours in death!
Your evil fortune made all Mudar to fall,
and diminished the reputation of your people.

Azd and its partisans were not wont [before you]
to hope to overcome 'Amr or Malik
Nor the Banu Sa'd, when they bridled
each swift horse deadly black in color!
It is also said that Nasr addressed these verses to 'Uthman b.
Sadagah al-Mazini . Umm Kathir al-Dabbiyyah said:
May God not bless any female, but torment her
to the end of time, if she marries a Mudari!
Convey to the men of Tamim the word of a woman distressed,
whom you lodged in the house of humiliation and poverty!
If you return not to the battle after your wheeling,

until you make the men of Azd retreat in a victory,
I am ashamed for you that you give your obedience
to this Mazuni who mulcts you by oppression.
'Abbad b. al-Harith said:
11 9351
46 The Àbbasid Revolution

Now, 0 Nasr, the hidden is revealed,
though hope and expectation were protracted.
The Mazun have exercised in the Land of Marw
the office of the governor, decreeing as they will.
Their ruling is held lawful in every judgment
against Mudar, though the ruling is unjust
While Himyar1' sit in their assemblies,
and blood is pouring from their [Mudar's] necks.
If Mudar is content with that and is abased,
then may their abjection and distress be long!
And if they turned from that 'twere well; if not,
119361 then let destruction fall upon their armies!
He also recited:
Well then, 0 you man whom
emotions have split asunder,
Wake up! and leave aside the thing
you sought, and we also sought for.
For there have occurred in our presence
matters of strange condition.
I beheld the Azd become mighty
in Marw, while the Arabs were humiliated, 113

And brass became current when that
happened, while gold became a trifle.
112. The Banu Himyar were a kingly Yamani tribe. Here apparently all Yaman
tribes are meant.
113. The Azd were taunted with being fisherfolk of 'Um3n, and no true Arabs. See
EI2 s.v. Azd.

Abu Bakr b. Ibrahim, addressing 'Ali and 'Uthman the sons of
al-Kirmani:
I travel intending with my poem of praise
two brothers whose qualities excel those of all men,

Outracing noble stallions, never lacking forage,
while the guest, the stranger, never lacks their cheer.
Ascendant and yet racing for the height,

their tribe lives under their protection.
I mean that 'Ali and his chief helper
'Uthman ; never was humiliated one who followed them,
Still racing that they may overtake their father,
like stallions from afar who near the goal.
And if they did attain it, 'tis partly due to noble sire,
that they race up the slope to catch up to a father.
And if he should outrun them, many times
he ran surpassing them and others too.
Indeed I shall praise them for what my eyes
have seen, though I 've not numbered all their qualities.
They are two pious men, to whom all are directed;
both bearers of their tribe 's burden, perfect men;
They removed from the haughtiness of kingly state

a Nasr, who found humiliation in opposing them;
They drove Ibn Aqta' (Nasr) away after slaying his defenders;
divided are his spoils among their horsemen.
Also al-Harith b. Surayj, when they aimed at him
so that their swords took turns in striking his head.
(1 937]
They took the best part of their father in his prime

so that their folk are mighty, and those who follow them.
In this year Ibrahim b. Muhammad (the 'Abbasid sent Abu Muslim to Khurasan, and wrote his followers there, "I have given him
my command, so listen to him and accept his words, for I have given
him command over Khurasan and whatever he may gain control
over beyond it.""' Abu Muslim came to them, but they did not accept his words. Those who were opposed went and met in Mecca in
the presence of Ibrahim. Abu Muslim informed Ibrahim that they
had not acted in accord with his letter and command, and Ibrahim
said, ."I have offered this authority to more than one, and they have
refused it." This was because, before he sent Abu Muslim, he had offered it to Sulayman b. Kathir al-Khuza'i, who said, "I shall never
take on two functions." Then he offered it to Ibrahim b. Salamah,
and he refused. He now informed them that he had decided on Abu
Muslim, and commanded them to hear and to obey. Then he said to
Abu Muslim, "'Abd al-Rahm5n,15 you are one of us, people of the
House, so learn my instructions well. Look to this tribe of Yaman;
honor them and settle among them, for truly God will not complete
this matter without them. Look to this tribe of RabYah, and be suspicious of all they do. Look to this tribe of Mudar; they are indeed
the enemy close to the House, so slay anyone of whom you are in
doubt, or in whose actions there is ambiguity, or anyone of whom
you come to feel any suspicion. If you can not leave one Arab tongue
in Khurasan,"b then do it; any boy who has attained five handspans height, whom you suspect, slay! But do not quarrel with the
shaykh, that is, Sulayman b. Kathir, and do not disobey him. If any
matter gives you difficulty then go to him rather than to me."
114. For Abu Muslim 's mission to Khurasan see Akhbdr al-Dawlah, 267ff; FHA,
r64ff; Kufi, Futuh , VIII, 155ff; Ibn 'Abd Rabbihi, IV, 478ff ; Baladhuri, Ansdb, III,
rzoff; Azdi, 65; Dinawari, ;6o.
r 15. One of several proper names attributed to him . The most detailed treatment of
his origins is found in the Akhbar al-Dawlah, i53ff.
r 16. Given the instruction to court one group of Arabs and known 'Abbasid practice, this is a very problematic statement . On it, see Sharon, 'Allyat , 156-11.) The
need to rely on the Yaman and Rabi 'ah vis-a-vis the Mudar is found in various traditions. See for example Kufi, Futuh, VIII, 154; lbn 'Abd Rabbihi , IV, 477.
According to Hisham b. Muhammad who reported it from Abu 119381

Mikhnaf, in this year al-Dahhak b . Qays al-Khariji was killed.
The Death of al -Dahhak b. Qays the Khdrijite

When al-Dahhak was besieging 'Abdallah b. 'Umar b . 'Abd al-'Aziz
at Wasit and Mansur b . Jumhiir gave him the oath of allegiance,
'Abdallah b. 'Umar saw that he could not withstand al-Dahhak. He
therefore sent him a message, " Your stand against me is worth nothing. Here is Marwan, so march against him. If you do battle with
him I shall be with you." He became reconciled with him, as we
have mentioned in the conflicting accounts of this event . Hisham
reported from Abu Mikhnaf that al -Dahhak set out from Ibn 'Umar
to engage Marwan at Kafartutha in the territory of the jazirah, and
was slain the day the armies met.
According to Abu Hashim Mukhallad b . Muhammad b. SalihAhmad b. Zuhayr- 'Abd al-Wahhab b . Ibrahim : 'Atiyyah alTha'labi ` slew Milhan, al-Dahhak's follower and governor for
Kufah, at the Bridge of Saylahun. News of Milhan 's slaying reached
al-Dahhak while he was besieging 'Abdallah b. 'Umar at Wasit, and
al-Dahhak sent as replacement one of his followers called Muta'in.
'Abdallah b. 'Umar and al-Dahhak made peace on the condition that
Ibn 'Umar enter into obedience to al-Dahhak . Ibn 'Umar did this,
and prayed behind him. Al-Dahhak went off to Kufah, and Ibn
'Umar stayed with his followers at Wasit. Al-Dahhak entered Kufah,
and the inhabitants of Mosul wrote to him inviting him to come
there, whereupon they would give him control of their city. After
twenty months he marched with all his troops to Mosul . Ruling
there at that time was Marwan 's governor, a man of the Banu Shayban of the jazirah called al-Qatiran b. Akmah . The people of Mosul
opened the city for al-Dahhak, and al-Qatiran fought them with a
small number of his tribe and the people of his house to the last
man. Al-Dahhak thus took possession of Mosul and its districts.
Word of this reached Marwan while he was besieging Hims and

117. The text is al-Taghlibi ; it should be read al-Tha'labi as in the Cairo edition.
This is supported by FHA, 164, and is more probable, since many of the Taghlib were
fighting for the Kharijites.
11 9391
119401
preoccupied in fighting its inhabitants . He wrote to his son 'Abdallah, who was his viceregent for the Jazirah , ordering him to march
with those of his guard (rawdbit) whom he had with him to the city
of Nasibin "' in order to prevent al -Dahhak from cutting the
Jazirah in half. 'Abdallah set out for Nasibin with all of his guard,
about seven or eight thousand men, leaving as his deputy at Harran
an officer with one thousand men or thereabouts . Al-Dahhak, too,
marched from Mosul toward ' Abdallah at Nasibin. 'Abdallah fought
him but could do nothing against the great number of troops who
were with al-Dahhak .These were, according to the accounts which
have reached us, one hundred and twenty thousand . He paid
monthly stipends of one hundred and twenty dirhams to a cavalryman, one hundred to a footsoldier, and eighty to a mule driver.
Al-Dahhak stayed at Nasibin besieging it, and he sent two of his
officers, named 'Abd al -Malik b. Bishr al-Taghlibi and Badr al-Dhakwani the mawla of Sulayman b. Hisham , with four or five thousand
men and they came to Raqqah . Marwan 's cavalry there, about five
hundred horsemen, fought them . As soon as word reached Marwan
of their presence at Raqqah, he sent cavalry from his guard. As they
neared the city, al-Dahhak's followers began leaving to go back to
him. Marwan 's cavalry pursued them, and more than thirty of the
men in their rearguard were unhorsed . Marwan had them cut in
pieces when he came to Raqqah . He went on, intent on battle
against al-Dahhak and his forces, until they encountered each other
at a place called Ghazz " in the territory of Kafartutha. They
fought a battle that same day . When it was evening, al-Dahhak and
almost six thousand of his most steadfast followers dismounted to
fight on foot, though the people of his camp for the most part did not
know what had become of him . Marwan's cavalry surrounded them
and pressed them hard until they killed them around nightfall. The
remainder of al-Dahhak 's followers went back to their camp, and
neither Marwan nor al-Dahhak 's followers knew that he was among
the slain until they missed him in the middle of the night. Some of
those who had seen him when he dismounted to fight on foot came
and told them of it and that he was killed. They wept for him and bei 18. One of the most important towns in upper Mesopotamia on the reaches of the
Hirmas, a tributary of the Tigris . See LeStrange, Lands, 94, 95
r r9. The vocalization is conjectural . This place is not listed by Yaqut.

wailed his death. Àbd al-Malik b..Bishr al-Taghlibi, the officer he
had sent against Raqqah, went out to Marwan's camp, and entering
Marwin's presence informed him that al-Dahhak had been killed.
Marwan sent men from his guard with him carrying firebrands and
candles to the site of the battle. They turned over the slain until
they found al-Dahhak and carried him to Marwan. There were more
than twenty cuts on his face. The people of Marwin's camp shouted
"God is Great!" Then those in al-Dahhik's camp realized that they
had learned of his death. Marwin sent his head that night to the cities of the Jazirah, where it was paraded about.
Some say that al-Khaybari and al-Dahhak were only killed in the
year 129 (746-47(.
According to Hisham who heard it from Abu Mikhnaf, in this year
al-Khaybari the Kharijite was slain.'w
The Slaying of al-Khaybari and Shayban's Succession
According to Ahmad b. Zuhayr-Àbd al-Wahhab b. Ibrahim-Abu
Hashim Mukhallad b. Muhammad b. Si lih: When al-Dahhak was
slain, the people in his camp arose at daybreak and gave their oath of
allegiance to al-Khaybari. They remained there that day and went to
him the morning of the next day. They lined up before him and he
put their ranks in order. Sulayman b. Hisham was there that day
with his mawlas and the people of his house; he had come to alDahhak at Nasibin with more than three thousand of the people of
his house and his mawlas. Sulayman also married the sister of
Shayban al-Haruri, the man to whom they gave the oath of allegiance after the slaying of al-Khaybari. Al-Khaybari attacked Marwan with about four hundred Kharijite riders, and routed Marwan's
men, and him in the midst of them. Marwin fled his encampment,
and al-Khaybari entered it with his followers. They shouted their
battle cry, "0 Khaybari, Khaybari!" They also killed all those whom
they overtook, until they came to Marwan's tent. They cut its ropes,
and al-Khaybari sat upon Marwan's own carpet. Marwin's right
wing, commanded by his son 'Abdallah, had held its ground, and his
left wing commanded by Ishaq b. Muslim al-'Uqayli was still firm.
When the people of Marwan's camp saw how few were accompa120. See Ibn Khayyat, 1, 4ooff; Azdi, Tiff; FHA, i59ff.
(1941)

vying al-Khaybari , some slaves from the camp assaulted him with
tentpoles and slew him and all of his companions at Marwin's tent
and in the area around it. The news reached Marwan when he had
fled five or six miles (mil) from the camp. At this he returned to his
camp, ordered his cavalry back from their places and stations, and
spent that night in his camp. The people of al-Khaybari's army went
back and elected Shayban as their ruler and gave him the oath of allegiance. After this, Marwan fought them only with cavalry squadrons (karddis),121 and he gave up using battle lines from that day
forward. On the day al-Khaybari was slain Marwan had sent
Muhammad b. Said, one of his trusted men and secretaries, to alKhaybari (with a message ). However, word reached Marwan that
this man had incited the enemy and encouraged them at that time.
He was brought to Marwan as a prisoner, and Marwan cut off one of
his hands and a foot and then cut out his tongue.
Yazid b. 'Umar b. Hubayrah is Sent to Iraq
(19421
In this year Marwan sent Yazid b. 'Umar Hubayrah to Iraq to fight

the Khirijites who were still there.
'Abd al-'Aziz b. 'Umar b. Abd al-'Aziz led the Pilgrimage at Mecca
in this year; that is what Abu Ma'shar (al-Sind!) said, according to
Ahmad b. Thabit-from one who mentioned it-Ishaq b. 'Isa-Abu
Ma'shar. Al-Wagidi and others say the same.
Al-Wagidi reported: Marwan conquered Hims and tore down its
walls, and took Nu'aym b. Thabit al-Judhami captive and slew him
in Shawwal 128 (June 26-July 24, 746). We have mentioned those
who differ with him on this earlier.
The governor of Madinah, Mecca and Ta'if, according to what is

mentioned for this year, was 'Abd al-'Aziz b. 'Umar b. 'Abd al-'Aziz.
In Iraq were the governors of al-Dahhak and 'Abdallah b. 'Umar. In
charge of the judiciary of Basrah was Thumamah b. 'Abdallah. Nasr
b. Sayyar was (governor) in Khurasan, which was torn by civil war.
121. Marwan is generally credited with having replaced the battle lines (sufuf) with
more mobile cavalry squadrons (karadls).

This year Abu Hamzah the Kharijite met 'Abdallah b. Yahya Talib
al-Haqq, who summoned him to his way of religion (madhhab).122
According to 'Abbas b. Isa al-'Ugayli-Harun b. Musa alFarwi123-Musa b. Kathir the mawla of the Sa'idis: The beginning
of the affair of Abu Hamzah who was al-Mukhtar b. 'Awf al-Azdi alSalimi from Basrah is as follows. He would go each year to Mecca
calling on people to oppose Marwan b . Muhammad and the
Marwanids. He continued to oppose them until 'Abdallah b. Yahya
came at the end of 128 (August-September 746) and told him, "0
Man, listen to a good word. I see that you summon people to what is
just, so come with me. I am a man obeyed among my people."
'Abdallah then left Mecca and came to Hadramawt, where Abu
Hamzah swore allegiance to him as Caliph and preached opposition
to Marwan and to the Marwanid house. Muhammad b. Hasan reported that Abu Hamzah passed by Ma'din Bani Sulaym,124 where
the governor was Kathir b. 'Abdallah. He heard some of Abu
Hamzah's talk, and ordered that he be given seventy lashes. Abu
Hamzah went on his way to Mecca. Later when he conquered
Madinah, Kathir hid himself until matters had run their course.
122. See Ibn Khayyat , I, 4o6ff, sub anno t29 ; Aghani, XX, 97-991 Azdi , 77, 01;
FHA, 168ff. 'Abdallah b. Yahya al-Kindi was known as the "Seeker of Justice " (Talib
al-Haqq) . A devout gadi for the governor of Hadramawt, he had been contacted by the
leadership of Ibadi Kharijites in Basrah . They sent agents such as Abu Hamzah to him
in order to initiate an Ibadi revolt in Hadramawt and the Yaman . See E/2 s.v.
lbadiyya.
123. The text is Ghazawi; it should be read Farwi, following the Cairo edition.
124. Ma'din Bani Sulaym was a populated oasis in the district of Madinah on the
road to Najd. See Yaqut, Mu'jam , IV, 572, and 111, 565 - 66, s.v. Faran.
(1943)
The
Events of The Year
129
(SEPTEMBER 22, 746- SEPTEMBER 10, 747)
40
One of the events of this year was the death of Shayban b. Àbd alÀziz al-Yashkuri, known as Abu al-Dalfa'.125
The Death of Shayban b. Àbd a1-Àziz the Khdrijite
When al-Dahhak b. Qays al-Shaybani the leader of the Kharijites
was slain , and al-Khaybari after him, those Kharijites who were opposing Marwan b. Muhammad and making war on him chose Shayban as their leader and gave him the oath of allegiance. Marwan then
fought them.
Hisham b. Muhammad and al-Haytham b. 'Adi reported: When alKhaybari was slain, Sulayman b. Hisham who was in their camp
told the Kharijites, "What you are doing is not a good idea. If you accept my advice, fine. If you won't, then I'm leaving you." They
asked, "What should we do?" He told them, "If one of you wins a
victory, he then tries to get himself killed, and succeeds. I think we
should leave here in a defensive posture so that we may set up camp
at Mosul and entrench ourselves." They did this, and Marwan pursued them. The Kharijites were on the east bank of the Tigris and
125. See Ibn Khayyat, 1, 409; FHA, 165-66; Ya'yubi, Ta'rikh, II, 405.
Marwan was directly opposite them. They then fought each other
for nine months. 'Umar b. Hubayrah was at Qarqisiyyah with a large
body of troops, men of Syria and of the Jazirah. Marwan now ordered
him to go to Kufah, which was then governed by al-Muthanna b.
Imran, a client ('a'idh) of Quraysh and a Kharijite.
According to Ahmad b. Zuhayr-'Abd al-Wahhab b. Ibrahim
-Abu Hashim Mukhallad b. Muhammad: Marwan b. Muhammad
used to fight the Kharijites with the battle line (gaff); but when alKhaybari was killed and Shayban received the oath of allegiance,
Marwan fought them with cavalry squadrons, and discontinued the
battle line from that time forward. The Kharijites also began to form
squadrons like those of Marwan with which to protect themselves
against his squadrons and to fight them. Many of those who followed them for pay now separated from them and deserted, 116 so
there now remained around forty thousand. Sulayman b. Hisham
advised them to retreat to the city of Mosul and make it a place in
which they could find refuge and ample supplies . They accepted his
advice, and set off by night. Marwan woke the next day and set off
after them. They would hardly leave a place before Marwan would
alight there. They went on to the city of Mosul and camped on the
banks of the Tigris, entrenched their position, and fastened pontoon
bridges between their camp and the city, which was their source of
provisions and facilities. Marwan dug his trench opposite them, and
remained six months sallying forth against them morning and evening.
A son of Sulayman b. Hisham's brother was brought to Marwan.
He was called Umayyah b. Mu'awiyah b. Hisham, and had been
with his uncle in the camp of Shayban at Mosul. He went out to
fight one of Marwan's horsemen in single combat, and the man captured him and brought him in. He told Marwan, "I implore you, for
God and kinship's sake, uncle!" But Marwan replied, "There is no
kinship between me and you this day." He gave the order and, while
126. The small dedicated core of the Kharijites were mostly from the Bakr and
Rabi 'ah tribes of the Jazirah. They had been joined by some former followers of Sulayman b . Hisham and 'Abdallah b. 'Umar. These followers were drawn from the
Yaman . The Kharijites had thus apparently become a large scale movement. They
were the proponents of the equality of all Muslims regardless of genealogy . Marwan's
support came from the Qays of the Jazirah.
119441

Umayyah's uncle Sulayman and his brothers looked on, first his
hands and then his head were cut off.
11 9451
Marwan wrote to Yazid b. 'Umar b. Hubayrah commanding him

to march from Qarqisiyyah with all his troops against 'Ubaydah b.
Sawwar, al-Dahhak's deputy in Iraq. He encountered 'Ubaydah's
cavalry at 'Ayn Tamr, engaged them, and routed them. Commanding them at that time were al-Muthanna b. 'Imrin, of the clients of
Quraysh, and al-Hasan b. Yazid. They then regrouped against him at
Nukhaylah12' by Kufah, and he put them to flight. Then they gathered at the Sarat Canal, and this time 'Ubaydah was with them. Ibn
Hubayrah fought them, and 'Ubaydah was slain . His followers fled,
and Ibn Hubayrah plundered their camp. Now they had no one remaining in Iraq, and Ibn Hubayrah took control of the province.
Marwan wrote to him from the trenches at Mosul , commanding
him to send 'Amir b. Dubarah al-Murri to reinforce him, and he sent
him with about six or eight thousand men. Word of this reached
Shaybin and the Kharijites so they sent two officers at the head of
four thousand men against Ibn Dubarah. These men were named Ibn
Ghawth and al-lawn . They encountered Ibn DubArah at Sinn""
outside Mosul, and engaged him in fierce combat, but Ibn Dubarah
put them to flight. When the defeated Kharijites came back to them,
Sulayman b. Hisham advised them to move from Mosul, telling
them that they would have no place to stand if Ibn Dubarah came
upon them from the rear while Marwan mounted a frontal attack.
At this, they moved on, and took the road to Ahwaz and Firs by way
of Hulwin.'29 Marwan sent three of his officers with about thirty
thousand of his guard (rawabit) to Ibn Dubarah. The officers were
Mus'ab b. al-Sahsah al-Asadi, Shaqiq, and 'Utayf al-Sulami).'u
Shaqiq was the one of whom the Kharijites said:
Both your sisters know, 0 Shagiq,
that you do not recover from your drunkenness.

127. The scene of a serious battle against the Kharijites in the time of Mu 'awiyah I.
See Yaqut, Mu'jam , IV, 771.
128. For Sinn, see LeStrange , Lands, 91.

129. Hulwan was on the border between Jibal and Iraq . It was situated along the
great road leading to Khurasan . See LeStrange, Lands, 191.
130. The nisbah of al-Sulaymani is furnished by the Cairo edition.
57
Marwan wrote to Ibn Dubarah to pursue the Kharijites and not to

stop until he had annihilated them. Therefore he did not cease pursuing them until they reached and then left Fars. During all this
time he picked off any of their stragglers whom he encountered.
Then they scattered. Shayban led one group to Bahrayn and was
slain there, and Sulayman b. Ilisham with his mawlas and family
embarked on ships for Sind. Marwan returned to his residence in
Haman and stayed there until he set out for the Zab.
According to Hisham b. Muhammad, Abu Mikhnaf stated: Marwan ordered Yazid b. Hubayrah, who was at Qargisiyyah with many
troops from the armies of Syria and the Jazirah, to march against
Kufah. At that time Kufah was governed by a Kharijite called alMuthanna b. 'Imran al-'A'idhi, one of the 'A'idhat Quraysh. Ibn Hubayrah marched along the Euphrates until he came to 'Ayn Tamr;
then he moved on and met al-Muthanna at Rawha'. He came to
Kufah in Ramadan 129 (May 17-June 14, 747), routed the Kharijites
and entered the city. Ibn Hubayrah then went to the Sarat Canal,
while Shayban sent 'Ubaydah b. Sawwar at the head of many cavalry. He camped on the east bank of the Sarat, while Ibn Hubayrah
was on the west side. They joined battle, and 'Ubaydah was slain
along with a number of his followers. Mansur b. Jumhur was with
them at the events on the Sarat, and he went on from there to gain
control of the two Mahs" and all the mountain region. Ibn
Hubayrah marched now on Wasit, seized Ibn 'Umar and confined
him. He sent Nubatah b. Hanzalah against Sulayman b. Habib who
was ruling the districts of Ahwaz. Sulayman sent Dawud b. Hatim
with a force to fight Nubatah, and they encountered each other at
Muriyan12 on the banks of the Karun. These people were put to
flight, and Dawud b. Hatim was slain. Concerning this, Khalaf b.
Khalifah said:
131. Dinawar was called Mah al-Kufah while Nihawand was known as Mah alBasrah, because their tax revenues went to the two garrison towns of Iraq in early Islamic times . See LeStrange, Lands, t89, t96-97.
132. The vocalization of Muriyan is uncertain . Perhaps this is a variant of, or an error for, Muriyan, a village in Khuzistan . See Yaqut, Mu' jam, IV, 679. For the Dujayl or
the Karun which flows in the Ahwaz district of Khuzistan, sec LcStrange, Lands,
232-36; 245-47.
119461

Would that I'd been a ransom and protection to Dawud,
when the army surrendered the son of Hatim!
He was a Muhallabi, shining of face,
never regretting the favors he'd done.
I asked "Who will let me know the thing as it was

[1947]
truly [for the ignorant is not like the knowing].
11
133
They said, "We beheld him on an outcrop,

attacking like a fierce lion;
Then he doubled over, falling in blood

that flowed over his smooth body,
And the Copts" came up [to stand] over his head,
quarrelling over his sword and his ring."
Sulayman went on until he caught up with Ibn Mu 'awiyah alJa'fari" in Fars, while Ibn Hubayrah stayed where he was for a
month; then he sent 'Amir b. Dubarah with Syrian troops to Mosul.
'Amir marched until he reached Sinn, where al-Dawn b. Kilab alKhariji encountered him. He put 'Amir b. Dubarah to flight , driving
him into Sinn, where he fortified himself . Marwan began to send Ibn
Dubarah reinforcements . They took the overland route until they
came to the Tigris, and then crossed over to him. This continued until their number was great . At the same time, Mansur b. Jumhur was
supplying Shayban with money from the mountain districts. When
the troops who followed Ibn Dubarah became numerous , he struck
out against al-Dawn b . Kilab, and al -Dawn was slain . Ibn Dubarah
133. This lacuna in the text is filled by the Cairo edition.
134. The text is a1-gibt . It seems very unlikely that Egyptian Christians were in Ibn
Hubayrah's army . Probably this should be read al-qabt, " the group," but the text has
been followed in translation.
135. That is 'Abdallah b . Mu'awiyah b. 'Abdallah b. la'far, the great -grandson of 'Ali
b. Abi Talib's brother. 'Abdallah revolted in Kufah in 127 . See Tabari, 11/3, 1879-87;
Ibn Khayyat, 1, 394-95; Azdi, 66; Mas'udi, Murtij, VI, 44ff. See also Sharon , 'Aliyat,
194-201 ; EIZ S.V. 'Abd Allah b . Mu'awiya. Regarding the incidents recorded here see
Ibn Khayyat, II, 409; FHA. 162-63 ; Mas'udi , 67ff, 169; Azdi, 107 sub anno 129; Akhbar al-Dawlah. 25 1. Check also the index to the Aghani for numerous references to
him.

then continued on to Mosul. When news of al-Jawn's death and Ibn
Dubarah's approach came to Shayban, he did not care to stay between the two (Umayyad ) armies, so he withdrew with his own
troops and the Yamani cavalry from Syria. Ibn Dubarah proceeded
with his men to join Marwan at Mosul. Marwan supplied him with
many of his own troops, and commanded him to go against Shayban.
If Shayban maintained his position, he should do likewise; if he
marched, he should march too . He should not initiate a struggle, but
if Shayban attacked him he should fight back. If Shayban refrained,
he should refrain as well, and if Shayban withdrew, he should follow
him. So it was, until Shayban moved through the mountains and
came to Bayda' of Istakhr,"6 where 'Abdallah b. Mu'awiyah was
with a great body of troops. Matters between him and Ibn Mu'awiyah had not been settled, so he continued until Jiraft in Kirman,"
where he halted. Ibn Dubarah advanced until he was opposite Ibn
Mu awiyah and halted for several days. Then he set about attacking
him, and Ibn Mu'awiyah ran away, escaping to Hark. Ibn Dubarah
and his troops went on and encountered Shayban at Jiraft in Kirman.
They fought a violent battle, the Kharijites were put to flight, and
their camp was put to auction. Shayban went on to Sijistan, where
he perished in the year 130 (747-748).
Abu 'Ubaydah reported: When al-Khaybari was slain, Shayban b.
'Abd al-'Aziz al-Yashkuri took command of the Kharijites and made
war on Marwan. Their war went on for a long time, but meanwhile
at Wasit Ibn Hubayrah had killed 'Ubaydah b. Sawwar and driven
out the Kharijites. He had with him the chief officers of the armies
of Syria and the Jazirah, and he sent 'Amir b. Dubarah with four
thousand men to reinforce Marwan. He took the route of Mada'in,1e and Shayban learned of his progress. Fearing that Marwan
would join forces with Ibn Dubarah's men, he sent al-Dawn b. Kilab
al-Shaybani to engage Ibn Dubarah. They encountered each other at
Sinn, and al-Jawn detained 'Amir for several days.
136. Bayda ' was the "White City" of Fars where Arab armies had camped when
invading the country . See Yaqut, Mu'iam, I, 791-94. Istakhr was Persepolis.
137. For Jiraft, see LeStrange, Lands, 314. The Shayban mentioned here may actually be Shayban b. Salamah . See n. 158.
138. Mada'in, meaning, "the cities ," had a legendary history of settlement by conquerors . The Sasanian capital of Ctesiphon had been situated in this area . Sec LcStrange, Lands, 33-35.
1 1948)
6o The ' Abbasid Revolution
(1 949
According to Abu 'Ubaydah-Abu Said: We covered them, by

God, and forced them to fight us. They were already afraid of us and
wanted to run away, but we left them no way out. Then 'Amin told
them, "You're dead men; there's no avoiding that, so die with
honor." They hit us with a charge nothing would have stood against,
and killed our leader, al-Dawn b. Kilab. We retreated until we joined
up with Shayban, but Ibn Dubarah was following right behind us,
until he halted a short way from our camp. We were fighting on two
sides: Ibn Dubarah would come down on us from behind, on the Iraq
side, and Marwan was in front in the direction of Syria. We were cut
off from provisions and supplies, and the prices went high. A round
of bread went for a silver piece; then the bread was gone, and nothing could be bought dear or cheap. Habib b. Khudrah'39 told Shayban, "Commander of the Faithful, you're in a tight place for subsistence. If only you would move to some other place!" He did, and
went to Shahrazur in the territory of Mosul, but his followers
blamed him for it, and there were arguments about it."
One source says that when Shayban took command of the Kharijites, (he went back with his followers to Mosul)," and Marwan
followed him, halting when he halted. (Marwan fought him for a
month, then) 14' Shayban fled until he came to Fars. Marwan sent
'Amir b. Dubarah after him (and Shayban crossed over) 141 to the island of Ibn Kawan (or Kishm)' and kept on going until he came to
'Uman, where Julanda b. Masud b. Jayfar b. Julanda al-Azdi killed
him. 144
In the year 129 (746-747), Ibrahim b. Muhammad b. 'Ali b.
'Abdallah b. 'Abbas commanded Abu Muslim, who had set forth
from Khurasan to visit him and had reached as far as Qumis, to go
139. The text is Ibn ladarah. The Cairo edition has Ibn Khudrah (vocalization uncertain), mentioned above as Habib b. Khudrah, mawla of the Banu Hilal , a Kharijite
poet.
140. The text is marked by three lacunae . The phrases are supplied from the Cairo
edition.
141. See n. 140.
142. Seen. 140.
143. This island is known under many names . See LeStrange, Lands, 261.
144. The Banu Julanda were the hereditary Azdi princes of 'Uman. Ironically, Ibn
Julanda was also a Kharijite imam . He later fought the 'Abbasids as an Ibadi. See El'
s.v. Ibadiyya; Djulanda.
back to the 'Abbasid Shi'ah in Khurasan and order them to openly

proclaim the revolution and put on the black color. 141
Abu Muslim Preaches the 'Abbasid
Revolution in Khurasan
'Ali b. Muhammad reported the following from his shaykhs: Abu
Muslim kept making visits to Khurasan, until finally the tribal
feuds broke out there. Then when the local authority began to unravel, Sulayman b. Kathir wrote to Abu Salamah al-Khallal requesting him to write to Ibrahim and ask him to send a man of the people
of his House. Abu Salamah thus wrote to Ibrahim, and he sent Abu
Muslim." In the year 129 (746-747), Ibrahim wrote to Abu Muslim asking him to come to him so that he might obtain a report from
him. Abu Muslim left halfway through Jumada II (early March 747) (1950)
with seventy of the 'Abbasid agents (nugaba').147 When they had
come as far as Dandangan in Khurasan,'" Kamil-or Abu
Kamil-stopped him and asked where they were going. "On pilgrimage," they said. Then Abu Muslim took him aside and summoned him to their cause. He responded favorably and let them
alone. Abu Muslim continued on to Abiward and stayed there some
days, and then proceeded to Nasa,'411 where 'Asim b. Qays al-Sulami was the governor for Nasr b. Sayyar al-Laythi. As he drew near,
he sent al-Fadl b. Sulayman al-Tusi with a message to Asid b.
'Abdallah al-Khuza'i" to inform him that he was coming.
146. See Sharon, 'Aliyat, 127-38. The Akhbar al-Dawlah, 271ff, is particularly rich
in its treatment of Abu Muslim 's relations with Sulayman b . Kathir. See also Tabari,
11/3, 196off. IJ.L.)
147. See Akhbar al-Dawlah, 29off; FHA, 176ff. The agents designated as naqibs
were divided into two groups, a council of twelve which retained primary control,
chosen exclusively from agents in Marw , the major revolutionary station in Khurasan; the individuals were part of a larger group of seventy that included operatives
from various regional centers . For details see Sharon, Aliyat, 105-17. (J.L.)
148. Dandangan was a town southwest of Marw on the road to Sarakhs. See LeStrange, Lands, 400.
149. Abiward or Biward is on the edge of the Marw desert west of Dandangan off
the main road to Sarakhs. Nasa or Nisa is in a fertile valley west of Abiward. See
LeStrange, Lands, 394. The 'Abbasids had naqibs in these towns . See Akhbar alDawlah, 218-19 . The text gives a full listing of the 'Abbasid agents.
15o. AI-Tusi was a naqib from Abiward and Asid al-Khuza'i was the agent from
Nasa . See Akhbar al-Dawlah, 218-19.
119511
Al-Fadl went on and stopped at a village of Nasa where he met a

man from the Shi'ah who knew him. He asked for Asid, but the man
rebuffed him. Then al-Fadl said, "O 'Abdallah, what is wrong in my
asking where is the man's house?" The man replied, "There has
been evil in this village. Two men were brought before the governor
and slandered. It was said that they were propagandists. They were
taken, and al-Ahjam b. 'Abdallah al-Khuza'i, Ghaylan b. Fadalah,
Ghalib b. Said and al-Muhajir b. 'Uthman were taken too. "'s' At
this, al-Fadl went back to Abu Muslim and informed him. He left
the road and took another through the villages lower down, and sent
Tarkhan al-Jammal to Asid saying, "Ask him to come to me with as
many of the ('Abbasid Shi'ah as he can, and beware of speaking to
anyone you do not know." Tarkhan went to Asid and invited him,
and he told him where Abu Muslim was staying. At this, Asid came
to him, and Abu Muslim asked him what had happened. He replied,
"Yes, it is true; al-Azhar b. Shu'ayb and 'Abd al-Malik b. Sa'd came
with letters from the Imam for you. They left the letters with me
and started back, and they were taken;"' I do not know who betrayed them. The governor sent them to 'Asim b. Qays, and he had
al-Muhajir b. 'Uthman and other leading men of the Shi'ah beaten."
"Where are the letters?" Abu Muslim asked. "At my house," Asid
said. "Bring them to me," said Abu Muslim, (so he brought him the
letters and he read them).""
Then he went on to Qumis,150 which was governed by Bayhas b.
Budayl al-'Ijli, and Bayhas came to them and said, "Where are you
going?" "On pilgrimage," they said. "Do you have a good horse you
151. Al-Ahjam and Ghaylan b. Fadalah were naqibs. Al-Muhajir was a lesser functionary, belonging to a group known as the Propagandists of the Propagandists (du'at
a1-du 'at). They seem to have been substitutes for a larger group of seventy known as
the du'dt. The du'at were undoubtedly subordinate to the naqibs. Ghalib b. Said (or
Sa'd) was an 'Abbasid agent whose function cannot be determined . See Akhbar alDawlah, 218-19, 222, 291 . The account would seem to indicate that the authorities
were extremely anxious at this time. This would explain the circuitous routes followed by Abu Muslim and his associates . ().L.)
152. Al-Azhar b. Shu'ayb was a native of Marw who traveled with Bukayr b. Mahan
in the eastern provinces soliciting support and monies for the revolutionary movement. See Akhbdr al-Dawlah, 223-24. It would appear from this text that he then
served as a carrier from the Imam to the revolutionary centers in Khurasan . IJ.L.)
15 3. These words are missing in the text and are supplied by the Cairo edition.
154. That is to say the small province for the capital of the province) adjacent to
Khurasan. See LeStrange, Lands. 364ff.
would sell?" he asked. "As for selling, no," said Abu Muslim, "but
take any of our animals you wish." "Show them to me," he said.
They showed them, and he admired a light bay horse. Abu Muslim
then said, "It is yours." To this he replied, "No, I'll not accept it
without a price." "You be the judge of its worth," Abu Muslim said.
"Seven hundred (dirhams]," he said. "It is yours," said Abu Muslim.
While Abu Muslim was in Qumis a letter came from the Imam, and
another for Sulayman b. Kathir. The one to Abu Muslim said, "I
have sent you a flag of victory. Return from wherever my letter finds
you, and send me Qahtabah with whatever you have to deliver to
me during the Pilgrimage Season." At this, Abu Muslim returned to
Khurasan, and sent Qahtabah to the Imam. When they were in
Nasa, the leader of an armed party confronted them in a village, and
said, "Who are you?" "We intended to make the Pilgrimage," they
said, "and we heard something about the road which frightened us."
He brought them to 'Asim b. Qays al-Sulami who questioned them.
They gave him the same answer, and he said, ("Be off." And he ordered)""' al-Mufaddal b. Sharqi al-Sulami, who was in charge of security, to expel them from the area. Then Abu Muslim took this
man aside and revealed their business to him. He responded favorably and said, "Go at your ease, and do not hurry." He remained with
them until they left.
Abu Muslim came to Marw on the first day of Ramadan (May 16,
747), and handed the Imam's letter to Sulayman b. Kathir. The letter
stated, "Proclaim your summons without delay; the time has
come." They showed high esteem to Abu Muslim, and said, "He's a
man of the People of the House lahl al-baytl.""' They called on
people to obey the Banu 'Abbas, and sent to their partisans whether
near or far , commanding them to reveal what was happening, and
calling on them for support. Abu Muslim settled in one of the vilr 5 5. These words are missing in the text and are supplied by the Cairo edition.
156. AN al-bayt in pre- Islamic times meant the immediate family of a tribal leader.
The term appears twice in the Qur'an, once in a context which allows one to suppose
that the family of the Prophet is indicated (33,33). The ShFah of 'Ali have usually interpreted this through a tradition , the hadith al-kisd', which limits it to the family of
'Ali. The Shi'ah of the 'Abbasids used another, the hadith al-thagalayn, whereby
"people of the house " is extended to include the family of 'Abbas, of 'Ali, and of his
two brothers 'Agil and Ja'far, as well as their mawlas . In still another hadith, Salman
al-Ferisi, a mawla of the Prophet, is declared to be of the ahl al-bayt. See Ell s.v. Ahl
al-bayt.
19521
(1 953(
lages of the (Arab tribe of) Khuza'ah called Safidhanj.157 At this

time Shayban15" and al-Kirmani were fighting Nasr b. Sayyar together, so Abu Muslim circulated his summons to people, and his
affair became manifest . The people said, "A man has come from the
Banu Hashim." They came to him from all directions. On the day of
'Id al-Fitr (ca. June 15, 747), he appeared at the village of Khalid b.
Ibrahim. '59 Qasim b. Mujashi' al-Mara'i led the people in prayer.
Then Abu Muslim moved and settled at the village of Alin, also
called Allin,160 belonging to the Khuza'ah. In one day, the people of
sixty villages joined him, and he stayed there forty-two days. Abu
Muslim's first victory '6' was at the hands of Musa b. Ka'b alTamimi at Abiward while he was occupied with the killing of 'Asim
b. Qays. Then victory came at Marwarrudh.162
According to Abu al-Khattab : Abu Muslim returned to the territory of Marw from Qumis, having first sent Qahtabah b. Shabib (alTa'i) with the money and other things he had with him for the Imam
Ibrahim b. Muhammad."-' He arrived on Tuesday, the ninth of
Sha'ban 129 (April 27, 747), and settled in a village called Fanin with
Abu al-Hakam 'Isa b. A'yan the nagib.164 This was the village of
Abu Dawud the nagfb. From there he sent Abu Dawud, accompanied by 'Amr b. A'yan to Tukharistan and the areas this side of
15 7. Safidhanj , following the text . The reading is problematic . Note the variants in
the apparatus. The Khuza 'ah's origins were disputed, but they were frequently reckoned an offshoot of the Azd. See E/2 s.v. Khuza'a.
t58. Not to be confused with Shayban b. 'Abd al -'Aziz al-Yashkuri who is mentioned above, this is Shayban b. Salamah al -Haruri . See Wellhausen, Arab Kingdom,
395, 490, 498, 529, 537.
159. This is Abu Dawud Khalid b. Ibrahim al-Shaybani al-Bakri, one of the'Abbasid
nagibs; see Akhbdr al-Dawlah , 216. The village is later identified as Fanin . Seen. 164
below.
16o. Yaqut, Mu'jam , IV, 375 lists Allin as a village in Marw. There is no entry for
Alin or Balin. Note Tabari , 11/3, 1969, which gives a reading of Alin for Abu Muslim's
headquarters and 1965, which gives Balin. LeStrange, Lands, 399 refers to a Balm
Gate in Marw.
161. Details of Abu Muslim 's initial campaign are found in the Akhbnr al-Dawlah,
299ff.
162. Not to be confused with Marw , Marwarrudh was situated about 16o miles
from the former. See LeStrange, Lands. 404.
163. The revolutionaries transferred large sums of money and valuables to the
Imam during their periodic visits with him.
164. A report that Abu Muslim stayed at the house of 'Isa b. A'yan occurs in the entry on Fanin in Yaqut . He indicates that Fanin was one of the villages of Marw. See
Mu'jam, III, 921.

Balkh, to proclaim publicly the call (to revolution ) during the month
of Ramadan 129 (May 16-June 14, 747). He also sent al-Nadr b.
Subayh al-Tamimi with Sharik b. Ghadi al-Tamimi"5 to
Marwarrudh to proclaim the propaganda during Ramadan, and he
sent Abu 'Asim 'Abd al-Rahman b. Sulaym'66 to Talagan. He sent
Abu al-Jahm b. 'Atiyyah to 'Ala' b. Hurayth'6' in Khwarizm to proclaim the call publicly on the twenty-fourth of Ramadan (June 8,
747). If their enemy should move against them before the appointed
time, exposing them to injury and suffering , he permitted them to
defend themselves and to bare their swords, unsheathing them in
struggle against the enemies of God. Those whom the enemy distracted from rising at the appointed time would suffer no harm if
they did it at a later time.
Then Abu Muslim moved from the house of Abu al-Hakam 'Isa b.
A'yan and stayed with Sulayman b . Kathir al-Khuza'i in his village,
called Safidhanj in the quarter (rab') of Khargan, on the second night
of Ramadan (May 17, 747). On Wednesday night, the twenty-fifth of
Ramadan (June 9, 747), he unfurled the banner, sent to him by the
Imam and called "The Shadow," on a lance fourteen cubits high,
and he fastened the flag, sent by the Imam and called "The Clouds,"
on a lance thirteen cubits high, reciting the verse, " Permission is
given to those who fight because they have been wronged; surely
God is able to assist them. "16N Then he and Sulayman b. Kathir and
Sulayman's brothers and mawlas and those among the people of
Safidhanj who responded put on black garments . These included
Ghaylan b. 'Abdallah al-Khuza'i, who was Sulayman's brother-inlaw through his sister Umm 'Amr bt. Kathir, and Humayd b. Razin
and his brother 'Uthman b. Razin.169 All the Shi'ah from the dis-
165. These two were listed as naqibs. See Akhbar al-Dawlah, 217-18.
166. Perhaps the Abu 'Asim who is listed among the du'at a1-du'at in the revolutionary organization. See Akhbar al-Dawlah, 223. The Akhbar, 221 also lists an'Abd
al-Rahman b . Sulaymin who was a da'i, hance a member of a more prestigious network of agents. The du'dt al-du'at were most likely the substitutes for the du' at just
as the nuzara ' al-nuqaba ' substituted for the naqibs. )J.L.)
167. He is listed among the naqibs. See Akhbar al-Dawlah, 215.
168. Qur. 22:39.
169. Like his brother-in-law, Sulayman b. Kathir, Ghaylan al- Khuzi'i is listed
among the nagibs. The Akhbar al-Dawlah lists an 'Umayr b. Razin, the brother of
Humayd b. Razin, the mawl i of the Khuza'ah. This 'Umayr was one of the du'at aldu'at. See Akhbar al-Dawlah, 218, 222.
(19541
)19551
trict of Khargan lit fires that night, which was the prearranged signal, and they began to gather to Abu Muslim the next morning. The
interpretation of the two names "The Shadow" and "The Clouds"
was: as the clouds cover the earth, so would the 'Abbasid preaching,
and as the earth is never without a shadow, so it would never be
without an 'Abbasid caliph to the end of time.
The propagandists (du'at) of Marw came to Abu Muslim with all
those who had answered their call. The first to come were the early
settlers' who were with Abu al-Waddah al-Hurmuzfarri 'Isa b.
Shubayl, consisting of nine hundred men and four horsemen."'
Among the people of Hurmuzfarrah were Sulayman b. Hassan with
his brother Yazdan b. Hassan, al-Haytham b. Yazid b. Kaysan, Buway' the mawla of Nasr b. Mu'awiyah, Abu al-Khalid al-Hasan,
Jarda, and Muhammad b. 'Alwan. Then came the early settlers who
were with Abu al-Qasim Muhriz b. Ibrahim al-Jubani, with thirteen
hundred men on foot and sixteen horsemen. Also with them were
the propagandists Abu al-'Abbas al-Marwazi, Khidham b. 'Ammar
and Hamzah b. Rutaym."Z The early settlers (of the first group) began to shout "God is great!" and those with Muhriz b. Ibrahim
would answer from their side, "God is Great!" They kept this up until they entered Abu Muslim's camp at Safidhanj. This was on Saturday (June 12, 747), two days after Abu Muslim's public proclamation. Abu Muslim gave orders that the fort of Safidhanj be repaired,
fortified, and set in order. When the 'Id came in Safidhanj, Abu Muslim told Sulayman b. Kathir to lead him and the ('Abbasid) Shi'ah in
prayer. He set up a minbar for him in the camp, and told him to begin the prayer before the khutbah address without the call to prayer
or the igamah."' The Umayyads used to begin with the khutbah
'7o. The text is ahl al-Sugadim; see Ibn al-Athir, V, 273: ahl al-tagadum. Wellhausen, Arab Kingdom, 522-23 reads Sugadim, as a place name, though no such
place is known. Shaban, 'Abbasid Revolution, 15 8, reads taqadum, to mean "the old
(Arab( settlers in Marw."
17 t. The early supporters of the 'Abbasids were not part of the active fighting force
operating in Khurasan, hence their small number of horsemen. The Arab fighters had
aligned with al-Kirmani or Nasr b. Sayyar. The later addition of the Arab tribal forces
to the 'Abbasid camp enabled Abu Muslim to challenge the professional armies of the
Umayyads. (I.L.)
172. The text is Zunaym; read Rutaym, as in the Akhbar aI-Dawlah, 222, where he
is listed as one of the du'dt al-du'at.
173. The igamah is the ritual proclamation that the prayer has begun.
67
and the call to prayer, and then they had the ritual prayer; the iqamah was added on Friday. On feastdays and Fridays they used to deliver the khutbah seated in the minbars. But Abu Muslim told
Sulayman b. Kathir to call "God is Great!" six consecutive times
with the first prostration, then to recite (the Qur'an portions), and
afterward to bow down on the seventh "God is Great!" In the second prostration, he was to call it out five consecutive times, then recite, and bow down on the sixth call. He was to begin the khutbah
with "God is Great!" and close it with a recitation from the Qur'an.
The Banu Umayyah used to employ four calls of "God is Great!" in

the first prostration on a feast day, and three in the second.
When Sulayman b. Kathir completed the prayer and the khutbah,
Abu Muslim and the Shiàh went off to a feast spread for them by
Abu Muslim. They feasted rejoicing in anticipation of future success (mustabshirin).
While Abu Muslim was entrenching himself, he would write to
Nasr b. Sayyar, addressing him as "the Amir Nasr." When he had
grown powerful by means of the ('Abbasid) Shi'ah who gathered in
his camp, he disclosed himself and wrote to Nasr, "As for what follows, truly God, blessed be His names and exalted be His mention,
reproaches certain folk in the Qur'an saying, 'They swore the most
binding oaths by God that if a warner came to them they would be
more guided than any community, but when a warner came it only
increased them in aversion, waxing arrogant in the land and plotting
evil; but evil plots encompass only those who make them. Do they
expect anything but the way of the ancients ? You will find no
changing in God's way, nor any evading of the way of God. "/74
Nasr was much astonished at the letter, and that Abu Muslim had
shown himself. He closed one eye (and pondered long)"', and said,
"This letter has one answer." When Abu Muslim was settled in his
camp at Makhuwan,15 he ordered Muhriz b. Ibrahim"' to dig a
defensive trench at Jiranj and gather together his followers with
those of the Shiàh who were so inclined and cut off the communications of Nasr b. Sayyar with Marwarrudh, Balkh and the districts of
174. Qur. 35:42-43175. This phrase is missing in text and is supplied by the Cairo edition.
176. For Makhuwan, see Yaqut, Mu'jarn, IV, 38o. Jiranj was a small town lbulaydah! in the vicinity of Marw. See Yaqut, 11, 175.
177. Muhriz b. Ibrahim was a nagib. See Akhbar al-Dawlah, 217.
[19561
11 9571
Tukharistan. Muhriz b. Ibrahim did that, and about a thousand men

gathered at his camp which was surrounded by a moat. Abu Muslim
also ordered Abu Salih Kamil b. Muzaffar"8 to send a man to Muhriz b. Ibrahim's camp to review the troops there and enter them in a
register with their names, their fathers' names and their villages."'
He thus sent Abu Salih Humayd al-Azraq to do that. Humayd, who
was a scribe, counted 804 able-bodied men in Muhriz's camp.
Among the well-known officers there were Ziyad b. Sayyar al-Azdi
in the quarter of Khargan, from the village called Asbiwadiq;
Khidham b. Àmmar al-Kindi of the quarter of the early settlers,180
from a village called al-Awayiq; Hanifah b. Qays of the early settlers' quarter, from the village called al-Shanj; 'Abdawayh alJardamadh b. 'Abd al-Karim, of the people of Harat, who used to
bring sheep to Marw; Hamzah b. Rutaym" al-Bahili of the Kharqan quarter, from the village called Miladhjird;'82 Abu Hashim
Khalifah b. Mihran of the quarter of the early settlers, from the village of Juban;1R3 Abu Khadijah Jilan b. al-Sughdi, and Abu Nu'aym
Musa b. Subayh.110
Muhriz b. Ibrahim remained entrenched in his camp until Abu
Muslim entered the walls of Marw, vacated the camp at Makhuwan
and camped at Marsarjas on the way to Naysabur. Muhriz b. Ibrahim
then reinforced Abu Muslim with his troops.
One of the events that occurred while Abu Muslim was at
Safidhanj was that Nasr b. Sayyar sent a mawla of his called Yazid
with a large force of cavalry to fight Abu Muslim eighteen days after
his public proclamation, and Abu Muslim sent Malik b. Haytham
al-Khuza i together with Musàb b. Qays191 out against him. They
met at the. village called Alin, and Malik called on them to follow
178. Abu Salih was one of the highest ranking operatives in the revolutionary apparatus. See Akhbdr al-Dawlah, z15.
179. That is, the military roll was based on geographical rather than tribal affiliation, an 'Abbasid principle. See n. 217 below.
18o. The text is rab' al-Sugddim; it should be read rab' al-tagddum, following Ibn
Athir. References to early settlers below are similarly based on this reading. Also, see
n. 17o above.
181. The text is Zunaym; it should be read Rutaym. See n. 172 above.
182. The text is Hatladjur; it should be read Miladhjird, as in the Cairo edition.
183. See Yaqut, Mu'jam, II, 139.
184. Vocalization is conjectural here.
185. For Malik b. Haytham, see the entry in Crone, Slaves on Horses, 181-83.
Mus'ab b. Qays was a naqib. See Akhbdr al-Dawlah, 218.
the Chosen One (al-Ride) from the family of God's messenger, God
bless him and give him peace. They were too haughty for that, so [19581
Malik fought them with a battle line-he had about two hundred
men-from daybreak until the time of the afternoon prayer.
Salih b. Sulayman al-l?abbi,'" Ibrahim b. Yazid and Ziyad b. 'Isa
had joined Abu Muslim, so he sent them to Malik b. Haytham. They
came to him at the time of the afternoon prayer, and he was
strengthened by their presence. Then Yazid the mawla of Nasr b.
Sayyar said to his followers, "If we let them alone this evening, reinforcements will come to them, so attack these people." And they
did. Then Abu Nasr (Malik b. Haytham) dismounted to fight on foot,
and incited his followers saying, "Truly, I trust that God will cut off
a part of the unbelievers,"' so strike them well and truly." Both
parties kept on fighting. Thirty-four men of the Marwanid party
were killed, and eight were taken prisoner. 'Abdallah al-Tii'i attacked Yazid, the mawla of Nasr and the leader of the enemy group;
they captured him, and his followers fled. Abu Nasr sent 'Abdallah
al-Ta'i and his prisoner with some men of the Shi'ah, along with
some prisoners and the heads (of the slain ), while he remained in his
camp at Safidhanj. In the delegation were Abu Hammad al-Marwazi
and Abu 'Amr al-A'jami. Then Abu Muslim ordered the heads to be
displayed on the gate of the wall in his camp. He sent Yazid alAslami to Abu Ishaq Khalid b. 'Uthman and ordered him to treat
wounds that Yazid the mawla of Nasr had received, and to treat him
with great kindness and consideration. He wrote to Abu Nasr to
come to him. When Nasr's mawla Yazid was healed of his wounds,
Abu Muslim called him and said, "If you wish to stay with us and
join our cause , then God will have guided you rightly. If you do not,
then go back to your master in safety; but give us God's oath not to
fight against us or to lie about us, and to say of us [only) what you
have seen." Yazid chose to return to his master, so he sent him on
his way. Then Abu Muslim said, "This man will avert from us those )1959)
men of piety and morality who assert that we have departed from
Islam."
Yazid came to Nasr b. Sayyar, who told him, "No welcome to
186. A substitute naqib who became one of the great field commanders of the early
'Abbasid armies . His family had a long and meritorious role in the affairs of state.
187. Based on Qur . 3:127.

you, by God, I think the enemy only let you live in order to make
you an argument against us." "And by God, it's just as you think,"
said Yazid. "What's more, they have made me swear not to lie about
them, so I'll tell you that they pray the prayers at the proper time,
with a call to prayer and igamah; they recite the Scripture, they
make frequent mention of God, and they call men to God's Messenger. I reckon their business will succeed, and were you not my master who freed me from slavery, I'd not have come back to you; I'd
have stayed with them." This was the first battle between the
('Abbasid) Shi'ah and the partisans of the Banu Marwan.
In this year, Khazim b. Khuzaymah" prevailed over Marwarrudh, and Nasr b. Sayyar's governor there was killed. Khazim
sent a letter with his son Khuzaymah to Abu Muslim announcing
the victory.
The Account of Khazim b. Khuzaymah's

Victory Over Marwarrudh
According to 'Ali b. Muhammad-Abu al- Hasan al-Jushami,'89
Zuhayr b. Hunayd and Hasan b. Rashid: When Khazim b. Khuzaymah was ready to set out for Marwarrudh, leaders of the Tamim
wanted to prevent him, but he said, " I am a man of your tribe, with
Marw as my object. Perhaps I shall be victorious, in which case it
will be yours; if I am slain, then you will be done with me." So they
let him alone, and he went out and camped in a village called Kanj
Rustah.190 Then Nadr b. Subayh'9' and Bassam b. Ibrahim came to
him from Abu Muslim. When it was evening, Khazim attacked the
119601 people of Marwarrudh by night, and Bishr b. Ja'far al-Sa'di who was
Nasr b. Sayyar's governor in Marwarrudh was slain. This was in the
beginning of Dhu al-Qa'dah (mid-July 7471, and Khazim sent news of
the victory to Abu Muslim by Khuzaymah b. Khazim, 'Abdallah b.
Said and Shabib b. Waj.
M. Khazim b. Khuzaymah al-Tamimi was a deputy naqib from Marwarrudh, an
important later general : see Crone, Slaves on Horses , r8o-8r.
189. The text is al-Husmi , emended to al-Jushami by the Cairo edition.
190. The text gives " Kanj Rustah," however the textual apparatus lists the variant
Kanj Rustaq, and Yaqut, Mu'jam, IV, 308, lists a Kanjrustaq , which LeStrange describes as a district between Badhghis and Marwarrudh.
i i. Ibn Subayh was a nagib. See Akhhar al-Dawlah, 218.

Abu Ja'far stated, concerning Abu Muslim' s proclamation of revolution, his travels to and from Khurasan and his return there, a
source other than those we have cited gives a differing account:
Ibrahim the Imam married the daughter of Abu al-Najm to Abu
Muslim at the time he sent him to Khurasan, and sent her dowry
with him.191 Then he wrote to the nagibs in Khurasan, ordering
them to listen to Abu Muslim and obey him. According to some assertions, Abu Muslim was from the village of Khutarniyyah near
Kufah, and was the steward of Idris b. Ma'qil al-' Ijli.193 Then his
status changed and he became the mawla of Muhammad b. 'Ali,
then of Ibrahim b. Muhammad, and then of the other Imams who
were Muhammad's sons . He came to Khurasan while he was still
young in years, and Sulayman b. Kathir would not accept him. He
feared that Abu Muslim would not be strong enough for their task,
and fearing for himself and his companions, he sent him away.194
At this time Abu Dawud Khalid b. Ibrahim was away, beyond the
Oxus (nahr Balkh), but when he left there and arrived in Marw, the
Imam's letter was read to him, and he asked about the man whom
he had sent. They told him that Sulayman b. Kathir had sent him
away, and so he sent for all of the naqibs, who gathered in the house
of 'Imran b. Isma1l.'95 Then Abu Dawud said to them, "The letter
from the Imam came to you with the man he sent while I was ab- 119611
sent, and you sent him away. Now what is your case for sending him
off?" "His youth," Sulaymin b. Kathir replied, "and our fear that he
would not be able to manage this affair, and our solicitude for him
we call men to, and for ourselves, and for those who are answerable
192. Abu al-Najm was a naqib. The marriage was to establish a tie between Abu
Muslim, the Imam's representative, and the Khurasan apparatus . Despite his nisbah,
"al-Khurasan," Abu Muslim apparently came from Isfahan . Note Sulayman b.
Kathir's initial reaction to Abu Muslim's arrival in the Akhbar al-Dawlah, 271-73,
and in Tabari below. The relationship of the 'Abbasid imams to the Khurasan apparatus is a complex problem that has not yet been fully worked out. There is reason to
believe that the Khurasinis were quite independent until Bukayr b. Mahan's mission
to them following the death of Muhammad b. 'Ali. See Sharon, 'Aliyat, 84-116. {J.L.)
193. The reports of Abu Muslim's origins are marked by considerable confusion.
The confusion is perhaps deliberate so as to present Abu Muslim as a man for all peoples and seasons, that is , the ideal picture for a revolutionary operative. A full study
of Abu Muslim's origins has been completed by J. Lassner and will appear in a forthcoming festschrift for Franz Rosenthal, edited by Lassner and J.V. Bellamy (J.L.1
195. That is, Abu al-Najm.

to us." Then Abu Dawud said , " Are there any among you who deny that God, blessed be He and exalted , chose Muhammad, may
He bless him and his family and give them peace , and elected him
and selected him and sent him with His message to all men? Is there
any among you who would deny that ?" " No," they said. "Then
would you doubt that God, be He exalted, sent down His Book to
him, and that Gabriel the trusted spirit came to him making legal
what God permits therein , and prohibiting what He forbids, and
prescribing what He lays down , and showing His ways, and that he
informed him therein of what had been before , and what shall be, up
to the Day of Resurrection ?" " No," they said . " Then do you doubt
that God took His Prophet to Himself after he had delivered the
message of his Lord ?" " No," they said . "Then," said he, "do you believe that the divine knowledge that was revealed to him was raised
[to heaven[ with him, or that he left it behind him?" "Of course he
left it behind," they said . "Then do you think that he left it behind
with those who were not of his family JìtrahJ, nor people of his
house, who were the nearest of the near to him ?" " No," they said.
"Then," he asked, "would any one of you who had seen this matter
progressing, and people receptive to it , see fit to try to turn it all to
himself ?" " Good God, no!" they replied . " How should that be?" "I
do not say that you have done so," he told them , "but sometimes Satan incites great evil concerning what may or may not come to pass.
Is there any one of you who would like to transfer control of this
matter from the People of the House to some other relatives of the
Prophet?" "No," they said. " Then do you doubt that they are the
mine of the divine knowledge and keepers of the legacy of the Messenger of God ?" " No," they said. " Yet I see," he said, " that you
[ 1962] doubted their command, and rejected their knowledge , for had they
not known that this was the man who should manage their affairs,
they would not have sent him to you. No one has accused him of not
being devoted to them, or not being their assistant , or of not standing up for their due."'"
196. Possession of esoteric knowledge was one of the qualities of a Shi 'i Imam.
There are numerous ' Abbasid traditions which indicate that this knowledge was
passed directly from Muhammad to the 'Abbasid line. Other traditions argue that
when the Prophet died without leaving any surviving male offspring , his oldest surviving uncle a1-'Abbas inherited the Prophet 's legacy and passed it to his progeny.
The earliest ' Abbasid claims were based on a transmission of the Imamate from 'Ali's

At these words from Abu Dawud, they sent for Abu Muslim and
brought him back from Qumis, accepted him as their leader and listened to him and obeyed him. But there still lingered something in
Abu Muslim's soul against Sulayman b. Kathir, and he still acknowledged it to Abu Dawud.
The naqibs and other members of the ('Abbasid) Shi'ah hearkened
to Abu Muslim, obeyed him, deferred to him, and accepted all that
came from him. The propagandists spread their word through all the
regions of Khurasan. People joined in droves , their numbers grew,
and the propagandists fanned out into all of Khurasan . Then Ibrahim
the Imam wrote to Abu Muslim commanding him to come to him
during the Pilgrimage that year, that is in 129 (747), so that he could
give him his orders for the public proclamation of revolution. He
asked him to bring Qahtabah b. Shabib with him, and whatever
monies had been collected. Three hundred and sixty thousand dirhams had been amassed with Abu Muslim, and so he took part of it
to buy goods of the stuffs that merchants of Quh and Marw sell, and
sheer and heavy silks. The rest he melted into small ingots of gold
and silver and put them in the lining of their cloaks. Then he
brought mules and set out midway through Jumada II (early March
747). Among the nagfbs who accompanied him were Qahtabah b.
Shabib, Qasim b. Mujashi' and Talhah b. Zurayq, along with fortyone men of the Shi'ah. They outfitted the caravan in the villages of
the Khuza'ah, loading their packs on twenty-one pack mules. An
armed man from the Shi'ah was mounted on each mule. They took
the desert route, avoiding the armed patrols of Nasr b. Sayyar, until
they came to Abiward.
Abu Muslim wrote to 'Uthman b. Nahik'' and his followers, or- (1963]
dering them to come forward to him. Between them was a distance
of five farsakhs (3o km). Fifty of their men came to him, and then he
journeyed from Abiward, until reaching one of the villages of Nasa
called Qagas. He sent al-Fadl b. Sulayman to Andaman, the village
of Asid, and he met there a man from the Shi'ah and asked him
where Asid was. The man replied, "Why are you asking about him?
There has been great evil from the governor today, and he has been
grandson Abu Hishim b. Muhammad b. al-Hanafiyyah to the 'Abbasid Muhammad b.
'Ali. See, e.g., Omar, 'Abbdsid Caliphate, 59-67; Ell s.v. 'Abbisids.
197. For 'Uthman b . Nahik, who was a dd'i from Abiward, see the entry in Crone,
Slaves on Horses, 189.

taken, along with al-Ahjam b. 'Abdallah,198 Ghaylan b. Fadalah,
Ghalib b. Said and Muhajir b. 'Uthman, to the governor 'Asim b.
Qays b. al-Haruri, who has imprisoned them." Abu Muslim and his
companions moved on to Andiiman, and Abu Malik (Asid) and the
Shi'ah at Nasa came to him. Abu Malik informed him that the letter
which had been with the Imam's messenger was in his possession,
so Abu Muslim told him to bring it to him. He brought him the letter and a banner and a flag. Lo, the letter told him to turn back as
soon as he received it and publicly declare the revolution. At this, he
fastened the flag that had come to him from the Imam to a lance and
the banner as well. The Shi'ah among the people of Nasa gathered to
him along with the propagandists and chiefs. He already had the
people of Abiward who had come to Nasa with him.
Word of this reached 'Asim b. Qays al-Haruri, and he sent (men) to
Abu Muslim to question him about his situation. He told him that
he was a pilgrim, traveling to the House of God, and that he had
with him a number of friends who were merchants. He requested
'Asim to set free those of his companions whom he had detained, so
that they might leave his province. They then demanded that Abu
Muslim write a personal contract for them, stating that he would
exchange all the slaves, riding animals and weapons that were with
[1964) him so that his companions, those who had come from the province
of the Imam and others, might go their ways. Abu Muslim consented to this, and his friends were set free. He now ordered those of
the Shi'ah among his followers to return home. He read the Imam's
letter to them, and ordered them to proclaim the revolution publicly. One group of them then went home. Abu Malik Asid b. 'Abdallah al-Khuza'i, Zurayq b. Shawdhab199 and those who had come
to him from Abiward continued with him, and he ordered all who
turned back to hold themselves in readiness. He went on with those
of his companions who had remained, and with Qahtabah b. Shabib,
until they camped at the borders of Jurjan. Abu Muslim then sent
198. Al-Ahjam was a naqib. Muhajir b. 'Uthman was a replacement for a nagib. See
Akhbar a]-Dawlah, 218, 220.
199. Zurayq b. Shawdhab is listed among the du'at al-du'dt. See Akhbar alDawlah, 222.

word to Khalid b. Barmak and Abu 'Awn2 ordering them to bring
whatever funds they had collected from the Shi'ah. They both presented themselves, and he stayed there some days until the caravans
had assembled. He outfitted Qahtabah b. Shabib and gave him the
money he had with him and the means of transporting it, and sent
him on to Ibrahim b. Muhammad, while Abu Muslim and those
with him went back to Nasa, and from there traveled to Abiward.
From there he traveled on in disguise to Marw, where he stayed at
one of the villages of the Khuza'ah, called Fan-in. This was on the
twenty-third of Ramadan (June 7, 747). He had designated the day of
'Id as the time for his followers to meet him at Marw. He sent Abu
Dawud and 'Amr b. A'yan to Tukharistan and al-Nadr b. Subayh to
Amul and Bukhara, with Shank b. Isa. Musa b. Ka'b201 he sent to
Abiward and Nasa, and Khazim b. Khuzaymah to Marwarrudh. The
people then came to him, and al-Qasim b. Mujashi' al-Tamimi led
them in the prayers on the day of the feast at the prayer-ground
(musalla) of the Qanbar family in the village of Abu Dawud Khalid
b. Ibrahim.
This year most of the Arab tribesmen in Khurasan swore an oath l19651
and made a compact to fight Abu Muslim. This was at the time his
followers increased and his forces became powerful. Also still in this
year he moved from his camp at Safidhanj to Makhuwan.
The Arab Tribesmen of Khurasan
Ally Against Abu Muslim
According to 'Ali- al-Sabbah the mawla of Jibril - Maslamah b.
Yahya: When Abu Muslim openly proclaimed revolution , people
hastened to join him, and the people of Marw began to come to him.
Nasr did not prevent them from this nor did he forbid them. Nor did
al-Kirmani and Shayban disapprove of Abu Muslim's activities, be-
Zoo. For Khalid b. Barmak and his progeny, who later served the 'Abbasid house, see
Ell s.v. Baramika; Lassner, 'Abbasid Rule, index, 319; Crone, Slaves on Horses,
176-77. For Abu 'Awn, see the entry in Crone, ibid., 174.
201. Musa b. Ka'b al-Tamimi was one of the highest ranking agents in the 'Abbasid
revolutionary apparatus. He later served as a great field commander and security officer. See Akhbir al-Dawlah, 215-16 ; Crone, Slaves on Horses, 186.

cause he was calling for deposing Marwan b. Muhammad. Abu Muslim was staying at a village called Balin202 in a tent, without any
guards or doorkeepers. The people magnified his authority and said,
"A man from the Banu Hashim has appeared, endowed with urbanity, gravity and calm." A number of young men from the people of
Marw set out, pietists who sought religious insight (fiqh) and they
came to him at his camp, and asked him about his genealogy.203 He
responded, "What I have to say is better for you than my genealogy."
Then they asked him about matters relating to fiqh. He told them,
"The command to do good and reject what is reprehensible is more
important for you than this. We have work to do, and have more
need of your assistance than of your questions, so excuse us." They
said, "By God, we do not know your genealogy, and we think that it
won't be long before you are slain. Nothing is lacking for that except
for one of these two to be free."" Abu Muslim replied, "On the
contrary, it is I who shall slay them both, God willing."
The young men returned and went to Nasr b. Sayyar and told him
(what they had heard). He told them, "May God reward you well;
you are the sort to seek him out and learn about him." Then they
went to Shayban and informed him, whereupon he sent a message to
(19661 Nasr, "We have each choked the other." Nasr then wrote to him,
"Desist from attacking me so that I can fight him or, if you wish,
join me in fighting him until I kill him or drive him away; then we
may return to the business we are now engaged in." Shayban was
anxious about what to do, and that became apparent to those in his
camp. The spies of Abu Muslim now came to him and informed him
of this. Sulayman said, "What is this matter that has reached them?
Have you been talking to somebody?" Abu Muslim then informed
him about the young men who had come to him, and Sulayman
said, "Then this is all because of that." They wrote to Àli b. alKirmani saying, "You are a wronged man unable to take revenge.
Your father has been murdered.20i We know that you are not of the
202. Bab Balin was the northwest gate of Marw. However , the reference to Balin
here may be an error for "Allin," one of villages of Marw . See n . rho above.
203. The name he used, "Father of a Muslim, Khurasani," was deliberately
ambiguous.
204. That is Nasr b. Sayyar and Shayban al-Khariji.

205. According to Dinawari, 362, the death of Juday' al-Kirmani was arranged by
Nasr, who invited him to a parley. Other sources indicate that it was a son of al-

same mind as Shayban; you are only fighting for revenge, so prevent
Shayban from a reconciliation with Nasr." 'Ali went to Shayban and
spoke to him, and deterred him from what he intended. Nasr then
wrote to Shayban, "Truly you are being deceived, and I swear by
God that this matter is so momentous" that by the side of it, you
should find me small."
While they were thus engaged, Abu Muslim sent al-Nadr b.
Nu'aym al-Dabbi to Harat, which was governed by Ìsa b. 'Aqil alLaythi, and al-Nadr drove him out of Hark, so that Ìsa fled to Nasr
and al -Nadr took over the city. Then Yahya b. Nu'aym b. Hubayrah
said (to the Kharijites), "Choose whether you will perish before the
Mudar, or the Mudar before you." They asked, "How is that?" He
replied, "This man's affair only surfaced a month ago, but already as
many men as are in your army have joined his army." "What shall
we do?" they asked. "Make peace with Nasr," he told them, "for if
you have peace with him, these people will fight Nasr and leave you
alone, because the Mudar have the government. If you do not make
peace with Nasr, they will, and they will fight you and it will go
against you." "What shall we do?" they said. "Get ahead of them,"
Hirith b. Surayj al-Murji 'i who killed him. See Tabari 11/3, 1975 ; Ya'qubi, Ta'rikh,
408; Ibn Khayyit , 1, 410; FHA, 188. Juday"s son 'Ali succeeded him as leader of the
Azd.
206. Nasr wrote verses in which he urged the Arabs to unite with him to war
against Abu Muslim, as follows:
Go tell both the Rabi'ah in Marw and the Yamanis:
arouse yourselves, before it will be of no avail;
What are you thinking of, to enkindle the feud between you
as if men of wit were absent from your counsels?
You neglect an enemy who has surrounded you,
a rabble of no religion or consequence,
Not Arabs like those among men you would know,
nor yet true mawlas, if their origins be reckoned;
Who would ask me about the root of their religion?
truly, their religion is that the Arabs should perish;
A sect professing doctrines you never heard of
from the Prophet, nor brought by the Scriptures.
- lbn Athir, v. IV. 304, and also quoted by al-Dinawari, 361.

he said, " if by only one hour, and comfort yourselves by their
slaying."
[19671 Then Shayban sent to Nasr offering him a truce, and he agreed.
Following that, he sent a message to Salm b . Ahwaz, and between
them they concluded an agreement . Shayban came, with Ibn al-Kirmani on his right and Yahya b. Nu'aym on his left, and Salm said to
Ibn al-Kirmani, " One-eyed one, I do not take you to be the one-eyed
man at whose hands we are told that the Mudar will perish. "207
They then made a truce for one year, and put their agreement in
writing. This came to Abu Muslim , and he wrote to Shayban, "We
would make a truce with you for some months, so grant us a truce of
three months." Then Ibn al-Kirmani said, "I never made peace with
Nasr; it was Shayban who did so while I was unwilling. I am a man
with blood to avenge, and I will not stop fighting Nasr." Ibn alKirmani resumed hostilities, but Shayban refused to help him, saying, "Treachery is not permissible." At this Ibn al-Kirmani sent a
message to Abu Muslim asking his help against Nasr b. Sayyar. Abu
Muslim proceeded to al-Makhuwan, and sent Shibl b. Tahman208
to Ibn al- Kirmani with the message, "I am with you against Nasr."
Ibn al-Kirmani said , " I should indeed like Abu Muslim to meet me,"
and Shibl brought word of this . Abu Muslim waited fourteen days,
and then he went to Ibn al -Kirmani, leaving his army behind at alMakhuwan. 'Uthman b . al-Kirmani met him with cavalry and rode
with him until he entered the camp . Then Abu Muslim went to Àli
b. al-Kirmani and stayed mounted outside his chamber. He was
asked to dismount, and entered saluting Àli as "Amir ." Àli had
prepared a lodging209 for him in a palace belonging to Makhlad210
b. Hasan al-Azdi. Abu Muslim stayed two days, and then went back
to his camp at al-Makhuwan. This was on the fifth day of Muharram, 130 (September i6, 747 ) .
207. "One-eyed one" is an insult renderable as "you prick." It is also a reference to
the Dajjal, the one-eyed "great deceiver" who will persecute the faithful and usher in
the second coming of Jesus and the Messianic age according to certain hadiths. Ibn
Ahwaz appears to be saying, "You may be this and that, but you are not the Antichrist who will precede the messianic age and destroy the Mudar." For al-Dajjal see
E12 s.v. ad-Dadjdjal.
208. Shibl b. Tahman was a naqib. See Akhbar al-Dawlah, 216.
209. The text is gasrdn, "a palace"; it should be read manzilnn. "lodging," as in the
Cairo edition.
21o. According to the Cairo edition, Mukhallad.

Abu al-Khattab reported that when the Shi'ah in Abu Muslim's
camp became numerous, Safidhanj was too confining for him, and
he desired a more spacious encampment . Al-Makhuwan answered
his need. It was the village of al-'Ala ' b. Hurayth, and Abu Ishaq
Khalid b. 'Uthman, and Abu al-Jahm b. 'Atiyyah and his brothers (1968)
lived there 211 His stay at Safidhanj had lasted forty-two days, and
from there he went to al-Makhuwan. He stopped at the house of
Abu Ishaq on Wednesday, the ninth night of Dhu al-Qa'dah (July 19,
747). He dug a trench around the place, with two entrances to it, and
he and the Shi'ah camped there. He put Mus'ab b. Qays al-Hanafi
and Bahdal b. Iyas al-Dabbi212 in charge of one entrance , and Abu
Sharahil and Abu 'Amr al-A'jami in charge of the other. He appointed Abu Nasr Malik b . Haytham in charge of security, and made
Abu Ishaq Khalid b. 'Uthman captain of the guard. Kamil b.
Muzaffar Abu Salih was put in charge of the army register, and
Aslam b. Subayh was in charge of his chancery . Qasim b. Mujashi'
the Tamimi naqib he made gadi, and he reinforced Malik b. al-Haytham with Abu al-Waddah and a number of the early settlers.213 He
put the men from the two villages (called) Nawshan-they were
eighty-three men-under Abu Ishaq in the guard. 1
Qasim b. Mujashi' used to lead the prayers for Abu Muslim in the
camp and narrate anecdotes after the afternoon prayer , mentioning
the virtues of the Banu Hashim , and the shameful deeds of the Banu
Umayyah. Abu Muslim now settled at the camp at al-Makhuwan,
appearing like any man of the Shi'ah, until 'Abdallah b . Bistam came
to him and brought him tents, pavilions , cooking vessels, nose-bags
for the horses and leather troughs for water. The first official that
Abu Muslim appointed was Dawud b. Karraz.211 Abu Muslim refused to let the (runaway ) slaves join him at his camp, and had an entrenched position dug for them at the village of Shawwal , 211 putting it in the charge of Dawud b. Karraz . When a large number of (1969)
211. It was thus the village of two naqibs and a substitute nagib. See Akhbar alDawlah, 221.
212. Ibn Iyas was one of the du'at. See Akhbar al-Dawlah. 221.
213. The text is ahl al-Suqddim.
214. Nawsh was the name of several villages in Marw. The two villages here are not
specified. See Yaqut, Mu'jam, IV, 823-24.
215. Ibn Karraz was a subsitute naqib. See Akhbar al-Dawlah, 221.
216. Shawwal was a village situated three farsakhs )18 km) from Marw. See Yaqut,
Mu'jam. III, 332.
8o The 'Abbasid Revolution

slaves had gathered, he sent them to Musa b. Ka'b at Abiward. He ordered Kamil b. Muzaffar to enroll the people at the camp according
to their names and their fathers' names and designate them by their
villages, recording all that in the register."' Kamil, who was called
Abu Salih, did so, and their numbers came to seven thousand men.
Their pay was three dirhams per man; then each of them received
four at the hands of Abu Salih Kamil.
At last the tribesmen of the Mudar, the Rabi'ah and the
Qahtan"'R agreed to lay aside their feuds and unite as one in fighting Abu Muslim. Once they had driven him from Marw, they would
look to their own affairs and what they had agreed upon. They therefore wrote a carefully worded treaty among themselves, and word of
this reached Abu Muslim. It alarmed him, and he took it seriously
and reconsidered his situation. Lo, the water supply of Makhuwan
dropped, and he feared that Nasr b. Sayyar might cut off his water, so
he moved to Alin, the village of Abu Mansur Talhah b. Zurayg2'9
the naqIb. This was after he had stayed four months at the camp at
Makhuwan, and he settled at Alin on Thursday the sixth of Dhu alHijjah 129 (August 14, 747). He dug a trench at Alin between Alin
and Balasha Jird.11" Thus the village was behind the camp, and he
(dug so as to) place the house of Muhtafiz b. 'Uthman b. Bishr alMazani inside the trench. The inhabitants of Alin drank the water of
a canal called the Khargan, so Nasr b. Sayyar could not cut off the
(1970] drinking-water from Alin. The Feast of the Day of Sacrifice"'
came, and Qasim b. Mujashi' led the prayers for Abu Muslim and
the Shi'ah at the prayer-ground of Alin.
Nasr b. Sayyar was camped on the 'Iyad Canal, and he positioned
'Asim b. 'Amr at Balasha Jird and Abu al-Dhayyal at Tusan. Bishr b.
Unayf al-Yarbu'i he placed at Julfar, and he stationed Hatim b. alHarith b. Surayj at Kharaq, seeking to attack Abu Muslim. Abu
Dhayyal quartered his troops with the inhabitants of Tusan while
217. That is, they were officially enrolled according to place, not tribe, or origin.
This became the standard 'Abbasid practice. The advantage was that it played down
tribal feelings ('asabiyyab). See n. 179 above.
218. That is, the Yaman.
219. The text is Ruzayq; read Zurayq, as in textual apparatus variants and Akhbar
al-Dawlah, 215, 2t6.
220. The text is Balasha Jird. Y3qut, Mu'jam, I, 708, lists a Balashjird which was a
village four farsakhs )24 km) from Marw.
221. See E1" s.v. 'Id al-Adha.

Abu Muslim was in his camp, and they injured the people there,
treating them like servants , butchering their chickens , cattle and
pigeons, and making them bear the cost of their victuals and fodder.
The Shi'ah complained of this to Abu Muslim, and he sent some
cavalry with them . They encountered Abu Dhayyil and drove him
away, and captured Maymun al-A'sar al-Khwarizmi with about
thirty men. Abu Muslim gave them clothing , treated their wounds,
and set them free.
In this year, Juday' b. 'Ali al-Kirmani was slain and crucified.222

The Account of the Slaying of Juday' b. 'All al-Kirmani
We have already mentioned the slaying of al-Harith b. Surayj and
that al -Kirmani was the one who killed him . When al -Kirmani had
slain al-Harith, Marw became wholly his, due to that slaying, and
Nasr b. Sayyar removed from Marw to Abrashahr . Al-Kirmani's rule
grew stronger, and according to what is said, Nasr sent Salm b.
Ahwaz against him. He marched with Nasr 's guards and cavalry until he encountered the followers of al-Kirmani; he found Yahya b.
Nu'aym al -Mayla' stationed at the head of a thousand soldiers of the
Rabi'ah, Muhammad b. al-Muthanna at the head of seven hundred
horsemen of the Azd, Ibn al-Hasan b. al-Shaykh al-Azdi with one
thousand of their young men (fityan) , and al -Hazmi al -Sughdi with a
thousand Abna' of the Yaman.223 When they stood opposite each
other, Salm b. Ahwaz called to Muhammad b. al-Muthanna, "0 Muhammad al-Muthanna, get these sailors ( i.e., the Azd)22' to come
out against us!" Then Muhammad said to Salm, "Whoreson, do you
say that to Abu 'Ali ?" The two armies moved slowly against each
other, and fought with swords . Salm b. Ahwaz was routed, and over
one hundred of his followers were slain, while more than twenty of
Muhammad's followers were killed . Nasr's men returned to him in
disorder, and 'Agil b . Ma'qil told him, "Nasr, you've brought bad
luck on the Arabs; when you 've gone this far, exert yourself and bare
your shank !" Nasr now sent 'Ismah b . 'Abdallah al-Asadi, who stood
222. See IT. 205 above.
223. From the context it is not certain whether these fityan were Arabs of the Azd
or slaves that they had formed into a military contingent . For the Abna', see E12 s.v.
Abna'.
224. See n. I T 3 above.
(1971(

where Salm b. Ahwaz had stood. He called out, "0 Muhammad, you
know well that a fish can't beat a sea-wolf!" Muhammad replied,
"Then hold on until we get there, you bastard!" He ordered Muhammad al-Sughdi to go out to him with the Yaman, and they fought a
fierce battle. Ismah fled until he came back to Nasr b. Sayyar; four
hundred of his followers had been slain.
Nasr then sent Malik b. Àmr al-Tamimi, and he advanced with

his followers. He called out, "0 Ibn Muthanna, come out and fight
(1972] me, if you're a man!" He answered his challenge, and the Tamimi
struck him between his neck and his shoulder, without effect.
Muhammad b. al-Muthanna struck him in turn with a mace and
smashed his head. The fighting became desperate, and they fought a
fierce battle, as great a battle as any. Nasr's followers were routed,
and seven hundred of them were slain. Three hundred of al-Kirmani 's followers were killed, and the bad blood between them kept
on, so that they all went out to the trenches and fought each other
bitterly.
When Abu Muslim was certain that each side had inflicted great
losses on the other and would not receive reinforcements, he began
to write letters to Shayban.225
Then he would say to the messenger, "Make your way by the
Mudar. They will stop you and take your letters." They would take
the letters, and read in them, "I observe that the Yaman will not
last, and there is no good in them, so do not rely on them or put trust
in them, for I trust that God will show you what you desire, and if
He spares me I shall leave them neither hair nor nails ." Then he
would send another messenger by a different road with a letter in
which he mentioned the Mudar and praised the Yaman in similar
terms, so that each party came to favor him. He now began to write
to Nasr b. Sayyar and to al-Kirmani, "The Imam has recommended
you to me, and I shall not act counter to his opinion of you." At the
same time he wrote to the districts of the province (telling them) to
proclaim the revolution (by showing their colors), and the first one
to put on black- it is reported-was Asid b. Àbdallah at Nasa, who
cried, "0 Muhammad! 0 Mansur!"22' Mugatil b. Hakim and Ibn
225. That is, the Kharijite leader operating in Khurasan.


Ghazwan put on black at the same time. So did the people of Abiward and Marwarrudh and those of the villages around Marw.
Abu Muslim advanced to a position midway between the camps
of Nasr b. Sayyar and that of Juday` al-Kirmani . Both sides came to
fear him, and his followers grew in number. Nasr b. Sayyar wrote to
Marwan b. Muhammad, informing him of Abu Muslim's circumstances and his revolt. He told him of the multitude that were with
Abu Muslim and his following, and that he was proclaiming a summons to Ibrahim b. Muhammad. He wrote him some verses of
poetry:
(1 973)
I see among the ashes the flash of live coals,

and deem that they will have a kindling;
A fire may be kindled with two sticks,
and a war begin with a few words.
I say in astonishment "Would that I knew;
is (the Clan of ] Umayyah awake, or sleeping?"
But Marwan wrote him, "The witness sees what the absent cannot see; cauterize the wart according to your own lights." Then
Nasr exclaimed, "Well, your master has shown us plainly that there
is no assistance (nasr: a pun ) with him." He then wrote to Yazid b.
'Umar b. Hubayrah the governor of Iraq, requesting aid, and wrote
these verses for him:
Go tell Yazid-for the best speech is the truest;
long since, I saw that there's no good in lyingKhurasan is a land wherein I have seen
eggs which, were they to hatch, would astonish you;
Chicks two years hatching, and already big,

though they haven't yet flown, and are covered with down.
But should they fly before they are prevented,
they will set warfires blazing, wherever fires may blaze.
But Yazid said, "There's no winning without numbers, and I have
not a man." Nasr then wrote to Marwan informing him about Abu
(19741
11 9751
Muslim and his manifesting a revolution and about his strength,

and that he was summoning men to follow Ibrahim b. Muhammad.
The letter found Marwan when a messenger from Abu Muslim to
Ibrahim had already fallen into his hands. The messenger had been
returning from Ibrahim to Abu Muslim with a letter from Ibrahim
in answer to one from Abu Muslim . In it he cursed and reviled Abu
Muslim for not exploiting his opportunity with Nasr and al-Kirmani
while he could, and told him not to leave one Arab in Khurasan
unslain.227 The messenger handed the letter over to Marwan, and
Marwan wrote to al-Walid b. Mu'awiyah b. 'Abd al-Malik, his governor for Damascus, ordering him to write to the administrator of the
Balga'22e to go to Humaymah Wells, and seize Ibrahim b. Muhammad, bind him securely and send him to him with a mounted escort.
Al-Walid wrote to the governor of the Balga', and he came upon
Ibrahim at the mosque in the village. He seized him, tied his hands
behind his back, and brought him to al-Walid. The latter sent him to
Marwan, who threw him into a prison.119
To return to the account of Nasr and al-Kirmani, when their quarrel was at its height, Abu Muslim sent word to al-Kirmani, "I am
with you." Al-Kirmani accepted this and Abu Muslim joined him,
so that matters grew critical for Nasr. He sent word to al-Kirmani,
"Woe to you! Do not make a mistake! By God, I am fearful for you
and your followers from this man. Make a truce with me; we shall
enter Marw, and write a treaty of peace between us." He hoped in
this way to separate al-Kirmani from Abu Muslim. Al-Kirmani then
went to his dwelling, and Abu Muslim remained at his camp. Then
al-Kirmani went forth until he halted at the courtyard (rahbah) with
one hundred horsemen, wearing a tunic of khashkashunah, and sent
227. See n . i 16 above on the matter of killing Arabs in Khurasan . It is, of course,
possible that statements of this sort were used by the Umayyads to rally support
against the 'Abbasids.
228. The Balga ' was a name given to all of Transjordan or to the central part of it.
See E12 s.v. Balka '. Note FHA , 189, reads " Kirk and al-Humaymah," indicating two
distinct places.
229. It is highly unlikely that Ibrahim al -Imam would have been identified in conespondence . His true identity would have been known only to the inner circles of the
movement and they were enjoined not to risk exposing him. This tradition would appear to be part of the ' Abbasid historiography which describes various members of the
Banu 'Abbas as martyrs . There is reason to doubt that he was " imprisoned " because
the Umayyads became fully aware of his activities , or that they had him murdered.
For a detailed exposition see Sharon , 'Aliyat, 237-61 . (J.L.)

word to Nasr, "Come out, so we may write that treaty between us."
Nasr perceived deceit in him, and sent the son of al-Harith b. Surayj
against him with about three hundred horsemen. They clashed in
the courtyard and fought each other for a long time. Finally al-Kirmani was speared in his side and fell from his horse. His followers
protected him until they were overwhelmed. Nasr then had alKirmani killed and crucified the body with a fish- beside it. AlKirmani's son 'Ali now advanced; he had gone to Abu Muslim and
had gathered a large force which he led against Nasr b. Sayyar. He
fought him until he drove him from the governor' s palace, whereupon Nasr went to one of the mansions in Marw. Then Abu Muslim 119761
entered Marw, and 'Ali b. Juday' al-Kirmani came to meet him. Abu
Muslim saluted him with the title of "Amir" and informed him of
his support, saying, "Give me your orders." 'Ali then told him, "Do
just what you are doing until I have some other order to give you."
In this year 'Abdallah b. Mu'awiyah b. 'Abdallah b. Ja'far b. Abi
Talib gained control of Fars.2"
'Abdallah b. Mu'awiyah al-Ja'fari Gains Control of Fars
According to 'Ali b. Muhammad-'Asim b. Hafs al-TamImi and
others: When 'Abdallah b. Mu'awiyah' b. 'Abdallah Ja'far b. AN
Talib was driven out of Kufah, he went to Mada'in,12 where the
people swore allegiance to him , and a group from Kufah joined him.
He then went to Jibal and seized control there as well as in Hulwan,
Qumis, Isbahan and Rayy. The slaves of the Kdfans ran away to join
him. When he had prevailed, he resided at Isbahan.
Muharib b. Musa, a mawla of the Band Yashkur, had been very
powerful in Fars, and he came walking in his sandals to the Govern230. A contemptuous symbol for the Azd.
231. The revolt of 'Abdallah b. Mu'iwiyah , the ra'farid, represented a great threat to
the 'Abbasids . Their own revolution was predicted in the collapse of the 'Alid movement of Zayd b . 'Ali. They assumed that they could attract his following . The movement of the ra'farid pretender thus threatened to undercut 'Abbasid support at a critical moment. Ibn Mu' awiyah attracted support and initially met with success in battle. The ' Abbasids at first supported the revolt in order to show the solidarity of the
Band Hishim, but they were ready to abandon him at first opportunity . They later
had him killed . For a detailed treatment of his revolt , see Sharon, 'Aliyat, 154-205.
lr.L.)
232. Meaning "the cities ." The Arab name of the site of Ctesiphon-Seleucia, the
Persian capitals on the Tigris just to the south of later Baghdad . See LeStrange, Lands,
33-35.
[1 9771
ment House of Istakhr (Persepolis) and expelled the governor appointed by Ibn 'Umar (b. 'Abd al- 'Aziz) and said to a man whose
name was 'Umarah, "Have the people swear allegiance." The inhabitants said, "On what?" He then said, "On what you love and hate."
They then swore allegiance to Ibn Mu'awiyah. Then Muharib went
to Kirman and raided there, and on his raid he took some camels belonging to Tha'labah b. Hassan al-Mazini and drove them back with
him. Tha'labah then went out looking for his camels at a village of
his called Ashhar. With Tha'labah was a mawla of his, who asked
him, "Why don't we murder Muharib? If you like, you can strike
him down while I keep his people busy, or if you like I'll kill him
while you keep them busy." Tha'labah replied, "Alas! Would you
commit murder [and the camels get away from us, when we didn't
even meet[2-1 the man?" Then he went in to see Muharib, who welcomed him, and said, "What would you ask of me?" "My camels,"
he told him. "[Yes", he said, "I took them['" not knowing whose
they were. Now I know, and here are your camels ." Then Tha'labah
took them and said to his mawla, ["This is better. And what was it
you wanted?" 1 " The mawla replied, "Something which, if we had
taken it, would have been even more useful."
Muharib was joined by officers and commanders of the Syrian
army, and he moved against Muslim b. Musayyab who was governing Shiraz for Ibn'Umar, and slew him in the year 128 (745 -746),
and then went up to Isbahan. 'Abdallah b. Mu'awiyah then moved to
Istakhr, appointing his brother Hasan to govern Jibal. Then he settled at a monastery one mile (ml]) away from Istakhr. He appointed
his brother Yazid to rule Fars, and remained where he was. People
came to him, members of the Banu Hashim and others. He collected
taxes, and sent out governors. With him were Mansur b. Jumhur,
Sulayman b. Hisham b. 'Abd al-Malik, and Shayban b. al-Hils b.
'Abd al-'Aziz al-Shaybani the Kharijite. Abu Ja'far 'Abdallah and
'Abdallah and 'Isa b. 'All came to him as well.,-*
Yazid b. 'Umar b. Hubayrah then came as governor of Iraq, and
sent Nubatah b. Hanzalah al-Kilabi against 'Abdallah b. Mu'awiyah.
233. The text has three lacunae here . The Cairo edition supplies the missing
phrases from manuscripts not available to the earlier editors.
235. See n . 233 above.
236. That is, the future Caliph al- Mansur and two of his paternal uncles.

Sulayman b. Habib learned that Ibn Hubayrah had made Nubatah
governor of Ahwaz, and he dispatched Dawud b. Hatim, who stationed himself at Kurbuj Dinar" to keep Nubatah out of Ahwaz.
Then Nubatah advanced and fought him and Dawud was killed. Sulayman fled to Sabur,2," where the Kurds had seized control and
driven out al-Masih b. al-Hawari.239 Sulayman fought them and
drove them out. He then wrote to 'Abdallah b. Mu'awiyah swearing
allegiance to him, but 'Abd al-Rahman b. Yazid b. al-Muhallab said,
"He will not keep faith with you; he only wants to keep you away
from him and devour Sabur. Write to him and have him come before
you, if he is sincere." He wrote to him, and Sulayman came. But he
told his followers, "Come in with me, and if anyone tries to prevent
you, fight him." Then they went in, and he told Ibn Mu'awiyah, "I
am the most obedient of men to you." Ibn Mu'awiyah told him,
"Return to your position." And he went back.
Then Muharib b. Musa broke with lbn Mu'awiyah. He gathered a
force and marched on Sabur. His son Mukhallad2 b. Muharib was
detained at Sabur, for Yazid b. Mu'awiyah, brother of 'Abdallah, had
seized him and put him in prison. Someone told Muharib, "Your son
is in this man's hands, and you make war on him! Aren't you afraid
that he'll kill your son?" But he replied, "May God put him far
away!" Yazid fought him, and Muharib was put to flight. He went to
Kirman where he stayed until Muhammad b. al-Ash'ath approached, whereupon he went with him. But he broke with Ibn alAsh'ath, who killed him and twenty-four of his sons. 'Abdallah b.
Mu'awiyah remained at Istakhr, until Ibn Dubarah came against
him with Dawud, the son of Yazid b. 'Umar b. Hubayrah. Ibn
Mu'awiyah gave orders to cut the (pontoon) bridge at Kufah, so Ibn
Hubayrah sent Ma'n b. Za'idah from the other side. Sulayman then
said to Aban b. Mu'awiyah b. Hisham, "The enemy has come
against you." And he replied, "I was not commanded to fight them."
Sulayman said, "And by God, you'll never get any orders about
237. The text is Kurbukh Dinar ; it should be read Kurbuj Dinar, which was a place
near Ahwaz . See Yaqut, Mu'jam , IV, 249.
238. Sabur of Bishapur had been a Sasanian royal residence , and was one of the five
great districts (kurah ) of Fars . See LeStrange, Lands, 248.
239. A curious name; "Messiah son of Disciple ." The Cairo edition gives
al-Himari.
240. Vocalization is conjectural.
[19781
88
them, either!" Ma'n came and fought them by Marw al-Shadhan,201

and recited this rajaz:
(1979] The Prince of the enemy is not the great deceiver;
he fled from death, and fell into death.
Both Ibn al-Muqaffa' and another authority give: "He fled from
death, and in it he fell." (Ma'n) called out, "A stay? I told you, I've
done." Then Ibn Mu'awiyah fled, and Ma'n did not pursue them. In
the battle, a man from the family of Abu Lahab was killed.242 It had
been predicted that a man of the Banu Hashim would be slain in
Marw al-Shadhan. Many prisoners were taken, and Ibn Dubarah put
a large number of them to death. It is said that among those killed
that day was Hakim al-Fard, Abu al-Majd. But it is also said that he
was killed at Ahwaz, by Nubatah.
When Ibn Mu'awiyah fled, Shayban fled to the island of Ibn Kawan, and Mansur b. Jumhur to Sind. 'Abd al-Rahman b. Yazid ran
away to 'Uman, and 'Amr b. Sahl b. 'Abd al-'Aziz escaped to Egypt.
The remainder of the prisoners were sent to Ibn Hubayrah.
Humayd al-Tawil reported: He set those prisoners free, and none
of them were put to death except Husayn b. Wa'lah al-Sadusi. When
Ibn Hubayrah ordered him slain, Husayn said, "I alone am to be
killed, among all these prisoners ?" "Yes," he said, "you are a polytheist, for you composed the verse:
And were I to command the sun, it would not rise.
Ibn Mu'awiyah went directly to Sijistan; then he came to Khurasan and Mansur b. Jumhur went to Sind. Ma'n b. Zii'idah went in
search of him along with 'Atiyyah al-Tha'labi and others of the Banu
(1980] Tha'labah, but they could not catch him and turned back. Husayn b.
Wa'lah al-Sadusi had been with Yazid b. Mu'awiyah, who then abandoned him, land he joined up with 'Abdallah b. Mu'awiyah.]243
241. That is the Marw of Fars which was originally a quarter of Istakhr . Perhaps it
had already become the separate village it was in later times . See LeStrange, Lands,
28o.
242. Abu Lahab was an uncle of the Prophet ; in his position of leadership of the
Banu Hashim following the death of Abu Talib, he cooperated with the Prophet's enemies . See E/2 s.v. Abu Lahab.
243. These passages in parenthesis are given in the Cairo edition and fill in the lacunae of the text.

Muwwari' al-Sulami (captured HusaynJ.244 He had seen him go inside a thicket and seized him and brought him Ito Ma'n b.
Za'idah)24S who sent him to Ibn Dubarah, and he sent him to Wasit.
Ibn Dubarah marched against 'Abdallah b. Mu'awiyah at Istakhr,
and settled down opposite the city along the river of Istakhr.206
Then Ibn al-Sahsah crossed the river with a thousand men. Aban b.
Mu'awiyah b. Hisham and his Syrian troops, followers of 'Abdallah
b. Mu'awiyah who had once supported Sulayman b. Hisham, met
this force and they engaged in battle. Ibn Nubatah made for the
bridge, and those of the Kharijites who followed Ibn Mu'awiyah engaged his force. Aban and the Kharijites were routed and a thousand
of them were captured and brought to Ibn Dubarah, who let them
go 247
One who was taken that day was 'Abdallah b. 'Ali b. 'Abdallah b.
'Abbas. Ibn Dubarah learned his genealogy, and said, "What brought
you to Ibn Mu'awiyah, when you knew that he was opposing the
Commander of the Faithful?" He replied, "I had a debt, and I paid
it." Then Harb b. Qatan al-Kinani spoke on his behalf, saying, "He is
our sister's son! "208 Ibn Dubarah gave 'Abdallah to him, and said, "I
wouldn't have proceeded against a man of Quraysh." Then Ibn Dubarah said, "The man you were with is charged with certain offenses ; do you have any knowledge of them?" "Yes," he said, and he
reproached Ibn Mu'awiyah and accused his friends of sodomy. They
brought Ibn Dubarah youths who were wearing bright mantles dyed
in different colors, more than a hundred boys, and Ibn Dubarah
stood them before the people, so that they might look upon them.
Then Ibn Dubarah sent 'Abdallah b. 'Ali by post-horse to Ibn Hubay- 11981)
rah so he might give him his information. Ibn Hubayrah sent him
with Syrian troops to Marwan, and he used to reproach him.
At this time, Ibn Dubarah was in the Kirman desert pursuing
'Abdallah b. Mu'awiyah. Word of Nubatah's death 149 had reached
246. That is, the Pulwar. See LeStrange, Lands, 275-77.

247. This was a departure from the usual practice with these intransigents. Ibn
Dubarah seems to have dealt mildly with all the vanquished that day.
248. That is, there were blood relations between them . The Quraysh are a subgroup
of the Kinanah.
249. Nubatah was not killed until 130 (September rt, 747 -August 30, 748). See
Tabari,11/3, 2003 sub anno 13o, and 111/1, Off sub anno 131. The revolt of 'Abdallah b.

Ibn Hubayrah. He sent Kurab b. Masqalah, al-Hakam b. Abi Abyad
al-'Absi and Ibn Muhammad al-Sakuni, all of whom were eloquent
speakers, and they spoke in praise of Ibn Dubarah. Ibn Hubayrah
also wrote to Ibn Dubarah to march with his troops to Fars; then
there came a letter from him ordering him to march to Isbahan.
In this year Abu Hamzah al-Khariji led the Pilgrimage acting on
behalf of 'Abdallah b. Yahya Talib al-Haqq, and as a Kharijite manifesting open opposition to Marwan b. Muhammad.25"
How Abu Hamzah the Khdrijite Led the Pilgrimage
According to al-'Abbas b. Isa al-'Ugayli-Harun b. Musa alFarwi-Musa b. Kathir the mawla of the Sa'idis: At the end of 129
(August 747), the pilgrims had not yet gone to 'Arafah251 when
standards appeared (in Mecca) made of black turbans of hirgani stuff
fixed to the heads of lances, carried by seven hundred men. The people were frightened as soon as they saw them, and asked, "What are
you doing, and what do you want?" The men then told them of their
opposition to Marwan and the Marwanids, and their disavowal of
him. 'Abd al-Wahid b. Sulayman, who was at that time governor of
Madinah and Mecca, 2'2 sent messages to them under the truce (of
the Pilgrimage), and they replied, "Our minds are resolved upon our
pilgrimage, and we begrudge any other business." He made a peace
agreement with them on the condition that each party should guar(1982) antee the other's safety until the last pilgrims returned from
Mina."' However, they rose early on the morrow and took their
stance as a separate group on Mt. 'Arafah,254 and 'Abd al-Wahid b.
Mu'awiyah extended over several years. He was ultimately killed by the 'Abbasids.
See n. 231 above.
i5o. See Tabari, 11/3, 1942, 1943 and 2006-2014; III/1, 11; FHA, 168ff; Ya'qubi,
Ta'rikh, 406, 417.
251. The assembly on Mt. 'Arafah on the ninth day of the Month of Pilgrimage
from noon to sunset is the central rite of the pilgrimage. See E12 s.v. 'Arafa and
Hadjdj.
252. His father Sulayman was the son of the Umayyad Caliph'Abd al-Malik.
253. The three days at Mina conclude the pilgrimage season in a mood of celebration and festivity from the 11th to the 13th of the month. See El' s.v. Hadjdj. The text
then has yasbahn, "they rise at morning," corrected by the Cairo edition to asbahu.
254. As followers of a different caliph, the Kharijites could not follow the rites of
Marwan's appointee.

Sulayman b. 'Abd al-Malik b. Marwan was pushed aside with the
people. When the pilgrims were at Mina, people reproached 'Abd alWahid and said, "You made a mistake with them. Had you incited
the pilgrims against them, they'd have been no more than an itch on
your head." Abu Hamzah stayed at Qurayn al-Tha'alib'255 and 'Abd
al-Wahid at the governor's residence (manzil al-sultan). Then 'Abd
al-Wahid sent 'Abdallah b. al-Hasan b. al-Hasan b. 'Ali, Muhammad
b. 'Abdallah b. 'Amr b. 'Uthman, 'Abd al-Rahman b. al-Qasim b.
Muhammad b. Abi Bakr and 'Ubaydallah b. Umar b. Hafs b. 'ASim
b. 'Umar b. al-Khattab as well as Rabi'ah b. 'Abd al-Rahman and
such (notables) to visit Abu Hamzah. They found him wearing a
rough cotton waist-wrapper. 'Abdallah b. al-Hasan (the 'Alawi) and
Muhammad b. 'Abdallah (the 'Uthman) presented them to him,
and he asked for their own genealogies, so they traced their lineage
for him. He looked sternly into their faces and showed his aversion ' He then asked 'Abd al-Rahman b. Qasim (the Bakri) and
'Ubaydallah b. 'Umar (the 'Umari), and they traced their lineage for
him. He was cheerful toward them, and smiling in their faces, he
said, "By God, we only became Kharijites that we might follow the
course of both your forefathers!" At this, 'Abdallah b. Hasan (the
'Alawi) told him, "And by God, we didn't come out so that you
could show your favor to some of our forefathers; the amlr sent us to
you with a message, and Rabi'ah will inform you of it!"
When Rabi'ah mentioned "breach of agreement," Balj and Abrahah, who were two of his officers, said, "Now! Now!" But Abu
Hamzah turned to them and said, "God forbid that we should break
our agreement or detain you. By God, I would not do it, though this
neck of mine were to be cut. However, you are breaking the truce
that is between us and you." When he had refused them, they left
and informed 'Abd al-Wahid. When the pilgrims left Mina, 'Abd alWahid was in the first party. He left Mecca to Abu Hamzah, who entered it without a fight.
'Abbas-Harun-Ya'qub b. Talhah al-Laythi recited some verses
in which 'Abd al-Wahid was satirized. He said, "They are by some
poet whose name I don't remember:"
25 S. For Qurayn al-Tha 'alib, see Azraqi, 1, 410, 414.
256. The Kharijites regarded both 'Uthman and 'All as grave sinners . For them, only
Abu Bakr and 'Umar among the first four caliphs were "rightly guided shaykhs."
(1983)
92

There visited the pilgrims a gang who contravened
God's own religion, so 'Abd al-Wahid fled.
He left his women and his amirate running,
striking the ground like a runaway camel.
Had his father stripped his bone of flesh,

his origin had been purer, due the father 's root.
[ 19841
Then 'Abd al - Wahid went on until he entered Madinah and called

for the registry (diwan). He called up the people in a levy , and gave
each of them a ten dirham increase in their pay . According to 'Abbas-Harun - Abu Damrah Anas b. 'Iyad : He was among those
who were registered, but then his name was erased . He also said,
"More than one of our companions told me that 'Abd al -Wahid appointed 'Abd al-'Aziz b. 'Abdallah b . 'Amr b . 'Uthman to lead the
people, and they went out. When they were at the Harrah 211 they
came upon slaughtered camels, and passed on."
'Abd al-Wahid b . Sulayman b . ' Abd al-Malik b . Marwan led the
Pilgrimage this year, according to Ahmad b. Thabit-someone Ishaq b . 'Isa-Abu Ma'shar al - Sindi. Muhammad b. 'Umar al-Wagidi and others say the same . 'Abd al -Waliid was governor of Mecca
and Madinah. The governor of Iraq was Yazid b . 'Umar b . Hubayrah.
According to what is mentioned , al-Hajjaj b. 'Asim al- Muharibi was
in charge of the judiciary at Kufah, while at Basrah it was 'Abbad b.
Mansur. Khurasan was ruled by Nasr b. Sayyar, and there was civil
war.
257. The basalt desert outside of Madinah. See Ell s.v. al-Harra.
16
The
Events of the Year
130
(SEPTEMBER II, 747-AUGUST 30, 748)
0
Among the events of this year was Abu Muslim's entry into the
walled city of Marw and his occupation of the Government House
(Dar al-Imarah) there, and the agreement of 'Ali b. Juday' al-Kirmani
to join him in fighting Nasr b. Sayyar.25R
How Abu Muslim Entered the Walled City of Marw
Abu al-Khattab reported:259 Abu Muslim 's entrance into the walled
city of Marw and his occupation of the Government House where
the governors of Khurasan reside occurred on Thursday, the ninth of
Jumada II 130 (February 14, 748). The reason for 'Ali b. Juday' alKirmani's move to Abu Muslim was as follows. Sulayman b. Kathir
was camped opposite 'Ali b. Kirmani when the latter made a pact
with Nasr to fight Abu Muslim. Sulayman b. Kathir said to 'Ali,
"Abu Muslim says, 'Aren't you reluctant to make up with Nasr b.
Sayyar, when only yesterday he killed your father and crucified
him? I had not reckoned you would join with Nasr b. Sayyar [even] (1985]
to pray in one mosque with him."' At this, 'Ali b. al-Kirmani's zeal
258. See Akhbnr al-Dawlah, 3'Off; Ibn Khayyat, 1, 412.

259. That is Hamzah b. 'Ali b. Muhfiz al-Rawi. See index to Cairo edition, X, 23o.
94
was stirred, and he went back on his decision; the truce of the Arabs
thus came apart.
When the truce came apart, Nasr sent to Abu Muslim asking him
to come in on the side of the Mudar , while the Rabi'ah and the
Qahtan . sent similar . requests on. their own behalf. They had exchanged messages on this for some days, when Abu Muslim told
them to let delegations from both factions come to him so that he
might choose one or the other. They did so. But Abu Muslim ordered the ('Abbasid Shi'ah to choose the Rabi'ah and the Qahtan,
since authority (sultan) was vested in Mudar and it was they who
were governing for Marwan al-Ja'dizl and the murderers of Yahya
b. Zayd.26' The two delegations then appeared. In the delegation of
Mudar there were 'Agil b . Ma'qil b . Hassan al -Laythi, 'Ubaydallah b.
'Abd Rabbihi al-Laythi , al-Khattab b. Muhriz al-Sulami and others
among their leading men. The delegation of Qahtan were 'Uthman
b. al-Kirmani, Muhammad b. al-Muthanna, Sawrah b. Muhammad
b. 'Aziz al -Kindi and other leading men of theirs . Abu Muslim told
'Uthman b. al-Kirmani and his companions to go into the orchard of
al-Muhtafiz where carpets and cushions were spread for them. They
seated themselves there while Abu Muslim took his place in a room
of the house of al-Muhtafiz . Permission was given to 'Agil b . Ma'qil
and his companions from the delegation of Mudar , and they entered.
There were seventy men of the Shi 'ah2F2 in the room with Abu
Muslim . He read aloud a document he had written for the Shi'ah,
that said they should choose one side or the other. When he had finished reading the document, Sulayman b . Kathir rose and spoke. He
was an eloquent orator, and he chose 'Ali b. al-Kirmani and his followers. Then Abu Mansur Talhah b . Zurayq the naqib stood up. He
was also an accomplished speaker , and he said much the same as
[19861 Sulayman b. Kathir . Mazyad b. Shaqiq al-Sulami2l then rose and
260. That is, the Caliph. The name "Ja'di" can mean "curly-haired ." This is most
often used to discredit Marwan.
26 t. Yahya b. Zayd b. 'Ali b. Husayn b . 'Ali was the son of the Zayd from whom the
Zaydi Shi ' ah take their name, who had been killed in an uprising in Kufah in
122(740). Yahya fled to Khurasan and hid in Balkh for three years and was slain in 126
1744). His death aroused great sympathy in Khurasan . There had been links between
him and the 'Abbasids, and Abu Muslim 's acting as his avenger was a popular move.
See Wellhausen, Arab Kingdom, 338.
262. Presumably the seventy naqibs and du'nt.
263. Mazyad b. Shaqiq was a naqib . See Akhbdr al-Dawlah. 217.
The Events of the Year i 30
95
said, "Mudar are the slayers of the Prophet 's family, the supporters
of the Banii Umayyah and the party of Marwan al-Ja'di . Our blood is
on their necks, our possessions are in their hands, and the consequences (of their acts) await them . Nasr b. Sayyar is Marwan's governor for Khurasan, who carries out his orders, and calls for allegiance to him in his minbar, and calls him 'Commander of the
Faithful .' Before God, we are innocent of all that, or that Marwan
should command the Faithful or that Nasr should judge what is guidance or right behavior. We have chosen Àli b. al-Kirmani and his
followers from the Qahtan and the Rabi 'ah." Then the seventy who
had gathered in the room agreed with the words of Mazyad b.
Shaqiq.
The delegation of Mudar then got up humiliated and distressed,
and Abu Muslim sent al -Qasim b. Mujashi ' with horsemen to escort
them back to where they were safe , while the delegation of Àli b. alKirmani returned full of joy and triumph . Abu Muslim stayed at
Alin for twenty-nine days, and from there went back to his camp at
Makhuwan . He told the Shi'ah to build dwellings for themselves
and to lay in supplies for the winter , since God had spared them
from a united Arab front against them , and at their hands, had led
the Arabs to disunity, as He had preordained in His might. After
journeying from Alin, Abu Muslim entered Makhuwan on Thursday, midway through Safar 130 (October 25, 747). He stayed at Makhuwan three months, or ninety days , and entered the walled city of
Marw on Thursday, the ninth night of Jumada I that same year (January 26, 748).
The walled city of Marw was then held by Nasr b. Sayyar, since he
was the governor of Khurasan . Àli b. al- Kirmani now sent a message
to Abu Muslim, "Enter the walled city and my tribe with me will
also enter, and thus we shall gain control of the walled town." Abu
Muslim sent this reply, " I fear that you will join with Nasr b. Sayyar
to fight me, but go on; enter and engage him and his followers in
combat." Àll b. ai-Kirmani did so, and Abu Muslim sent Abu 'Ali
Shibl b. Tahman the naqib with a force . They came inside the
walled city, settled in the palace of the Bukharakhuda and sent word
to Abu Muslim to come . Abu Muslim came into the city from the
camp at Makhuwan . Over his vanguard he put Asid b . 'Abdallah alKhuza'i, Malik b. Haytham al-Khuza i led the right flank, and alQasim b. Mujashi' al-Tamimi the left. He proceeded until he was in-
(1987]

side the walls, where the two factions were fighting each other. He
then ordered them to desist, reciting the words from God's Book,
"And he entered the city at a time when its people were careless,
and found there two men fighting; the one was of his own Shi'ah,
and the other was one of his enemies.""" Abu Muslim then went
on to the Government Palace of Marw, where the governors of Khurasan stayed. This was on Thursday, the ninth of Jumada I (January
27, 748).
The next day, Friday, the tenth of Jumada (January 28, 748), Nasr
b. Sayyar fled Marw, leaving the city to Abu Muslim. When he entered the walled city of Marw, Abu Muslim ordered Abu Mansur
Talhah b. Zurayq to administer the oath of allegiance to the forces of
the Hashimiyyah.16 Abu Mansur was an eloquent man of noble
mien, skilled in speech, and learned in the polemics of the Hashimiyyah and their esoteric doctrines. He was one of the twelve na)1988) gibs whom Muhammad b. 'Ali had selected from among the seventy
who had responded favorably to him when he sent his emissary to
Khurasan in 103 or 104 (721 or 722 ) . Muhammad b. 'Ali had instructed the emissary to have them swear allegiance to the Chosen
One (al-Ridd) but not to specify anyone by name.
He set patterns of action for his emissary, and described what justice should be like. The latter then went out to them and propagandized secretly, and people responded to him. When their numbers
reached seventy, he took twelve of them as naqibs. From the Khuza'ah, Sulayman b. Kathir, Malik b. al-Haytham, Ziyad b. Salih, Talhah b. Zurayq and 'Amr b. A'yan. From the Tayy', Qahtabah whose
name was Ziyad b. Shabib b. Khalid b. Ma'dan. From the Tamim,
Musa b. Ka'b called Abu 'Uyaynah, Lahiz b. Qurayz and al-Qasim b.
Mujashi', all from the Banu Imru' al-Qays, and Aslam b. Sallam,
called Abu Sallam.2M From Bakr b. Wail there were Abu Dawud
264. Qur. 18:15.
265. The Hashimiyyah in Khurasan are almost certainly to be identified with the
Rawandiyyah. They believed that Abu Hashim b. Muhammad b. 'Ali b. AN Talib at
his death, ca. 98 (716-727) had transferred the Imamate to Muhammad b. 'Ali the
'Abbasid. Most of his following, based in Iraq, had transferred their allegiance to the
'Abbasids. This Iraqi group represented only one part of the'Abbasid Shi'ah but it was
the inner core, in which the Khurasani following was subsumed. See E/2 s.v.
Hashimiyya.
266. The Akhbnr al-Dawlah, 282, 288, 291, mentions an Aslam b. Abi Sallam who
was active in the 'Abbasid cause. He is, however, not listed among the naqibs.
The Events of the Year i 30 97

Khalid b. Ibrahim, the brother of Sadus, of the Banu 'Amr b. Shayban
and Abu 'Ali al-Harawi. Elsewhere it is stated that Shibl b. Tahman
was in place of 'Amr b. A'yan, and that 'Isa b. Ka'b or Abu al-Najm
'Imran b. Isma'il was in the place of Abu 'Ali al-Harawi, who was a
relative of Abu Muslim's wife.'
The only one of the naqibs whose father was still alive was Abu
Mansur Talhah b. Zurayq b. As'ad known as Abu Zaynab al-Khuza'i.
He had seen the campaign of 'Abd al-Rah1han b. Muhammad b. alAsh'ath, and had been a comrade of al-Muhallab b. Abi Sufrah in
frontier raids (maghazi). Abu Muslim used to consult him on matters, and ask him about his experiences in wars and raids. He would
call him by his kunya of Abu Mansur, and would say, "Abu Mansur,
what do you say? What do you think?"
Abu al-Khattab reported: One who was there when Abu Mansur (1989]
administered the oath of allegiance to the Hashimiyyah told us he
said, "I ask you for allegiance to the Book of God, may He be exalted
and glorified, and to the sunnah of His prophet, God bless him and
give him peace, and to obey the Chosen One from the family of
God's messenger. You must swear to do this by solemn oath and
covenant with God, that [otherwise] your wives will be divorced and
your slaves set free and you must go on foot to the House of God.
Pledge that you will not ask for wage or pay until your superiors
(wulatl initiate it for you. Even if the enemy of one of you should be
beneath his foot, you will not stir up strife except by the order of
your superiors." When Abu Muslim had imprisoned Salm b. Ahwaz,
Yunus b. 'Abd Rabbihi, 'Aqil b. Ma'qil and Mansur b. Abi al-Khirga'
and his companions, he consulted Abu Mansur. He told him, "Make
267. If one substitutes the replacements indicated by Tabari , his list is identical to
that of the Akhbar al-'Abbas , 2 t 5ff. This list, as it stands in this text of Tabari, is
identical to the first group of naqibs allegedly formed at the turn of the first Islamic
century . See Tabari, 11/3, 1358 sub anno too. The earlier account of Tabari is apparently recalled here . This would imply that there were two lists of naqibs: one drawn
up in 100 ) 718-719 ) and the other drawn up by Bukayr b. Mahan after the death of
Muhammad b. 'Ali in 125 (November 4, 742-October 23, 743). It would have been remarkable that so many naqibs of the Khurisin apparatus continued to be active in
their positions thirty years after their initial recruitment to the 'Abbasid cause. It
may well be that the early list mentioned by Tabari sub anno too August 3 , 718-f my
23, 719) is a backformation to give the 'Abbisids an active revolutionary presence in
that region from almost the beginning of Muhammad b. 'Ali's imamate, and that the
likes of Sulayman b. Kathir, Qahtabah b. Shabib and the others only later became part
of a formal revolutionary organization . ) ^ .L.)

your whip the sword, and your prison the grave." So Abu Muslim
brought them out and killed them. Their number was twenty-four
men.
According to 'Ali b. Muhammad-al-Sabbah the mawla of Jibril-Maslamah b. Yahya: Abu Muslim appointed Khalid b. 'Uthman chief of his guard; Malik b. al-Haytham was made chief of security; al-Qasim b. Mujashi' was put in charge of the judiciary; and
Kamil b. Muzaffar was in charge of the registry (diwan).268 He gave
each man a salary (rizq) of four thousand dirhams. Abu Muslim
stayed in his camp at Makhuwan for three months and then
marched by night with a large force for the camp of Ibn al-Kirmani.
Lahiz b. Qurayz had command of his right, al-Qasim b. Mujashi' had
the left, and Abu Nasr Malik b. al-Haytham commanded the vanguard. He left Abu 'Abd al-Rahman al-Makhuwani in charge of his
fortified camp. By the early morning, Abu Muslim was in the camp
[r99o] of Shayban, so Nasr feared that Abu Muslim and Ibn al-Kirmani
would join together to fight him. He therefore sent a message to Abu
Muslim proposing that the latter enter the city of Marw and he
would be reconciled with him. Abu Muslim responded favorably, so
Nasr was reconciled toward Abu Muslim. All that same day, Nasr
had exchanged messages with Ibn Ahwaz, while Abu Muslim was in
the camp of Shayban. The next morning Nasr and Ibn al-Kirmani engaged in combat, and Abu Muslim came up to enter the city of
Marw. He warded off Nasr's cavalry as well as that of Ibn al-Kirmani, and entered the city on the seventh or ninth of Rabi' II 130
(January 12 or 14, 748) reciting the verse, "And he entered the city,
at a time when its people were careless, and found there two men
fighting; the one was of his own Shi'ah, and the other was one of his
enemies . Then the one that was of his Shi'ah cried to him to aid him
against the one that was of his enemies; so Moses struck him and
killed him, and said, 'This is of Satan's doing; surely he is a misleading and manifest enemy!' x/269
According to 'Ali-Abu al-Dhayyal and Mufaddal al-Dabbi:

268. That is, Abu Muslim created elements of a shadow government even before he
displaced the Umayyads from rule in Khurasan . The expanded shadow governments
in Khurasan and Iraq ( under Abu Salamah ) then became the 'Abbasid government in
place and tended to ease the transition between the end of the Umayyads and the establishment of their successors . See Sharon, 'Aliyat, 176-84. (J.L.)
269. Qur. 28: is.

When Abu Muslim entered the city of Marw , Nasr told his followers, "I see that this man's strength has grown and that the people
have come running to him . I have made a truce with him , and what
he wants will be, so let us get out of this city and leave him here."
Then they differed , some saying "yes" and some "no" . At last he
said, "You will surely remember what I said ." He told his particular
friends among the Mudar, "Go off to Abu Muslim, meet him, and
obtain whatever terms you can from him ." Abu Muslim sent Lahiz
b. Qurayz to Nasr to summon him, and Lahiz quoted the Qur'anic
verse, "The Council are conspiring to kill you . "27' He recited the
verses before that as well. Nasr understood, and he told his slave,
"Prepare my ablution for me." He rose as if he were going to make
his ablutions, went into an orchard, slipped out of it and mounted a
horse and fled."'
According to Àli - Abu al -Dhayyal-Iyas b. Talhah b. Talhah: I
was with my father, and my paternal uncle had gone to Abu Muslim
to offer him his allegiance but had delayed until I prayed the afternoon prayer. There was little daylight left and we were waiting for
him. We had prepared dinner for him, and I was sitting with my father, when Nasr suddenly passed by us on a horse which I knew was
the best in his palace. With him were his chamberlain and al-Hakam
b. Numaylah al-Numayri . My father said, "Surely he's fleeing; no
one is with him, and there is no spear or banner carried before him."
He passed by us and barely saluted us . When he'd gone past, he
struck his horse, and al -Hakam b. Numaylah called to his slaves,
and they mounted and followed him.
According to 'Ali -Abu al-Dhayyal - Iyas: Our place was four
farsakhs (24 km) from Marw, and Nasr passed by us after dark. The
people of the village began to clamor and ran away . My family and
my brothers said, " Get out, don't be killed! " They wept, so I left
with my father 's brother, al-Muhallab b. Iyas, and we caught up
with Nasr after part of the night had passed. He had forty men with
him. His horse had stopped , and he had dismounted from it . Bishr b.
Bistam b . Imran b. al-Fadl al -Burjumi put him on his own horse.
Then Nasr said, "I don't feel safe from pursuit. Who's going to lead
270. Qur. 28:20.
271. Dinawari , 363, indicates that Nasr had agreed to join Abu Muslim and had in
fact been given a surety . Nevertheless, he fled.
119911
roo The 'Abbasid Revolution
1 19921
us?" 'Abdallah b. 'Ararah al -Dabbi said, " I'll lead you ." " You're the
man to do it," Nasr told him . He hurried us through that night, until
we stopped at dawn at a well in the desert twenty farsakhs (r 20 km)
or so away. We were six hundred now , and we traveled all day and
dismounted at the afternoon prayer within sight of the houses and
strongholds of Sarakhs . By now we were fifteen hundred. I went off
with my uncle to a friend of ours from the Banu Hanifah called
Miskin, and we slept through the night there without eating anything. We woke up next morning and he brought us a dish of gruel of
which we ate. We were very hungry, not having eaten for a day and a
night . Then the people gathered together, and they had become
three thousand . We stopped at Sarakhs two days, and when no one
came after us, Nasr went on to Tus and told them the news about
Abu Muslim . He stopped there for fifteen days , and then moved on,
as did we, to Naysabur and stayed there.
Now Abu Muslim had settled in the governor's palace after Nasr
fled Marw . Ibn al-Kirmani had come and had entered Marw when
Abu Muslim did. Abu Muslim said when Nasr escaped, "Nasr considers me a wizard, but by God, he's one."
Another source that I have not mentioned says this on the matter
of Nasr and Ibn al -Kirmani and Shayban al-Haruri : Abu Muslim
moved in 1 30 (747-748 ) from his camp at the village of Sulayman b.
Kathir to a village called Makhuwan and camped there . He sought
the aid of 'Ali b. Juday' al-Kirmani and his Yamani followers, and he
also sought help from Nasr b. Sayyar and his followers. He sent messages to both sides, showing each of them that he was prepared to
make peace with them and come to an agreement with them, and
ready to obey them. 'Ali b. Juday' accepted this , and acted as Abu
Muslim wanted him to by entering into a pact with him. When Abu
Muslim was assured by 'Ali b. Juday"s pledge to him , he wrote to
Nasr b . Sayyar to send a delegation to be present when he and his
companions discussed the promise he had made to side with Nasr.
He sent a similar message to 'All b. Juday' . This source describes
how the leaders of the Shi'ah chose the Yaman over the Mudar,
much as it is described by the man whose account we have mentioned above in this book, and he observes that when Abu Muslim
sent Shibi b. Tahman with others to Marw to occupy the palace of
the Bukharakhudah, he only sent him as a reinforcement for 'Ali b.
Al-Kirmani . He says ( that) Abu Muslim and all his followers went

from his fortified camp at Makhuwan to 'Ali b. Juday '. The chief
men (ashrdf) of the Yaman were there with 'Ali and his brother
'Uthman, as well as their allies of the Rabi'ah. When Abu Muslim
was opposite the walled city of Marw, 'Uthman b . Juday' and the
chief men of the Yaman and Rabi'ah received him with a great body
of horsemen . He entered the camp of 'Ali b. al-Kirmani and Shayban
b. Salamah al-Haruri along with the nagfbs, and waited at 'Ali b.
juday"s chamber. 'Ali entered and agreed to (the alliance ), and gave
him and all those with him guarantees of safety . They then went together to the chamber of Shayban , who was saluted in those days as
Commander of the Faithful ( that is, Caliph ). Abu Muslim told 'Ali
to go sit beside Shayban, informing 'All that it was not lawful for
him to salute Shayban ( in this way). Abu Muslim wanted to greet
'Ali as "Amir," so that Shayban would think that he was saluting
Shayban. 'Ali did this, and then Abu Muslim went in and said,
"Peace be to you, Amir." He was gracious to Shayban and made
much of him . Then Abu Muslim took his leave and stayed two
nights at the palace of Muhammad b. al-Hasan al -Azdi . He then returned to his entrenched camp at Makhuwan and stayed there three
months . He moved from Makhuwan to Marw on the seventh of
Rabi' II 130 ( January 12 , 748) leaving Abu 'Abd al -Karim alMakhuwani behind in charge of his army . Abu Muslim appointed
Lahiz b . Qurayz to command his right wing , Qasim b . al-Mujashi'
his left, and Malik b. al-Haytham over his vanguard . Marching by
night, he came early in the morning to the gates of Marw , and sent
word to 'Ali b. Juday' to send his cavalry. When he came to the gate
of the governor's palace, he found the two factions engaged in a violent battle within the walled city . He sent messengers to them to
cease fighting and each go to their own camp, and they complied. He
then sent Lahiz b. Qurayz, Quraysh b . Shaqiq, 'Abdallah b. al-Bakhtari and Dawud b . Karraz to Nasr, summoning him to the Book of
God and obedience to the Chosen One, from the family of
Muhammad. When Nasr saw what the Yaman and the Rabi'ah and
the non-Arabs were doing, and that he was powerless against them,
he saw no way out but to show his acceptance of the message sent
him, that is, to come to Abu Muslim and pay his allegiance. He delayed until evening, due to the thoughts of faithlessness and of flight
which troubled him. He then ordered his followers to leave that
night for a place where they would be safe . However, it was not easy
(1 993)
11 994)
102
[ 19951
for them to leave that night and Salm b. Ahwaz told him, " It is not
feasible for us to leave tonight, but we shall leave the next." When
dawn came, Abu Muslim began to array his cavalry squadrons, and
kept at this into the afternoon . He sent Lahiz b. Qurayz, Quraysh b.
Shaqiq, 'Abdallah b. al-Bakhtari, Dawud b . Karraz and a number of
the non-Arabs of the Shi'ah to Nasr. They went in to see him, and
Nasr said, "How evil is what you return for ." Lahiz replied, "There
is no way out of this for you." Then Nasr said , "Well then, if there is
no way out, I shall make my ablutions and go out to him . I shall
send a messenger to Abu Muslim , and if this is his idea and his command I shall go to him, and may it be pleasant in his sight . I shall
ready myself until my messenger returns ." Then Nasr stood, and
when he stood, Lahiz recited this verse of the Qur' an, "The council
are conspiring to kill you; depart , for I am one of your sincere advisers. "272 Nasr went into his dwelling and told them he would wait
for his messenger ' s return from Abu Muslim. As soon as night fell,
he slipped out from behind his chamber with Tamim his son and alHakam b . Numaylah al-Numayri , his chamberlain, and his wife,
and they fled . When Lahiz and his companions missed him, they entered his dwelling and discovered that he had left. When this came
to (the ears of) Abu Muslim, he went to the camp of Nasr and took
his trusted followers and their chief men and tied their hands behind
their backs . One of these was Salm b . Ahwaz, Nasr 's chief of security. The others were al- Bakhtari his secretary , and two of his sons;
Yunus b . 'Abd Rabbihi, Muhammad b. Qatan, Mujahid b. Yahya b.
Hudayn, [ Nasr b . Idris, Mansur b . 'Umar b. All al -Khirga ', 'Aqil b.
Ma'qil al-Laythi , Sayyar b. 'Umar al-Sulami , and leading men of the
Mudarj . He put them in irons land put Isa b. A'yan in charge of
them].'" They stayed in confinement with him until Abu Muslim
ordered them all put to death.
Nasr stopped at Sarakhs with the Mudar who had followed him,
who numbered three thousand . Abu Muslim and 'Ali b . Juday' set
out in pursuit of him, and followed him all that night , until at daybreak they came to a village called Nasraniyyah . They found that
272. Qur. 28:20.
273. These passages in brackets are taken from the Cairo edition and replace lacunae in the text.

Nasr had left his wife, al-Marzubanah , behind in the village and
( thus) saved himself.
Abu Muslim and 'Ali went back to Marw, and Abu Muslim asked
those whom he had sent to Nasr, "What made him suspicious of
you?" "We do not know," they replied . "Did one of you say anything? " he asked. They replied , ' Lahiz recited this verse of the Qur'an, 'The council are conspiring to kill you."' "That is what put
him to flight," Abu Muslim said . Then he asked, "Lahiz, would you
corrupt religion ?" and cut off his head.
This year Shayban b. Salamah al-Haruri was killed.
The Death of Shayban b. Salamah

the Kharijite and the Reason for It
According to what has been reported the reason for his death is as
follows. 'Ali b. Juday ' and Shayban had joined forces to fight Nasr b.
Sayyar because of Shayban 's hostility to Nasr . This was because he
was one of Marwan b. Muhammad 's governors, while Shayban held [1996]
the opinions of the Kharijites . 'Ali b. Juday' was opposed to Nasr because 'Ali was a Yamani and Nasr was a Mudari and (because) Nasr
had killed ' All's father and crucified him, and because of the tribal
feeling ('asabiyyah) that separated the two factions , Yaman and
Mudar. When 'Ali b. al- Kirmani entered an agreement with Abu
Muslim and Shayban abandoned them, Shayban left Marw , since he
knew he could not fight Abu Muslim and 'Ali (combined against
him). Meanwhile Nasr had fled Marw ( and gone to Sarakhs).274
According to ['All b . Muhammad - Abu Hafs and] al -Ha [san b.
Rashid and Abu al -Dhayyal] : When [the period of truce between Abu
Muslim and Shayban]275 was over, Abu Muslim sent to Shayban
asking him for his allegiance . Shayban said, "It is I who call on you
for allegiance ." Abu Muslim then sent him this message , " If you
will not live under our rule, then leave the place where you are
dwelling." At this, Shayban sent to 'Ali al-Kirmani asking for help,
but he refused to give it . Shayban thus went to Sarakhs, where a
large number of the Bakr b. Wa'il joined him. Abu Muslim sent him
(19971
nine men of the tribe of Azd, among them al-Muntaji' b. al-Zubayr,

calling on him to join their movement and asking him to stop what
he was doing. Shayban sent back an answer, and then arrested Abu
Muslim ' s messengers and put them in prison. At this, Abu Muslim
wrote to Bassam b. Ibrahim, the mawla of the Banu Layth at
Abiward, ordering him to march against Shayban and fight him.
Bassam did so, and put him to flight and pursued him into the town.
Shayban was killed along with a number of the Bakr b. Wa'il. Someone told Abu Muslim, " Bassam is taking revenge for his father, and
slays the innocent with the guilty." Abu Muslim wrote him to come
to Marw, and he did, leaving a man behind in charge of his forces.
According to'Ali-al-Mufaddal: When Shayban was killed, a man
of Bakr b. Wall called Khafaf came upon the messengers whom Abu
Muslim had sent to Shayban. They were imprisoned in a house, and
he took them out and killed them. It is also said that Abu Muslim
sent a force on his behalf against Shayban, headed by Khuzaymah b.
Khazim and Bassam b. Ibrahim.
In this year Abu Muslim killed 'Ali and 'Uthman the sons of
Juday' al-Kirmani.
Why Abu Muslim Killed the Sons of juday' al-Kirmdni
The reason for this, according to what is said is that Abu Muslim
had sent Musa b. Ka'b against Abiward. He captured the city, wrote
of this to Abu Muslim, and sent Abu Dawud to Balkh, where Ziyad
b. 'Abd al-Rahman al-Qushayri was. When word that Abu Dawud
was making for Balkh reached Ziyad, he left there for Juzjan together
with troops of Balkh, Tirmidh, and others from the districts of
Tukharistan. When Abu Dawud drew near, they fled back to Tirmidh, and Abu Dawud entered the city of Balkh. Abu Muslim wrote
Abu Dawud ordering him to come to him, and sent Yahya b.
Nu'aym Abu al-Mayla' to replace him [at Balkh. Abu Dawud
1eft]276 and a letter from Abu Muslim came to him on the way, ordering him to turn back. He did, and Abu al-Mayla' advanced toward
him. Yahya b. Nu'aym al-Mayla' then wrote to Ziyad b. 'Abd alRahman al-Qushayri that they should join forces, and Ziyad responded favorably. Ziyad then returned, with Muslim b. 'Abd al276. This passage is taken from the Cairo edition and replaces a lacuna in the text.
The Events of the Year i 3o 105

Rahman b. Muslim al-Bahili, 'Isa b. Zur'ah al -Sulami and the
inhabitants of Balkh and Tirmidh and the kings of Tukharistan and
the districts on both sides of the river (Oxus). Ziyad and his followers camped one farsakh (6 km) from the city of Balkh. Yahya b.
Nu'aym Abu Mayla ' came out to him with his own followers , and [1998[
they joined forces . In full accord, the Mudar, the Yaman, the Rabi'ah
and the non-Arabs with them, as well, agreed to fight the black-clad
warriors. They gave the command to Mugatil b. Hayyan al-Nabati,
disliking that it should go to anyone from the three tribal divisions.
Abu Muslim now ordered Abu Dawud to al-'0d,27 and Abu
Dawud proceeded together with his men until they gathered at the
river Sarjanan . Ziyad b. 'Abd al-Rahman and his men had already
sent Abu Said al-Qurashi as a lookout in the area between 'Ud and a
village called Amadiyan, lest the followers of Abu Dawud come
upon them from the rear, and Abu Sa'id's flags and banners were the
('Abbasid) black.
When Abu Dawud and Ziyad gathered with their followers in battle formation, Abu Said al -Qurashi ordered his own men to join
Ziyad and his followers from their rear. They turned and came out
behind them from the road to 'Ud with black banners, so Ziyad's
men supposed that this was a surprise attack from Abu Dawud's
side. The battle between the two factions had already been joined,
and Ziyad and his followers fled, while Abu Dawud pursued them.
Most of Ziyad's followers plunged into the river Sarjanan, while the
majority of his men who stayed behind were killed. Abu Dawud settled at their camp, taking possession of all that was in it . He did not
follow Ziyad or [his followers. Most of those who did pursue them
were the forward units of the vanguard)", of Abu Dawud's cavalry,
but [only as far) as the city [of Balkh].279 Ziyad and Yahya and those
with them went on to Tirmidh, while Abu Dawud stayed all that
day and part of the next where he was and did not enter the city of
Balkh, plundering the goods of those killed at the Sarjanan and of 119991
the Arabs and others who had fled. Balkh was now secure for Abu
Dawud.
Abu Muslim then wrote Abu Dawud ordering him to come to
277. A large village three farsakhs (18 km) from Balkh. See text apparatus n. C.
io6 The 'Abbasid Revolution

him, and sent al-Nadr b. Subayh al-Murri to govern Balkh. Abu
Dawud came, and he and Abu Muslim agreed to separate 'Ali and
'Uthman the two sons of al-Kirmani . Abu Muslim thus sent
'Uthman to serve as governor of Balkh, and when he got there he appointed al-Furafisah b. Zuhayr al-'Absi as his deputy in the city.
Meanwhile the Mudar advanced from Tirmidh, under the command
of Muslim b. 'Abd al-Rahman al-Bahili. The forces confronted each
other, while 'Uthman's followers were at a village between Barugan
and Dastajird.110 They fought each other in a violent battle, and
'Uthman b. Juday"s followers were routed while the Mudar and
Muslim b. 'Abd al-Rahman took possession of the city of Balkh,
driving out al-Furafisah. The news reached 'Uthman b. Juday' and
al-Nadr b. Subayh while they were at Marwarrudh, so they marched
against them. Word of their approach reached Ziyad b. 'Abd alRahman's men, and they fled that night. Al-Nadr was slow to pursue them, hoping they would get away. 'Uthman b. Juday"s men
then encountered them, and they engaged in a violent battle.
Uthman's forces were routed, many of his men were killed, and the
Mudar made their way to their friends.
Abu Dawud returned from Marw to Balkh, and Abu Muslim, accompanied by 'Ali b. Juday', went to Naysabur. Abu Muslim had
agreed with Abu Dawud that he would kill 'Ali while Abu Dawud
would kill 'Uthman on the same day. So, when Abu Dawud arrived
at Balkh, he sent 'Uthman as governor to Khutta1,21, along with his
120001 troops from the Yaman and Rabi'ah of Marw and of Balkh. When he
left Balkh, Abu Dawud left [in pursuit of him, and caught up with
him on the banks of the Wakhshab at Wakhsh]2112 in the land of
Khuttal. Abu Dawud then fell upon 'Uthman and his followers. He
imprisoned them all, and bound them and beheaded them. Abu
Muslim killed 'Ali b. al-Kirmani that same day. He had already told
'Ali to name for him his special friends, so that he might award
280. These were villages in the vicinity of Balkh. Dastajird was probably the village
known as Dastajird lumukiyan. See Yaqut, Mu'jam, I, 597; 11, 573.
281. Khuttal was the region between the Wakhsh river on the west and the Upper
Oxus river, or jaryab, on the east. To the south, Khuttal was bounded by the Oxus, or
Amu Darya. See LeStrange, Lands, 437-38.
282. This passage is taken from the Cairo edition and fills in a lacuna in the text.
For the Wakhshab and Wakhsh, see LeStrange, Lands, 434-35.
The Events of the Year t 30 107

them positions of trust and give them presents and raiment . 'Ali had
given him the names, so he now put all of them to death.
In this year, Qahtabah b. Shabib came to Abu Muslim in Khurasan
from Ibrahim b. Muhammad b. 'Ali. Qahtabah brought the standard
which had been given to him by Ibrahim , and as soon as he arrived,
Abu Muslim put him in charge of his vanguard . He put troops under
Qahtabah' s command and granted him the power to remove and appoint officers. Abu Muslim then wrote to the army to pay heed to
Qahtabah and obey him.
He sent Qahtabah this same year to Naysabur to encounter Nasr.
According to 'Ali b. Muhammad-Abu Dhayyal, al-Hasan b. Rashid
and Abu al-Hasan al-Jushami : When Shayban b. Salamah al-Haruri
was killed, his followers joined Nasr who was at Naysabur. Al-Nabi
b. Suwayd al-'Ijli wrote to Nasr asking for aid, and Nasr sent him his
son Tamim b. Nasr with two thousand men. Meanwhile , Nasr was
preparing to go to Tus. Abu Muslim then sent Qahtabah b. Shabib
with other officers , including al-Qasim b . Mujashi' and Jahwar b.
Marrar. Al-Qasim went by way of Sarakhs, while Jahwar went by
way of Abiward. Tamim sent 'Asim b. 'Umayr al-Sughdi against Jahwar, who was nearest to him, and 'Asim b. 'Umayr drove him off.
Jahwar then entrenched himself at Kubadgan . Qahtabah and al -Q&- 120011

sim drew near where al-Nabi was, so Tamim sent word to 'Asim,
"Turn away from Jahwar and confront them." He did, and Qahtabah
fought his men.
Abu Ja'far reported from another source than those from whom
'Ali b. Muhammad received the information we have cited about
Qahtabah and how Abu Muslim sent him against Nasr and his followers: When Abu Muslim had killed Shayban al-Khariji and the
sons of al-Kirmani , driven Nasr out of Marw and gained the upper
hand in all of Khurasan, he sent his governors to all its territories.
He appointed Siba' b. al-Nu'man al-Azdi for Samarqand and Abu
Dawud Khalid b. Ibrahim for Tukharistan. He sent Muhammad b.
al-Ash'ath to the two Tabases and Faris28' and set Malik b. al-Haytham over his security forces. Qahtabah he sent to Tus with a number of officers, including Abu 'Awn 'Abd al-Malik Ibn Yazid, Mu283. Tabas al-'Unnab, Tabas al-Tamr and Fans were the chief towns of the province
south of Nishapnr lNaysabufl. See Yaqut, Mu'jam, III, 513; LeStrange, Lands. 352ff.
io8 The 'Abbasid Revolution

gatil b. Hakim al-'Akki, Khalid b. Barmak, Khazim b. Khuzaymah,
Mundhir b. 'Abd al-Rahman, 'Uthman b. Nahik, Jahwar b. Marrar
al-'Ijli, Abu al-'Abbas al-Tusi, 'Abdallah b. 'Uthman al-TAI,
Salamah b. Muhammad, Abu Ghanim 'Abd al-Hamad b. Rib'!, Abu
Humayd, Abu al-Jahm, whom Abu Muslim appointed as army secretary for Qahtabah, 'Amir b. Ismail, and Muhriz b. Ibrahim, who had
with him a number of officers. They engaged the forces at Tus, who
were put to flight; the number of those who were trampled to death
in the rout was greater than those who were slain in combat. The total number killed that day was about ten thousand.
Abu Muslim sent al-Qasim b. Mujashi' to Naysabur along the
[2002] main road, and wrote to Qahtabah ordering him to engage Tamim b.
Nasr b. Sayyar and al-Nabi b. Suwayd and those Khurasanis who
were attached to them. He also ordered him to send Musa b. Ka'b to
him from Abiward. When Qahtabah arrived at Abiward, he sent
Musa to Abu Muslim and wrote to Mugatil b. Hakim ordering him
to send a man to Naysabur to relieve Qasim b. Mujashi'. Abu Muslim sent 'Ali b. Ma'qil with ten thousand men against Tamim b.
Nasr, ordering him to go to Qahtabah with his men, so that [when
Qahtabah entered]284 Tus they could reinforce him. 'Ali b. Ma'qil
went on to camp at a village called Hulwan. Word reached Qahtabah
of 'Ali's march and the position he had taken, so he hastened to
march to Sudhgan, the camp of Tamim b. Nasr and al-Nabi b. Suwayd. He sent his vanguard with Asid b. 'Abdallah al-Khuza'i commanding [three thousand men of the Shi'ah] from Nasa and Abiward, and Asid marched to camp at a village called [Habusan as
Tamim and al-Nabi prepared] to do battle with him. Asid then wrote
Qahtabah informing him (of their resolve to do battle, and that
if ]285 Qahtabah did not come to him soon, he would be summoning
Asid's men to the judgment of God. He informed him, as well, that
these two commanded thirty thousand of the best Khurasani troops
and their cavalry. Qahtabah then sent Mugatil b. Hakim al-'Akki
284. The phrase in parentheses is taken from the Cairo edition and replaces the lacuna in the text.
285. The passages in parentheses are taken from the Cairo edition and replace lacunae in the text.
The Events of the Year i3o ro9

with a thousand men and Khalid b. Barmak2"11 with another thousand. They went to join Asid, but word reached Tamim and al-Nabi,
who drove them off. Then Qahtabah and his followers came up and
prepared to do battle with Tamim. Qahtabah put Mugatil b. Hakim,
Abu 'Awn 'Abd al-Malik b. Yazid and Khalid b. Barmak in charge of
his right wing, and Asid b. 'Abdallah al-Khuza'i, al-Hasan b. (2003]
Qahtabah, al-Musayyab b. Zuhayr and 'Abd al-Jabbar b. 'Abd al-Rahman in charge of his left, while he himself took the center. He then
moved slowly toward the enemy, and called on them to obey the
Book of God and the sunnah of His Prophet, as well as the Chosen
One from the family of Muhammad. However, they did not respond
affirmatively. With that, he ordered his right and left wings to attack, and the two forces fought a violent battle, as violent as it could
be. Tamim b. Nasr was killed in the fighting, and there was great
slaughter of his men. Their camp was overrun. AI-Nabi took flight
with a number of others, and they locked themselves up in the
town. The soldiers then laid siege to the town, breached the wall
and entered it, and al-Nabi and those with him were slain. 'Asim b.
'Umayr al-Samarqandi and Salim b. Rawiyah al-Sa'idi fled to Nasr b.
Sayyar at Naysabur and told him how his son, Tamim, and al-Nabi
had been slain, along with their followers.
When Qahtabah gained possession of their camp and all that was
in it, he placed it in the charge of Khalid b . Barmak and sent Mugatil
b. Hakim al-'Akki in command of his vanguard to Naysabur. News
of this reached Nasr b. Sayyar and he set out, fleeing after the people
of Abrashahr. He camped in Qumis, where his followers left him to
join Nubatah b. Hanzalah in Jurjan. Meanwhile Qahtabah advanced
on Naysabur with his troops.
This same year Nubatah b. Hanzalah, governor of Jurjan for Yazid
b. 'Umar b. Hubayrah (the Umayyad governor of Iraq) was slain.28'
286. The ancestor of the Barmaki family of wazirs. He was son of the last Parmak
or hereditary high priest of the Nawbahar Buddhist temple near Balkh , and he was active in the Hashimiyyah movement . Ell s. v. Barimika.
289. See Akhbdr al-Dawlah , 328-;I; Ibn Khayyit, II, 413ff; Ya qubi, Ta'rikh, II,
410; FHA, 193.
The Slaying of the Governor of Jurjan

120041 According to'Ali b. Muhammad-Zuhayr b. Hunayd, Abu al-Hasan
al-Jushami, Jabalah b . Farrukh and Abu 'Abd al- Rahman al-Isbahani:
Yazid b. 'Umar b. Hubayrah sent Nubatah b. Hanzalah al-Kilabi to
Nasr. He went to Firs and Isbahan and then marched to Rayy and on
to Jurjan, but he did not reinforce Nasr b . Sayyir. At this the Qays
told Nasr, "You'll not take us to Qumis ." They then went off to
Jurjan . Nubatah dug a defensive trench . When it ran through the
habitation of a particular group, they would bribe him and he would
put it off. His trench extended for about a farsakh (6 km).
Qahtabah came into Jurjan in Dhu al-Qa'dah 130 (July 748), with
Asid b. 'Abdallah al- Khuza'i, Khalid b. Barmak, Abu 'Awn 'Abd alMalik b. Yazid, Musa b. Ka'b al -Mari'i, al-Musayyab b. Zuhayr, and
'Abd al- Jabbar b. 'Abd al-Rahman al -Azdi. Musa b. Ka'b commanded
his right wing, Asid b. 'Abdallah his left, and al-Hasan b. Qahtabah
led the vanguard. Qahtabah addressed (his forces ), " Men of Khurisan, do you know against whom you are marching and with whom
you will do battle ? You are going to fight with the remnants of those
who burned the House of God, Mighty and Glorified be He. "2118
Al-Hasan went forward with the vanguard to the borders of Khurasan and camped . He sent out 'Uthmin b. Rufay', Nifi' al -Marwazi,
Abu Khalid al-Marwarrudhi and Mas'adah al-Tai against an armed
party of Nubatah headed by a man called Dhu'ayb. They attacked
him by night, killing Dhu'ayb and seventy of his men, and then returned to al-Hasan 's camp . Qahtabah now arrived and camped opposite Nubatah. The Syrians appeared in greater number than people
had ever seen, so that upon beholding them the Khurasanis were
awed and spoke openly to this effect . This reached Qahtabah, and he
addressed them saying, "Men of Khurasan, this land belonged to
120051 your forefathers before you, and they were given victory over their
enemies because they were just and behaved rightly, until they
changed and behaved unjustly . God the Mighty and Glorious was
then angered with them . Their authority was taken from them, and
the humblest people [ummahJ to share the earth with them was
given power over them and took their land and their women and en288. The reference is to the Syrian troops of the Umayyads who had ravaged Mecca
in 64 ( 683) and 74 ( 694). See E/2 s.v . Ka'ba, history.
The Events of the Year 13o I I I

slaved their children. Yet this people ruled justly withal and kept
their word and succored the oppressed. Then they changed and altered; they went astray in their governance, and people of probity
and piety came to fear from the race of God's Apostle, may God's
benediction be on him, and peace! Thus God has empowered you
against them in order that revenge be enacted through you, that you
should be their greatest punishment, for you have sought them out
for vengeance. The Imam has sworn to me that you would encounter them in numbers great as these, but that God would give you victory over them, and you will rout and slay them."""
Qahtabah had a letter from Abu Muslim read out loud: "From
Abu Muslim to Qahtabah, in the Name of God, the Merciful, the
Compassionate. Rise up against your enemy, for God the Mighty
and Glorified is your helper. And when you prevail against them, let
the slaughter be great."
They clashed on a Friday, the first night of Dhu al-Hijjah 130
(about June 29, 748), and Qahtabah said, "Men of Khurasan,
God-blessed and glorified be He-has preferred this day above all
days, when deeds are increased manifold above all days. This is a
great month, wherein is the greatest of your feasts in the sight of
God. The Imam has already informed us that you will win a victory
on this day of this month against your enemy, so meet him firmly
and steadfastly, reckoning on God's reward, for truly, God is with
those who persevere."
Qahtabah set off against them with al-Hasan b. Qahtabah commanding his right wing and Khalid b. Barmak and Mugatil b. Hakim
al-Àkki commanding his left. The armies engaged in combat, each
persevering against the other . Nubatah was slain, the Syrians were
put to flight, and ten thousand of them were killed. Qahtabah then
sent Abu Muslim the head of Nubatah and that of his son Hayyah. 12oo61
According to an elder of the Banu 'Ad!-his father: Salim b. Rawiyah al-Tamimi was one of those who had fled from Abu Muslim
and left with Nasr. Then he was with Nubatah and fought against
Qahtabah in Jurjan . When the army fled, he stayed on fighting by
himself. Àbdallah al-T51, who was one of Qahtabah's cavalrymen,
attacked him, and Salim b. Rawiyah struck him in the face, putting
289. This speech, if it is authentic, would seem to show that the majority of Qahtabah's "Men of Khurasan " were non -Arab Muslims : a disputed question.
112
out his eye. Salim continued to fight until he was pushed back to the
mosque. He went in, and his opponents followed him. Everywhere
he attacked them, he made them scatter. He then began shouting,
"Give me a waterjug, and by God I'll really give them trouble this
day!" They set fire to the roof of the mosque and threw stones at
him until they killed him. They brought his head to Qahtabah;
there was not a single unmarked spot on the head or the face, so that
Qahtabah said, "I've never seen anything like this."
In this year the battle at Qudayd between Abu Hamzah the Kharijite and the people of Madinah290 took place.
Abu Hamzah's Battle with the Madinans at Qudayd
According to al-'Abbas b. 'Isa al-'Ugayli-Harun b. Musa al-Farwi-more than one source: 'Abd al-Wahid b. Sulayman (b. 'Abd alMalik) appointed 'Abd al-'Aziz b. 'Abdallah b. 'Amr b. 'Uthman to
lead the people, and they went out (from Madinah). When they were
at the Harrah,291 they came upon slaughtered camels, and went on.
When they were at 'Agig292 their banner caught on a thorn tree, and
the pole broke. They thought this beginning boded ill, but kept going until they halted at Qudayd for the night. The village of Qudayd
was in the vicinity of the castle which is standing there today; the
(2007] water-tanks were in that place. They made a camp close together,
being no warriors, and no one paid attention to them but a group
who came out to them from the castle.29,;
Some have asserted that it was the tribe of Khuza'ah who showed
Abu Hamzah their exposed situation, and who led them to the Kharijites who slew them. The killing was at the expense of the
Quraysh, they being most of the people, the ones with effective
power (al-shawkah); a great number of them were slain.
According to 'Abbas-Hirun=one of his informants: A man of

the Quraysh saw a man from the Yaman who was saying, "Praise be
290. See Ibn Khayyat, I 413ff; FHA, 168-70; Azdi, 108-110 ; Ya'qubi, Ta'rikh, II,
406. Qudayd was a place between Mecca and Madinah. See Yiqut, Mu' jam, IV, 42.
291. See E12 s.v. al-Harra.
292. The "blessed valley" west of Madinah, where according to tradition the
Prophet was once told to pray by an angel . See E12 s.v. al-'Akik.
293. The reading al-qasr is from the Cairo edition, emending al-fall in the text.

to God, who has cooled my eye with the slaughter of Quraysh! "294
Then he said to his son, "My boy, begin with this one." And it was
one of the men of Madinah. His son came up near him and cut off
the man's head . Then the father would say to his son, "Come lad, up
this way." And so they fought, until they both were killed. The survivors fled back to Madinah, and the people mourned their slain.
Women grieved at great length for their relatives and would not
leave until news about their men arrived. Then the women went
out, one after another , each going to her relative, until not one
woman remained.
Abu Damrah recited these verses to me concerning his kinsmen
slain at Qudayd; one of their comrades lamented them, and said:
What a loss for me; and a loss, no mistake,
for the riders in the dry gulch on the uplands;

There is 'Amr, and 'Amr, and 'Abdallah among them,
and both their sons -five, and al-Harith makes six.
In this year, Abu Hamzah the Kharijite entered Madinah, city of
the Messenger of God, may God bless him and give him peace, and
'Abd al-Wahid b. Sulayman b. 'Abd al-Malik fled to Syria.
Abu Hamzah's Entry into Madinah

and What Came of It
According to 'Abbas b . 'Isa-Harun b. Musa al -Farwi - Musa b.
Kathir: Abu Hamzah entered Madinah in the year 1 30 (747-748), as
'Abd al-Wahid b . Sulayman b . 'Abd al- Malik fled to Syria . Abu Hamzah ascended the minbar, 295 praised God and eulogised Him, and
said, "People of Madinah, we have asked you about these rulers of
294. To the Kharijites, who recognized "no genealogy Inasabl in religion," the
Quraysh were the subvertcrs of the Prophetic community.
295. The minbar was the governor' s throne in a mosque at this time, and this particular minbar had been the pulpit of the Prophet . Abu Elamzah's addresses from this
pulpit were considered models of excellent rhetoric and are preserved in a number of
collections dealing with Arab eloquence . Parts of the addresses are translated in various editions of Williams, Islam s.v. The Kh3rijis. See also Ibn Khayyat , I, 407ff sub
anno 129; Azdi, 106; Ibn 'Abd Rabbihi, IV, 144ff; al-lahiz, Baydn, II, 124ff; Ibn
Qutaybah,'Uy1in, II, 249ff.
(2o08)

yours, and as God lives, what you had to say of them was bad. We
asked you, 'Did they put people to death on suspicion ?' You told us,
'Yes.' We asked you, 'Did they take, as lawful, wealth and women
that are forbidden to them?' You replied, 'Yes.' So we said to you,
'Come, let us go together and ask them in God' s name to turn away
from you and from us.' You said, 'They will not do it.' Then we told
you, 'Come, let us go and fight them together, and if we prevail, we
shall bring those who will establish among us the Book of God, and
the (sunnah) tradition of His Prophet Muhammad, God's blessing
and peace be upon him.' You said, 'We are not strong.' Then we told
you, 'Then leave us and them alone. And if we are victorious, we
shall be fair in our judgments towards you, and rely with you on the
sunnah of your Prophet, and divide your fay' among you'.' Yet
you refused, and fought us without them, and we therefore killed
you. May God keep you from good and from prosperity!"
According to Muhammad b. Umar297-Hizam b. Hisham: The
Kharijites numbered four hundred. One group was headed by al-Harith, and one group by Bakkar b. Muhammad al-'Adawi (that is, the)
'Adi of Quraysh, and another was led by Abu Hamzah. They clashed
with the people of Madinah after the latter had made ready to fight
them after pleas from the Kharijites to desist. These told them, "By
God, we have no need to fight you. Let us go on against our ene120091 mies." But the men of Madinah refused. They met in battle on
Thursday, after the seventh night of Safar 130 (October 19, 747), and
the men of Madinah were massacred. None escaped but those who
ran away. Their commander 'Abd al-'Aziz b. 'Abdallah was slain,
and the Quraysh suspected that the Khuza'ah had betrayed them
with the Kharijites. Hizam told me (Muhammad b. 'Umar), "By
God, I gave shelter to some men from Quraysh until people were
given a guarantee of safety. Balj had charge of the vanguard, and the
296. Fay' was revenue of properties taken in conquest . The disposition of these revenues by the second and third caliphs was a sore topic . 'Umar and 'Uthman had in effect held the properties in trust and used the revenues for the community . 'All and his
followers, and the later Kharijites, were known to favor dividing the fay' among the
victors . ' Umar had not permitted Arabs to farm land outside the Arabian Peninsula.
This especially offended the Yamanis, who had old agricultural traditions. See Ell
s.v. Fay'.
297. That is, Muhammad b. 'Umar al-Wagidi, a historian of Madinah whose works
reflect the traditions of the city. He was, however, a beneficiary of the 'Abbisids, and
careful not to offend his patrons. See Petersen, 'Ali and Mu'nwiya, 83-93.

Kharijites advanced on Madinah on the 19th night of Safar (October
31, 7471."
According to Àbbas b . %5-Harun b. Musa-some of their
shaykhs : When Abu Hamzah entered Madinah , he stood up and delivered an address, saying, " Pedple of Madinah, I passed among you
in the time of the squint -eyed Hisham b. Àbd al -Malik, when a
blight had struck your dates . You wrote to him requesting him to
lower the tax on them, and he wrote back lowering it for you. The
rich became richer, and the poor became poorer, but you said, 'May
God reward you with good !' May God reward neither you nor him
with good!"
According to Àbbas - Harun - Yahya b. Zakariyya': Abu Hamzah

gave the following address; he went up into the minbar , praised God
and lauded Him, and then said,
Know, 0 people of Madinah that we did not leave our homes
and our possessions lightly or carelessly , or to no avail, nor to
overthrow a kingdom wishing to immerse ourselves in government, nor for revenge for an old grievance that touched our
honor; but when we saw the lamps of truth had been neglected,
and the speaker of truth was upbraided, and that he who stood
up for justice was slain, then the earth in all its width became
narrow for us, and we heard a herald (dn' j calling us to obey the
Merciful Lord and the rule of the Qur'an. We responded to the
summoner of God, " And he who answers not God 's summoner
shall not frustrate God's plan on earth."" We came forward
from scattered tribes, a group of us on one camel carrying our- 1 20101
selves and our supplies , sharing one blanket among ourselves,
little people, held as weak on earth ; and He received us and
aided us by His succor, and we all became brothers to each
other, by God, through His grace . Then we met your men at
Qudayd, and we summoned them to obey the Merciful Lord and
the rule of the Qur'an. But they summoned us to obey Satan and
the judgment of the family of Marwan . And by God's life, far
apart are guidance and error ! They scurried forward hastening,
for Satan had struck in them his partners ; his cauldrons boiled
with their blood, and his supposition about them was con298. Qur. 46:32.
116 The ` Abbasid Revolution

firmed. But the helpers of God, Mighty and Majestic, came forward in small bands and in squadrons, with every sharpened
blade gleaming; and our coil turned, and their coil twisted
away, with a blow from which triflers recoil. As for you, 0 people of Madinah, if you aid Marwan and the family of Marwan,
the God of might and majesty shall destroy you with punishment delivered by Himself or at our hands, and the breasts of
faithful folk will recover health. 0 people of Madinah, the first
among you were the very best, and the last among you are the
very worst. 0 people of Madinah, the people are of us, and we
are of them, unless it be a polytheist who worships idols, or a
polytheist among the People of the Book,z" or an imam who
acts unjustly. 0 People of Madinah, if anyone asserts that God
the Mighty, the Majestic, charges any soul with what is beyond
its power or asks of it more than is given to it, then he is an enemy of God, and we have war. 0 People of Madinah, they have
told me that there are eight divisions of the zakdt' which
God has ordained upon strong and weak alike in his Book. Now
a ninth has come, due no part of it, not one portion, and takes
all of it for himself, arrogant in opposition to his Lord!
0 People of Madinah, it has reached me that you belittle my
comrades. You say they are callow young men, barefoot bedouins. Alas for you, 0 people of Madinah! What were the followers
of the Messenger of God, God bless him and give him peace, but
callow young men? Youths, by God, who were fully mature in
their youth-youths whose eyes were closed to evil and whose
feet were slow to approach wrongdoing; exchanging with God
the life that dies for the life that dies not, they mingled all that
was theirs with their fatigue, and rose at night to watch and
pray after fasting all the day. They bent their backs over por-
120111 tions of the Qur'an, and so oft as they came upon a verse [of fear,
299. "People of the Book," e.g., Jews and Christians who possessed revealed scriptures, are often accused of having "associated" lesser being with God, thereby becoming guilty of idolatry, the worst of sins . See Ell s.v. Ahl al-Kitab.
300. The zakdt is a tax imposed on all, as it says in Qur an 10:60, for carefully defined community purposes. The eight legal beneficiaries are the poor, needy, collectors of the tax, "those whose hearts are to be reconciled," slaves to be ransomed, debtors, "those in God's Way," and travelers. The abbreviated form in which this address
is cast, even omitting the proof-text as the speaker would not have done, demonstrates that we have here only a sketch of the main points.
The Events of the Year r 3o 117

they were racked with terror of the Fire, and when they came
upon a versef'' of desire they were racked with longing for
Paradise. When they looked to swords drawn against them,
lances pointed at them, arrows notched for them, when a detachment of cavalry thundered at them with bolts of death, they
made little account of the threat of that detachment beside the
threat of God. They did not take God's threat lightly beside the
threat of a detachment; so blessed were they, and fair the place
where they returned! And how many an eye which had overflowed long in the depth of night from fear of God met the beak
of a bird! How many a hand left its wrist whereon its owner
long supported himself [in his prostration to God! How many an
excellent cheek and fine forehead was cleft by maces of iron!
God have mercy upon those bodies, and make their souls to enter His gardensJ.3O2 I say my say, and I ask God to forgive our
deficiencies, for there is no success for me but in God; in Him
have I put my trust, to Him shall I repair.
According to Àbbas-Harun-his grandfather Abu 'Alqamah: I
heard Abu Hamzah on the minbar of God' s messenger saying,
"Whoever fornicates is an infidel; whoever doubts it is an infidel.
Whoever steals is an infidel; whoever doubts that he is an infidel is
also an infidel."
According to Àbbas-Harun-his grandfather: He had conducted
himself so well among the people of Madinah that people inclined to
him even when they heard him say, "Whoever fornicates is an infidel."
According to Àbbas-Harun-one of his companions: When he
ascended the minbar he said, "The concealed has been revealed,
wherever you may be taken. Whoever fornicates is an infidel; whoever steals is an infidel." Harun also said that someone recited these
verses about the Battle of Qudayd:
What's wrong with Time, and wrong with me, ah- 2" 120121
Qudayd has destroyed my menfolk, ah-
301. This phrase is missing in the text and is added from the Cairo edition.
302. See n. 30t above.
303. Read ma Ii-1-zaman with the Cairo edition and a]-Aghani; the text has ma
li-Qudayd.

Then let me weep by all means secretly;
and surely I shall weep in public, ahI'll weep until I gasp,304
like the dogs that bark, ahAbu Hamzah and his men entered Madinah on the 17th of Safar
(October 29, 747). The authorities differ about how long they remained there: al-Wagidi says it was three months. Another says
they stayed there for the rest of Safar, the two months of Rabi', and
part of Jumada I (i.e., into January 748). The number of the people
from Madinah who were slain at Qudayd according to al-Wagidi was
seven hundred.
It is mentioned that Abu Hamzah sent ahead a group of his men
commanded by Abu Bakr b. Muhammad b. 'Abdallah b. 'Umar alQurashi. After him, it was one of the Banu 'Adi b. Ka'b, then Bali b.
'Uyaynah b. al-Haysam al-Asadi, a man of Basrah. Marwan b. Muhammad sent 'Abd al-Malik b. Muhammad b. 'Atiyyah, one of the
Banu Sa'd, from Syria with a Syrian contingent.
According to 'Abbas b. Isa-Harun b. Musa-Musa b. Kathir:
Abu Hamzah went out from Madinah, leaving one of his followers
in charge, and went on until he halted at the Wadi 305
According to 'Abbas-Harun- a companion from whom Abu

Yahya al-Zuhri used to recite traditions: Marwan picked four thousand men of his army, put Ibn 'Atiyyah in command, and ordered
120131 him to move resolutely. He gave each man a hundred gold dinars, an
Arab horse, and a mule for his baggage. He ordered Ibn 'Atiyyah to
go engage them, and if he was victorious , to go on to the Yaman and
fight 'Abdallah b. Yahya and his followers. Ibn 'Atiyyah went out
and halted at 'U1a.306 A man from Madinah called al-'Ala' b. Aflah
304. Read shajitu , " I gasp," with the Cairo edition ; the text has shahantu, " I chase
in vain."
305. Presumably the Wadi al -Qura, a long valley of many villages which was the
gateway from the Hijaz to Syria. Whoever controlled this Wadi could exert great pressure on the Hijaz by cutting off supplies from the north. Sec Yaqut , Mu'jam , IV, 81,
878; Lassner, 'Abbasid Rule, 71, 264, n. 44. For this account see Ibn Khayyat 1, 416ff;
Azdi, rioff; FHA, 181- 85; Mas' udt, Murui, IV, 66ff. (J.L.)
306. 'Ula is the biblical Dedan, an oasis town on the incense road in the north Hijaz
with extensive remains of an advanced pre-Islamic civilization . See Yaqut, Mu'iam,
111,709.
119
the mawla of Abu al-Ghayth used to say, "I was a boy at that time,
and one of Ibn 'Atiyyah's men met me and asked, 'What's your
name, boy?' I told him, 'al-'Ala.' 'Son of whom?' he asked. 'Son of
Aflah,' I told him. 'Mawla of whom?' he asked. 'Mawla of Abu alGhayth,' I told him. 'Where are we?' he asked. 'At 'Ula,' I told him.
'And where shall we be tomorrow?' said he. 'At Ghalib,"' I told
him. He said nothing, but mounted me behind him and rode off taking me to Ibn 'Atiyyah. 'Ask this boy his name,' he said. He asked
me the questions and I answered as before . He was pleased at that,
and gave me several dirhams."
According to 'Abbas-Harun-'Abd al-Malik b. al-Majashun:
When Abu Hamzah and Ibn 'Atiyyah encountered each other, Abu
Hamzah told his people, "Don't engage them until you are informed
about them." They called out to Ibn 'Atiyyah's men, "What do you
say about the Qur'an, and doing as it says?" Ibn 'Atiyyah shouted
back, "We put it in a bag." They called, "What do you say about the
property of the orphan?" He replied, "Let's consume the property
and commit debauchery with his mother!" These are only some of
the things I have heard that they questioned them about. When they
had heard their answers, they fought with them until evening. Then
they called, "Woe to you, Ibn 'Atiyyah; God has made the night for
repose;iOB so you repose and we'll repose!" But he refused, and
fought them until he killed them.
According to 'Abbas-Harun: When Abu Hamzah went out, he
took leave of the people of Madinah saying, "0 people of Madinah,
we are going out against Marwan. If we prevail, we will be fair in ruling you, and treat you in accord with the sunnah of your Prophet
Muhammad, and divide fairly your fay' among you. If it goes as they 120141
wish, 'those who have done wrong shall learn by what an overturning they will be overturned. ""m
According to'Abbas-Harun-one of his companions: "When the
news of Abu Hamzah's death came to the people (of Madinah), they
fell upon his followers and slew them."
307. Ghalib was a place in the Hijaz near Madinah ; see Yaqut, Mu'jam, III, 869.
There is a play on ghalib here, which means "a winner," as well as on other words in
the responses with fortunate connotations.
308. Qur. 6:96.
309. Qur. 26:227.

Muhammad b. 'Umar reported that Abu Hamzah and his followers marched against Marwan, and his cavalry, led by Ibn 'Atiyyah alSa'di of Qays, met them in Wadi al-Qura and attacked them. They
returned in flight to Madinah, and the people of Madinah met them
and killed them. He continues: The commander of Marwan's army,
'Abd al-Malik b. Muhammad b. 'Atiyyah al-Sa'di, that is, Sa'd of
Hawazin," came on to Madinah at the head of four thousand Arab
horsemen. Each had a mule, and some wore two breastplates, or one
breastplate and armor"' and coats of mail and other equipment the
likes of which had not been seen at that time. They then went on to
Mecca.
Another source reports that when Ibn 'Atiyyah entered Madinah,
he stayed there for a month, and then went on to Mecca. He appointed as his deputy in Madinah al-Walid b. 'Urwah b. Muhammad
b. 'Atiyyah and continued on to Mecca and the Yaman. He appointed as his deputy in Mecca Ibn Ma'iz, from the Syrian army. Ibn
'Atiyyah went on; word reached 'Abdallah b. Yahya at San'a' that he
was coming against him, so he advanced against him with his supporters. The two forces clashed, and Ibn 'Atiyyah killed 'Abdallah b.
Yahya, and sent his son Bashir to Marwan. Ibn 'Atiyyah went on to
enter San's', and then sent 'Abdallah b. Yahya's head to Marwan.32
Then Marwan wrote Ibn 'Atiyyah, ordering him to march posthaste
and lead the Pilgrimage at Mecca. According to al-'Abbas b.
'Isa-Harun: He left leading a small group of his men, until they
120151 camped at Jurf,"' as 'Abbas has it. This attracted the attention of
some of the people of the village, who said, "He's running away, by
God!" Then they started to attack him. He told them, "Woe betide
you! This is the leader of the Pilgrimage! By God, the Commander of
the Faithful has written to me!"
According to Muhammad b. 'Umar-Abu al-Zubayr b. 'Abd alRahman: I went out along with twelve other men with Ibn 'Atiyyah
310. The Sa'd b. Bakr were a subtribe of the Hawazin, a large North Arabian group
of tribes of Qays 'Aylan, which was mostly of Hijazi origin . See EI2 s.v. Hawazin.
3 11. Read sannawar with the Cairo edition, emending the text which has tannur.
312. The head would have been taken first to San'a' to show people there the proof
that 'Abdallah b. Yahya's reign was over.
313. Yaqut, Mu'jam, II, 63, lists a place called al-jurf in the Yaman. However Azdi,
t 13, and Mas'udi, Murdi, IV, 67, say the place was al-Jurash. Yaqut, S9, describes
Jurash as both a province of the Yaman and a place where a great city had flourished.

al-Sa'di, who had Marwan's deed of appointment for the Pilgrimage.
He had forty thousand dinars in his saddlebag. His army and cavalry
were behind at Sana; and until he camped at Jurf making for the Pilgrimage, by God, we felt secure and confident. Then I overheard a
woman saying, "God smite both the sons of Jumanah! How grimfaced"' they are!" I stood up as if I were going for water, and went
up on a hillock. And lo, there was a band of men with swords,
horses, and slings . Then the aforementioned sons of Jumanah were
standing over us; we were surrounded on every side. We said, "What
do you want?" They then said, "You're robbers!" Ibn 'Atiyyah took
out his document and said, "This is the letter of the Commander of
the Faithful, and his deed of appointment for the Pilgrimage. I am
Ibn 'Atiyyah." But they said, "This is no good; you are robbers!" At
this, we foresaw evil, and al - Safar b. Habib mounted his horse, and
fought well until he was slain. Ibn 'Atiyyah got on his horse, and
fought until he too was killed. Then all those who were with us
were killed, and I remained. They said, "Who are you?" "A man of
Hamdan,"35 I replied. "What Hamdan are you from?" they said. I
traced back a lineage to one of their sub-groups, since I knew the
sub-groups of Harridan , and they let me alone . They told me, "Your
life is safe, and everything that is yours in this place you can take."
If I had claimed all of the money, they'd have given it to me. Then
they sent some riders with me as far as Sa'dah , and I was safe and
went on until I came to Mecca.
In this year the summer campaign against the Byzantines was led
by al-Walid b. Hisham. He went down to 'Amq and built the citadel
of Mar'ash.36
This year the plague broke out at Basrah.
This year Qahtabah b. Shabib killed many of the people of Jurjan; [2016]
some say it was as many as thirty thousand. A version coming from
people of Jurjan has it that after the slaying of Nubatah b. Hanzalah
315. The Hamdan were a large tribe of northern Yaman, whose range was between
San'3' and Sa'dah. The western moiety, the Hashid , are still active there . Historically,
they have been mostly Shi'is . Sec Ell s.v. Hamdan. Sa'dah is a district some 60
farsakhs (360 km ) from San'a'. See Yignt, Mu'jam, III, ;88.
3 4. The text is ma ashtam ; the Cairo edition has ma ash 'am, "how inauspicious."
316. 'Amq is the alluvial plain of Cilicia, situated northeast of Antioch . See Ell s.v.
al-'Amk. The Marwanid construction of the citadel of Mar'ash is confirmed by Yaqut,
Mu'jam, IV, 498 . See also LeStrange, Lands, 128-29.
12017 1
they all decided to fight Qahtabah . When word reached Qahtabah of

this, he went in and indiscriminately killed those whom I have
mentioned.
When Nasr b. Sayyar learned that Qahtabah had killed Nubatah
and a number of people of Jurjan , he was in Qumis . He then moved
to Khuwar of Rayy."'
Nasr's reason for camping at Rayy according to 'Ali b. Muhammad-Abu Dhayyal , Hasan b . Rashid and Abu al -Hasan al-Jushami:
Abu Muslim sent a letter with al -Minhal b . Fattan to Ziyad b.
Zurarah al-Qushayr-i with a deed of appointment to govern Naysabur, after Tamim b. Nasr and al-Nabi b. Suwayd al -'Ijli were killed.
He also wrote to Qahtabah ordering him to pursue Nasr . Qahtabah
then sent al-Àkki with his vanguard, while he went to Naysabur
and stayed there for the months of Ramadan and Shawwal 130 (early
May to end of June 748). He was there while Nasr was staying at a
village in Qumis called Badhash . "" The Qaysis with him stayed in
another village, called Mumidd ." 9 Nasr then wrote to Ibn
Hubayrah at Wasit asking him for aid , and sent the message with
notables of Khurasan to stress the importance of the matter . But Ibn
Hubayrah threw his messengers in prison . Nasr then wrote to
Marwan, " I have sent some of the leading men of Khurasan to Ibn
Hubayrah to inform him on our behalf of the situation of the people
there and to ask him for reinforcements . He has imprisoned my
messengers and has not reinforced me with a single man. My situation is that of a man driven from his bedroom to his chamber, and
from his chamber to his sitting -room, and from the sitting -room to
the courtyard . If someone will come to him and help him, he may
perhaps return to his house and it will remain his; but if he is driven
from the house to the street, he will have neither house nor courtyard." Marwan wrote to Ibn Hubayrah ordering him to assist Nasr,
informing him of that . Nasr then sent a letter to Ibn Hubayrah with
Khalid the mawla of the Banu Layth, asking him to send the army to
317. Khuwar of Rayy was the westernmost town of Qumis, on the road from Khurasan, and the first important town east of Rayy . See Yaqut, Mu'jam, II, 479; also
LeStrange , Lands, 367.
318. Badhash was the first village inside Jurjan on the post -road from Nishapur
(Naysaburi . Yaqut states that it was two farsakhs ( 12 km( from Bistam . See also
LeStrange, Lands, 368.
3r9. The text is al-Mayda, corrected by the Cairo edition . The vocalization is
uncertain.

him quickly, "For I have lied to the people of Khurasan until not a
man among them will believe a word I say; so reinforce me with ten
thousand men before you have to reinforce me with a hundred thousand, and after that nothing will be of use."
In this year Muhammad b. 'Abd al -Malik b. Marwan led the Pilgrimage . That is what is related by Ahmad b . Thabit - someone Ishaq b. 'Isa-Abu Ma'shar (al-Sindi).
Muhammad b . 'Abd al-Malik was governor of Mecca , Madinah
and Ta'if.
Iraq was governed by Yazid b . ' Umar b . Hubayrah.
A1-Hajjaj b. 'Asim al-Muharibi was in charge of the judiciary at

Kufah, and 'Abbad b. Mansur at Basrah.
Nasr b. Sayyar was governor of Khurasan , but matters there were
as we have mentioned.
e
The
[ i /III) Events of the Year
131
( AUGUST 31,
748- AUGUST 19 , 749)

Op
One of the events of this year was that Qahtabah sent his son alHasan to Nasr while he was in Qumis.320
According to Àli b. Muhammad-Zuhayr b. Hunayd, al-Hasan b.
Rashid and Jabalah b. Farrukh al-Taji: When Nubatah was killed,
Nasr moved from Badhash and entered Khuwar, whose governor
was Abu Bakr al-'Uqayli. Qahtabah sent his son al-Hasan to Qumis
in Muharram 131 (September 748), and after that he sent Abu Kamil,
Abu al-Qasim Muhriz b. Ibrahim, and Abu al-Àbbas al-Marwazi to
Hasan with seven hundred men. When they were close to him, Abu
Kamil ran away from them, left his camp, and went over to Nasr informing him of the whereabouts of the officer who was leading
them. Nasr then sent troops against them and besieged them in the
walled town where they were. Jamil b. Mihran then pierced the wall
and fled with his followers, leaving part of their equipment which
121 Nasr's followers seized, and which Nasr sent to Ibn Hubayrah.
'Utayf31' interfered in this at Rayy; he took Nasr's letter and the
320. See Akhbar al-Dawlah, 331ff; Ibn Khayyat, 11, 419; Dinawari, 362; Ya'qubi,
Ta'rfkh, II, 410; Ibn Qutaybah, Ma'ariff, 370.
321. Probably 'Utayf al-Sulami sent by Marwan to join lbn Hubayrah. See Tabari,
11/3, 1945. He was now following the orders of Ibn Hubayrah, who would not help
Nasr.

booty from the messenger, and sent them on to Ibn Hubayrah. At
this Nasr was furious, and said, "Does Ibn Hubayrah want to play
with me? Is he stirring up all the good -for-nothings of Qays against
me? By God, I will surely have nothing to do with him. Let him fully
understand that he is nothing , and neither is his son from whom
great things are expected." He went on and stopped at Rayy, which
was being governed by Habib b. Budayl al-Nahshali. Utayf left Rayy
as soon as Nasr came there, for Hamadhan. Malik b. Adham b. Muhriz al-Bahili was at Hamadhan commanding the Sahsahiyyah
corps, u so when Ùtayf saw that Malik was at Hamadhan, he
turned away from there and went to Àmir b . Dubarah at Isbahan.
Ùtayf had three thousand men with him, and Ibn Hubayrah sent
him to Nasr at Rayy. Utayf went to Rayy and stayed there, but did
not go to see Nasr . Nasr stayed a couple of days at Rayy ; then he fell
ill and had to be carried on a litter until he reached Sawah, near
Hamadhan, and there he expired. When he died , his followers went
on into Hamadhan . It is said that his death occurred on the twelfth
of Rabi' I iii November 9, 748), when he was eighty-five years old.
It is also said that when Nasr set out from Khuwar towards Rayy,
he did not enter Rayy but stayed in the desert between Rayy and
Hamadhan, and died there.
Returning to what Àli (al-Mada'ini) was told by his shaykhs:
When Nasr died, Qahtabah 's son al -Hasan sent Khazim b . Khuzaymah to a village called Simnamm while Qahtabah came up from
Jurjan sending Ziyad b. Zurarah al-Qushayri ahead of him. Ziyad regretted having followed Abu Muslim, and deserted Qahtabah. He
took the road to Isbahan, wishing to join Àmir b . Dubarah, but
Qahtabah sent al -Musayyab b. Zuhayr al-Dabbi after him, who
caught up with him the next afternoon and fought him. Ziyad fled,
and most of his followers were killed. Musayyab then returned to
Qahtabah and Qahtabah went to Qiimis where his son al-Hasan
was. Khazim came forward from the direction in which al-Hasan
had sent him, and Qahtabah had his son advance to Rayy. News of
322. This was apparently a regiment organized along the lines of the Dhakwiniyyah, perhaps by Mus'ab b. Sahsah (see Tabari, 11/3, 1945, tg8o). They were Marwin's
own men and 'Utayf was avoiding them as part of Ibn Hubayrah 's plan to appear to be
helping Nasr without doing so.
323. Simnin later became an important town . It was situated on the Khurisin road
east of Khuwir. See LeStrange , Lands, 366.
131
1 26 The ' Abbasid Revolution

al-Hasan's march reached Habib b . Budayl al-Nahshali and the Syrian troops who were with him, so they left Rayy. Al-Hasan then entered the city and stayed there until his father joined him . Upon arriving at Rayy, Qahtabah wrote to Abu Muslim, informing him that
he was encamped there.
In the same year, Abu Muslim moved from Marw to Naysabur
and camped there.
Qahtabah at Rayy and Abu Muslim at Naysabur

When Qahtabah wrote to Abu Muslim that he was encamped at
Rayy, the latter left Marw, as we have mentioned , and settled at
Naysabur, where he dug a defensive trench . Qahtabah sent his son
al-Hasan on to Hamadhan three days after he himself had entered
Rayy.
'Ali reports the following from his shaykhs and other authorities.
When al-Hasan b. Qahtabah set out for Hamadhan, Malik b. Adham
and the Syrians and Khurasanis who were with him there left for
Nihawand . Malik summoned them to take their allowances , saying,
"Let everyone who is registered in a diwdn take his pay." At this, a
great number of people left their registries and went away . Malik positioned himself with those who stayed with him, Syrians and Khurasanis who had been with Nasr b. Sayyar. Meanwhile al-Hasan
marched from Hamadhan to Nihawand and camped four farsakhs
(24 km) from the city . Qahtabah then reinforced him with Abu Jahm
(41 b. 'Atiyyah the mawla of the (tribe of j Bahilah and seven hundred
men, so that he was now able to surround the city and lay siege to
it.324
In this year 'Amir b. Dubarah was slain.
The Death of 'Amir b. Dubarah and the Reason For It

The reason for his slaying was that 'Abdallah b. Mu'awiyah b. 'Abdallah b. Ja'far fled toward Khurasan when he was put to flight by
Ibn Dubarah. He took his route by way of Kirman, and 'Amir b.
Dubarah set off in pursuit of him . Meanwhile word reached Yazid b.
'Umar of Nubatah b. Hanzalah's death in Jurjan.
324. For these events, see Akhbnr al-Dawlah. 333-39.
The Events of the Year 13 1 127

According to 'Ali b. Muhammad-Abu al-Sari al-Marwazi, Abu
al-Hasan al-Jushami, al-Hasan b. Rashid, Jabalah b. Farrukh and
Hafs b. Shabib: When Nubatah was killed, Ibn Hubayrah wrote to
'Amir b. Dubarah and to his son Dawud b. Yazid b. 'Umar to march
against Qahtabah; they were both in Kirman. They went with fifty
thousand men and halted in (the oasis of) Isbahan at the city of
Jayy325 People used to call Ibn Dubarah's army "the army of armies." Qahtabah sent Mugatil (al-'Akki) against him with Abu Hafs
al-Muhallabi, Abu Hammad al-Marwazi the mawla of the Banu Sulaym, Musa b. 'Aqil, Aslam b. Hassan, Dhu'ayb b. al-Ash'ath, Kulthiim b. Shabib, Malik b. Tarif, al-Mukhariq b. Ghifar and al-Haytham b. Ziyad, with al-'Akki in command. They marched to Qumm
and halted there. Word reached Ibn Dubarah that al-Hasan b.
Qahtabah had camped among the people of Nihawand, and he
wanted to go to them and aid them. News of this reached al-'Akki so
he sent to inform Qahtabah of it. Qahtabah then dispatched Zuhayr
b. Muhammad to Qashan326 while al-'Akki quit Qumm, leaving
behind Tarif b. Ghaylan. However, Qahtabah wrote to al-'Akki ordering him to wait until he could catch up with him and to then return to Qumm. Qahtabah joined the latter's forces to his own. Then
'Amir b. Dubarah came against them-the distance between him
and Qahtabah's force was one farsakh (6km). 'Amin stayed there
some days, and then Qahtabah marched against his forces and the
two armies met in battle .127 Al-'Akki, who had Khalid b. al-Barmak
with him, commanded Qahtabah's right wing, and 'Abd al-Hamid b.
Rib'i al-Ta'i, assisted by Malik b. Tarif, commanded the left wing.
Qahtabah had twenty thousand men and Ibn Dubarah a hundred
thousand-it is even said he had a hundred and fifty thousand.
Qahtabah gave orders for a copy of the Qur'an, which was fixed on a
lance, and then proclaimed, "Men of Syria, we would call you to
what is in this Book!" They then reviled him with foul language, so
Qahtabah sent the order, "Attack them!" Al-'Akki attacked the Syrians and the forces rushed into combat. There was not much fighting before the Syrians were routed, suffering extensive casualties.
325. For this city, see LeStrange, Lands, 203.
326. See LeStrange, Lands, 209.
327. That is, at the battle of Jabalq , a place in the district of Isfahan (Isbahan). See
Yaqut, Mu'jam , II, 2. For the battle, perhaps the most important of the 'Abbasid revolution, see Akhhdr al-Dawlah, 343ff; Ibn Khayyat, II, 418ff; Azdi, t 16.
151

Qahtabah's forces took possession of their camp and obtained quantities of weapons, equipment and slaves that could not be reckoned.
Qahtabah sent word of the victory by Shurayh b . 'Abdallah to his
son al-Hasan.
'Ali reported the following from Abu al-Dhayyal : When Qahtabah

met 'Amir b. Dubarah (in battle) the latter had with him leading
men from Khurasan, including Salih b . al-Hajjaj al-Numayri, Bishr
b. Bistam b . 'Imran b. al-Fadl al-Burjumi , and 'Abd al-'Aziz b. Shammas al-Mazini . Ibn Dubarah was commanding only cavalry while
Qahtabah had both horse and foot soldiers, so his men shot arrows
at the horses, and Ibn Dubarah fled back into his camp . Qahtabah
pursued him, so Ibn Dubarah quit his camp and gave the call, "To
me!" Nonetheless, his people fled and he was killed.
161 'Ali reported the following from al -Mufaddal b . Muhammad alDabbi : When Qahtabah met Ibn Dubarah , Dawud b . Yazid b. 'Umar
fled. 'Amir asked about him and was told, "He's fled." At this, 'Amir
exclaimed, " God has cursed our wickedness with this reversal!"
Then he fought on until he was killed.
According to 'Ali - Hafs b . Shabib - an eyewitness with Qahtabah: I've never seen any army that collected what the Syrians had
collected at Isbahan in the way of horses , weapons and slaves. It was
as if we had conquered a city. We obtained more guitars (barabit),
drums and flutes than one might count. There was not a tent or
shelter that we entered in which we did not find a wineskin, be it
large or small . Thus one of the poets said:
When we overthrew the chiefs of Mudar,328
Qahtabah cut them up a dry fare;
They called on Marwan as one calls on the Lord.

In this year befell Qahtabah' s battle at Nihawand with the troops
of Marwan b . Muhammad who had taken refuge there . Also, it is
said that the battle at Jabalq in Isbahan occurred on Saturday, the
twenty-third of Rajab 131 (March 18, 749).
328, A line is missing in the text and is supplied by the Cairo edition.
The Events of the Year 13 r 129
Qahtabah's Battle at Nihdward

'Ali reported the following from al-Hasan b. Rashid and Zuhayr b.
al-Hunayd: When Ibn Dubarah was killed, Qahtabah wrote of it to
his son al -Hasan'" (at Nihawand). When the letter arrived, he
cried, "Allahu Akbar!" and so did all his army. Then they shouted
that Ibn Dubarah had been killed. At this, 'Asim b. 'Umayr alSughdi said, "These people would never shout about killing Ibn Dubarah unless it were true, so go out to Hasan b. Qahtabah and his followers and don't stand about for them; leave any way you please
before his father comes to him or sends him reinforcements." At
this, the footsoldiers said, "You'll go out as cavaliers on horseback
and then run off and leave us!" Then Malik b. Adham al-Bahili said,
"Ibn Hubayrah has written to me. I will not retreat until he comes
to me." At this, they stayed where they were, and Qahtabah stayed
at Isbahan for twenty days. He then moved to join al-Hasan at Nihawand, where he besieged the city for some months. Then he offered
the defenders a safe-conduct, but they rejected it, so he set up mangonels against them. When Malik saw that, he sought a guarantee
for himself and the Syrian troops, unbeknownst to the Khurasanis
(in his forces). Qahtabah gave him his guarantee, and kept his word.
Not one of these men was killed, but all the men of Khurasan who
were in Nihawand were slain except al-Hakam b. Thabit b. Abi
Mas'ar al- Hanafi. Among the people of Khurasan who were killed
were Abu Kamil, Hatim b. al-Harith b. Shurayh, the son of Nasr b.
Sayyar, 'Asim b. 'Umayr, 'Ali b. 'Agil and Bayhas b. Budayl of the
Banu Sulaym of the people of the Jazirah, and a man of Quraysh
known as al-Bukhturi who was a descendant of 'Umar b. alKhattab- some assert that the family of al-Kattab do not recognize
him-and Qatan b. Harb al-Hilali.
According to 'Ali-Yahya b. al-Hakam al-Hamadhani-one of
their mawlas: When Malik b. Adham made terms with Qahtabah,
Bayhas b. Budayl said, "Ibn Adham has made peace at our expense,
and by God we will surely murder him." The attackers from Khurasan found that the gates had been opened for them, and they entered
329. SeeAkhbaral-Dawlah. 336-38, 353-56.
171

the city . One of the Khurasanis with Qahtabah then let him in
( 81 through a protective wall.
Other sources say that Qahtabah sent to the Khurasanis inside
Nihawand inviting them to come out to him, and offered them a
guarantee of safeconduct, but they refused. He then sent the same
offer to the Syrian troops there , who accepted . They entered an
agreement after they had been besieged for three months : Sha'ban,
Ramadan, and Shawwal (April, May and June 749). The Syrians sent
word to Qahtabah , requesting him to keep the people of the city
occupied so that they might open the gate unperceived.
Qahtabah did this, keeping the people of the city busy in combat.
Then the Syrians opened the gate that they were defending. When
the Khurasani troops who were inside the city saw the Syrians going
out, they asked what they were doing. The Syrians told them, "We
have made terms for ourselves and for you." The Khurasani leaders
(inside the city) went out to Qahtabah , who put each one of them in
the care of an officer from Khurasan. Later he ordered his herald to
proclaim, " Let everyone who has a prisoner from those who came
out to us from the city cut off his head and bring it to me." They
acted accordingly, and not one of those who had fled from Abu Muslim to the walled city remained alive, except for the Syrians. These
he set free, exacting their promise not to conspire with the enemy
against him.
Returning to the account of 'Ali on the authority of his shaykhs:
When the Syrians and Khurasanis who were in Nihawand had let
Qahtabah inside the walls, 'Asim b . 'Umayr told them , " Woe to
you! Now they enter the walls!" 'Asim then went out. He had already put on his breastplate and a black garment he had. He was met
by a Shakiri trooper who had been attached to him in Khurasan, who
recognized him and said, " You're wearing black now?" "Yes," he replied. At this, the Shakiri brought him to an underground conduit,
and told a slave of his , " Watch over him , and let no one come upon
him here ." Then Qahtabah ordered, " Whoever has a prisoner with
him, bring him to me." At this the slave who was entrusted with
'Asim said, " I have a prisoner that I fear will be taken from me by
force." A man from the Yamani troops heard this and said, "Let me
see him." The slave showed 'Asim to the Yamani, and he recognized
him. He went off to Qahtabah and informed him, saying , " Here is
one head of the tyrants!" Then Qahtabah sent for'Asim and put him
to death. But he kept his word to the men of Syria so that not a
single one of them was killed.
According to'Ali-Abu al-Hasan al -Khurasani and Jabalah b. Farrukh: When Qahtabah came to Nihawand and al-Hasan was laying
siege to it, Qahtabah took charge and sent al-Hasan to Marj alQal'ah. 0 Al-Hasan sent Khaim b. Khuzaymah on to Hulwan
where 'Abdallah b. al-'Ala' al-Kindi was governing, and 'Abdallah
fled the city leaving it unprotected.
'Ali reported the following from Muhriz b. Ibrahim: When Qahtabah conquered Nihawand, people wanted to write to Marwan using
Qahtabah's name, and they said, "This is an abominable name; turn
it around ." It then came out "Habathaq." At this they said, "The
first name, awful as it is, is easier than that." Hence they changed it
back to Qahtabah " '
191
Abu 'Awn's Battle at Shahrazur

In this year occurred Abu 'Awn's battle at Shahrazur. 'Ali reported
the following from Abu al-Hasan and Jabalah b. Farrukh: Qahtabah
sent Abu 'Awn 'Abd al-Malik b. Yazid al-Khurasani and Malik b.
Tarif 2 al-Khurasani with four thousand men to Shahrazur, where
'Uthman b. Sufyan commanded the advance forces of 'Abdallah b.
Marwan. Abu 'Awn and Malik came up and camped two farsakhs
(1 x km) from Shahrazur. They held their positions for a day and a
night, and then fought 'Uthman b. Sufyan on the twentieth of Dhu
al-Hijjah 131 August 10, 749). 'Uthman b. Sufyan was killed, and
Abu 'Awn sent Ismail b . al-Mutawakkil with the good news. Abu
'Awn then stayed in the area of Mosul.
Some say that 'Uthman b. Sufyan was not killed but fled to 'Abdallah b. Marwan, while Abu 'Awn decimated his army and killed
an enormous number of his followers after a violent battle . It is said
that Qahtabah sent Abu 'Awn to Shahrazur with thirty thousand
men at the order of Abu Muslim himself. They also say that when
news of Abu 'Awn's victory came to Marwan at Harran, he set out 11o1
330. Marj al -Qal'ah (Castle Meadow) was two days travel from Hulwan on the way
to Hamadan, in libal . By the tenth century, it was a large and fine walled town. See
LeStrange, Lands, 192.
3;r. His name was actually Ziyad. Sec El' s.v. Kahtaba b. Shabib.
332. Ibn Athir has "Tarafah."

from there with the troops of Syria, the Jazirah and Mosul. The
Umayyad family rallied their Abna' to Marwan as he moved to meet
Abu 'Awn, until he reached Mosul. He then began to dig a network
of trenches, until he was encamped at the Greater Zab river. Abu
'Awn stayed at Shahrazur for the rest of the month of Dhu al-Hijjah
131 and Muharram 132 (August and early September 749), and he
gave military pay to five thousand men.
Other Events
(I r j This year Qahtabah marched against Ibn Hubayrah. According to
'Ali-Abu al-Hasan, Zuhayr b. Hunayd, Ismail b. Abi Ismail and
Jabalah b. Farrukh: When Ibn Hubayrah's son fled to him from Hulwan, Ibn Hubayrah came out and gave battle to Qahtabah. With him
he had a great number of men that could not be reckoned, as well as
Hawtharah b. Suhayl al-Bihili whom Marwan had sent to reinforce
him. Putting Ziyad b. Sahl al-Ghatafani in charge of his rear guard,
Yazid b. 'Umar b. Hubayrah marched until he came to the battleground of Jalula'.'" He dug in there, clearing out the old trench dug
by the Persians at the Battle of Jalula'. Qahtabah advanced until he
came to Qirmasin."' He then marched to Hulwan and stopped in
Khanigin. Then he left Khanigin, and Ibn Hubayrah left his position,
returning to Daskarah.
Hisham reported the following from Abu Mikhnaf: Qahtabah advanced, while Ibn Hubayrah was entrenching himself at Jalula', and
then went up to 'Ukbara' and crossed the Tigris, moving on until he
stopped at Dimimma below Anbar on the Euphrates.a'S Ibn Hubayrah and those with him then left to get to Kufah before Qahtabah.
He stopped on the east bank of the Euphrates and sent on Hawtharah with fifteen thousand men to Kufah (on the west bank and to
the south). Qahtabah crossed the Euphrates at Dimimma so that he
was on the west side and marched for Kufah, until he reached the
place where Ibn Hubayrah was.
This year the Pilgrimage was led by al-Walid b. 'Urwah b. Muham333. A district and town in the Sawad of Iraq between Daskarah and Khanagin. It
was famous as the site of a great battle won by the Muslims in 16 (637) against the
Sasanians. See LeStrange, Lands, 62; El2 s.v. Djalula'.
334. See LeStrange, Lands, 186-87.
335. See LeStrange, Lands, 5o; 65-66.
133
mad b. 'Atiyyah al-Sa'di, of the Sa'd division of the tribe of Hawazin,

who was brother' s son to 'Abd al-Malik b. Muhammad b. 'Atiyyah
who killed Abu Hamzah al-Khariji. Al-Walid was governor of Madinah on behalf of his uncle, as I have been told by Ahmad b.
Thabit-Ishaq b. Ìsa-Abu Ma'shar. Al-Wagidi and others report
the same.
It has also been reported that al-Walid b. 'Urwah was just outside
Madinah when Marwan wrote to al-Walid's uncle 'Abd al-Malik ordering him to lead the Pilgrimage though he was in the Yaman, busied as we have mentioned elsewhere.' When his uncle was detained, al-Walid forged a letter from him deputing him to lead the
Pilgrimage, and then led it. It has been mentioned that word reached
al-Walid b. 'Urwah that his uncle 'Abd al-Malik had been killed,
whereupon al-Walid went against those who had killed his uncle
and slew a great number of them. He ripped open the bellies of their
women and slew the male children, burning in fires all those who
fell into his hands.
Al-Walid b. 'Urwah al-Sa'di was governor of Mecca, Madinah and
Ta'if this year in place of his uncle 'Abd al-Malik b. Muhammad.
The governor of Iraq was Yazid b. 'Umar b. Hubayrah, while in Kufah al-Hajjaj b. 'Asim al-Muharibi was in charge of the judiciary.
'Abbad b. Mansur al-Naji was in charge of the judiciary in Basrah.
336. See Tabad, II/3, 2014 sub anno 1 30. For his activities in the Yaman see FHA,
175ff.
16
The
Events of the Year
132
(AUGUST 20, 749-AUGUST
8, 7 50)
0
1121 One of the events of this year was the death of Qahtabah b.
Shabib.' '
The Death of Qahtabah and the Reasons For It
The reason is as follows. When Qahtabah stopped at Khanigin en
route to Ibn Hubayrah, who was at Jalula', the latter moved from
Jalula' to Daskarah. According to what is mentioned, Qahtabah sent
his son al-Hasan as a scout to learn news of Ibn Hubayrah. Ibn Hubayrah was returning to his trench at Jalula', and al-Hasan found
him there, so he returned to his father and told him of Ibn Hubayrah's whereabouts.
According to 'Ali b. Muhammad-Zuhayr b. Hunayd, Jabalah b.
Farrukh, Ismail b. Abi Ismail and al-Hasan b. Rashid: When alHasan returned and informed his father concerning Ibn Hubayrah's
activities, Qahtabah asked his companions, "Do you know a road
that will bring us to Kufah bypassing Ibn Hubayrah?" Khalaf b. Muwarri' al-Hamadhani, one of the Banu Tamim, replied, "Yes, I will
337. See Akhbar al-Dawlah, 369-71; Ibn Khayyat, II, 422ff; Azdi, rr8ff; FHA,
194-95; Ya'qubi, Ta'rikh II, 412; Dinawari, 368; Mas'udi, Muruj, VI, 73.
1135
guide you." Qahtabah crossed the Tamarra with him at Rustugbadh

and took the main road until he halted at Buzurg Sabur. Then he
came to 'Ukbara' and crossed the Tigris to Awana.
According to 'Ali-Ibrahim b. Yazid al-Khurasani: Qahtabah
camped at Khanigin when Ibn Hubayrah was at Jalula' with a distance of five farsakhs (3o km) between them. Qahtabah sent out his
scouts to gain information about Ibn Hubayrah, and they returned
and informed him that Ibn Hubayrah had taken up a position.
Qahtabah then ordered Khazim b. Khuzaymah to cross the Tigris.
Khazim crossed over and proceeded between the Tigris and the
Dujayl until he came to Kamaba.1 Qahtabah now wrote to Khazim ordering him to march to Anbar (on the Euphrates) and send
down to him whatever boats and craft he could find to cross with.
Qahtabah would then meet him at Dimimma. He crossed the
Euphrates in Muharram 132 (August-September 749). He sent the
baggage into the open country while the horsemen proceeded with
him along the bank of the Euphrates. In Hubayrah now camped in
the area of Upper Fallujah-' at the mouth of the Euphrates,
twenty-three farsakhs (138 km) from Kufah. Ibn Dubarah's fleeing
men had gathered there with him and Marwan had reinforced him
with Hawtharah b. Suhayl al-Bahili at the head of twenty thousand
Syrian troops.
'Ali reported the following from al-Hasan b. Rashid and Jabalah b.
Farrukh: When Qahtabah left Ibn Hubayrah and marched on Kufah,
Hawtharah b. Suhayl al-Bahili and chiefs of the Syrian army told Ibn
Hubayrah, "Qahtabah has turned toward Kufah. So you set out for
Khurasin and leave him to Marwan, and you'll break him; or more
likely, he'll follow you." But Ibn Hubayrah replied, "That's not how
I see it . He won't follow me and leave Kufah, so the best thing is to
beat him to Kufah."
When Qahtabah had crossed the Euphrates and marched along the
338. See Yiqut, Mu'jam, I, 604 lists a Buzurjsabur as one of the districts jtassnjj of
Baghdad . Rustugbadh was a district of Kufah , see Yiqut , II, 733-34 . For'Ukbari', see
LeStrange, Lands, 5o. The course of his travels was northwest.
339. The Dujayl or "little Tigris " was also known as the Karun. See LeStrange,
Lands, 232ff. The text has Kuthbi ; read Kamabi as in Ms. B. See Yiqut , Mu'jam, IV,
268.
340. Upper and Lower Fallujah were districts between the main stream of the
Euphrates on the west and the Suri Canal on the east , after it bifurcated below the
ruins of Babylon . See LeStrange, Lands, 74.
(1131

river bank, Ibn Hubayrah moved from his camp in the FallUjah district. He put Hawtharah b. Suhayl in charge of his vanguard, ordering him to march to Kufah, so both groups were marching along the
banks of the Euphrates-Ibn Hubayrah between the Euphrates and
the Sura branch, and Qahtabah to the west, adjacent to the open
country. Qahtabah halted, and a bedouin crossed over to him in a
skiff and greeted him peaceably. Qahtabah asked, "What tribe are
you from?" "From Tayy'," he replied. Then the bedouin said to
Qahtabah, "Drink of this water, and give me what you leave over to
drink." Qahtabah filled a bowl and drank, and gave the bedouin to
[141 drink. Then the bedouin said, " Praise be to God, who has delayed
my death until I beheld this army drink of this water!" "Is your
thirst quenched now?" asked Qahtabah. "Yes," replied the bedouin.
"Then who are you from?" Qahtabah asked him. "Of Tayy'," said
the bedouin, "One of the Banu Nabhan." Qahtabah then exclaimed,
"My Imam has spoken truthfully. He said that I shall fight a battle
on this river and have the victory. Brother of the Banu Nabhan, is
there a ford in this place?" "There is, but I don't know it," said the
bedouin. "I can show you who does: al-Sindi b. 'Asamm." Qahtabah
sent for this man, who came with his father and with help, and they
showed him the ford. That evening they came against Ibn Hubayrah's vanguard, twenty thousand men led by Hawtharah.
'Ali reported the following from Shihab al-'Abdi: Qahtabah
camped at Jabbariyyah,'' and he said, "The Imam has spoken
truthfully to me. He informed me that the victory would occur in
this place." He then paid the troops their allowances. The paymaster gave him back sixteen thousand dirhams, more or less, and said,
"You'll do fine, as long as you're like this." The Syrian cavalry met
him, and the bedouins had already showed him the ford, so he said,
"I only wait for a holy month and the eve of 'Ashura'.ii42 This was
the year 132 (749-75o).
As for Hisham b. Muhammad-Abu Mikhnaf: Qahtabah reached

the site of a ford which had been mentioned to him at sundown on
the night of Wednesday, the eighth of Muharram 132 (August 28,
7491 When he came to the ford he rushed blindly forward with some
341. The text is unclear. The Cairo edition gives "al-Jabbariyyah."
342. 'Ashurn', the tenth of the " holy month " of Muharram, marked the anniversary
of the slaying of the Prophet ' s grandson al-Husayn by the Umayyad governor of Iraq
at the Euphrates in the vicinity of Kufah. See EI2 S.V. 'Ashur3' and al-Husayn b. 'Ali.
137
of his men to attack Ibn Hubayrah, whose men turned and fled.
Then they dismounted at the mouth of the Nil Canal, while
Hawtharah continued until he stopped at Qasr Ibn Hubayrah. -143 At
dawn the Khurasanis found that their commander was missing and
reconciled themselves, and al-Hasan b. Qahtabah took command of
the army.
Going back to the account of 'Ali-Shihab al-'Abdi: As for Qahtabah's personal standard-bearer, his mawla Khayran or Yasar, Qahtabah told him, "Cross over!" He said the same to his flag-bearer
Mas'ud b. llaj who was from the Bakr b. WA'il. To his chief of security 'Abd al-Hamid b. Rib'i, called Abu Ghanim, a man of the Banu
Nabhan of Tayy', he called out, "Cross over, Abu Ghanim, and bring
us good news of the plunder!" A group crossed over until they numbered four hundred, whereupon they fought Hawtharah's troops until they denied them access to the water. They met with Muhammad b. Nubatah's forces and fought them. They raised their torches,
and the Syrian troops fled. The 'Abbasid forces then found that
Qahtabah was missing, and they reluctantly acclaimed Humayd b.
Qahtabah as their leader. They appointed a man called Abu Nadr
with two hundred men to see after the baggage, and Humayd pressed
on until he came to Karbala', then to Dayr al-A'war, then to
'Abbasiyyah 340
According to'Ali-Khalid b. al-Asfah and Abu al-Dhayyal: Qahtabah was found, and Abu al-Jahm buried him. Then a prominent man
said, "If anyone knows of some testament of Qahtabah, then let him
inform us of it." Muqatil b. Malik al-'Akki said, "I heard Qahtabah
say, 'If anything happens to me, then al-Hasan is the army's commander.'" The army then gave its allegiance to Humayd who accepted on behalf of al-Hasan, and they sent word to al-Hasan. The
messenger caught up with him outside the village of Shahi,i45 and
al-Hasan came back. Abu al-Jahm gave him Qahtabah's seal, and the
343. The government complex near the Sura Bridge midway between Kufah and
Baghdad . It is frequently confused with Madinat Ibn Hubayrah . See Lassner, 'Abbasid
Rule, 283, n. 41.
344. Yaqut, Mu'jam, II, 644, lists Dayr al-A'war as a place adjacent to Kufah. There
were several places of that name , but none conveniently fit the topographical setting
here. See Yaqut, III, 6ooff for Karbala', the site of al-Husayn b. 'Ali's death. See Ell S.V.
Karbala'.
345. A place near Qadisiyyah. See Yaqut, Mu'jam, 111, 246.

army swore allegiance to him. Al-Hasan said, "If Qahtabah is dead, I
am Qahtabah 's son ." On this night were slain Ibn Nabhan al-Sadusi,
Harb b . Salm b . Ahwaz and 'Isa b . Iyas al-'Adawi and a man of the
Asawira3 called Mus'ab. Those who claimed to have killed
j16j Qahtabah were Ma'n b . ZA'idah and Yahya b . Hudayn.
'Ali reported the following from Abu Dhayyal : They found Qahtabah slain in a ditch , with Harb b. Salm b. Ahwaz slain beside him,
and they supposed that they had killed each other.
'Ali gives the following from 'Abdallah b. Badr: I was with Ibn
Hubayrah on the night Qahtabah attacked . They crossed over to us
and fought us on a quay on which were five horsemen . Ibn Hubayrah
sent Muhammad b. Nubatah who engaged them in combat and we
pushed them back some distance . Then Ma 'n b. Za'idah struck
Qahtabah on the tendon of his shoulder , and the sword went deep.
Qahtabah fell into the water, and they pulled him out. He said, "Tie
up my arm," and they tied it up in a turban . Then he said, " If I die,
throw me into the water so that no one will know I've been killed."
Then the Khurasanis returned the charge , and Ibn Nubatah and the
Syrians were surrounded. They pursued us-one of the patrols on
the flank had already been taken . A group of Khurasanis caught up
with us, and we fought them a long time. Had it not been for two
soldiers of the Syrian army who put up a terrific struggle on our behalf, we would not have been saved . Then one of the Khurasanis said
in Persian, " Leave these dogs!" At this, they went away from us.
Qahtabah died, but before dying he said, "When you get to Kufah,
the Imam 's wazir is Abu Salamah . Put yourselves at his disposal."
After that, Ibn Hubayrah went back to Wasit.
Other reports have been given of Qahtabah's death than those we
have mentioned from 'Ali b . Muhammad's shaykhs. One such account states that when Qahtabah came up opposite Ibn Hubayrah
on the west side of the Euphrates, with the river between them, he
sent Hasan his son on with an advance force , and then ordered 'Abdallah al-Ta'i, Masud b. 'I15j, Asad b. al-Marzuban and their troops
to cross the Euphrates on their horses . They crossed in the late afternoon. The first rider of Ibn Hubayrah 's men they met was speared,
and the others took flight, as far as the bridge over the Sura. Here
346. A Persian military unit that had become mawlas of the Tamim. See Crone,
Slaves on Horses, 38, 237, n. 362.

Suwayd, Ibn Hubayrah's chief of security, opposed them, striking 1171
the leaders and their mounts until he had forced them to retreat to
their position at sundown. The Syrians pressed until they came up
against Masud b. Ilaj and his men, a force that they outnumbered.
Then Qahtabah ordered al-Mukhariq b. Ghiffar, 'Abdallah b. Bassam and Salamah b. Muhammad, who were attached to a contingent
of cavalry, to cross over and help Masud b. Ìlaj. They crossed, and
Muhammad b. Nubatah came against them . He surrounded Salamah and those with him in a village on the bank of the Euphrates.
Salamah and those with him dismounted, and the fighting grew hot.
Muhammad b. Nubatah would attack Salamah and those with him,
and ten or twenty of Salamah's men would be killed. Then Salamah
and his men would attack Muhammad b. Nubatah and kill one or
two hundred of his men. Salamah sent to Qahtabah asking him for
reinforcements, and he sent all his officers to reinforce him. Then
Qahtabah crossed over with his cavalry, ordering every horseman to
carry a footsoldier with him. This was on the eve of the first Thursday of Muharram (August 25, 749). Then Qahtabah attacked Muhammad b. Nubatah and those with him. They fought a violent battle, and Qahtabah put the enemy to flight, forcing them to retreat
until they joined up with Ibn Hubayrah. He then fled as well, seeing
the rout of Ibn Nubatah. The Syrians abandoned their camp and all
that was in it in the way of wealth , weapons, furnishings, vessels
and other things. The rout continued until they cut the pontoon
bridge across the Sarat Canal, and then, retreating all that night,
they came at morning to the mouth of the Nil Canal. When Qahtabah's men greeted the morning, they had already noted that he was
missing, but they kept on hoping to find him until the day was half
spent. Then they gave up hope and realized he had drowned. The officers agreed on al-Masan, his son, and put him in command and
swore to follow him, whereupon he took charge. He ordered that
what was in Ibn Hubayrah's camp be reckoned. He put the booty in
charge of a Khurasani, called Abu al-Nadr,'' with two hundred
horsemen and ordered that it be taken to Kufah in boats. Al-Hasan
moved on with the troops to camp at Karbala', then moved again
and stopped at Sura." After that he halted at Dayr al-A'war, then [r8J
347. The text is al-Naar; it should be read al-Nadr, as in the Cairo edition.
348. That is, the settlement . See Yaqut, Mu'Iam , III, 184.

marched from there and settled at 'Abbasiyyah. Hawtharah was informed of Ibn Hubayrah's flight, and he and such men as were with
him joined Ibn Hubayrah at Wasit.
The cause of Qahtabah's death, according to these authorities,
was what Ahlum b. Ibrahim b. Bassam the mawla of the Banu Layth
stated: When I saw Qahtabah in the Euphrates, his horse had already
carried him until he had nearly crossed over to the side where I was
positioned with my brother Bassam b. Ibrahim who was in charge of
Qahtabah's vanguard. Then I thought of the sons of Nasr b. Sayyar
who had been slain, and of other things. I was apprehensive for my
brother Bassam because of a report that had reached him about
Qahtabah, and I said, "May I never seek revenge again if you are
spared this night." Bassam said, "Then go meet him." Qahtabah's
horse was about to emerge from the Euphrates, while I was standing
on the bank. I struck him with my sword on the forehead. His horse
reared and death came to him quickly, as he fell into the Euphrates
with his weapons.""
A similar account was related by Ibn Husayn al-Sa'di after Ahlum
b. Ibrahim's death. Ibn Husayn said of this, "Were it not that Ahlum
confirmed it as he was dying, I'd not have repeated anything about
it. 11
This year Muhammad b. Khalid al-Qasri rebelled in Kufah and put
on black before al-Hasan b. Qahtabah had entered the city. Ibn Hubayrah's governor left the city, and al-Hasan occupied it 350
Muhammad b. Khdlid al-Qasr Revolts at Kufah
(191
Hisham reported the following from Abu Mikhnaf: Muhammad b.

Khalid rebelled in Kufah on the eve of 'Ashura', while Ziyad b. Salih
al-Harithi was governing the city. 'Abd al-Rahman b. Bashir al-'Ijli
was in charge of security for him. Muhammad put on black and
marched to the fortress (qasr), and Ziyad b. Salih, 'Abd al-Rahman b.
Bashir al-'Ijli and the Syrians they had with them moved out, aban349. Bassam had defected to Abu Muslim after first serving Nasr in Khurasin. He
was to lead an uprising against the 'Abbasids in 133 (749-75o) at Tadmur. He had
been in trouble with Abu Muslim for taking private revenge on members of the Bakr
b. Wa'il. See Tabari, 11/3, 1996.
350. See Akhbdr al-Dawlah, 371-73; FHA, 195ff; Azdi, 119ff; Ya'qubi, Ta'rikh, II,
412-13.
141
doning the castle, which Muhammad b. Khalid occupied . When he

woke on Friday, the second morning after Qahtabah's death, he
learned that Hawtharah and those with him had camped at Madinat
Ibn Hubayrah,3S1 and were getting ready to march against Muhammad. Most of the common sort who were with Muhammad split
from him as soon as word reached them that Hawtharah was
camped at Madinat Ibn Hubayrah and was coming to fight him. The
exceptions were some horsemen from the Yamani cavalry drawn
from those who had fled from Marwan , and Muhammad's mawlas.
Abu Salamah al-Khallal, who had not yet declared himself, sent
word to Muhammad b. Khalid ordering him to go out of the castle
and get to the lowlands of the Euphrates . He feared for Muhammad
due to the small number (of men) with him and the large number
with Hawtharah -neither of the two groups had as yet learned that
Qahtabah had perished . Muhammad b. Khalid declined to act until
it was full day. Ibn Hawtharah prepared to march against Muhammad when word reached him that few supported Muhammad and
that the common people had abandoned him. While Muhammad
was still at the fortress, one of his scouts came to him and said,
"Horsemen are coming -Syrians ." At this, he sent a detachment of
his mawlas. They had positioned themselves at the door of the
house of 'Umar b. Sa'd, when the Syrian standards came into view.
They prepared to fight them, when the Syrians called out, "We are
of Bajilah!3s2 Malih b . Khalid al-Bajali is with us, and we've come to
enter the service of the Amir! " They then entered the fortress. Then
came an even greater body of horsemen , with a man of the family of
Bahdal . When Hawtharah saw what his followers were doing, he and
those with him left for Wasit . That night Muhammad b . Khalid
wrote to Qahtabah , not knowing he had perished , informing him
that he had prevailed in Kufah . He dispatched the message with a
fast rider who then came before al-Hasan b . Qahtabah. When he
handed him Muhammad b . Khalid's letter, al-Hasan read it to his
people, and then set out for Kufah. Muhammad stayed in Kufah Fri-
day, Saturday, and Sunday, and al-Hasan b . Qahtabah came to him (2oJ
early on Monday morning . They then went to Abu Salamah who
35 r. Not to be confused with Qasr b. Hubayrah , this government complex was situated adjacent to Kufah . See n. 343 above.
352. Khalid b. 'Abdallah al -Qasri had been of the tribe of Bajilah. Hence the tribesmen now deserted to his son.
142 The ` Abbasid Revolution

was with the Banu Salamah and brought him out. Abu Salamah
camped at Nukhaylah for two days, and then set out for Hammam
A'yan,353 sending Hasan b. Qahtabah to Wasit to fight Ibn Hubayrah.
Àli b. Muhammad reported the following from 'Umarah, the
mawla of Jibra'il b. Yahya: The Khurasanis took the oath to al-Hasan after Qahtabah, and went to Kufah which was commanded at
that time by 'Abd al-Rahman b. Bashir al-Ijli. A man of the Banu
Dabbah came to him and said, "Al-Hasan b. Qahtabah will enter today or tomorrow." 'Abd al-Rahman said, "You act as if you'd come
to threaten me!" He then gave him three hundred lashes. Then 'Abd
a1-Rahman fled, and Muhammad b. Khalid al-Qasri put on black. He
came out with eleven men, called on the people to give their allegiance, and took control of Kufah. Al-Hasan came in the next day.
They had been asking on the way, "Where is Abu Salamah the wazir
of the family of Muhammad staying? "354 People guided them to
him, and they came and stood at his door. He came out to them, and
they presented him with one of Qahtabah's horses, which he
mounted and rode as far as the cemetery (jabbdnah) of the Sabi` 355
The Khurasanis then swore allegiance to him. Abu Salamah Hafs
b. Sulayman the mawla of al-Sabi', who was called "wazir of the
family of Muhammad," stayed where he was and appointed Muhammad b. Khalid b. 'Abdallah al-Qasri to govern Kufah, and he was
called the Amir until Abu al-'Abbas appeared.
'Ali reported the following from Jabalah b. Farrukh, Abu Salih alMarwazi, Ùmarah the mawla of Jibril, Abu al-Sari and others who
knew about the beginnings of the 'Abbasid propaganda : Abu Salamah sent al-Hasan b. Qahtabah against Ibn Hubayrah at Wasit.356
The officers he attached to his command included Khazim b. Khu-
353. Hammam A'yan was actually located in Hirah, the old Christian town that
stood three farsakhs (18 km) from Kufah . The area of Hirah had enjoyed a revival in
late Umayyad times when it actually became the government center of Kufah. It was
only natural, then, that the ' Abbasid armies would prefer to situate themselves in an
established military camp some distance from the unruly population of Kufah. Hammam A'yan functioned as the first of several 'Abbasid administrative centers in Iraq.
See Lassner, 'Abbasid Rule, 143-51 , especially 143-45, also n . 29. J.L.)
354 Abu Salamah 's role in what followed is discussed in detail by Sharon, 'Allyat,
237ff. See also Lassner, 'Abbasid Rule, 59-64, 145-47. (JL)
355. See Yaqut, Mu'jam , II, 16-17.
356. See Ibn Khayyat, II 424ff; Azdi , 125ff.

zaymah, Mugatil b . Hakim al-'Akki, Khafaf b. Mansur, Said b.
'Amr, Ziyad b. Mushkan, al-Fadl b. Sulayman, 'Abd al-Karim b.
Muslim, 'Uthman b. Nahik, Zuhayr b. Muhammad al-Azdi, al-Hay- 1211
tham b. Ziyad, Abu Khalid al-Marwazi and others; altogether sixteen officers, with al-Hasan b. Qahtabah heading them . He sent
Humayd b. Qahtabah to Madain with officers, including 'Abd alRahman b. Nu'aym and Masud b. 'Ilij, each officer accompanied by
his men. In addition, Abu Salamah sent al -Musayyab b. Zuhayr and
Khalid b. Barmak to Dayr Qunna,357 and al-Muhallabi and Sharahil
with four hundred men to 'Ayn Tamr. Bassam b. Ibrahim b. Bassam
was sent to Ahwaz where 'Abd al-Wahid b. 'Umar b. Hubayrah was.
When Bassam got there, 'Abd al-Wahid left Ahwaz for Basrah. Bassam then sent a letter with Hafs b. al-Sabi' to Sufyan b. Mu'iwiyah
(al-Muhallabi ) appointing him to govern Basrah . Al-Harith Abu
Ghassan al -Hirithi, one of the Banu al-Dayyan who had some pretensions to being a soothsayer, said, "This appointment will not be
carried out." Nonetheless Hafs forwarded the letter to Sufyan. Then
Salm b. Qutaybah358 fought Sufyan, and so his appointment came
to nought.
Abu Salamah left where he was and camped at Hammam A'yan,

some three farsakhs (18 km) from Kiifah, while Muhammad b. Khalid resided in Kufah.
The reason that Salm b. Qutaybah fought Sufyan b. Mu'awiyah b.
Yazid b . al-Muhallab, according to what is mentioned , is that when
Abu Salamah al-Khallal assigned governors to the provinces , he sent
Bassam b. Ibrahim the mawla of the Banu Layth against 'Abd alWahid b. 'Umar b. Hubayrah who was at Ahwaz, and Bassam fought
him until he chased him out. 'Abd al-Wahid then joined Salm b.
Qutaybah al-Bahili in Basrah. Salm was governing for Yazid b.
'Umar b. Hubayrah. Abu Salamah wrote to al-Hasan b. Qahtabah to
send whomever he thought best among his officers to fight Salm. He
wrote to Sufyan b. Mu'awiyah appointing him governor of Basrah
and commanding him to proclaim there the claims of the Banu 'Ab- 1221
bas in the city, to summon people to al-Qa'im among them, and to
3S7. Dayr Qunna, also known as the Monastery of Marmari , was just east of the
Tigris above Dayr al-'Aqul , the "Monastery of the River Loop," with a town which
was the chief place of the Middle Nahrawan district . Yaqut states that it had over a
hundred places for monks and high walls like a castle. See LeStrange , Lands. 36-37.
358. That is, the local governor of the Umayyads.

drive out Salm b. Qutaybah.3i9 Sufyan wrote to Salm, ordering him
to vacate the Government Palace, and informed him of what Abu
Salamah had in mind, on the basis of reports he had received. However, Salm refused to comply and prepared his defense. All the Yamanis rallied to Sufyan, with their allies among the Rabiàh and others. One of Ibn Hubayrah's officers went over to him-Ibn
Hubayrah had sent this officer with two thousand men of the Kalb
tribe to assist Salm. They concurred on a plan to march on Salm b.
Qutaybah, and Salm prepared for the battle. Rallying to Salm were
the Qays and divisions of the Mudar over whom he had control, as
well as those Umayyads and their mawlas who were at Basrah. The
Banu Umayyah hastened to come to his aid.
Sufyan advanced on a Thursday in the month of Safar 132 (25 September or 2, 9, or 16 October 749. Salm came to the Mirbad of
Basrah360 and took his stand there at the camel-market. He sent
horsemen on the Mirbad Road and other roads into Basrah, to encounter those whom Sufyan sent against him. He also proclaimed,
"Whoever brings a head shall have a thousand." Mu'awiyah b. Sufyan b. Mu'awiyah came with a special force of Rabiàh, and the cavalry3R1 of the tribe of Tamim met him on the road which connects
with (the settlement of ) the Banu 'Amir from the Mirbad Road-at
the house which became the property of 'Umar b. Habib. One of the
Tamim speared Mu'awiyah's horse, and it reared and threw him. At
this, a man of the Banu Dabbah, called Iyad, threw himself upon
him and killed him, and he carried his head off to Salm b. Qutaybah,
who gave him a thousand dirhams for it. Sufyan was shattered by
the slaying of his son, and he and those with him retreated. He and
the people of his house departed immediately and traveled to Qasr
al-Abyad,ifi1 and they occupied it. Then they moved from there to
Kaskar.
After Salm got the upper hand at Basrah, Jabir b. Tawbah al-Kilabi
359. The term al- Qa'im is a title for a promised deliverer, a "messianic " title. See
Ibn 'Abd Rabbihi, IV, 476, also above. The text has "yaqiya Salm," emended by the
Cairo edition as yanfiya.
360. The Mirbad of Basrah was the famous caravan quarter at the western end of
the city. See LeStrange, Lands, 45.
361. The text has rajul, emended by the Cairo edition as khayl.
362. The identification of this place is not given . It is not to be confused with locations of that name situated at Ctesiphon and in Fars. This place was between Basrah
and Wasit, the major city of the Kaskar district. For Kaskar, see LeStrange, Lands, 39.

and al-Walid b. 'Utbah al -Firasi, descendants of 'Abd al - Rahman b.
Samurah, advanced toward him with four thousand men. Ibn Hubayrah had written to them to go to the aid of Salm while he was at 1231
Ahwaz. The next day Jabir and the men with him appeared at the
dwellings of the Muhallab and the rest of the Azd. They attacked
them, but the Azd who remained there fought them in a fierce battle
until many of the defenders were slain . The Azd then fled, and Jabir
and his followers took their women captive, destroyed the houses
and plundered for three days . Salm stayed on at Basrah until he received word that Ibn Hubayrah was slain, whereupon he left the
city. Then the descendants of al-Harith b. 'Abd al-Muttalib who
were in Basrah gathered behind Muhammad b. Ja'far and selected
him as leader. He governed for a few days, until Abu Malik b. 'Abdallah b. Asid al-Khuza'i came to Basrah on behalf of Abu Muslim
and governed for five days. When Abu al-'Abbas became Caliph, he
gave the city to Sufyan b . Mu'awiyah to govern.
In this year the oath of allegiance was given to Abu al -'Abbas 'Abdallah b. Muhammad b. 'Ali b. 'Abdallah b. al-'Abbas b. 'Abd alMuttalib b. Hashim on the eve of Friday , the thirteenth of Rabi' II
(November 26, 749). This is according to Ahmad b. Thabit-someone - Ishaq b. Isa-Abu al -Ma'shar. Hisham b . Muhammad said the same . As for al-Waqidi, he says: Abu al-'Abbas had allegiance sworn to him as Caliph at Madinah in Jumada I 132
(December 6, 749-January 4, 75o). Al-Wagidi also says that Abu alMa'shar told him it was in the month of Rabi' 1 132 (October
18-November 16, 749), and Abu Ma'shar is the trustworthy
authority.
6
The Caliphate of Abu Al-Àbbas
Àbdallah b. Muhammad
b. Àli b. Àbdallah b. Àbbas

to
The Origins of His Caliphate

According to what has been mentioned as coming from God's Messenger, may God bless him, it all began when he informed al-'Abbas
b. 'Abd al- Muttalib that he would pass the caliphate to his descendants. His descendants therefore never stopped expecting it, and
passed on the tradition among themselves.
According to 'Ali b. Muhammad - Ismail b. al-Hasan-Rashid b.
Kurayb : Abu Hashim ( b. Muhammad b. 'Ali b. Abi Talib ) went to
Syria and met Muhammad b. 'Ali b . 'Abdallah b . 'Abbas and said,
"Cousin, I have religious knowledge ('ilm) which I shall leave to you
by default . Do not divulge it to anyone ; this authority which men
long for will be in your family ." He said, " I knew it already; by no
means let anyone hear it from you!"
According to 'Ali - Sulayman b. Dawud-Khalid b. 'Ajlan: When

Ibn al-Ash' ath opposed al-Hajjaj b. Yusuf and the latter wrote of it to
'Abd al-Malik b . Marwan, 'Abd al- Malik sent a message to Khalid,
124)

son of Yazid b. Mu'awiyah, informing him of developments. Yazid
replied, "If the rupture (fatq) is in Sijistan, then have no fear; we
need only worry if it comes from Khurasan. 1
'Ali reported the following from al-Hasan b. Rashid, Jabalah b.
Farriikh al-Taji, Yahya b. Tufayl Nu'man b. Sari, Abu Hafs al-Azdi
and others: The Imam Muhammad b. 'Ali b. 'Abdallah b. 'Abbas
said, "There are three turning points for us: the death of the profligate Yazid b. Mu'*iyah, the turn of the first century, and disruption
in Ifrigiyah. With that, propagandists will call men to our cause,
then our helpers will advance from the east until the hooves of their
horses strike the lands of the Maghrib and extract the treasures hidden there by tyrants." When Yazid b. Abi Muslim was slain in Ifriqiyah and the Berbers revolted, Muhammad b. 'Ali sent a man to
Khurasan, ordering him to call men to the Chosen One, not mentioning any other name.
We have already mentioned the story of Muhammad b. 'Ali and
the propagandists whom he sent to Khurasan.' Then Muhammad
(251 b. 'Ali died, appointing his son Ibrahim as his legatee. Ibrahim sent
Abu Salamah Hafs b. Sulayman the mawla of al-Sabi' to Khurasan,
with letters to the naqibs there. They received his letters and Abu
Salamah remained with them. Then he returned to Ibrahim, who
sent him back (to Khurasan) with Abu Muslim, whose story we have
mentioned earlier. A letter from Ibrahim b. Muhammad to Abu
Muslim then fell into the hands of Marwan b. Muhammad. It was an
answer to a letter from Abu Muslim, in which Ibrahim ordered him
to kill everyone who spoke Arabic in Khurasan. At this Marwan
wrote to his governor in Damascus, ordering him to write to his colleague in the Balga' to go to I;lumaymah, seize Ibrahim b. Muhammad, and send him to Marwan."
363. This statement is typical of the many forebodings the Umayyads allegedly had
of the revolt in Khurasan and the coming of 'Abbasid rule. These traditions were to
establish the legitimacy of 'Abbasid claims. The turn of the first Islamic century was
to have ushered in the Messianic age. Various 'Abbasid traditions deal with these expectations and tie them to the transfer of authority from Abu Hashim to Muhammad
b. 'Ali. See Kufi, Futuh, VIII, 153 and Ibn 'Abd Rabbihi, IV, 476. A full study of these
traditions is being prepared by 1. Lassner. (I.L.)
364. See Tabari, II/3, 1358 sub anno too.
365. The internment of Ibrahim al-Imam is a complex problem. Later'Abbasid tradition makes him out to be a revolutionary martyr. For a detailed discussion of his internment, death and succession, see Sharon, 'Aliyat, 237ff, which includes full references to primary sources. (J.L.)

According to Abu Zayd 'Umar b. Shabbah-'Isa b. 'Abdallah b.
Muhammad b. 'Umar b. 'Ali b. Abi Talib-'Uthman b. 'Urwah b.
Muhammad b. Muhammad b. 'Ammar b. Yasir: I was with Abu
Ja'far at Humaymah and his two sons Muhammad and Ja 'far. I was
bouncing them on my knee, when Abu Ja'far said, "What are you doing? Don't you see what's happening?" I looked, and there were the
messengers of Marwan looking for Ibrahim b. Muhammad. I said,
"Let me go out to them." He said, "You would go out of my house,
and you're the descendant of 'Ammar b. Yasir? "I They seized the
doors of the mosque when (the 'Abbasids) were at dawn prayer, and
then said to the Syrians'' who were with them, "Where's Ibrahim
b. Muhammad?" They told them, "That's him there." And they
took him. When Marwan had ordered them to seize Ibrahim, he had
described the appearance of Abu al-'Abbas, as he found it in books
that such a one would kill the Umayyads. When they brought him
Ibrahim, Marwan said, "This is not the man I described to you!"
They said, "We did not see such a one as you described." He sent
them back to look for him, but the 'Abbasids were warned and fled
from him to Iraq '
According to 'Umar-'Abdallah b. Kathir b. al-Hasan al'Abdi-'Ali b. Musa-his father: Marwan b. Muhammad sent a (261
messenger to Humaymah to bring him Ibrahim b. Muhammad, describing him to him, and the messenger came and found that the description fitted Abu al-'Abbas 'Abdallah b. Muhammad. When
Ibrahim b. Muhammad appeared and was given safety, people told
the messenger, "You were ordered to bring Ibrahim, but this is 'Abdallah!" When this was made clear to him he let Abu al-'Abbas go,
and he took Ibrahim and departed with him. Musa said, "We set out
with him, I and a crowd of the Banu 'Abbas and their mawlas. The
messenger went off with Ibrahim, who had with him a concubine
(umm walad) of whom he was very fond. We told Ibrahim, "Only
one man came for you, so come, let us kill him. Then we'll turn off
366. 'Ammar had been the staunch supporter of 'All b. Abi Talib. His father, Yasir,
had been tortured by the Meccan ancestors of the Umayyads in the time of the
Prophet. It was therefore not politic to be seen leaving the house of an 'Abbasid to
confront them. See E12 s .v. 'Ammar b. Yasir.
367. Following the Cairo edition.
368. This is another of the apocalyptical traditions spoken of earlier . See n. 363
above.

for Kufah where the people are our Shi'ah ." He replied, " That's for
you to do." We said, " Wait until we get to the road that takes us to
Iraq ." So we went on until we reached the fork where one road goes
off to Iraq while the other goes on to the Jazirah. Then we made
camp. Whenever Ibrahim stopped for the night, he would withdraw
to the place of his concubine . The time came for us to do what we
had agreed on, and we called out to him to come . He got up to come
out, but his concubine threw herself on him and cried , " This is no
time for you to leave ; what's making you go?" He went aside with
her and explained to her, and she said, " I conjure you by God not to
kill this man and bring misfortune on your family ! By God, if you
slay him Marwan will kill every member of the family of 'Abbas in
Humaymah ." She wouldn't let go of him until he'd sworn to her not
to do it . When he came out to where we were and informed us, we
said, "You know best."
'Abdallah says that a son of 'Abd al-Hamid b. Yalhya the secretary
of Marwan told his father : " I asked Marwan b. Muhammad, 'Are
you suspicious of me?"No,' he replied . So I asked him, 'Is Ibrahim
related to you by marriage ?' ' No,' he said . I told him, 'Well, in my
opinion this is what you must do-give him a wife and take a wife
from him . Then if he is victorious you will have tied a knot between
you that will not reduce you to beggary ; and if you beat him, the
marriage won't dishonor you.' He told me, 'Woe to you! By God, if I
1271 knew he was the one [foretold] I'd hurry to do it, but he's not the
man for that.'
It is mentioned that when Ibrahim b. Muhammad was seized to be
taken to Marwan, he foretold his death to the people of his house
who accompanied his departure. He ordered them to go to Kufah
with his brother, Abu al-'Abbas 'Abdallah b. Muhammad, and to
hear and obey him. Then he bequeathed his authority to Abu al'Abbas, appointing him as his successor . At this, Abu al-Àbbas set
out with the people of his house for Kufah . Among them were 'Abdallah b. Muhammad and Dawud b. 'Isa; Salih, Ismail, 'Abdallah
and 'Abd al-Samad the sons of 'Ali; Yahya b. Muhammad and 'Isa b.
Musa b. Muhammad b. 'Ali; 'Abd al-Wahhab and Muhammad the
two sons of Ibrahim; Musa b. Dawud and Yahya b. Ja'far b. Tammam. They traveled until they arrived in Kufah in Safar (ca. September i5-October 17, 750, and Abu Salamah put them up in the
house of Walid b. Sa'd, the mawla of the Banu Hashim, situated

among the Banu Awd. He concealed their business for some forty
nights from all the officers and the Shi'ah. According to what is
mentioned, Abu Salamah wanted to change the succession to the
family of Abu Talib when word reached him of the death of Ibrahim
b. Muhammad.
'Ali b. Muhammad reported the following from Jabalah b. Farrukh, Abu al-Sari and others: The Imim came to Kufah with some of
the people of his House, and Abu al-Jahm said to Abu Salamah,
"What is the Imam doing?" He replied, "He still has not come." But
Abu al-Jahm pressed him until Abu Salamah said, "You ask too
many questions. This is not the time for him to emerge." Finally
Abu Humayd met a servant of Abu al-'Abbas, called Sabiq al-Khuwarizmi, and asked him where his masters were. He informed Abu
Humayd that they were in Kufah, and that Abu Salamah had told
them to conceal themselves. At this he went with Abu Humayd to
Abu al-Jahm and informed him about the 'Abbasids. Abu al-Jahm
then sent Abu Humayd with Sabiq to learn where they were staying
in Kufah, and he came back bringing with him Ibrahim b. Salamah, a
man with the 'Abbasid family. He told Abu al-Jahm about their
lodging, that the Imam was staying among the Banu Awd, and that
when they arrived the Imam had sent to ask Abu Salamah for a hundred dinars, but he had not sent the money. Then Abu al-Jahm and (28j
Abu Humayd and Ibrahim went to Musa b. Ka'b and told him the
story, and they sent the Imam two hundred dinars. Abu al-Jahm
then went to Abu Salamah and questioned him about the Imam.
Abu Salamah told him, "This is no time for him to come out, for
Wasit has not been conquered.1MI Abu al-Jahm went back to Musa
b. Ka'b and informed him, and they decided to meet the Imam. Then
Musa b. Ka'b, Abu al-Jahm, 'Abd al-Hamid b. Rib'i and Salamah b.
Muhammad, Ibrahim b. Salamah and 'Abdallah al-Tai,
Ishaq b. Ibrahim, Sharahil, 'Abdallih b. Bassam, Abu Humayd
Muhammad b. Ibrahim, Sulayman b. al-Aswad and Muhammad b.
al-Husayn all went to the Imam. Word of this got to Abu Salamah
and he made inquiries about them and was told, "They rode to
Kufah on some errand they had."
The group came to Abu al-'Abbas, entered into his presence, and
369. That is, the Umayyad capital of Iraq held by Ibn Hubayrah , the governor of the
province.

said, "Which of you is 'Abdallah b. Muhammad b. al-Harithiyyah?"
"This one," the 'Abbasids said . The officers then saluted him as the
Prophet 's successor. Musa b . Ka'b and Abu al-Jahm left the last, remaining with the Imam. Then Abu Salamah sent to Abu al-Jahm,
asking, "Where have you been ?" He replied, " I rode to my Imam."
At this, Abu Salamah rode to the 'Abbasids . Abu al-Jahm then sent
word to Abu Humayd, " Abu Salamah is on his way to you. By no
means let him go in to the Imam unless he is alone." So when Abu
Salamah arrived they forbade him to go in accompanied by anyone.
Thus he entered alone and greeted Abu al -'Abbas as successor of the
Prophet.
On Friday, Abu al-'Abbas went out on a piebald horse, and prayed
with the people ." 'Ammar the mawla of Jibra 'il and Abu
'Abdallah al- Sulami reported that when Abu Salamah greeted Abu
al-'Abbas as Caliph, Abu Humayd said to him, "He's Caliph in spite
[291 of you, you mother-sucker !" And Abu al-'Abbas said, "Easy does it."
It is mentioned that when Abu al -'Abbas ascended the minbar on
the day they swore allegiance to him as Caliph , he stood at the top,
while Dawud b . 'Ali ascended and stood below him . Abu al-'Abbas
spoke, and said:
Praise be to God who has chosen Islam as the pillow of His
glory, who has exalted it and made it great , who has chosen it
for us, and aided it by means of us . He has made us the people of
Islam, its cave and its fortress, and made us to uphold it, to protect it and support it. He has caused us to cleave to His word of
piety, and deemed us worthy of that as the people of the Word.
He has specified us as the kin of God's Messenger , God's benediction and peace be upon him and his family. He created us
from the ancestors of the Prophet, causing us to grow from his
tree, and be derived thereby from common origins, making him
one of us, causing what distresses us to weigh heavy on him,
and making him watchful over us, for with the faithful He is
gentle, compassionate . God placed us in the exalted place with
Islam and its folk , sending down to the people of Islam the written Word to be recited to them , for He has spoken - glorious is
370. See In Khayyit , II, 424; Azdi, 123ff; FHA, 20off; Ya'qubi, Ta'rikh , II, 413;
Mas'udi, MuruI, VI, 98ff.
153
He who speaks-in unambiguous verses sent down in the Qur'an, "God only desires to put far from you abomination, 0 people of the house, and to cleanse you with purification""' He
has said, "Say [O Muhammad: I ask not of you any wage for
this save affection for the kinfolk." -'n He has said, "And warn
your clan, your closest kin."473 He has said, "Whatever spoils
God has given His Messenger from the people of the towns is for
God and for the Messenger, and the near kinsman, and orphans."" He has said, "Know that if you take anything as
booty, one fifth of it is for God and for the Messenger and for the
near kinsmen and for orphans".3'S So He, glorious be His
praise, has informed them of our merit and made our rights and
affection for us incumbent on them. He has bestowed upon us
our share of the booty and the spoils in kindness toward us and
in favor to us. God is the Lord of mighty favor.
The erring Saba'iyyah"" have asserted that others than we
are more worthy of headship, authority, and the successorship
than we; may their faces be struck by an evil eye! By what and 1301
for what, ye people? By us God guided the people when they
were gone astray, and caused them to see when they were ignorant, and delivered them after they had perished. By us He
caused right to prevail, and through us refuted falsehood, setting aright by us the corrupt, uplifting by us the vile, completing by us what was defective, and joining together the separation. Thus after their enmity men became a family of mutual
affection, kindness and solace in both their religion and their
worldly affairs, "brothers reclining on couches face to face""'
in their after-life. That is what God has opened up (for men] in
grace and favor to Muhammad, God bless him and give him
peace. When God took him to Himself, his companions took on
this authority after him, and their affair was by mutual counsel.
371. Qur.
372. Qur.
373. Qur.
374. Qur.
375. Qur.
33:33.
42:23.
26:214.
59:7.
8:41.
376. The followers of 'Abdallah b. Saba', the extremist whom enemies of the Shi'ah
of 'Ali accused of founding the 'Alid doctrine in early Islam. See EI2 s.v. 'Abd Allah b.
Saba'.
377. Qur. 15:47.

They took possession of the inheritance of the nations and distributed it justly, put it in its proper place , gave it to those entitled to it, and left with their own bellies empty . Then up reared
the Banu Harb and the Banu Marwan . ;7R They took it away and
passed it among themselves, and did battle for it , appropriating
it to themselves, tyrannizing, oppressing those entitled to it;
and God forbore with them for long, until they had afflicted
Him; and when they afflicted Him, He took revenge on them at
our hands . He restored to us our rights, and our Community became united through us. He vouchsafed our victory and established our authority in order to grant benefit through us to those
grown feeble on the earth , closing an (epoch) with us as He had
begun it with us . Most truly I hope that tyranny will not come
upon you even as good has come, nor corruption overtake you
as soundness has done . For what support have we, as People of
the House, except in God?
People of Kufah, you are the halting-place of our love, the
lodging of our affections . You it is who remained steadfast, you
who were not deflected from our love by the injustice of the
people of tyranny against you until you reached our epoch and
God brought you our revolution . You of all mankind are most
fortunate in us and most worthy of our generosity. We have increased your allowances to a hundred dirhams . Make ready,
then ; for I am the manifest Spiller (Saffah),379 the desolating
Avenger.
He had been exhausted by a fever, and his weakness now increased. So he sat in the minbar , and Dawud b . 'Ali went up and
stood below him on the steps of the minbar and said:
Praise be to God, with gratitude , gratitude, and yet more gratitude! Praise to Him who has caused our enemies to perish and
brought to us our inheritance from Muhammad our Prophet,
God's blessing and peace be upon him ! 0 ye people, now are the
dark nights of this world put to flight, its covering lifted; now
light breaks in the earth and the heavens, and the sun rises from
378. The two branches of the Umayyad dynasty.
379 This sobriquet, which does not appear to be a regnal title , can mean either a
spiller of wealth or of blood; a generous or an implacable ruler . During his lifetime
the first 'Abbasid caliph seems always to have been known as Abu al-'Abbas.

the springs of day while the moon ascends from its appointed
place. He who fashioned the bow takes it up, and the arrow returns to him who shot it . Right Ito rule ) has come back to where
it originated, among the people of the house of your Prophet,
people of compassion and mercy for you and sympathy toward
you. 0 ye people, by God we did not rebel seeking this authority
to grow rich in silver and in gold; nor to dig a canal or build a
castle . What made us rebel was the shame of their taking away
our rights, our anger for our cousins,3e0 our grief for your affairs
and the burden that oppressed us for your sakes . It was for your
situation that we burned in anger on our beds, and the evil conduct of the Banu Umayyah toward you increased our pain: their
coarseness with you, their contempt for you, their appropriation of your booty, your alms and your spoils. You are under the
protection of His Messenger , may God bless him and his family
and give them peace, and the protection of Abbas, may God
have mercy on him. We shall rule you according to what God
has sent down and treat you in accordance with the Book of
God, and act with the commoner and the elite among you according to the behavior of God's messenger. Woe, woe to the
Banu Harb b. Umayyah and the Banu Marwan! In their space
and time they preferred the ephemeral to the eternal, the transient abode to the everlasting one. Crime them obsessed; God's
creatures they oppressed; women forbidden to them they possessed, all honor grieving and by sin deceiving. They tyrannized
God's servants by their deport with evil custom where they
sought disport ; themselves with vice 's burdens decked and
their idolatry unchecked; at management of every fault most
lively, cheerful; withal to race on error 's course not fearful;
God's purpose in respiting sin not comprehending and trusting
they had tricked Him by pretending!'81 God's severity came on
them like a night raid when they were sleeping, and at dawn
380. That is, the 'Alids . The 'Abbasids professed to avenge the wrongs against their
kinsmen, while at the same time denying them any prior right to rule.
381. According to the Qur'an, God permits sinners to flourish, so as to increase
their guilt . See 17 :15-19; 57:20; 35:39. This section of rhymed prose, generally intended to denigrate Umayyad rule, is a rhetorical flight which can be only approximately translated.
1321

they were only legends. They were torn all to tatters, and thus
may an oppressive people perish!
God has let us prevail over Marwan, for by God he was deceived with delusions, an enemy of God given the rein until he
should stumble because of the superiority of his harness; for
this enemy of God supposed that we should never prevail over
him. He called upon his factions, employed all his stratagems
and threw in his squadrons. Yet he found before him, behind
him, and to his right and left, God's stratagem, His affliction
and His judgment, to put to death his falsehood and efface his
error. It was He who appointed the changes of ill-fortune for
him, and revived our honor and our glory, returning to us our
rights and our heritage.
O ye people, God has indeed helped the Commander of the
Faithful to a mighty victory, but he turned to the minbar only
after the prayer, for he hated to mix aught else with the congregation 's words [with God], and only the severity of his fever deterred him from finishing his remarks. So call upon God to restore the Commander of the Faithful's health; for God has given
you an exchange for Marwan, the enemy of the Merciful, the
vice-regent of Satan, followed by base folk who corrupted the
world when once it was wholesome, who replaced the true religion and violated the honor of the Muslims' protected women.
[God has replaced him] with a youthful man of maturity and deliberation, one who is guided by his forefathers, those just and
best who made the earth wholesome once it was corrupted, by
following the waymarks of guidance and the well-traced road of
piety.
The people then raised their voices in prayers for Abu al-Àbbas,
and Dawud continued:
1 331
Men of Kufah, surely we continued wronged and bereft of our

rights, until God ordained for us our Shi'ah, the people of Khurasan, and by them revivified our rights. By them He adduced our
compelling argument, and made our revolution to prevail. God
has let you behold what you were awaiting, and now you look
upon him. He has made manifest among you a Caliph of the
clan of Hashim, brightening thereby your faces and making you
to prevail over the army of Syria, and transferring the sover-
eignty and the glory of Islam to you. He has graced you with an
Imam whose gift is equity, and granted him good government.
Receive with gratitude what God has given you, cleave to our
allegiance, and practice not deceit against yourselves , for surely
this authority is your authority; surely every dynasty has its
center-point, and you are our center-point ." Has any successor to God's Messenger ascended this your minbar save the
Commander of the Faithful 'Ali b. Abi Talib and the Commander of the Faithful 'Abdallah b. Muhammad?'"
and he gestured with his hand toward Abu al-'Abbas

So know that the authority is with us, and shall not depart from
us until we surrender it to Jesus the son of Mary"-God's
benediction be on him-and praise be to God, Lord of the universe, for that with which He has tried us and entrusted us!
Then Abu al-'Abbas descended from the minbar, with Dawud b.
'All in front of him until they entered the palace. He had Abu Ja'far
sit and receive the handclasp of allegiance (bay'ah) from the people
in the mosque. He kept on receiving it until he had prayed both the
afternoon and the sunset prayer with them and night had enfolded
them. Then he entered (the palace).
It is mentioned that when Dawud b. 'Ali and his son Musa were in
Iraq, or somewhere else, they had left wishing to reach Sharat. Abu
al-'Abbas met them at Dumat al-Jandal while on his way to Kufah.
With him were his brother Abu al -Ja'far 'Abdallah b. Muhammad,
'Abdallah b. 'Ali, 'Isa b. Musa, and Yahya b. Ja'far b. Tammam b. al'Abbas and a party of their mawlas. Dawud asked them, "Where are
382. This reference to Kufah was hardly reflected by'Abbasid practice. They immediately withdrew to Hirah and eventually established their administrative center at a
new capital, Baghdad. See n . 353 above.
383. The question has a twofold thrust: that all caliphs between 'Ali and Abu al'Abbas were in fact illegal usurpers, and that there is a special relationship between
the Kufans and the Prophet 's family.
384. That is, at the Messianic age which will precede the end of the world . According to one hadith, "There will be no Mahdi but Jesus." This is preserved only in Sunni
collections of hadiths, however. The'Alid Shi'i sects emphasize the Mahdist hadiths
which state that the Messianic rule of justice will be fulfilled by a Mahdi of the line of
'Ali. This statement therefore rejects the claims of the 'Alids and suggests that the
'Abbasids are ushering in a messianic age which will see the second coming of Jesus.
For a detailed treatment of Mahdism see J.A. Williams, Themes of Islamic Civilization , Ch. V, "The Expected Deliverer."
1341
you going, and what is your story?" Abu al-'Abbas told him their
story, and said that they were heading for Kufah to make their appearance there and openly proclaim their authority. Dawud told
him, "Abu al-'Abbas, you are coming to Kufah when the shaykh of
the Umayyads, Marwan b. Muhammad, is at Harran to oversee Iraq
along with the armies of Syria and the Jazirah. And Yazid b. 'Umar b.
Hubayrah, the shaykh of the Arabs, is already in Iraq with the cavalry385 of the Arabs!" Abu al-'Abbas replied, "0 uncle,"' Abu alGhana'im says, 'He who loves life will be humbled."' And he
quoted the words of al-A'sha:
'Tis no kind of death if I die not powerless,

and a shame if what destroys a life is not its own demon.
Then Dawud turned to his son Musa and said, "By God, your cousin's right, so let us go back with him and either live graciously or die
nobly." At this they all turned back together. 'Isa b. Musa used to
say when he mentioned their exodus from Humayah to Kufah, "A
party of fourteen men left their homes and families to stake our
claim; mighty was their purpose, great were their spirits, and strong
their hearts."
The Remaining Reports of Events of this Year
Completion of the account of the oath of allegiance that was given
to Abu al= Abbas 'Abdallah b. Muhammad b. Àli, and what came of
his authority: As Abu Ja'far said, we have previously mentioned (information) concerning Abu al-'Abbas 'Abdallah b. Muhammad b.
'Ali on the authority of certain scholars. We have also mentioned
something of his affair and that of Abu Salamah. A reason that the
Caliphate of Abu al-'Abbas was confirmed is what I now mention.
When word reached Abu Salamah that Marwan b. Muhammad had
killed Ibrahim, who had been called the Imam, he thought it proper
to declare for the descendants of 'Abbas. Thus he suppressed any
declaration for others. When Abu al-'Abbas arrived in Kufah, Abu
Salamah had settled him and the people of his house who came with
385. The text is halbah, " fast horses," Perhaps read jillah, " great men," as in Akhbar al-Dawlah, 410-11.
386. The text is fa-gala Abu al-Ghand'im. Ibn Athir supplies fa-qala yd 'ammi.

him in the house of al-Walid b. Sa'd among the Banu Awd. When
Abu Salamah was asked about the Imam, he would say, "Don't be
hasty." This situation continued while he was at his camp at Hammam A'yan, until Abu Humayd went out to go to the Kunasah387
and met a servant of Ibrahim called Sabiq al-Khwarizmi . He recognized him, for he used to come to them in Syria. Now he asked him,
"What is the Imam Ibrahim doing?" Sabiq then informed him that
Marwan had treacherously slain him and that Ibrahim had bequeathed his authority to his brother Abu al-'Abbas, appointing him
as his successor . Moreover, Abu al-'Abbas had come to Kufah with
most of the people of his family. Abu Humayd begged Sabiq to set
off with him to the'Abbasids. Sabiq told him, "The appointment between us is tomorrow morning in this place ;" he was reluctant to
show him where the 'Abbasids were without their permission. The
following day, Abu Humayd went out to the place where he had
promised to meet Sabiq. He found him, and went off with him to
Abu al-'Abbas and the men of his family. When he entered where
they were, Abu Humayd asked, "Which of them is the Caliph?"
Then Dawud b. 'Ali said, "Here is your Imam and Caliph," pointing
to Abu al=Abbas. Abu Humayd then greeted him with the title of
Caliph, and kissed his hands and his feet, saying, "We are at your
command." He also condoled with him on the death of the Imam
Ibrahim.
Ibrahim b. Salamah had entered the army of Abu Salamah in disguise. He went to Abu al-Jahm and asked him for protection. Then
he informed him that he was the messenger of Abu al-'Abbas and
the people of his house. He also told him who was in the group and
where they were. He added that Abu al-'Abbas had sent him to Abu
Salamah to ask him for a hundred dinars with which to pay the
cameldriver for the camels that brought them to Kufah, but Abu
Salamah had not sent them the money. Abu Humayd also went
back to Abu al-Jahm and informed them of their situation. Abu alJahm and Abu Humayd together with Ibrahim b. Salamah went on
foot until they entered where Musa b. Ka'b was. Abu al-Jahm told
him the story, and what Ibrahim b. Salamah had related to him.
Musa then said, "Hasten to send him the dinars, and see that the
387. One of the major quarters of Kufah on the western side of the town. See Yagat,
Mu'iam, s.v. Kunasah, and LeStrange, Lands, 75.
1351

man gets there." So Abu al-Jahm went off and handed the money
over to Ibrahim b . Salamah . He put him on a mule and sent two men
with him to see him into Kiifah . Then Abu al-Jahm told Abu Salamah, "It is rumored in the army that Marwan b. Muhammad has
slain the Imam . If he has been slain , then his brother Abu al-'Abbas
[36] is the successor and the Imam after him ." Abu Salamah replied,
"Abu al-Jahm, stop Abu Humayd from entering Kufah , for these
people spread falsehood and corruption."
On the second night , Ibrahim b . Salamah came to Abu al-Jahm
and Musa b. Ka'b and delivered to them a letter from Abu al-'Abbas
and the people of his family . He visited the officers and the Shi'ah
that same night . They then gathered in the house of Musa b. Ka'b.
Among them were 'Abd al-Hamid b. Rib'i, Salamah b. Muhammad,
'Abdallah al-TA'i, Ishaq b. Ibrahim , Sharahil, 'Abdallah b . Bassam
and other officers . They disagreed as to whether to go see Abu al'Abbas and those of his family. Then they stole away the next morning into Kufah, led by Musa b . Ka'b, Abu al-Jahm and Abu Humayd
al-Himyari - that is, Muhammad b. Ibrahim. They came at last to
the house of al-Walid b. Sa'd, and went in. Musa b. Ka'b and Abu alJahm said, "Which of you is Abu al -'Abbas?" At this the people
pointed him out. They then wished him peace and condoled with
him on the death of the Imam Ibrahim . Afterward they went off to
the camp leaving behind with him Abu Humayd, Abu Mugatil, Sulayman b . al-Aswad, Muhammad b. al-Husayn, Muhammad b. alHarith, Nahat b . Husayn, Yusuf b. Muhammad and Abu Hurayrah
Muhammad b. Farrukh.
Abu Salamah then sent to Abu al-Jahm to come to him . The latter
had let him know that he had gone into Kufah. "Where were you?"
Abu Salamah asked . " I was with my Imam," Abu al-Jahm replied.
Abu al- Jahm went out and called Hajib b. Saddan and sent him to
Kufah, saying, "Go in and salute Abu al-'Abbas as Caliph ." He sent
word to Abu Humayd and his friends, "If Abu Salamah comes to
you, let him in only by himself . If he enters and offers allegiance,
then let him go his way; otherwise , cut off his head." They had not
waited long before Abu Salamah came, went in by himself, and
greeted Abu al-'Abbas with the title of Caliph . Abu al-'Abbas or-
[371 dered him to go back to his camp, and he went off that night. The
people waited for morning wearing their weapons and in formation,
waiting for Abu al -'Abbas to emerge . They gave him horses, and he

and the members of his family who were with him rode until they
entered the governor's palace of Kufah on Friday, the twelfth night
of Rabi' II (November 28, 729). He then entered the mosque from the
govenor's palace and went up into the minbar, where he praised God
and magnified Him, mentioning the mightiness of the Lord and the
excellence of the Prophet. He then traced authority to the rule and
the succession (to the Prophet) down to himself. He promised the
people good times to come, and then was quiet.
Dawud b. 'Ali who was in the minbar three steps lower than Abu
al-'Abbas then spoke. He praised God and glorified Him and spoke
benedictions on the Prophet. Then he said, "Ye people, truly there
has been no Caliph after God's Messenger save 'Ali b. Abi Talib and
this Commander of the Faithful who now sits behind me." Abu al'Abbas then came down and left. He made his camp at Hammam
A'yan in the camp of Abu Salamah, staying with him in the same
chamber, with a curtain between them. The chamberlain (hajib) of
Abu al-'Abbas at this time was 'Abdallah b. Bassam. Abu al-'Abbas
left his paternal uncle Dawud b. 'all to govern Kufah and its province and sent his uncle 'Abdallah b. 'Ali to Abu 'Awn b. Yazid. He
sent his nephew 'Isa b. Musa to al-Hasan b. Qahtabah who was at
this time at Wasit besieging Ibn Hubayrah. He also sent Yahya b.
ja'far b. Tammam b. 'Abbas to Humayd b. Qahtabah at Mada'in,
Abu al-Yagdhan 'Uthman b. 'Urwah b. Muhammad b. 'Ammar b.
Yasir to Bassam b. Ibrahim b. Bassam at Ahwaz, and Salamah b.
'Amr b. 'Uthman to Malik b. Tarifa'"I Abu al-'Abbas stayed with
the army for some months, and then moved and settled at (the new)
Hashimite City (Madinah al-Hashimiyyah) in the fortress at
Kufah.3R9 He had disguised his intention to Abu Salamah before he
moved, until Abu Salamah learned of it.
In this year, Marwan b. Muhammad was put to flight at the 1381
Zab..i9"
388. The ' Abbasid family thus began the transition from a secretive revolutionary
leadership into a ruling family . See Lassner, 'Abbasid Rule, 7ff. (I.L.I
389. This appears to be a broken text . It is hard to believe that Abu al-'Abbas would
have chosen to establish his government in the city itself . He had, in similar circumstances, abandoned the Kufans and gone to Hammam A'yan. It is more likely that
what was originally intended was a place in the general vicinity of Knfah . The text apparatus suggests such a reading. See Lassner, 'Abbasid Rule, 152-53. JI.L)
390. See Ibn Khayyat , II, 427ff; Azdi, i26ff; FHA. 2oiff; Ya'qubi, Ta'rikh, II, 4r3ff;
Mas'udi, Muruj, VI, 85ff; Tanbih. 327.

Marwan's Defeat at the Zab and Why and How it Came
1391
According to 'Ali b. Muhammad-Abu al-Sari, Jabalah b. Farrukh,

al-Hasan b. Rashid, Abu Salih al-Marwazi and others: Abu 'Awn
Àbd al-Malik b. Yazid al-Azdi was sent by Qahtabah to Shahrazur
from Nihawand. He then slew 'Uthman b. Sufyan and stayed in the
neighborhood of Mosul. Marwan was informed that 'Uthman had
been killed, and he advanced from Harran. He stayed at a place along
the way, and asked, "What's the name of this place?" "Balwa [Calamity]," they told him. "Bal 'Alwa (Nay, Superiority]; a good
omen," he replied. He came to Ra's al-'Ayn,391 then to Mosul.
Camping at the Tigris, he dug a moat. Abu 'Awn marched to him
and camped at the Zab, and Abu Salamah sent Abu 'Awn, 'Uyaynah
b. Musa, Minhal b. Fattan and Ishaq b. Talhah, each at the head of
three thousand men. When Abu al-'Abbas was proclaimed Caliph,
he reinforced Abu 'Awn sending Salamah b. Muhammad with two
thousand men, 'Abdallah al-TAI with two thousand, and Wadas b.
Nadlah with five hundred. Then he asked, "Who among the men of
my house will march against Marwan ?" 'Abdallah b. 'Ali said, "I."
And Abu al-'Abbas told him, "Go with God's blessing."392 'Abdallah b. 'Ali came up with Abu 'Awn, and Abu 'Awn vacated his own
pavilion, leaving it and all that was in it for 'Abdallah. The latter
now appointed Hayyash b. Habib al-TA'i in charge of security and
Nusayr b. al-Muhtafiz in charge of his guard. Abu al-'Abbas put
Musa b. Ka'b in charge of the postal intelligence (bar d)393 and sent
him with thirty men to 'Abdallah b. 'Ali. On the second night of
Jumada II 132 (January 16, 750), 'Abdallah b. 'Ali asked where there
was a ford of the Zab, and one was pointed out to him. He gave the
order to 'Uyaynah b. Musa, who crossed over with five thousand
men and proceeded to Marwan's camp. Marwan gave battle until
evening fell and fires were lit. They broke off fighting and 'Uyaynah
returned to the camp of 'Abdallah b. 'Ali, crossing the river at the
391. For Ra's al -'Ayn, see LeStrange , Lands, 95-96.
392. 'Abdallah b. 'Ali later based his claims to the caliphate on having taken the
field against Marwan . See Tabari, 1I1/1, 92-93 ; Azdi, 163ff; Ya'qubi, Ta'rikh, II,
438-39 ; Mas'udi, Muruj, VI, 177.
393. The posting system existed primarily for getting information to the Caliph
with maximum efficiency . The "postmaster" in each province operated as the eyes
and ears of the Caliph, and controlled the system by which information was carried
by post horses to the capital . See E/2 s.v. Barid.

ford. Upon rising in the morning, Marwan secured the pontoon
bridge and sent his son 'Abdallah to dig a moat further downriver
from the camp of 'Abdallah b. 'Ali. At this, 'Abdallah sent alMukhariq b. Ghifar with four thousand men. He advanced five
miles from 'Abdallah b. 'Ali before halting. 'Abdallah b. Marwan
sent al -Walid b. Mu'awiyah against him. Al-Walid engaged al-Mukhariq, whose followers were put to flight or captured, and a good
number of them were killed that day. Al-Walid sent the prisoners to
'Abdallah, who sent them on to Marwan with the heads. Marwan ordered, "Send in one of the prisoners to me." They brought him alMukhariq, who was a very thin man. Marwan said, "You're al-Mukhariq." But he told him, "No, I am one of the slaves of the people of
the army." "Then do you know al-Mukhariq?" asked Marwan.
"Yes," he said. "Then look at these heads-do you see him?" He
looked at one of the heads and said, "He's the one." Then Marwan
let him go. At the time, a man who was with Marwan stared at alMukhariq and, not knowing him, said, "God curse Abu Muslim for
bringing such as these to do battle with us!"
'Ali heard the following from a shaykh of the people of Khurasan:
Marwan said, "Do you know al-Mukhariq when you see him? They
say that his is among these heads that were sent to us." "I know
him," al-Mukhariq told him. Then Marwan said, "Show him those
heads." And he looked and said, "I don't see his head among these. I
can only suppose he escaped." Then they let him go. 'Abdallah b.
'Ali learned of the rout of al-Mukhariq, and Musa b. Ka'b told him,
"Go out to Marwan before news of the rout reaches the army and
what happened to al-Mukhariq becomes widely known." 'Abdallah
b. 'Ali called Muhammad b. Sul and put him in charge of the army.
Abu 'Awn had command of the right wing, and in command of Marwin's left wing was al-Walid b. Mu'awiyah. With Marwan were
three thousand of the Muhammirah, 'y' and he had with him the
Dhakwaniyyah, the Sahsahiyyah, and the Rashidiyyah. When the
two armies were face to face, Marwan told 'Abd al-'Aziz b. 'Umar b.
394. Literally, " Redwearers ." Later this word is used for Iranian heretics with Mazdakite doctrines. However, the later Qays faction of Greater Syria used red as their
distinctive color. See e.g., Ell s.v. Kays 'Aylan. The "Muhammirah" appear here as
one of several elite regiments that served the last Umayyad Caliph, For colors as political tags , see the article of Omar cited in n. 72. See also Crone, Slaves on Horses,
241, n. 93.
1401

'Abd al-'Aziz, "If the sun declines today before they have fought us,
then it is we who shall yield up rule to Jesus the son of Mary; if they
fight us before it declines, then we are God's, and to Him we shall
return! " i95
Marwan sent to 'Abdallah b. 'Ali asking for terms, and 'Abdallah
said, "Ibn Zurayg396 lied; God willing, before the sun declines our
horses shall have trampled him." Marwan told the Syrians, "Hold
off, and do not begin battle," while he kept looking at the sun. Then
al-Walid b. Mu'awiyah b. Marwan (b. al-Hakam), who was married
to Marwan's daughter, attacked. At this, Marwan became furious
and cursed him. Ibn Mu'awiyah fought the troops of the ('Abbasid)
right wing, and Abu 'Awn fled toward 'Abdallah b. 'Ali. Then Musa
b. Ka'b said to 'Abdallah, "Order the troops to dismount." At this
the cry went out, "To the ground!" The troops dismounted and extended their lances while crouched. Then they engaged the enemy.
The Syrians began to pause, as if they were quitting, and 'Abdallah
went along on foot, saying, "Lord, how long shall we be slain for
your sake?" He called out, "Men of Khurasan! Revenge for Ibrahim!
Ya Muhammad! Ya Mansur! "397 And the battle grew fiercer. Marwan shouted to the Quda'ah, "Dismount!" They replied, "Say it to
the Banu Sulaym; let them dismount!" He sent word to the Saksakis, "Attack." They replied, "Tell the Banu 'Amir; let them attack." He then sent word to the Sakun, "Charge!" They said, "Tell
the Ghatafan; let them charge." He told his chief of security, "Dismount!" The man replied, "No, by God, I'll never make myself a
target!" Marwan told him, "Well, by God, I'll surely cause you
harm!" He replied, "By God, I wish you were able!" The Syrians
fled, and then Marwan fled too, cutting the pontoon bridge. More
were drowned that day than were slain in battle. Among those
drowned was Ibrahim b. al-Walid b. 'Abd al-Malik (the deposed Caliph). At 'Abdallah b. 'Ali's command the pontoon bridge over the
Zab was retied, and they took out the drowned-some three hundred-among whom were Ibrahim b. al-Walid b. 'Abd al-Malik. 'Abdallah b. 'Ali then recited the verse, "And we divided the sea for you,
395. See n. 384 above. The expression "We are God's" is found in several verses of
the Qur'an.
396. Ibn Zurayq is an insulting name for Marwan, perhaps reflecting the story that
he was not the son of Muhammad b. Marwan at all. See Tabari, III, 5 t.
397. For the title Mansur mentioned in this battle cry, see n. 82 above.

and delivered you, and drowned Pharaoh 's people while you were
beholding."'"
'Abdallah b. 'Ali remained in his camp for seven days . A man descended from Said b. al-'As said these words, reviling Marwan:
Flight importunes Marwan, and I have told him,
'now the oppressor is one oppressed , whose desire is to flee.

What are flight and abdication of kingship, once gone
from you all forbearance ? There is no religion or honor;
Lightwit in patience, a Pharaoh in persecution; and if
you seek his generosity, he's a dog before whom is a mad dog.'
Àbdallah b. 'Ali wrote to the Commander of the Faithful of the
victory and Marwan's flight, and he took possession of Marwan's
army and all it had carried with it. They found many weapons and
much wealth, but they found no women except a slavegirl of 'Abdallah b. Marwan. When 'Abdallah b. 'Ali's letter reached Abu al-'Abbas, he prayed two prostrations, and then recited the verses, "When
Saul set out with the host, he said, 'God will try you by a river; whosoever drinks thereof is not of me, and whosoever tastes it not, he is
of me, save him who scoops it with his hand.' Yet they drank
thereof, all save a few of them, and when he had crossed with those
who believed with him, they said, 'We can do nothing this day
against Goliath and his hosts.' Those who reckoned that they were
to meet God however said, 'How often a little band has overcome a
numerous company by God's leave! God is with the patient.' So,
when they went out against Goliath and his hosts, they said, 'Our
Lord, bestow on us patience , make firm our feet, and aid us against
the people of the unbelievers!' And they routed him, by God's leave,
and David slew Goliath, and God gave him the kingship, and wisdom, and taught him such as He willed." ' Then Abu al-'Abbas ordered that each man who had been at the battle should receive five
hundred (dirhams) and he raised their monthly salaries to eighty
(dirhams).
Ahmad b. Zuhayr reported the following from 'Ali b. Muhammad

398. Qur. 2:47.
399. Qur. 2:249-51.
1421
-'Abd al-Rahman b. Umayyah: When the men of Khurasan met up

with Marwan, he could manage nothing that was free of disorder
and corruption. Ahmad said that he received this account. On the
day he was routed Marwan was standing firm, and the troops were
engaged in combat, when he sent for money. It was brought, and he
told the troops, "Stand fast and fight, and this money will be yours."
Then some of the troops began to seize the money, and they sent
word to him, "The troops are eager for the money, and we're not
sure they won't run away with it." So he sent word to his son 'Abdallah, "Go with your men to the rear of your camp and kill anyone
who takes that money, and stop them." 'Abdallah moved (to the
rear) with his standard, and the troops said, "It's a retreat." and fled.
According to Ahmad b. 'Ali-Abu Jarud al-Sulami-a man from
the Khurasan army. We encountered Marwan at the Zab, and the
Syrians attacked us as if they were a mountain of iron; then we
crouched and extended our lances and they turned from us like a
cloud (of dust) and God gave us the backs of them. When they
crossed (the river) the bridge was cut in front of those following
them. A Syrian remained on it, so one of our men went out to him,
and the Syrian slew him. Then another man went out, and he killed
him, until finally he had killed three men. Then one of our men
said, "Find me a sharp sword and a tough shield," so we got them for
him. Then he went for him. The Syrian struck at him, but he fended
him off with the shield and struck the Syrian's leg, cutting off his
foot. He went on to kill him, and came back to us. We picked him up
shouting, "Alldhu Akhbar!" The man was Ubaydallah al-Kabuli.
The rout of Marwan at the Zab, according to what is mentioned,
took place on Saturday morning, the eleventh night of Jumada II
(January 25, 750).
In this year Ibrahim b. Muhammad b. 'Ali b. 'Abdallah b. 'Abbas

was killed.
The Death of the Imam Ibrahim the 'Abbasid

The biographers have differed on the matter of Ibrahim b. Muhammad. Some of them say that he was not killed but that he died of
plague in the prison of Marwan b. Muhammad 1"
400. See n. 365 above. However, death by plague is also regarded as a martyr's
death, following a well-known hadith.

Those Who Say He Died in Prison
According to Ahmad b. Zuhayr-'Abd al-Wahhab b. Ibrahim b.
Khalid-Abu Hashim Mukhallad b. Muhammad b. Salih: Marwan
b. Muhammad came to Raqqah the time he set out against alDahhak. He had with him Said b. Hisham b. 'Abd al-Malik and
Sa'id's two sons 'Uthman and Marwan. All of them accompanied
him in bonds. He sent them to his lieutenant at Harran, who put
them in the prison there along with Ibrahim (b. Muhammad) b. 'Ali
b. 'Abdallah b. 'Abbas and 'Abdallah b. 'Umar b. 'Abd al-'Aziz, al'Abbas b. al-Walid, and Abu Muhammad the Sufyani, who was
called the Farrier (al-Baytdr). Of them there perished in prison from
an epidemic that broke out in Harran , 'Abbas b. al-Walid, Ibrahim b.
Muhammad and 'Abdallah b. 'Umar b. 'Abd al-'Aziz. One week before Marwan was routed at the Zab by 'Abdallah b. 'Ali, Said b.
Hisham and those who were imprisoned with him escaped when
they killed the man in charge of the prison. Abu Muhammad alSufyani stayed behind in confinement and did not leave with those
who escaped. Others who did not view escape from the prison as
lawful stayed with him. The people of Harran and some of the rabble
(ghawgha') in the city killed Said b. Hisham, Sharahil b. Maslamah
b. 'Abd al-Malik, 'Abd al-Malik b. Bishr al-Taghlibi and the Patrikios
of Armenia IV, whose name was Kushan, by stoning them to death.
Only fifteen days or so after they were killed, Marwan came to Harran fleeing from the Battle of the Zab and set Abu Muhammad and
those confined with him in the prison free.
According to 'Umar-'Abdallah b. Kathir al-'Abdi-'All b.
Musa-his father: Marwan pushed down the walls of a room on
Ibrahim b. Muhammad and killed him.'"
According to 'Umar-Muhammad b. Ma'ruf b. Suwayd-his
father-al-Muhalhil b. Safwan ('Umar: Later al-Mufaddal b. Ja'far b.
Sulayman also told me that al-Muhalhil b. Safwan told this story): I
was with Ibrahim b. Muhammad in the prison in which 'Abdallah b.
'Umar b. 'Abd al-'Aziz and Sharahil b. Maslamah b. 'Abd al-Malik
were detained. They would visit each other, especially Ibrahim and
401. The same method of assassination was reportedly utilized by the Caliph alMansur against his uncle 'Abdallah b . 'Ali. The latter tradition with full explication
of the legal consequences of this kind of killing is discussed in Lassner, 'Abbasid
Rule, 39-57 , esp. 40 -46. (r.L.)
1431
1441

Sharahil. One day Sharahil's messenger brought Ibrahim some milk
and said, "Your brother says, 'I drank some of this milk and enjoyed
it, and I'd like you to have some too."' He accepted it and drank, and
immediately thereafter became ill and collapsed. It was a day when
he was supposed to go see Sharahil, but he delayed, so Sharahil sent
word to him, "Let me be your ransom, you have delayed; what has
detained you?" He sent word back, "When I drank the milk you sent
me, it disagreed with me." Sharahil came to him badly frightened,
and said, "No, by God, no god there is but He; I drank no milk today
and I sent none to you! Truly we are God's, and to Him we shall return. By God, you have been deceived!" By God, he survived only
that night and no other. The following morning Ibrahim was
dead 402
Ibrahim b. 'Ali b. Salamah b. 'Amir b. Hurmah b. Hudhayl b. alRabi' b. 'Amir b. Subayh b. 'Adi b. Qays, that is, Qays b. al-Harith b.
Fihr, lamented Ibrahim as follows:
I reckoned myself strong, but my wits are scattered
by a grave at Harran in which is religion's defense.

In it is the Imam and the best of all mankind,
among the slates and the stones and the clay;
The Imam whose misfortune became widespread,
depriving every rich man or poor.
May God not absolve Marwan for any wrongdoing,

but God pardon all who here say "Amen!"
This year Marwan b. Muhammad b. Marwan b. 'Abd al-Hakam
was slain.
The Death of Marwan and His Battle with the Syrians

[451 Ahmad b. Zuhayr-'Abd al-Wahhab b. Ibrahim b. Khalid-Abu
Hashim Mukhallad b. Muhammad: When Marwan fled from the
402. Sudden or unexpected deaths from natural causes (e.g., appendicitis) were always prone to be later described as murder by poisoning. See Lassner, Àbbasid Rule.
Off.

Zab I was in his army, and Marwan had one hundred twenty thousand men in his forces at the Zab; sixty thousand were in his own
army and about the same number were with his son 'Abdallah, with
the Zab between them. 'Abdallah b. 'Ali engaged Marwan with the
troops accompanying him, Abu 'Awn and a group of officers among
whom was Humayd b. Qahtabah. When Marwan's forces were put
to flight, they went to Harran, where Aban b. Yazid b. Muhammad
b. Marwan, his brother's son, was governor. Marwan stayed at
Harran more than twenty days. When 'Abdallah b. 'Ali drew near, he
packed up his people and children and family and fled, leaving at
Harran Aban b. Yazid who was married to a daughter of Marwan
called Umm 'Uthman. 'Abdallah b. 'Ali advanced and Aban went
out to meet him dressed in black as a sign of his allegiance. Aban
then took the oath to 'Abdallah and entered his service, while
'Abdallah gave him and all those in Harran and the Jazirah guarantees of safety. Marwan continued past Qinnasrin with 'Abdallah b.
'Ali pursuing him. Then he moved on from Qinnasrin to Hims
where the people met him in the markets ready to hear and obey. He
stayed there for two or three days, and then set out. When people
saw how few there were with him they became emboldened against
him, saying, "He's a coward, running away." They pursued him after he had set out from them and caught up with him some miles
away. When he saw the dust raised by their horses, he set two officers of his mawlas, one called Yazid and the other Mukhallad, in
two ravines (wadis). When the pursuers came near him and passed
the two ambush parties and his womenfolk had gone, he set his men
in battle formation, and besought the pursuers in God's name. They
refused to do anything but bandy words with him and do battle, so
fighting broke out between them. Then the ambushers attacked
them from the rear, and he put them to flight. His cavalry pursued
them, killing them until they reached the vicinity of the city.
Marwan went on until he passed Damascus, which was governed
by al-Walid b. Mu'awiyah b. Marwan, who was Marwan's son-inlaw, married to a daughter of his called Umm al-Walid. Marwan
continued on his way, leaving al-Walid b. Mu'awiyah in charge of
the city until 'Abdallah b. 'Ali came against him. 'Abdallah besieged
Damascus some days, and the city was taken. He entered Damascus
by force, opposing its people. Al-Walid b. Mu'awiyah fell among
those who were slain . 'Abdallah b. 'All tore down the walls of the
[461
1471
city. Marwan passed by the Jordan, and Tha'labah b. Salamah al'Amili, who was his governor there, set off with him, leaving the
district without a governor until 'Abdallah b. 'Ali arrived and appointed one for it. Then Marwan came to Palestine, which was governed on his behalf by al-Rumahis b. 'Abd al-'Aziz. Rumahis also
left with him, and Marwan went on until he arrived at Misr.403
Then he left there and stopped one stage away at a place called Busir." He was attacked by night and slain there by 'Amir b. Ismail
and Shu'bah, accompanied by some of the cavalry of Mosul. On the
same night that he was attacked, 'Abdallah and Ubaydallah, the
two sons of Marwan, fled to the land of the Abyssinians. They met
misfortune at the hands of the Abyssinians, who fought them and
slew 'Ubaydallah. 'Abdallah got away with a number of men who
were with them, including Bakr b. Mu'awiyah al-Bahili. Bakr stayed
free until the caliphate of al-Mahdi, when Nasr b. Muhammad b. alAsh'ath, the governor of Palestine, caught him and sent him to
al-Mahdi.
According to 'Ali b. Muhammad-Bishr b. ' Isa, al-Nu'man Abu
Sari, Muhriz b. Ibrahim, Abu Salih al-Marwazi and 'Ammar the
mawla of Jibril: Marwan met 'Abdallah b. 'Ali with one hundred and
twenty thousand men, and 'Abdallah had only twenty thousand.
The number who were with 'Abdallah that day is disputed, however, by other authorities.
Muslim b. al-Mughirah reported the following from Mus'ab b. alRabi' al-Khuth'ami, father of Abu Musa b. Mus'ab, who was a secretary of Marwan: When Marwan fled and 'Abdallah b. 'Ali conquered
Syria, I asked for a guarantee of safety, and he accorded it to me. One
day I was sitting in his presence, and while he was reclining, someone mentioned Marwan and his flight. He asked, "Were you at the
battle?" "Yes," I told him, "May God make things right with the
Amir!" "Tell me about him," he said. So I said, "On that very day he
told me, 'Count the enemy.' I told him, 'I'm only a man of the pen,
not a man of war.' Then turning to the right and the left, he looked
403. Misr was both the name for Egypt and the general name for its capital, Fustat.
The context makes it clear that the city is intended here.
404. There were several locations of that name in Egypt. This was probably Busir
called Busir al -Malaq on the west bank of the Nile at the entrance to the Fayyum Oasis in Upper Egypt. Yaqut calls it Busir Quridis. See El' s.v. Busir; Yaqut, Mu'jam, I,
76o.

and said, "They are twelve thousand." At this, 'Abdallah sat up and
said, "God smite him, what was with him? I do not reckon the military rolls carried more than twelve thousand men that day!"
Returning to 'Ali b. Muhammad-his authorities: Marwan fled
until he came to the city of Mosul which was governed by Hisham
b. 'Amr al-Taghlibi and Bishr b. Khuzaymah al-Asadi, and they cut
the pontoon bridge. The Syrians shouted to them, "It's Marwan!"
But they replied, "You lie; the Commander of the Faithful doesn't
run away!" He therefore went to a village. He crossed the Tigris and
went to Harran and then to Damascus, where he left al-Walid b.
Mu'awiyah in charge, saying, "Fight them, until the people of Syria
are united." Then Marwan moved on to Palestine and stopped at the
River of Abu Futrus. Al-Hakam b. Dab'an al-Judhami had seized
power in Palestine, so Marwan sent word to 'Abdallah b. Yazid b.
Rawh b. Zinba' appointing him to power, but the treasury was in the
hands of al-Hakam. Abu al-'Abbas wrote to 'Abdallah b. 'Ali commanding him to pursue Marwan, so 'Abdallah proceeded to Mosul.
He was met by Hisham b. 'Amr al-Taghlibi and Bishr b. Khuzaymah
who had displayed the color black with the people of Mosul, and
they now opened up the city to him. He then marched to Harr an, appointing Muhammad b. Sul as governor of Mosul. In Harran
'Abdallah demolished the house in which Ibrahim b. Muhammad
had been confined. He then marched to Manbij, where the people
had displayed black. He stopped in Manbij and appointed Abu
Humayd al-Marwazi as governor. The people of Qinnasrin sent 'Abdallah their oath of allegiance; one of those who came to him on
their behalf was Abu Umayyah al-Taghlibi. 'Abd al-Samad b. 'Ali arrived from Abu al-'Abbas to reinforce him with four thousand men.
'Abdallah stayed there a couple of days after the arrival of 'Abd alSamad, but then moved to Qinnasrin. When he came there, the people had already displayed the color black. He stayed a couple of days,
and then moved on to stop at Hims. 'Abdallah stayed there several
days, while the inhabitants swore the oath of allegiance. Then he
marched to Ba'albakk where he stayed a couple of days before moving on. He stopped next at 'Ayn al-Jarr,'s remaining there two days
405. The Umayyad princely city built by al-Walid II in the anti-Lebanon and known
today as 'Anjar. See Ell s.v. 'Ayn al-Djarr.
1481

before moving on. 'Abdallah then camped at Mizzah,6 one of the
villages of Damascus. Then Salih b. 'Ali arrived with reinforcements
and he camped at Marj 'Adhra'407 with eight thousand men. With
him were Bassam b . Ibrahim, Khafaf, Shu'bah, and al-Haytham b.
Bassam . Then 'Abdallah b. 'Ali moved, and camped at the East Gate
(Bab Shargi).01 Salih b. 'Ali settled at the Jabiyah Gate, Abu 'Awn
at Bab Kaysan, Bassam at Bab al-Saghir and Humayd b. Qahtabah at
Bab Tuma. 'Abd al-Samad, Yahya b. Safwan and al-'Abbas b. Yazid
were at Bab al-Faradis-al-Walid b. Mu'awiyah was still inside Damascus . The attackers laid siege to the people of Damascus and the
Balga'. Then the people of the city broke into factional rivalry; some
of them killed others, and they slew al-Walid. The 'Abbasids forced
the gates on Wednesday, the twentieth of Ramadan (May 2, 750).
The first to scale the wall of the city from the East Gate was 'Abdallah al-Ta'i, and the first at Bab al-Saghir was Bassam b. Ibrahim.
They fought for three hours in the city. 'Abdallah b. 'Ali stopped at
Damascus for fifteen days, and then set out for Palestine and
stopped at the Kuswah River'y From there he sent Yahya b. Ja'far
the Hashimite to Madinah, and then he moved to the Jordan. The
people had already adopted black, and they came out to meet him.
He camped at Bays5n,410 then moved to Mari al-Rum and came to
the River of Abu Futrus." Marwan had fled, and 'Abdallah stayed
in Palestine. A letter from Abu al-'Abbas came to him, "Send Salih
b. 'All in pursuit of Marwan." And Salih b. 'Ali marched from the
406. See LeStrange, Palestine, 237.
407. A meadow lying twelve mil ( 24 km .) from Damascus . See LeStrange, Palestine, 503.
408. Bab al- Faradis was the northern gate of Damascus . The Kaysan Gate was
southeast, and Bab al-Saghir on the south. Bab Tuma was on the northeast. See E12
s.v. Dimashk.
409. Meaning the Nahr al- A'waj which flows from Mt. Hermon into the area
known as al-Kuswah . The latter was situated some twelve mil (24 km.) from Damascus. See LeStrange, Palestine. 488.
41o. A town in the Jordan Valley known today as Bet Shan. See LeStrange, Palestine, 410ff.
411. Abu Futrus was the ancient Antipatris on the Awja', near Ramlah. Tabari
barely mentions, later on , a massacre of some eighty members , more or less, of the
Umayyad family here by 'Abdallah b. 'Ali, though Ibn Athir, Ya'qubi, Azdi, and alAghani all give details. See Ibn Athir, II, 333; Ya'qubi, Ta'rikh, II, 355; and Wellhausen, Arab Kingdom, 551-52. Ya'qubi If, 356-57, also mentions how 'Abdallah b.
'Ali opened the graves of the Umayyad caliphs and burned their bodies "sparing
none ." Others state that the tomb of 'Umar II was spared.

River of Abu Futrus in Dhu al-Qa'dah 132 (June t t -July to, 75o). He
had with him Ibn Fattan, 'Amir b. Ismail al-Harithi and Abu 'Awn,
and he sent Abu 'Awn to lead his vanguard along with 'Amir b.
Ismail . Salih marched on, stopping at Ramlah;"2 then he continued, and they camped at the seacoast. Salih b. 'Ali gathered vessels
and provisioned them to go after Marwan who was at Farama. Salih
marched along the coast road while the ships sailed alongside him
until he stopped at 'Arish.'"
Word of this reached Marwan, so he had the fodder and foodstuffs
around him burned, and fled. Salih b. 'Ali pressed on, and stopped at
the Nile, before moving on and camping in Upper Egypt (al-Sa'id).
Word reached Salih that Marwan's cavalry along the banks of the
river were burning the fodder, so he sent some officers against them.
These captured ten men and brought them to Salih, who was at
Fustat.'" Marwan crossed the Nile, cut the pontoon bridge, and
burned the fields. Salih went in pursuit of him, and clashed with a
contingent of Marwan's cavalry at the Nile; they fought an engagement and Salih put them to flight . He then went on to a canal,
where some (more) of Marwan's cavalry chanced upon him. He
wounded some of them and drove the party away. Then he went on
to another canal, and his force crossed over. They then saw a cloud
of dust, and supposed it was Marwan, so Salih sent out a scouting
party under al-Fadl b. Dinar and Malik b. Qadim. They found no one
to oppose, so they went back to $alih and he moved on. He then
stopped and camped at a place called Dhat al-Sahil. Abu 'Awn sent
ahead 'Amir b. Ismail al-Harithi along with Shu'bah b. Kathir alMazini. Encountering some of Marwan 's cavalry, they put them to
flight and took some men who were on foot as prisoners . Some of
these they slew, and some they let live. They asked about Marwan's
whereabouts, and the prisoners told them where he was, on condition that they be given guarantees of safety. They rode on, and found
Marwan staying at a church in Busir. They attacked his force at the
412. Situated between the hill country and the coast, Ramlah was the administrative center of Palestine . See LeStrange, Palestine. 3o3ff.
413. That is, he was marching along the Via Maris, the ancient route to Egypt.
Farama' was between Egypt proper and 'Arish. The latter oasis was on the border between Sinai and Palestine . See Yaqut, Mu'jam. III, 883.
414. See n. 403 above. Fustat was the earliest Arab settlement in Egypt and the first
of a series of settlements that was to comprise the area of Greater Cairo. See Ell s.v.
al-Fustat.
(49(

night's end, and his soldiers ran away. Marwan came out against
them with a small party of men, and they surrounded him and killed
him.
According to 'Ali-Ismail b. al-Hasan -'Amir b. Ismail: We
[Sol found Marwan at Busir. We were a small party, so they pressed us
hard. We gathered together in a palm-stand, and if they had known
how few we were, they would certainly have killed us. I said to the
men with me, "If we wait until morning and they see how few we
are in number, not one of us will get away." Then I recalled the
words of Bukayr b. Mahan, "By God, you will slay Marwan; it's as
though I hear you cry [ in Persian ], 'Give it to them, bullies! (dahid
ya juvankashanJ."115 Then I broke the sheath of my sword, and
my companions broke theirs. And I cried out, "Dahid yd
juvankashan!" It had the effect of molten fire poured on them, and
they fled. Then a man attacked Marwan and struck him with his
sword, killing him.
'Amir b. Ismail rode back to Salih b. 'Ali, who wrote to the Commander of the Faithful Abu al-'Abbas, "We pursued al-Ja'di, the enemy of God, until we caused him to seek refuge in the land of God's
enemy, Pharaoh-he who made himself like unto God-and in that
land I slew him."
'Ali reported the following from Abu Talib al-Ansari: It was a man
from Basrah they called al-Maghud who stabbed Marwan; he didn't
recognize him when he felled him. Then someone gave a great cry,
"The Commander of the Faithful is down!" They raced over to him,
and a man from Kufah, who used to sell pomegranates, got there
first and cut off his head. 'Amir b. Ismail sent Marwan's head to
Abu 'Awn, who sent it to Salih b. 'Ali, and Salih b. 'Ali sent the head
with Yazid b. Hani', his chief of security, to Abu al-'Abbas on Sunday, the third day before the end of Dhu al-Hijjah 132 (August 6,
750). Salih went back to Fustat, then he left for Syria, turning over
the booty to Abu 'Awn, and the weapons, money and slaves to alFadl b. Dinar, and left Abu 'Awn in command in Egypt.
According to 'Ali-Abu al-Hasan al-Khurisani-a shaykh of the

tribe of Bakr b. Wi'il: I was at Dayr Qunna with Bukayr b. Mahan,
and we were talking together when a young man passed by with two
15 1J waterskins, went to the Tigris and got water. Then he returned, and
415. Following the Cairo edition.

Bukayr called him, saying, "What's your name, young man?"
"Àmin," he said. "Son of whom?" asked Bukayr. "Of Ismail," he
replied. "Of Balharith?"'R asked Bukayr. "I am of Balharith," he
said. "Then you'll be of the Banu Musliyyah," Bukayr said. " I am,"
he told him. "Then, by God," said Bukayr, "you will slay Marwan; it
is as though I hear you cry: 'Ya juvankashan, dahfd!"'
'Ali reported the following from al- Kinani : I used to hear our
shaykhs at Kufah say, "The Banu Musliyyah will be the death of
Marwan. "111 According to some, Marwan was sixty-two years old
on the day that he was slain . Others say he was sixty- nine, and still
others that he was fifty-eight. He was slain on Sunday three days before the end of Dhu al-Hijjah (August 6, 75o), and his reign from the
time that allegiance was sworn to him until he was killed was five
years, ten months and sixteen days. His patronymic (kunya) was
'Abu 'Abd al-Malik. Hisham b. Muhammad asserts that his mother
was a Kurdish concubine.
According to Ahmad b. Zuhayr-'Ali b. Muhammad-'Ali b.
Mujahid and Abu Sinan al-Juhni: It was said that the mother of
Marwan b. Muhammad used to belong to Ibrahim b. al-Ashtar,41e
and that Muhammad b. Marwan b. al-Hakam acquired her the day
Ibn al-Ashtar was slain ; he took her to be a refined woman, from Ibn
al-Ashtar's household. She bore Marwan in Muhammad's bed.
When Abu al-'Abbas took power, 'Abdallah b. al-'Ayyash al-Mantuf
came into his presence and said, "Praise be to God, who has exchanged for us the ass of the Jazirah and the son of the slaughtered
man's bondmaid with a descendant of the paternal uncle of God's
Messenger and the son of 'Abd al-Muttalib!" This same year
'Abdallah b. 'Ali killed those of the Banu Umayyah who were slain
at the River of Abu Futrus. They were seventy-two men.""
416. The Balharith were the Arab tribe of the Yaman which included the Christians
of the Najran oasis . See E12 s.v. Harith b. Ka'b.
417. The Banu Musliyyah were the earliest supporters of the 'Abbasid revolution.
Most leaders of the Kufah apparatus were counted among them . Abu al-'Abbas was
married to Raytah, one of the noble women of this clan . See Akhbar al-Dawlah,
192-93. (I.L.(
418. That is, the famous ' Alid commander who also fought for the Zubayrids and
was killed in 72 (October 691). See El' s.v. Ibrahim b. al-Ashtar.
419. See n. 411 above . The traditions concerning the annihilation of the Umayyad
house are problematic.

In this year Abu al-Ward threw off his allegiance to Abu al-'Abbas
at Qinnasrin, and adopted the color white along with others.020
1521
Abu al-Ward's Adopting White and What Happened

The cause of this, according to Ahmad b. Zuhayr-'Abd al-Wahhab
b. Ibrahim-Abu Hashim Mukhallad b. Muhammad b. Salih: Abu
al-Ward, whose name was Majza' ah b. Kawthar b. Zufar b. al-Harith
al-Kilabi, was a companion of Marwan and one of his cavalry officers. When Marwan was routed, Abu al-Ward was at Qinnasrin, and
'Abdallah b. 'Ali came there. Abu al-Ward gave him allegiance, and
he and his troops placed themselves at 'Abdallah's disposal. The descendants of Maslamah b. 'Abd al-Malik lived next to Abu al-Ward
at Balis and Na'urah.421 One of the "Thousanders, "422 an officer of
'Abdallah b. 'Ali, came to Balis at the head of a hundred and fifty
cavalry and manhandled the sons of Maslamah b. 'Abd al-Malik and
their womenfolk. Some people complained of this to Abu al-Ward,
and he came out in an agricultural settlement there called Zara'at
Banff Zufar-it was also called Khusaf-42' with a number of people of his family to attack the officer, who was staying in
Maslamah's fort. Abu al-Ward fought him until he had killed him
and the men with him, and then he proclaimed the adoption of the
color white and the deposing of 'Abdallah b. 'Ali. He called on the
people of Qinnasrin to do the same, and all of them displayed the
white. Abu al-'Abbas was staying at this time in Hirah, and
'Abdallah b. 'Ali was occupied in armed conflict with Habib b.
Murrah al-Murri, fighting him in the Balga', Bathaniyyah and Hawran .024 'Abdallah b. 'Ali had already encountered Habib with his
420. White became the color of the opposition to 'Abbasid rule. See the article on
colors and politics by Omar cited in n. 72 above . See also Azdi, 146.
421. Balis, the ancient Barbalissus , was situated on the Syrian side of the Euphrates
west of Raqqah . Na'urah was between Aleppo and Bilis. See Yiqut, Mu'jam, I, 477ff,
and IV, 832.
422. The text is al-azdrmardin," it should be read hazdrmard, literally, " thousandman." The epithet hazdrmard occurs regularly for outstanding officers in this period,
and is probably traceable to the old Sasanian practice of giving certain officers of great
merit and bravery the pay and importance of a thousand ordinary soldiers . See Ibn
'Abd al-Hakam, Futuh Misr. 61.
423. See Yaqut, Mu'jam, II, 922, who lists a Zura' at Zufar near Balis. He also lists a
Khusif in the same region ( ibid, 441 ).
424. For these districts of Syria, see E12 s.v. al-Bathaniyya, Hawran.
177
troops and engaged them in several clashes . Habib had been one of
Marwan 's cavalry officers, and his reason for adopting white had
been fear for himself and for his people. The Qays and other groups
allied to them among the inhabitants of these districts, Bathaniyyah
and Hawran , had sworn to follow him. However, when word
reached 'Abdallah b. 'Ali of their adopting white (in Qinnasrin), he
invited Habib b. Murrah to make peace, made peace with him, pardoned him and those with them, and set out for Qinnasrin to engage
Abu al-Ward. He passed by Damascus and appointed as his deputy
there Abu Ghanim 'Abd al-Hamid b. Rib'i at-Ta'i, giving him command of four thousand men from his army . Also at Damascus at this
time was the wife of 'Abdallah b. 'Ali, Umm al-Bann bt. Muhammad b. 'Abd al-Muttalib al-Nawfaliyyah, the sister of 'Amr b.
Muhammad, as well as concubine mothers of 'Abdallah's children,
and some of his household. As 'Abdallah b. 'Ali arrived at Hims on
his way, the people of Damascus rebelled against him when his back
was turned, adopted white, and rose against him with 'Uthman b.
'Abd al-A'la b. Suragahd2i al-Azdi. They encountered Abu Ghanim
and those with him and put him to flight, killing a great number of
his followers. They carried off all that 'Abdallah b. 'Ali had left behind in the way of household goods and chattels, but did not harm
his family. Displaying white, the people of Damascus united in opposition to (the 'Abbasidsj. 'Abdallah b. 'Ali however continued on
his way. Some of the people of Qinnasrin had joined with Abu alWard, and had corresponded with their associates at Hims and
Tadmur. Thousands had come to join them under Abu Muhammad
b. 'Abdallah b. Yazid b. Mu'awiyah b. Abi Sufyan.d26 The rebels
made Abu Muhammad their leader and called men to follow him,
saying , "This is the Sufyanid who was foretold.""' Their numbers
were now about forty thousand.
425. The text is Surigah ; emended by the Cairo edition to Saradigah.
426. That is, the descendant of Yazid I , the second Umayyad Caliph and the son of
the founder of the dynasty.
427. There is frequent mention of a Sufyanid as an eschatological figure in the
hadith collections on Titan, " troubles ." What his role will be depends on the orientation of the source, Umayyad, 'Alid, or 'Abbasid . Al-Maqdisi, al-Bad' wa al-Ta'rikh, II,
186, reports, "The Bann 'Abbas will be destroyed at the hands of a man from the
house of this woman " the Prophet's wife Umm Habibah bt. Abi Sufyin) . All of these
hadiths are politically tendentious ; some of them come from a Syria resentful of'Abbisid domination.
(531
1541
When 'Abdallah b. 'Ali was near them, he sent his brother 'Abd alSamad ahead with ten thousand of his cavalry . Abu Muhammad had
camped with his following at a meadow called Marj al-Akhram. Abu
al-Ward was in charge of the camp, and was Abu Muhammad 's executive and battle-chief. He thus came out to oppose them, and met
them on the field between the two armies . There was a confused engagement between the two forces , but the enemy stood fast. 'Abd alSamad and those with him were routed , and thousands of his men
were killed that day. When 'Abd al- Samad came back to him, 'Abdallah advanced , along with Humayd b. Qahtabah and a group of officers who were with him . They engaged the enemy again at Marj alAkhram, and fought a fierce battle with them. A group of those who
were with 'Abdallah were put to flight , but they regrouped, while
'Abdallah b . 'Ali and Humayd b. Qahtabah stood firm and repulsed
the attackers . Abu al-Ward and about five hundred men of his family
and clan held fast and were all killed. Abu Muhammad and the Kalb
who were with him fled until they got to Tadmur . 'Abdallah gave
the people of Qinnasrin a guarantee of safety , and they displayed
black, swore allegiance to him, and became submissive to him. He
then set out to go back to the people of Damascus because they displayed white in rebellion against him and drove out Abu al-Ghanim.
As he neared Damascus, the people fled and scattered without any
battle between them, and 'Abdallah pardoned the city 's inhabitants.
They swore allegiance to him , and he did not prosecute them for
what they had done.
Abu Muhammad continued to absent himself as a fugitive, and he
reached the Hijaz . Word of his hiding place reached Ziyad b. 'Ubaydallah al-Harithi, Abu Ja'far al-Mansur 's governor, and he sent cavalry for him . They engaged him in battle until he was killed and two
sons of his were captured. Ziyad sent his head and his two sons to
the Commander of the Faithful Abu Ja'far, who ordered that the
sons be set free, and he pardoned them.
'Ali b. Muhammad reported the following from al -Nu'man Abu

al-Sari, Jabalah b. FarrUkh, Sulayman b. Dawud and Abu Salih alMarwazi : Abu al-Ward threw off his allegiance at Qinnasrin and
Abu al-Àbbas wrote to 'Abdallah b. 'Ali at (Abu) Futrus to engage
Abu al-Ward in battle . 'Abdallah sent 'Abd al-Samad to Qinnasrin at
the head of seven thousand men, with Mukhariq b. Shabib in charge
of security . He then sent five thousand men after him under the
179
command of Dhu'ayb b. al-Ash'ath, and after that he began to send

the main contingents. 'Abd al-Samad encountered Abu al-Ward at
the head of a great force. The people fled from 'Abd al-Samad until
they came to Hims, so 'Abdallah b. 'Ali sent al-'Abbas b. Yazid b.
Ziyad, Marwan al-Jurjani and Abu al-Mutawakkil al-Jurjani, each
with their own followers, to Hims. 'Abdallah b. 'Ali himself arrived,
and camped four miles (mil) from Hims. 'Abd al-Samad b. 'Ali was
also at Hims . 'Abdallah wrote to Humayd b. Qahtabah, and he came
to him from the Jordan. The people of Qinnasrin swore allegiance to
the Sufyanid Abu Muhammad Ziyad b. 'Abdallah b. Yazid b. Mu'awiyah, and Abu al-Ward b. . . . .42fl They swore allegiance to him and
he stayed forty days. 'Abdallah b. 'Ali, together with 'Abd al-Samad
and Humayd b. Qahtabah came against them, and the two forces engaged in the fiercest of battles. Abu Muhammad drove them into a
narrow pass, and the people began to scatter. Then Humayd b.
Qahtabah said to 'Abdallah b. 'Ali, "What are we waiting for? They
are increasing in numbers, and our followers are decreasing! Let us
go forth against them!" They fought each other on Tuesday, the last
of Dhu al-Hijjah 133 (July 27, 751). Abu Muhammad had Abu alWard on his right, and in command of his left was al-Asbagh b.
Dhu'alah. Abu al-Ward was wounded and carried back to his people,
and then he died. A group of Abu al-Ward's followers fled into a
bushy area, and it was set on fire over their heads. The people of
Hims had thrown off their allegiance and wanted to follow Abu Muhammad, but when they learned of his flight they stayed where they
were.
In this year, Habib b. Murrah al-Murri threw off (black) and put on
white along with those of the people of Syria who were with him.
1551
Habib b. Murrah Puts on White

'Ali reported the following from his authorities: Habib b. Murrah alMurri and the people of the Bathaniyyah and Hawran put on white (56)
while 'Abdallah b. 'Ali was in the camp of Abu al-Ward, who was
slain in this year.429

According to Ahmad b. Zuhayr-'Abd al-Wahhab b. Ibra428. There is a lacuna in the text and in the Cairo edition.
429. See Azdi, 144ff sub anno 133
i 8o The Àbbasid Revolution

him-Abu Hashim Mukhallad b . Muhammad: Habib b. Murrah's
display of white and his struggle with 'Abdallah b. Àli occurred before Abu al -Ward put on white, and Abu al-Ward only did this while
Àbdallah b. Àli was occupied in fighting Habib b. Murrah in the
Balga', or in the Bathaniyyah and Hawran . Àbdallah had already encountered Habib with his troops and engaged them in several
clashes . Habib had been one of Marwan 's cavalry officers , and the
reason for his putting on white had been fear for his own safety and
his people . The Qays and its allies among the inhabitants of those
districts, i.e., Bathaniyyah and Hawran, pledged allegiance to him.
When word of the rebellion of the people of Qinnasrin reached
Àbdallah b . Àll, he invited Habib b . Murrah to make peace.
Àbdallah then made peace with him and pardoned him and his men
and set out for Qinnasrin to encounter Abu al-Ward.
In this year also the people of the Jazirah put on white and threw
off their allegiance to Abu al-Àbbas.
The Revolt of the Jazaris
1 5 71
According to Ahmad b. Zuhayr-'Abd al- Wahhab b. Ibrahim-Abu

Hashim Mukhallad b. Muhammad : The people of the Jazirah displayed white and threw off their allegiance as soon as word came to
them of the revolt of Abu al- Ward and the uprising of the people of
Qinnasrin . The rebels marched to Harran, where at this time Musa
b. Ka'b was stationed with three thousand men of the army . The defenders stuck fast to the city, and wearers of white flocked to it from
every direction . They besieged Musa and those with him , but their
command was not unified and they had no single chief to unite
them.
Following this, Ishaq b. Muslim came from Armenia.' He had
set out from there when word came to him of Marwan 's defeat. The
people of the Jazirah made him their leader, and he besieged Musa b.
Ka'b upwards of two months . Abu al-Àbbas sent Abu Ja'far, his
brother, with the troops he had with him besieging Ibn Hubayrah at
Wasit. He went on past Qarqisiyyah, where the inhabitants had displayed white and locked the gates of the city. Then he came to Raq430. That is, Ishaq b . Muslim al-'Ugayli, the "chief man of Qays ," who was an
Umayyad commander along the Armenian frontier . See Tabari, 11/3, 1871, 1940.

qah, which was in the same condition under Bakkar b. Muslim,
brother of Ishaq. Abu Ja'far continued on toward Harran, and Ishaq
b. Muslim then moved to Ruha'.`" This occurred in the year 133
(750-751). Musa b. Ka'b and his followers came out of Harran and
met Abu Ja'far, while Bakkar b. Muslim went to his brother, Ishaq b.
Muslim, who went to a group of the Rabi'ah at Dara and Mardin.
The leader of the Rabi'ah at this time was one of the Haruriyyah
(Kharijites) called Buraykah. Abu Ja'far went after him, and the two
forces engaged in a violent battle in which Buraykah was killed.
Bakkar then went back to his brother Ishaq in Ruha'. Ishaq left him
in charge of Ruha' and went with most of their army to Sumaysat,432 where he entrenched himself with his troops. Abu Ja'far proceeded with his units until Bakkar confronted him at Ruha', and
there were several battles between them.
Abu al-'Abbas wrote to 'Abdallah b. 'Ali to march with his troops
against Ishaq at Sumaysat , and he came from Syria to camp opposite
Ishaq at Sumaysat. There were sixty thousand men, all of them from
the Jazirah. Between the two forces lay the Euphrates. Abu ja'far
now came from Ruha', whereupon Ishaq wrote the 'Abbasid commanders requesting guarantees of safety ( in return for surrender).
They assented to this and wrote to Abu al-'Abbas, who ordered them
to give him and all those with him pledges of safety. They therefore
composed a document in which Ishaq was given firm assurances.
Ishaq then came out to meet Abu Ja'far, and there was a complete
reconciliation between them. He later became one of Abu Ja'far's
chosen men. The people of the Jazirah and of Syria were thus pacified, and Abu al-'Abbas appointed Abu Ja'far as governor of the
Jazirah, Armenia and Adharbayjan. He continued in that capacity
until he became Caliph.
It is mentioned that Ishaq b. Muslim al-'Uqayli stayed at Sumaysat seven months while Abu Ja'far besieged him. He used to say,
"There is an oath of allegiance on my neck, and I shall not put it
aside until I know that the man to whom I gave it has died or been
killed." At this, Abu Ja'far sent word to him that Marwan had been
slain , and he replied, "Let me be sure of this." Then he sought peace,
431. For Ruha' jEdessa), see LeStrange, Lands, 103-4.
432. For Sumaysat, ancient Samosata, which lay on the north bank of the
Euphrates, see LeStrange, Lands, io8.
)581

saying, " I have learned that Marwan has been slain ." So Abu Ja'far
pardoned him, and he went with Abu Ja'far and held a place of great
esteem with him. It has also been said that it was 'Abdallah b. 'Ali
who pardoned him.
Also in this year, Abu Ja'far set out for Abu Muslim in Khurasan
to seek his opinion about slaying Abu Salamah Hafs b . Sulayman.
Abu fa'far's Tourney to Khurasdn
1591
Earlier. I mentioned the matter of Abu Salamah and what he had

done to arouse the suspicions of Abu al-'Abbas and those of the Banu
Hashim who accompanied him when they arrived at Kufah.
According to 'Ali b . Muhammad - Jabalah b. Farrukh-Yazid b.
Asid - Abu Ja'far: When Abu al-'Abbas became Commander of the
Faithful, we sat up one evening talking and mentioned what Abu
Salamah had done. Then one man there said , " What do you know;
maybe what Abu Salamah did was done by the advice of Abu Muslim!" Not one of us spoke, and then the Commander of the Faithful
Abu al-'Abbas said, " Well, if that was by the advice of Abu Muslim,
then we are up against trouble, unless God should rid us of him."
Then we dispersed, and Abu al -'Abbas sent for me to ask , "What is
your opinion of this?" I replied, "Whatever you think ." He told me,
"None of us is nearer to Abu Muslim than yourself, so go out to see
him until you learn his thoughts . He will not disguise them from
you. If you encounter him and discover that it was by his advice that
Abu Salamah acted , we shall look to ourselves . If it was not, then
our souls will be at peace."
I left in some disquiet , and when I got to Rayy, the man in charge
there had received a letter from Abu Muslim saying, "Word has
reached me that 'Abdallah b . Muhammad is headed your way. When
he arrives, send him on within the hour of his arrival ." So, when I
got there, the governor of Rayy came to me, informed me of Abu
Muslim 's letter, and ordered me to travel on. My disquiet increased;
I left Rayy cautious and fearful and traveled on. As soon as I was at
Naysabur, the governor there came to me with a ( second ) letter from
Abu Muslim, " If 'Abdallah b. Muhammad arrives there, send him
on and do not let him tarry, for your area is one of rebels and there is
no security for him there ." I felt better then , and said, " I see he is
concerned about me." So I went on, and when I was two farsakhs (12

km) from Marw, Abu Muslim came with the notables to meet me.
As soon as he drew near, he (dismounted and) walked toward me to
kiss my hand. I told him, "Mount," At this he got on his horse and
we went into Marw. I stayed in a house there for three days, and he
didn't ask me about anything. Then on the fourth day, he asked me,
"What brought you here?" I told him, and he said, "That was Abu
Salamah's doing! I shall take care of him for you." Then he called
Marrar b. Anas al-Dabbi and told him, "Set out for Kiifah, and kill
Abu Salamah as soon as you encounter him. Finish with this as the
Imam thinks best." Marrar then arrived at Kufah, when Abu Salamah was spending the evening with Abu al-'Abbas. He waited in his
path, and when Abu Salamah came out, Marrar killed him. It was
then said that it was the Kharijites who had killed him.
'Ali reported the following from a shaykh of the Banii SulaymSalim:''' I accompanied Abu Ja'Far from Rayy to Khurasan as his
chamberlain. Abu Muslim would come to see him, dismount at the
door of the house, sit down in the antechamber, and say, "Ask for
leave for me to enter." Then Abu Ja'far grew angry at me, and told
me, "Woe to you! When you see him, open the door for him and tell
him to ride in on his mount!" I did so, and told Abu Muslim, "He
says thus-and-so." "Yes," he said, "I know. Go and ask him for leave
for me to enter."
It was also said that Abu al-'Abbas had a dislike for Abu Salamah )60)
even before he left his camp at Nukhaylah. He then moved from his
camp to Hashimiyyaha' and stayed at the government palace
there. He was hostile to Abu Salamah; this was known about him.
He wrote to Abu Muslim informing him what he thought, telling
him about the duplicity that concerned him and what he feared in
consequence. Abu Muslim wrote, "If the Commander of the Faithful has come across such information about Abu Salamah, then have
him killed." But Dawud b. 'Ali told Abu al-'Abbas, "Do not do it,
Commander of the Faithful. It will be used against you by Abu Muslim and the people of Khurasan who now are with you-his position
433 The text is Salim, probably an error. The chamberlain 's name was Sallam b.
Sulaym.
434. That is, the Hashimiyyah that was at Madinat b. Hubayrah, near Kufah. There
were several 'Abbasid administrative centers before the building of Madinat al-Salim
at Baghdad. Each was known as Hashimiyyah . There is thus much confusion about
them. For a full discussion, see Lassner 'Abbdsid Rule, 151-62 . (J.L.)

with them being what it is. Rather , write to Abu Muslim and let
him send someone to kill Abu Salamah ." So he wrote Abu Muslim
to this effect, and Abu Muslim sent Marrar b. Anas al-Dabbi. He
came to Abu al -'Abbas at the city of Hashimiyyah and let him know
the reason for his coming . Abu al=Abbas then ordered a crier to proclaim, "The Commander of the Faithful is well pleased with Abu
Salamah and has summoned him and given him robes of honor."
Abu Salamah went to visit him one evening after that , and he did
not quit him until the greater part of the night had passed . Then he
went out to go home, walking alone, until he entered the arcade.
Along with some confederates who accompanied him, Marar b.
Anas confronted Abu Salamah and killed him . The city gates were
locked, and they said, "The Kharijites have murdered Abu Salamah." He was carried out the next day . Yahya b . Muhammad b. 'Ali
led prayers over him , and he was buried in Hashimiyyah. On this,
Sulayman b. Al-Muhajir al-Bajali said:
Indeed the wazir, the wazir of the family of Muhammad
has perished, and he who hates you became wazir.
Abu Salamah was called "Wazir of the Family of Muhammad," and
[61] Abu Muslim "Trustee ( amin) of the Family of Muhammad." Thus
when Abu Salamah was slain, Abu al -'Abbas sent his brother Abu
ja'far at the head of thirty men to Abu Muslim ; among them were
al-Hajjaj b. Artah and Ishaq b. al-Fadl al -Hashimi.
When Abu Ja 'far came to Abu Muslim , 'Ubaydallah b. al-Husayn
al-A'raj kept pace with him. Alongside him rode Sulayman b.
Kathir. Sulayman then said to al-A'raj , " Friend, we have been
hoping that your business would be done . If you wish, call on us, as
regards your desire." 'Ubaydallah then thought that he was an agent
from Abu Muslim, and he became fearful . Word reached Abu Muslim of Sulayman b. Kathir's ride with him. 'Ubaydallah went to Abu
Muslim and mentioned what Sulayman had said, thinking that if he
did not do this, Abu Muslim would devise some mischief against
'Ubaydallah and kill him . Abu Muslim sent for Sulayman b. Kathir
and said to him, "Do you remember how the Imam told me,
'Whomever you suspect, kill him ?"' " Yes," said Sulayman. "Well,"
said Abu Muslim, " I suspect you." "I beseech you in God's name!"
said Sulayman . " Do not beseech me in God's name when you are

plotting treachery to the Imam ," said Abu Muslim . He then ordered
his head cut off. Abu Ja 'far saw no one else whom Abu Muslim had
beheaded, but he went home from Abu Muslim and told Abu al'Abbas, "You are no Caliph, and your rule is nothing , if you leave
Abu Muslim alone and do not kill him ." " How so ?" said Abu al'Abbas . " By God, he does just what he pleases ," said Abu Ja'far. Abu
al-'Abbas told him, "Be quiet, and keep this to yourself."",
The Battle for Wdsit

In this year, Abu al-'Abbas sent his brother Abu Ja 'far to Wasit to do
battle with Yazid b. 'Umar b. Hubayrah. We have mentioned
what happened when the troops of the Khurasan army encountered
Ibn Hubayrah (first ) under Qahtabah and then under Qahtabah's son
al-Hasan - how Ibn Hubayrah was routed and how his supporters
among the Syrian troops had gotten to Wasit and fortified themselves in that city.
According to 'Ali b. Muhammad-Abu 'Abdallah al-Sulami- [62)
'Abdallah b. Badr, Zuhayr b . Hunayd, Bishr b. Isa and Abu al-Sari:
When Ibn Hubayrah was routed , people deserted him. He had put a
group of men in charge of the baggage, and they ran away with it. At
this, Hawtharah asked him, "Where will you go? These people's
leader (Qahtabah ) has been killed. Go to Kufah; you have many
troops with you. Then fight them until you are slain or win the
fight ." Ibn Hubayrah replied, "No, we shall go to Wasit and see what
happens ." Hawtharah said, "You will only strengthen them yourself
that way, and [in the end) you 'll be slain ." Yahya b. Hudayn told
him, "There is truly nothing dearer you could bring to Marwan than
these troops . Follow the Euphrates until you come to him, and beware of Wasit ; you'll walk into a siege there, with no future but
death." He refused, however, since he was afraid of Marwan. He had
435 The murder of the veteran revolutionary was listed among the charges allegedly read against Abu Muslim shortly before the latter 's execution . One could nevertheless argue that the ' Abbisids would not have been sorry to see In Kathir eliminated since he seems to have represented an independent voice among the old guard
operatives in Khurisin . See FHA , 223. (J.L.)
436. See Ibn Khayyit, II, 424ff; FHA, 208ff; Kufi, Futuh, VIII, 202ff; Ya'qubi,
Ta'rikh, 11, 42; Dinawari , Ibn Tabitabi, i6o.

written to Marwan about the situation, and Marwan had opposed
him. He therefore feared that Marwan would kill him if he came to
him. Hence he went to Wasit , entered the city and fortified it.
Abu Salamah sent al-Hasan b. Qahtabah (off to Wasit), and alHasan and his followers dug trenches and camped in the area between the Zab and the Tigris. Al-Hasan pitched his pavilion opposite the Hipprodrome Gate (Bab al-Midmar) , and the first battle that
occurred between them was on a Wednesday . The Syrians said to
Ibn Hubayrah, " Give us permission to fight them ." This he did.
They rode out and Ibn Hubayrah was with them . With his right
flank was his son Dawud , along with Muhammad b. Nubatah and
some men from Khurasan .' Among them was Abu al-'Ud al-Khurasani. The two armies met, with Khazim b. Khuzaymah leading alHasan 's right flank. Now Ibn Hubayrah was just in front of the Hip1631 podrome Gate, so Khazim attacked him. He routed the Syrians, and
they sought refuge behind their trenches . The people ran for the gate
of the city, so many of them that the Hippodrome Gate was choked,
and the men manning ballistas hurled stones as al-Hasan stood by.
They began to move with the cavalry in the area between the river
and the trench . The Syrians turned back, and al -Hasan outflanked
them. At this, they shifted between him and the city and forced his
men into the Tigris, so that many of them were drowned. The defenders also came out against them in boats . Then the ('Abbasid
Khurasanis counterattacked . Ibn Nubatah threw away his weapons
that day and rushed blindly into the water . They followed him in a
boat, and he got in.
After this they abstained from fighting , remaining as they were for
seven days, but on Tuesday the defenders made a sortie and engaged
in battle . One of the Syrians attacked Abu Hafs Hazarmard438 and
struck him . Referring to his tribe, the Syrian crowed, " I am the
Sulami lad!" Abu Hafs struck him back retorting , "And I am the
'Ataki lad!" and felled him . The Syrians fled in disgrace and entered
the city. They stayed there so long as God wished , fighting no more,
except to cast missiles from behind the barbican.
While he was besieged there, Ibn Hubayrah heard that Abu Umayyah al-Taghlibi had appeared in black garments . He thus sent Abu
437 These, of course , were Umayyad troops.

'Uthman to al-Taghlibi 's quarters . He came upon Abu Umayyah in
his tent and said, "The Amir has sent me to you to search your tent.
If there is a black livery in it, I am to hang it about your neck, put a
halter on you, and go with you to him . If there are no black garments
in your quarters, then these fifty thousand (dirhams ) are a gift to
you." Abu Umayyah declined to let him search his tent , so he took
him to Ibn Hubayrah, who imprisoned him. Man b. Za'idah and
leading men of the Rabi 'ah discussed this turn of events and then
seized three men of the Banu Fazzarah . They detained them and insulted Ibn Hubayrah . Yahya b. Hudayn then came to them and
spoke with them, but they said , "We will not let them go until he
lets our comrade go ." Ibn Hubayrah refused, however, so Yahya told
him, "You are hurting no one but yourself . You are under siege ; let (64)
this man go his way." Ibn Hubayrah said, "No, not even as a favor."
Ibn Hudayn returned to them and informed them (of his conversation ). At this, Ma'n and 'Abd al-Rahman al-'Ijli withdrew (their support from Ibn Hubayrah) and Ibn Hudayn told Ibn Hubayrah, "These
are your cavalry. You have already alienated them . If you persist in
this, they will be harder on you than those who are besieging you."
At this, he called for Abu Umayyah, gave him a robe of honor and let
him go. The disaffected were thus reconciled to Ibn Hubayrah, and
they became obedient as before.
Abu Nasr Malik b . Haytham arrived from Sijistan, and al-Hasan b.
Qahtabah sent a delegation to inform Abu al -'Abbas of Abu Nasr's
arrival, putting Ghaylan b. 'Abdallah al -Khuza'i at the head of it.
Ghaylan was grieved with al-Hasan because he had sent him to reinforce Rawh b. Hatim, and when he came before Abu al -'Abbas, he
said, " I bear witness that you are the Commander of the Faithful,
that you are God's firm bond, that you are the Imam of the pious."
Abu al'Abbas replied, "What do you want , Ghaylan ?" He then said,
"I beg your pardon ." Abu al-'Abbas said, "May God pardon you."
Dawud b . 'All added, "May God prosper you, Abu Fudalah." Then
Ghaylan said, " Commander of the Faithful, favor us with a man
from the people of your house Ito lead us] !" Abu al-'Abbas said,
"Why, is there not already a man from the people of my house in
command of you, al-Hasan b . Qahtabah ?" Ghaylan repeated "Commander of the Faithful, favor us with a man from the people of your
house!" Abu al-' Abbas replied as he had done at first. Then Ghaylan
said, " Commander of the Faithful, favor us with a man from the

people of your house, that we may look on his face and our eyes be
consoled by him" Abu al -'Abbas said, "Alright, Ghaylan." He then
sent Abu Ja'far. He appointed Ghaylan as chief of security for him,
and Abu Ja'far went to Wasit . Abu Nasr then said to Ghaylan, "What
I wished was not what you did." Ghaylan replied , "It was better this
way (beh bud (." He stayed some days as chief of security, then he
said to Abu Ja'far, "I am not forceful enough for the security, but I
can point out someone who is tougher than I." "Who is he?" Abu
(65] Ja'far asked . " Jahwar b . Marrar," he told him . " I am not able to release you," Abu Ja ' far said, " because it was the Commander of the
Faithful who appointed you." "Write to him and inform him,"
Ghaylan told him. So Abu Ja 'far wrote to Abu al -'Abbas, who replied, " Do as Ghaylan advises ." He then made Jahwar his chief of security. Abu Ja'far said to al-Hasan , " Tell me a man I can appoint to
command my guard." Al-Hasan said, "My own choice would be
'Uthman b. Nahik." At this, he put Uthman in command of the
guard.
According to Bishr b . 'Isa: When Abu Ja'far got to Wasit, al-Hasan
turned over his quarters to him , and Abu J'far engaged the enemy in
combat . One day Abu Nasr fought with the Syrians , and they fled to
their defensive trenches . Ma'n b. Za'idah and Abu Yahya al-Judhami
had concealed themselves in ambush. When the Khurasanis passed
through, they came out against them and fought them until nightfall. Abu Nasr dismounted to engage them, and they fought each
other at the trenches . Fires were lit for them while Ibn Hubayrah
was at the tower at the Vinegar-sellers' Gate (Bab al-Khallalin). They
fought each other for as long as God wished that night ; then Ibn
Hubayrah gave word to Ma'n to turn back, whereupon he returned.
They remained this way for some days . Then the Syrians came out
again, with Muhammad b. Nubatah, Ma'n b . Za'idah, Ziyad b. Salih
and certain cavaliers of Syria . The Khurasanis fought them, and
drove them toward the Tigris . They began to fall into the river, and
Abu Nasr called in Persian , " Men of Khurasan, be waterless for
these men of treachery, make them rise! "a' The Khurasanis returned . Abu Nasr 's son had been felled, and Rawh b. Hatim had protected him . His father passed by him and said in Persian , "They've
killed you, my son, and so to hell with all the world, now that you're
439. Persian : marduman i kha'ineh beyaban hastid ve bar khizid.

gone ." Then they charged the Syrians and chased them back into
Wasit. The Syrians began to tell each other, "No, by God, there's no
good fortune for us after this. We went out against them-we the
cavalry of the Syrian army- and they drove us back into the city."
Killed that evening among the Khurasani army were Bakkar al- (66]
Ansari and another man, both of them cavalrymen. During the siege
of Ibn Hubayrah, Abu Nasr used to fill boats with wood and set
them ablaze to consume all that passed by, while Ibn Hubayrah had
prepared fireboats with iron hooks to drag these boats away. So
things remained for eleven months, and when this grew too tedious
for them the defenders asked for peace. However, they did not ask
for peace until the news of Marwan's slaying reached them. It was
brought by Ismail b. 'Abdallah al-Qasri who asked them, "Why are
you killing yourselves? Marwan has been slain!"
It has been said that Abu al-'Abbas sent Abu Ja'far to fight Ibn
Hubayrah as soon as he arrived from Khurasan, coming back from
Abu Muslim. Abu Ja'far traveled to reach al-Hasan b. Qahtabah who
was besieging Ibn Hubayrah at Wasit. Al-Hasan turned over his
quarters to Abu ja'far, and Abu Ja'far settled there. When the siege
grew tedious to Ibn Hubayrah and his followers, they became disaffected. The Yamanis said, "We see no Marwan, and what he did to
us, he did." The Nizaris said, "We won't fight until the Yamanis
fight alongside us." The only people who did fight for him were the
ragamuffins (sa'alik) and young toughs (fityan). Then Ibn Hubayrah
thought of appealing to Muhammad b. 'Abdallah b. Hasan b. Hasan,"I and wrote to him, but he delayed his answer. Abu al-'Abbas
corresponded with Ibn Hubayrah's Yamani followers and raised
their hopes. Then the Harithis Ziyad b. Salih and Ziyad b. 'Ubaydallah went over to Abu al-'Abbas. They promised Ibn Hubayrah
that they would bring about good relations between him and Abu al'Abbas, but they did not do it. Emissaries went back and forth between Abu Ja'far and Ibn Hubayrah until the latter sent him a (version of) a guarantee of safety. Ibn Hubayrah had consulted the
experts for forty days until he was satisfied with it. He then sent it 1671
to Abu ja'far, who transmitted it to Abu al-'Abbas, and he ordered
440. The strategy was to get a person of the Banu Hashim to intercede . In this case
the 'Alid known as al-Nafs al -Zakiyyah was chosen.
Igo The ' Abbasid Revolution

Abu Ja'far to implement it.441 It was Abu Ja'far's opinion that everything in it must be faithfully carried out, but Abu al-'Abbas was
not accustomed to making a final decision without Abu Muslim.
Abu al-Jahm was the "eye" that Abu Muslim kept on Abu al-'Abbas,
and Abu Jahm thus wrote to him with all the news about him. So
Abu Muslim wrote Abu al-'Abbas, "Truly an easy road is spoiled if a
boulder is thrown into it: by God, no road with Ibn Hubayrah in it is
in good order."
When the document was completed, Ibn Hubayrah came out to
Abu Ja'far at the head of thirteen hundred warriors.442 He wanted to
enter Abu Ja'far's enclosure while on his horse; however, the chamberlain Sallam b. Sulaym stood before him and said, "Welcome to
you, Abu Khalid! Dismount in good order!" The enclosure was encircled by upwards of ten thousand men of Khurasan, so Ibn Hubayrah dismounted . Sallam called for a cushion for Ibn Hubayrah to sit
upon, and he sent for the officers to come in. Then Sallam said, "Go
in, Abu Khalid." The latter asked, "I and who else with me?" Sallam
replied, "I sought permission for you alone." He went in, and a cushion was placed for him, and he spoke with him a while. Then he rose
to leave and Abu Ja'far followed him with his gaze until he disappeared from view. Ibn Hubayrah continued to visit Abu Ja'far, absenting himself one day and waiting on him the next, at the head of
five hundred riders and three hundred foot soldiers. Yazid b. Hatim
then said to Abu Ja'far, "Truly, Amir, Ibn Hubayrah comes here and
the whole camp is humble before him; nothing is lacking in his sovereignty. If he is to make a progress with all this cavalry and infantry, what will 'Abd aI-Jabbar and Jahwar say?" Then Abu Ja'far told
Sallam, "Tell Ibn Hubayrah to leave this crowd behind him and
come to us with a retinue [of about thirty].""' Sallam told Ibn
Hubayrah this and his face changed. He then came with a retinue of
about thirty, and Sallam said to him, "It seems you come so
1681 proudly!" He replied, "If you order us to, we shall come on foot."
44 r. The text of the document was reportedly framed by lbn al-Muqaffa'. The agreements forced upon Abu Ja'far by the document were so carefully worded that they
made him very uneasy.
442. The text has bukhariyyah, which seems most unlikely. Following a suggestion in the textual apparatus, the reading muhnribah has been adopted.
443 The words in brackets are missing in the text, and are supplied by the Cairo
edition.
Sallam told him, "We do not wish to treat you lightly; the Amir ordered what he did so as to pay full attention to you." After that, Ibn
Hubayrah would come with three companions.
The Death of Ibn Hubayrah

Abu Zayd reported the following from Muhammad b. Kathir: Ibn
Hubayrah spoke to Abu Ja'far one day and said, "Look here," or "0
man." Then he came back and said, "0 Amir, it has been my fashion
to address people as I just spoke to you, and my tongue slipped, forcing me to say something I did not intend." Abu al-'Abbas used to
press Abu Ja'far, ordering him to kill Ibn Hubayrah. But Abu Ja'far
would refer it back to him, until finally Abu al-'Abbas wrote him,
"By God, you shall certainly kill him, or I will certainly send someone to drag him out of your enclosure." At this, he undertook to
have Ibn Hubayrah killed and made up his mind to do it. He sent
Khazim b. Khuzaymah and al-Haytham b. Shu'bah b. Zuhayr and ordered them to seal the treasuries . He then sent for the leading men
of the Qays and Mudar who were with Ibn Hubayrah. Coming to
him were Muhammad b. Nubatah, Hawtharah b. Suhayl, Tariq b.
Qudamah, Ziyad b. Suwayd, Abu Bakr b. Ka'b al-'Ugayli, Aban and
Bishr the two sons of 'Abd al-Malik b. Bishr, with twenty-two men
of the Qays, as well as Ja'far b. Hanzalah and Hazzan b. Said. Sallam
b. Sulaym went out and said, "Where are Hawtharah and
Muhammad b. Nubatah?" They both stood up and went in.
'Uthman b. Nahik, al-Fadl b. Sulayman and Musa b. 'Aqil had been
sitting with one hundred men in an enclosure outside Abu Ja'far's
enclosure. Both men had their swords taken away and their hands
pinioned behind their backs. Then Bishr and Aban the sons of 'Abd
al-Malik b. Bishr entered, and the same was done with them. Then
Abu Bakr b. Ka'b and Tariq b. Qudamah entered. At this, Ja'far b.
Hanzalah rose up and said, "We are the chiefs of the army; why have
these men been given precedence over us?" Sall am said, "What tribe [69[
are you from?" "From Bahra,"' he said. And Sallam said, "You
would do well to get out of here." Then Hazzan stood and spoke, and
he was held back. Rawh b. Hatim then said, "Abu Ya'qub, the men's
swords have been taken away!" Musa b. 'Agil now came out
against them, and they told him, "You gave us an oath before God,
and now you break it. We hope that God may catch up with you."
1701
Ibn Nubatah began to make rude noises in his beard, and Hawtharah
told him, " That will be of no use to you." He replied , " It seems to
me I told you this would happen ." Then they were slain , and their
signet rings were taken from them.
Khazim, al-Haytham b. Shu'bah and al-Aghlab b . Salim went off
with about a hundred men and sent word to Ibn Hubayrah , " We intend to transport the money." Ibn Hubayrah told his chamberlain,
"Go, Abu ' Uthman, and show them where it is." They posted some
men in each room, and began to look throughout the house. With
Ibn Hubayrah were his son Dawud , his secretary 'Amr b. Ayyub, his
chamberlain, and a number of his mawlas . Also with him was a very
young son whom he held in his arms. He began to feel misgiving at
their looks, and said, " I swear by God that there is evil in the faces of
these men ." They came towards him, and his chamberlain stood up
to them, and said, " Get out of here !" Al-Haytham b. Shu'bah struck
the chamberlain in the shoulder tendon , and felled him . His son
Dawud put up a struggle and was killed, and his mawlas were slain.
Ibn Hubayrah put aside the child in his arms and said , " You have no
need for this little boy ." Then he prostrated himself in prayer, and
was slain while prostrating himself . The slayers went with the
heads to Abu Ja'far, whereupon he proclaimed amnesty for all the
important poeple except al-Hakam b . 'Abd al-Malik b . Bishr, Khalid
b. Salamah al-Makhzumi and 'Umar b. Dharr . However, Ziyad b.
'Ubaydallah sought pardon for Ibn Dharr, and Abu al-'Abbas accorded it. Al-Hakam fled. Abu Ja'far gave a guarantee of safety to
Khalid, but Abu al-'Abbas had Khalid killed and did not honor Abu
Ja'far's guarantee . Abu 'Allagah and Hisham b. Hashim b . Safwah b.
Mazyad, both of the Banu Fazzar, fled, but Hujr b. Said al-Ta'i
caught up with them and killed them both at the Zab. Abu al-'Ata'
al-Sindi recited in lament:"'
Surely an eye that did not find that day at Wasit

for you its tears overflowing was incapable of tears,
At evening when the wailing women rose, and torn
were neck-openings at their hands , and cheeks were gashed.
444 A Kufan poet known for his pro -Umayyad activity. The elegy on the death of
Ibn Hubayrah is one of his most famous poems . See Ell s.v. Abu 'Ata al -Sindi.
1193
And if your courtyard is empty at evening now, yet often

there used to stay in it envoys after envoys.
You are not far away from one who frequents your grave,
though surely one who lies beneath the dust is far.
Munqidh b. Àbd al-Rahman al-Hilali recited in a lament:
The burning in my breast forbade all consolation
and grief prevented my heart's firm resolve on patience,
When once I heard a blow that struck

all white my hair at its place of parting.
Vanished those noble defenders , when appeared
snares of treachery, and promises were broken.
That noose entrapped in its toil a man
like the full moon, by stars surrounded.
A crier proclaimed the report of their death , and I said,
"Why did you not come with the cry of Doomsday?
May God reckon with you , you who assert to us
that the vicissitudes of time have encompassed him."
Who is there for the minbars, after their perishing,
or who could supply their excellent qualities of character?
Whenever I remember them , my heart complains
of pain for the bright -faced cavaliers
Slain at the Tigris; nothing could cover them

but billows of raging waves of the sea.
Now let our womenfolk weep for their riders,
best of defenders, through nights of terror.
According to Abu Zayd - Abu Bakr al -Bahili - a shaykh of the
Khurasanis : (The Caliph) Hisham b . Àbd al-Malik asked Yazid b.
17 1 1

'Umar b. Hubayrah for his daughter as wife for Hisham's son
Mu'awiyah, but Yazid refused. After this some words passed between Yazid b. 'Umar and al-Walid b. al-Qa'ga', and Hisham sent
Yazid to al-Walid b. Qa'ga', who beat him and had him incarcerated.
Then Ibn Taysalah recited:
Little good is there for men who have no intelligence.

who will justly treat the man detained at Aleppo,
A man never struck by time's mischances
but he made light of it, with heart at ease?
It is said that when Abu al-'Abbas sent Abu al- Ja'far to W isit to
fight Ibn Hubayrah, he wrote to al-Hasan b. Qahtabah, "The army is
your army, and the officers are your officers. Still, I should like for
my brother to be present, so listen to him and obey him and help
him as best you can." He wrote something similar to Abu Nasr Malik b. Haytham. Then al-Hasan was the one who managed the army,
by al-Mansur (Abu Ja'far)'s orders.
Other Events
[7 2 1
This same year Abu Muslim sent Muhammad b. al-Ash'ath to

rule Fars, commanding him to seize the governors of Abu Salamah
there and cut off their heads. This he did.
In the same year Abu al-'Abbas sent his paternal uncle 'Isa b. 'Ali
to Fars, which Muhammad b. al-Ash'ath was controlling, and Muhammad b. al-Ash'ath worried what to do. Someone told him, "This
is not a man you can treat like others." He however replied, "On the
contrary, Abu Muslim ordered me not to let anyone he had not sent
come here claiming to be a governor without cutting off his head."
He shrank from that, fearing what the consequences might be, but
he obliged 'Isa by the most binding oath not to go up into a minbar,
nor to gird on a sword except on jihad. 'Isa never held a governorship
after that, nor put on a sword except in a campaign. After this, Abu
al-'Abbas sent Ismail b. 'Ali as governor over Fars.
In this year, Abu al-'Abbas sent his brother Abu Ja'far to the Jazi-

rah, Adharbayjan and Armenia as governor, and his brother Yahya as
governor for Mosul.'*;
He also removed his paternal uncle Dawud b. 'Ali as governor of
Kafah and its territory and gave him Madinah, Mecca, the Yaman
and Yamamah to govern. In his place over Kufah and its territory he
appointed 'Isa b. Musa.
In this year, while he was in the Jazirah Marwan had dismissed alWalid b. 'Urwah as governor of Madinah, and he appointed in his
place al-Walid's brother Yasuf b. 'Urwah. Al-Wagidi mentions that
he came to Madinah on the fourth of Rabi' I (October 10, 750).
This year 'Isa b. Masi appointed Ibn Abi Layla as judge for Kufah.
The governor for Basrah this year was Sufyan b. Mu'awiyah alMuhallabi. Al-Hajjaj b. Artah was in charge of the judiciary there.
The governor of Fars was Muhammad b. al-Ash'ath, and that of Sind
was Mansar b. Jumhar.'- 'Abdallah b. Muhammad governed the
Jazirah, Armenia, and Adharbayjan, while Yahya b. Muhammad
governed Mosul. 'Abdallah b. 'Ali governed the Syrian provinces,
Aba 'Awn 'Abd al-Malik b. Yazid governed Egypt, Aba Muslim
ruled Khurasin and Jibal, and the Landtax Bureau was headed by
Khalid b. Barmak . The leader of the Pilgrimage this year was Dawud
b. 'Ali b. 'Abdallah b. al-'Abbas.
445 Azdi states that this occurred the following year , 133 (749 -75o), and gives eyewitness reports of the pitiless massacre of the inhabitants carried out by Yahya to
punish them for repudiating the previous governor , a mawla of the Hijaz tribe of
Khath'am. See Azdi, 145- 53; lbn Athir, IV, 339-40. Tabari does not mention this act
of the new dynasty, in which the people were persuaded to come out of hiding by
proclamation of a general amnesty and then slain, it is said to the number of about
thirty thousand men, women and children . Azdi also alludes to'Abbasid massacres in
Syria.
446. Tabari does not discuss it, but this perennial rebel against the Qaysis had at
last joined the 'Abbasid revolt and had been rewarded with the governorate of Sind.
See Omar, 161.
1^
1731
THE
EVENTS OF THE YEAR
133
(AUGUST 9,750-29 JULY, 751)
40
The Events of this Year

Among the events, Abu al-'Abbas sent his paternal uncle Sulayman
b. 'Ali as governor for Basrah and its dependencies, as well as the
Tigris districts, Bahrayn, 'Uman and Mihrijangadhaq.' His paternal uncle Ismail b. 'Ali was made governor of the districts of
Ahwaz.
This year Dawud b. 'Ali slew all members of the family of Umayyah arrested at Mecca and Madinah.
In this year also, Dawud b. 'Ali died at Madinah during Rabi' I (ca.
October 18-November 16, 750). His governorship, according to Muhammad b. Uman, lasted three months. He had chosen his son
Musa to succeed him when his death drew near, but when the word
of his death reached Abu al-'Abbas, the Caliph sent his maternal uncle Ziyad b. 'Ubaydallah b. 'Abdallah b. 'Abd al-Madan al-Harithi as
governor for Madinah, Mecca, Ta'if and Yamamah, and he sent
Muhammad b. Yazid b. 'Abdallah b. 'Abd al-Madan as governor for
the Yaman. This man arrived in the Yaman in Jumada I (December
447. Mihrijangadhaq was a fertile district in the extreme west of Jibal. The major
town was Saymarah. See Yaqut, Mu'jam s.v. Mihrijangadhaq, and LeStrange, Lands,
184, 202.

16, 75o-January 14, 7S1). Ziyad stayed at Madinah, while Muhammad went on to the Yaman. Then Ziyad sent Ibrahim b. Hassan alSulami, who was Abu Hammad al-Abras, against al-Muthanna b.
Yazid b. 'Umar b. Hubayrah, who was in Yamamah. Abu Hammad
killed him and slew his followers.
This year Abu al-'Abbas wrote to Abu 'Awn, continuing his appointment as governor of Egypt. He did the same with 'Abdallah and
Salih, the sons of 'Ali, who ruled over the military districts in Syria.
He also sent Muhammad b. al-Ash'ath to Ifrigiyah, and the latter
engaged in fierce combat with (the Berber Kharijites) until he conquered the province.
This year Sharik b. Shaykh al-Mahn rebelled against Abu Muslim

in Khurasan at Bukhara and reviled him, saying, "It was not for this
that we followed the family of Muhammad, to shed blood and act
unjustly.""" More than thirty thousand men followed his banner,
so that Abu Muslim sent Ziyad b. Salih, who fought him and slew
him.
Also, Abu Muslim sent Abu Dawud Khalid b. Ibrahim from the
Oxus to Khuttal, and he entered the country. Hanash b. al-Subul,"
the king there, did not oppose him, but the leading men among the
dingans of Khuttal came to him and put themselves in the fortress
with him, while some of them resisted along the roads and in the
mountain passes and forts. When Abu Dawud pressed Hanash, he
went out from his fortress by night accompanied by his dingans and
his Shakiriyyah to the land of Farghanah, and from there to the land
of the Turks, until he came to the King of China. Abu Dawud took
those he captured among the enemy and crossed back to Balkh,
where he sent the captives to Abu Muslim.
In this year 'Abd al-Rahman b. Yazid b. al-Muhallab was slain by
Sulayman, called al-Aswad, who killed him with a safe-conduct he
had written for him.
In this year Salih b. 'Ali sent Said b. 'Abdallah to lead the summer
expedition behind the frontiers (of the Byzantines). Yahya b.
448. This man had been an early 'Abbasid partisan . Narshakhi states that his rebellion was in favor of the 'Alids, though Tabari, writing under the 'Abbisids, draws a
veil over his affiliations. Sharik is quoted as saying that the plagues of the house of
'Abbis should not afflict him, and that the children of the Prophet must be the Prophet's successors . See Narshakhi (trans., 62.
449. Ibn Athir gives his name as Hubaysh b. al-Shibl (IV, 342).
1741
1751
Muhammad was removed from the governorship of Mosul, and

Ismail b . 'Ali was appointed in his place. Ziyad b. 'Ubaydallah alHarithi led the Pilgrimage this year , as I was told by Ahmad b. Thabit-Ishaq b. 'Isa - Abu Ma 'shar. Al-Wagidi and others say the
same.
Ìsa b. Musa governed Ktzfah and its surrounding territory, while
Ibn Abi Layla was in charge of the judiciary there . Sulayman b. 'Ali
governed Basrah, its dependencies , the Tigris districts, Bahrayn,
Uman, 'Ird'' and Mihrijangadhaq. In charge of the judiciary was
Abbad b. Mansur. Ismail b . 'Ali governed Ahwaz, and Muhammad
b. al-Ash'ath governed Fars . The governor of Sind was Mansur b.
Jumhitr, and Abu Muslim governed Khurasan and Jibal. 'Abdallah b.
Ali governed Qinnasrin , Hims, the districts of Damascus and the
Jordan. Salih b . 'Ali governed Palestine.
'Abd al -Malik b. Yazid, Abu 'Awn, governed Egypt ; 'Abdallah b.
Muhammad al-Mansur governed the Jazirah . Ismail b. 'Ali governed
Mosul, Salih b . Subayh governed Armenia , and Mujashi' b. Yazid
was governor of Adharbayjan.
Khalid b. Barmak headed the Landtax Bureau.
450. An ird is an Arabian wadi with villages and palms . The Ird was a district contiguous to 'Uman , part of Yamamah in East Arabia . See Yaqut, Mu'jam s.v. Ird.
fb
THE
EVENTS OF THE YEAR
134
(JULY 3 0, 751-JULY 17, 752)
9
The Rebellion of Bassam b. Ibrahim
In this year Bassam b. Ibrahim b . Bassam rebelled and threw off his
allegiance .4.11 According to what has been mentioned , he was a
leading cavalryman of Khurasan . He left the army of Abu al-'Abbas
the Commander of the Faithful with a group of sympathizers who
sought to keep their departure secret."" The Caliph made close inquiries to their purpose and where they were heading, until it was
found that they were at Mada'in . Abu al-'Abbas then sent Khazim b. 1761
Khuzaymah after them . When he found Bassam, they came out to
fight him. Bassam and his followers were put to flight, and most of
them were slain . His camp was destroyed, and Khazim and his followers went on to pursue them in the district of Jukha 's' until he
came to Mah. Khazim slew all of them he encountered , whether
they fled or stood to fight . Then Khazim turned back and passed by
Dhat al-Matamir, or a village resembling it, where were some of the
Banu al-Harith b . Ka'b, of the Banu 'Abd al-Madan - they were the
451. See Azdi, 140, sub anno 133, who says that Bassam revolted in Tadmur,
among the Kalb, and called for an 'Alid caliphate.
452. The text is mustabshitin , corrected by the Cairo edition to mustasirrin.

453. A district along what was then the dried -up eastern bed of the Tigris, stretching northwest to Kaskar. See LeStrange, Lands, 42.

less prestigious maternal kindred of Abu al-'Abbas. He passed by
them while they were holding a gathering. They were thirty-five
men, eighteen being from their own clan and others, and seventeen
from their mawlas. Khazim did not salute them, and as he passed
they reviled him.'s' He held a grudge against them already because
of what he had heard that they had done regarding al-Mughirah b. alFaz', one of Bassam b. Ibrahim's followers who had taken refuge
with them. Khazim wheeled around and went back, and he asked
them about al-Mughirah' s stay among them. They replied, "A man
passed through here. We did not know him. He stayed in our village
one night and left." Then Khazim said, "You are the maternal relatives of the Commander of the Faithful and his enemy comes to you
and finds shelter in your village! Why didn't you get together and
seize him?" They gave him a rough answer, whereupon he ordered
that all of them be beheaded. Their houses were demolished, and
their property plundered. Then he went back to Abu al-'Abbas.
Word of what Khazim had done came to the Yamani tribesmen,
who dwelt on the magnitude of it in full accord. Then Ziyad b.
'Ubaydallah al-Harithi went to see Abu al-'Abbas with 'Abdallah b.
al-Rabi' al-Harithi, 'Uthman b. Nahik and 'Abd al-Jabbar b. 'Abd al1771 Rahman, who at that time was chief of security for Abu al-'Abbas.
They said, "Commander of the Faithful, a servant of yours' S5 has
dared to do something which the nearest and dearest of your father's
sons would not venture to do against you. That is, he has made light
of your justice and has slain your maternal relatives. They had left
their home and come to you to glory in you, seeking your benevolence-then, when they had come to your abode and sought protection in your vicinity, Khazim pounced on them and cut off their
heads, destroyed their homes, carried off their possessions and
ruined their estates, without their having done anything against
him!" At this, Abu al-'Abbas proposed killing Khazim, and word of
it came to Musa b. Ka'b and Abu al-Jahm b. 'Atiyyah. They went to
Abu al-'Abbas and said, "Word has reached us, Commander of the
Faithful, of what these people have said to you against Khazim, how
they have advised you to kill him, and what you have proposed to do
454 Khazim was a Northern Tamimi, and they were from the once Christian Yamani tribe of Najran and its vicinity, which may have predisposed them to hostility.
Khazim offered offense by not saying "peace" as he rode by.
455. The text is khazim; read khadim with the Cairo edition.

about this . We invoke God's protection upon you against that. He
has a record of obedience and long service. May he be forgiven for
what he has done . Your Shi'ah among the people of Khurasan have
preferred you to their closest sons and fathers and brothers , and they
killed all those who opposed you. You are the one whom their
wrongdoing has strengthened most . If you are absolutely determined on his death, then do not undertake that yourself . Rather, put
him among those who are sent where, if he is slain, you will have attained what you desire, and if he is victorious, then his victory will
be yours." They advised him to send Khazim against those of the
(Ibadi) Kharijites who were in Ùman, i.e., against al-Julanda and his
followers, and against the (Sufri ) Kharijites who were on the island
of Ibn Kawan with Shayban b . Àbd al-Àziz al -Yashkuri. Thus Abu
al-Àbbas commanded that he be sent with seven hundred men and
wrote to Sulayman b. Àli at Basrah to transport them in vessels to
the island of Ibn Kawan and 'Uman . Khazim then set out.
In this year, Khazim b. Khuzaymah set out for Uman , and at- (781
tacked the Kharijites situated there . He conquered it and the neighboring lands and slew Shayban the Kharijite.
The Account of What Occurred in Ùman

It is mentioned that Khazim b. Khuzaymah set out at the head of
seven hundred men whom Abu al-Àbbas had given him. He also
chose men of his house as well as cousins of his and his mawlas and
men of Marwarrudh whom he knew and could depend upon. They
went to Basrah , where Sulayman b. Àli supplied them with ships,
and where a number of the Banu Tamim at Basrah joined him. They
sailed until they landed at the island of Ibn Kawan , and Khazim sent
Nadalah b . Nu'aym al-Nahshali with five hundred of his men
against Shayban. They met and fought a violent battle . Shayban and
his followers then took to boats and crossed over to Ùman. They
were Sufris, and when they came to Ùman, al-Julanda and his followers, who were Ibadis, stood ready to do combat with them. They
fought a pitched battle, and Shayban and those accompanying him
were killed. Then Khazim set sail with his following until they
reached the coast of 'Uman, and there went into the desert . Al-Julanda and his followers encountered them, and they fought a sharp
engagement . Many of Khazim's followers were killed that day. At

the time they were on a stretch along the sea. Among those slain
was a brother of Khazim by the same mother, called Ismail, along
with ninety men of the Marwarrudh contingent. They clashed again
on the following day and fought a sharp battle. Commanding Khazim's right wing was a man from Marwarrudh called Humayd al1791 Wartakani, on his left was a man of Marwarrudh called Muslim alArghadi, and Nadalah b. Nu'aym al-Nahshali was in command of
the vanguard. On this day, nine hundred of the Kharijites were
killed, and some ninety of them were burned. Seven days later, Khazim's chief men agreed on an expedient suggested to him by a man
of al-Sughd who happened to be in that country. He advised him to
command his followers to fix tow on the ends of their spears and
soak this in naptha and set fire to it, and then go with these and set
fire to the dwellings of al-Julanda's followers, which were made of
wood and withes. They did this and set fire to the houses. While the
Kharijites were busy saving them and their children and families
who were in them, Khazim and his men pressed the attack and laid
on with their swords, meeting little resistance from them. Al-Julanda was one of those who were slain, and the number came to ten
thousand. Khazim sent their heads to Basrah where they remained
some days before being sent to Abu al-'Abbas. Khazim stayed (in
'Uman) some months until a letter from Abu al-'Abbas arrived bidding him to come back, and they returned.
This year Abu Dawud Khalid b. Ibrahim raided the people of
Kashsh''6 and killed its ruler, al-Ikhrid. He was a loyal vassal who
had come before this to Abu Dawud at Balkh. Then he met him at
Kandak,"' near Kashsh. When he slew them Abu Dawud took
from al-Ikhrid and his followers some ornamented and gilded Chinese vessels, the likes of which had not been seen. He also took Chinese saddles and furnishings, all of brocade and other stuffs, and
180] many rare things of China. He transported all of this to Abu Muslim, who was at Samarqand. Abu Dawud slew the dingan of Kashsh
along with a number of other dingans, but he spared Taran, the
brother of al-Ikhrid, and made him ruler of Kashsh. He took Ibn alNajah and returned him to his own country, and Abu Muslim de456. Also known as Kash, later as Shahr-i Sabz. It was a town situated in the province of Sughd. See LeStrange, Lands, 441-43, 465, 470, 472; El' s.v. Kash.
457 See LeStrange, Lands, 472.

parted for Marw after slaying some of the people of Sughd and Bukhara. He ordered a wall to be built around Samarqand. He appointed Ziyad b. Silih over Sughd and Bukhara, and then Abu Diwud went back to Balkh.
In this year Abu al-'Abbas sent Musa b . Ka'b to India to fight Mansur b. Jumhur458 He assigned him monies for three thousand men,
Arabs and mawlis of Basrah, and a thousand men specifically chosen from the Banu Tamim. He then set out, and al -Musayyab b.
Zuhayr replaced him as chief of security for Abu al-'Abbis, subject
to his arrival from Sind. Musa met Mansur b. Jumhur at the head of
twelve thousand men and put him and his followers to flight. Mansur kept going, and died of thirst in the sands.
It has been said that a member of Mansur 's clan killed him. Mansur's lieutenant learned of his defeat at Mansurah459 and set off
with Mansu'r's family and treasures . Leaving with them a number of
trusted men, he entered the land of the Khazars.'60
This year Muhammad b. Yazid b. 'Abdallih died while he was
governor of the Yaman, so Abu al-'Abbas wrote to 'Ali b. al-Raba' b.
'Ubaydallah al-Hirithi, the functionary of Ziyad b. 'Ubaydallih for
Mecca, appointing him as governor of the Yaman. 'Ali then went
there.
This same year Abu al-'Abbis moved from Hirah to Anbir.4'
This, according to al-Wagidi and other authorities, was in Dhu alHijjah ] June 19 -July 13, 752).
In this year Salih b. Subayh was removed from Armenia, and [8r]
Yazid b. Asid062 was appointed in his place. In this year Mujashi' b.
Yazid was removed from Adharbayjan, and Muhammad b. Sul was
appointed for that province.
In this year the beacon system and milestones were set up from
458. Al-Baladhuri states that Abu Muslim appointed another governor for Sind,
whom the old Kalbite warrior then slew. At this, Abu Muslim sent Musa b. Ka'b.
Tabari says the Caliph sent Musa and does not say why. See al-Baladhuri, Futuh III, p.
3434 5 9. The capital of Sind . See LeStrange, Lands, 331.
460. The kingdom of Turks and Huns in the south Russian steppes which later converted to Judaism . See EI2 s.v. Khazar. It is a very long way from Sind to the land of
the Khazars.
461. For the 'Abbasid capital at Anbar known as Hashimiyyah , see Lassner,
'Abbasid Rule, 15 3- 57.
462. The text is Usayd. The Cairo edition gives Asid, a rare name, but here probable. See n. 15o above.

Kufah to Mecca. The leader of the Pilgrimage was Isa b. Musa, who
was governor of Kufah and its territories.
In charge of the judiciary at Kufah was Ibn Abi Layla , and Ziyad b.
Ubaydallah was governor of Mecca, Madinah, Ti'if and Yamamah.
'Ali b. al-Rabi' al-Harithi governed the Yaman . Sulayman b . 'Ali b.
'Ali was governor of Basrah and the Tigris districts, Bahrayn, 'Uman,
'Ird and Mihrijangadhaq . 'Abbad b. Mansur was in charge of its judiciary . Musa b . Ka'b was governor of Sind ; Abu Muslim was governor
of Khurasan and Jibal; Salih b. 'Ali governed Palestine ; Abu 'Awn
governed Egypt ; Ismail b . 'Ali governed Mosul ; Yazid b. Asid governed Armenia; and Muhammad b. Sul governed Adharbayjan. The
Landtax Bureau was headed by Khalid b . Barmak. 'Abdallah b. Muhammad (Abu Ja'far) governed the Jazirah, and 'Abdallah b. 'Ali governed Qinnasrin, Hims, the districts of Damascus and the Jordan.
e
THE
EVENTS OF THE YEAR
135
(JULY 18 , 752-JULY 7, 753)
The Rebellion of Ziyad b. Salih in Transoxania

Among the events of this year was the rebellion of Ziyad b . Salih, beyond the river of Balkh ( the Oxus (.4M Abu Muslim set out from 1821
Marw, prepared to encounter him, while Abu Dawud Khalid b.
Ibrahim sent Nasr b . Rashid to Tirmidh" and ordered him to establish himself at the town, to prevent Ziyad b. Salih from sending
men and gaining possession of the fortress and the boats there. This
Nasr did . He stayed there for some days, and then some of the people
of the Rawandiyyah"s from Talagan ,4M led by a man with the pat
463. For this revolt see Daniel, Khurasan Under 'Abbasid Rule, 111- 12.
464. The major town of the $aghiniyan district north of the Oxus at its junction
with the Zamil river . It was a great entrepot for trade coming from the north to
Khurasan. See LeStrange, Lands, 240.
465. Named after the village of Riwand near Naysibnr (Nishapur ) the Rawandiyyah were apparently identical with the Hishimiyyah Shi'ah , who believed that
Abu Hishim b. Muhammad b. 'All had passed the Imimate to the 'Abbisids. The
Riwandiyyah included many Iranian converts . See Baghdadi, Farq, trans. by Halkin,
74-7$s also Lassner, 'Abbasid Rule, io9ff.
466. A great city between Balkh and Marwarrudh . See LeStrange, Lands, 423-24
Mligin). Tilagan was the scene of the first great victory won by Abu Muslim. See
Yiqut, Mu'jam , II, 129 - 30 s.v. Junduwayh.

ronymic of Abu Ishaq," rebelled against him and slew him. When
Abu Dawud learned this , he sent 'Isa b. Mahan in pursuit of Nasr's
murderers, and 'Isa tracked them down and killed them.
Abu Muslim marched quickly, until he arrived at Amul ." With
him was Siba' b. al-Nu 'man. This was the man who had brought the
appointment of Ziyad b . Salih on behalf of Abu al -'Abbas469 and ordered him, if he found an opportunity, to fall upon Abu Muslim and
slay him . Abu Muslim was informed of that, so he gave Siba' b.
Nu'man over to al-Hasan b. Junayd , his governor at Amul, and ordered al-Hasan to confine him there . Then Abu Muslim crossed over
to Bukhara, and when he halted there, Abu Shakir and Abu Sa'd alSharawi came to him with officers who had deserted Ziyad. Abu
Muslim questioned them about Ziyad's affair and who had corrupted him . They told him, " It was Siba' b. al-Nu 'man." At this he
wrote to his governor at Amul to give Siba ' a hundred lashes and
then behead him. This he did.
When Ziyad 's officers betrayed him and went over to Abu Muslim, he fled to the dingan of Barkath ,47 but the dingan pounced on
him, cut off his head and brought it to Abu Muslim.
467. Tabari is reticent here. This man is Abu Ishaq Khilid b. 'Uthmin, 'Abbasid
da'i and mawli of Khuzi'ah, who had once been chief of Abu Muslim's guard. The
slaying is linked with rebellion against Abu Muslim among the 'Abbasid Shi'ah, possibly fomented by the Caliph and his brother.
468. That is, the Amul on the Oxus about 120 miles northeast of Marw. See LeStrange, Lands, 404.
469. Here Tabari lets out the secret. Abu Muslim had appointed Ziyad b. Salih, a
mawla of Khuzi'ah and 'Abbasid da'i, governor of Sughd. The Caliph however had
sent him a deed of appointment of his own behalf, with instructions to kill Abu Muslim. A key to this covert struggle between the Caliph and the governor of Khurasan
was the control of appointments of governors in the eastern provinces, as we have
seen in Fars and Sind. Baladhuri indicates that the Caliph had appointed Ziyad governor of Khurasin; no doubt in the event that he could rid him of Abu Muslim. See
Omar, 'Abbasid Caliphate, i 59-6o, quoting Ansab al-Ashraf, Paris manuscript, fol.
Boob. Abu Muslim apparently intended to appoint the governors of the eastern provinces and wage jihad in Central Asia (and India?) at his own discretion, as the
Umayyad viceroys of Iraq and the East had once done. The 'Abbasids however
planned a more centralized regime. The man the Caliph chose as his messenger to
Ziyad b. Salih, Siba' b. Nu'man al-Azdi, had been a follower of Juday' al-Kirmini, and
then had been appointed by Abu Muslim as his governor for Samarqand (Tabari, II,
2ooi). Abu al-'Abbas had now acquired his services. When Abu Muslim took his revenge on Ziyad, and later on 'Isa b. Mahan, however, the Caliph feigned innocence
and congratulated Abu Muslim on dealing with them. See Omar, 'Abbasid Caliphate, 161, quoting Baladhuri in the unpublished portion of the Ansab.
470. Barkath was the major town of the Buzmajin district one day's journey north-
The Events of the Year 13 5 207
Abu Dawud delayed in presenting himself before Abu Muslim,

due to the affair of the Rawandiyyah who had rebelled. At this, Abu
Muslim wrote him as follows, "Let your dread be eased and your
heart be at peace, for God has slain Ziyad; so come." Abu Dawud
then went to Kashsh and sent Ìsa b. Mahan to Bassam ." He sent
al-Najah to the Ispahbadh at Shawaghar,02 and Ibn al-Najah besieged the fortress there. As for the people of Shawaghar, they asked
for peace, and it was granted. As for Bassam, 'Isa b. Mahan could get
nowhere with him. Then Abu Muslim uncovered sixteen letters
from 'Isa b. Mahan to Kamil b. Muzaffar, the friend of Abu Muslim,
in which he blamed Abu Dawud, accusing him of tribalism ('asabiyyah), and of preferring Arabs and his own tribe to all people of the
'Abbasid movement. 'Isa also accused him of having thirty-six tents
in his camp for those to whom he had guaranteed protection. These
letters Abu Muslim sent to Abu Dawud, and wrote to him, "These
are the letters of a barbarian ('i1j) whom you rendered even as yourself; do with him as you will." At this, Abu Dawud wrote 'Isa b.
Mahan to come back to him from Bassam . When he arrived, he arrested him and handed him over to 'Umar al-Naghm, at whose
hands he remained in confinement. Then after two or three days he
sent for 'Isa and reminded him of all that he had done for him and
how he had preferred him even above his own sons, and he acknowledged all of that. Abu Dawud then said, "Then the reward for all
that I did for you was that you slandered me and desired my death?"
This 'Isa denied, whereupon Abu Dawud produced his letters, and
he confessed that they were his. Abu Dawud inflicted two legal punishments on him at that time, one of them on account of al-Hasan b.
I jamdan."' Abu Dawud then said, "As for me, I have left you in
east of Samarqand . See LeStrange, Lands, 466. The dingans of Central Asia were, for
the most part, loyal to Abu Muslim out of fear or self-interest , or both.
471. Bassam b. Ibrahim was still at large, after leading a pro -'Alid revolt against the
'Abbasids in 133 (749-750), though where he was is not clear.
472. "Isbahbadh " was a title used by a number of Persian and even Turkish princes.
See El' S.V. Ispahbadh . Shawaghar was a city in the land of the Turks, probably the
one later called Yasi . See LeStrange, Lands, 435. We are not told why Ibn al-Najah
was sent there, but as the 'Abbasids expanded to the east and the Chinese to the west,
the Turkish principalities were being asked to take sides.
473. Tabari mentions this man only here and gives no reason for'Isa 's culpability.
Narshakhi however mentions one Hamzah al-Hamdani , a supporter of Shank b.
Shaykh at Bukhara , who was ambushed with his men . See Narshakhi, Frye translation, 63.
1831
zo8 The 'Abbasid Revolution

your sins, but the army has the final word. Depart in your chains."
When he was sent out from the tents, Harb b. Ziyad and Hafs b.
Dinar, the mawla of Yahya b. Hudayn, fell upon him striking him
with clubs and battleaxes, and he fell to the ground. Some men of
1841 Talagan074 and others ran to him, put him in a sack, and struck him
with clubs until he died. Abu Muslim then returned to Marw.
Other Events
Sulayman b. 'Ali led the Pilgrimage for this year, and he was governor for Basrah and its dependencies . 'Abbad b. Mansur was in
charge of the judiciary. The governor of Mecca was al-'Abbas b.
'Abdallah b. Ma'bad b. 'Abbas, and the governor of Madinah was
Ziyad b. 'Ubaydallah al-Harithi. The governor of Kufah and its territory was Isa b. Musa, and Ibn Abi Layla was in charge of the judiciary. Abu Ja'far al-Mansur was governor of the Jazirah, and Abu
'Awn was governor of Egypt. 'Abdallah b. 'Ali governed Hims, Qinnasrin, Ba'albakk, the Ghutah, Hawran, the Jawlan, and the Jordan.
Salih b. 'Ali was governor of the Balga' and Palestine, and Ismail b.
'Ali governed Mosul. Muhammad b. Sul was governor for Adharbayjan, and Khalid b. Barmak headed the Landtax Bureau.
474 lbn Mahan may have slain relatives of theirs in fighting the Rawandiyyah of
Talagan. Wrapping him in a sack and beating him to death in concert would have
avoided any specific guilt for killing him for which revenge could be exacted from an
individual.
e
THE
EVENTS OF THE YEAR
136
( JULY 7 , 753-JUNE 26, 754)
In this year Abu Muslim came to Iraq from Khurasan to visit Abu al'Abbas the Commander of the Faithful.
What Happened When Abu Muslim Came to the Caliph
According WAR b. Muhammad - al-Haytham b. 'Adi, also al-Walid
b. Hisham - his father: Abu Muslim stayed on in Khurasan until finally he wrote to Abu al -'Abbas requesting permission to present
himself. The Caliph assented to this, and Abu Muslim came to Abu
al-'Abbas at Anbar with an enormous contingent of the Khurasan 1851
army, as well as others who followed him. Abu al -'Abbas ordered
the important people to go and meet him, and they did. Then he
went to where Abu al -'Abbas was, and went in to meet him . Abu al'Abbas made much of him and showed him favor . Then he requested
Abu al-'Abbas 's permission to go on the Pilgrimage , and he told him,
"If only Abu Ja'far were not making the Pilgrimage this year , I would
have made you my appointee for the Pilgrimage season ." He lodged
Abu Muslim close by, and each day the latter would present himself
and offer his respects . There was however a coolness between Abu
Ja'far and Abu Muslim, because Abu al-'Abbas had sent Abu Ja'far to
Abu Muslim when he was at Naysabur, after matters regarding Abu
Muslim's rule in Khurasan were described to him , to exact his alle-

giance to Abu al-'Abbas and to Abu Ja 'far as his heir . Abu Muslim
and the army of Khurasan had given the oath of allegiance to him,
and Abu Ja'far stayed there for some days until he was finished with
the matter of the oath . He then left, but Abu Muslim had slighted
Abu Ja'far upon his arrival, and when he came back to Abu al-'Abbas
he told him how he had been slighted.
According to 'Ali-al-Walid - his father: When Abu Muslim
came to Abu al -'Abbas, Abu Ja 'far told the Caliph, "Commander of
the Faithful, tell me and I will kill Abu Muslim, for by God, his head
is full of treachery ." However, Abu al -'Abbas said "My brother, you
know the tests he has come through and what has happened because
of him ." Abu Ja'far replied, " Commander of the Faithful , that was
only because of our revolution . By God, if you had sent a cat, it
would have taken his place and done what he has done for this revolution." Then Abu al-'Abbas said, " How could we slay him?" Abu
Ja'far replied , " When he has come in to see you and you are engaging
him in conversation , while he is in front of you, I could come in and
take him unawares and strike him a blow from behind that would
take his life ." Abu al -'Abbas said, "And what of his followers who
hold him above their religion and all the world ?" He replied, "All
1861 will result as you would desire . If they know he is already slain they
will split up and be tractable ." Abu al -'Abbas told him, " I beseech
you not to carry this out ." Abu Ja'far replied, " By God, I fear that if
you do not breakfast on him today, he will dine on you tomorrow."
The Caliph replied , " Then it is up to you . You know best [how to
handle it1."
Abu Ja'far left his presence determined to carry it out, but Abu al'Abbas had regrets and sent word to him , " Do not do that thing."
It is said that when Abu al -'Abbas had given Abu Ja'far permission
to kill Abu Muslim, the latter came in to see the Caliph . Abu al'Abbas sent a eunuch of his , saying, " Go see what Abu Ja'far is doing." He came to Abu Ja'far and found him sitting on his heels
propped up by his sword. He asked the eunuch , " Is the Commander
of the Faithful sitting in audience ?" He replied, " He is just ready to
sit." Then the eunuch went back to Abu al-'Abbas and told him
what he had seen . At this, Abu al-'Abbas sent him back to Abu
Ja'far, saying, "Tell him, 'Do not carry out the matter you have determined upon ."' At this Abu Ja'far desisted.

It was in this year that Abu Ja'far al-Mansur led the Pilgrimage,
and Abu Muslim went on the Pilgrimage with him.
Their Journey and a Description of

Their Return to Abu al-Àbbas
As for Abu Muslim, according to what is mentioned, when he
wished to present himself before Abu al-'Abbas, he also wrote asking for permission to go on the pilgrimage. This was granted. Abu al'Abbas told him to come with five hundred soldiers, and Abu Muslim wrote, "I have irritated important people and am not sure that
my life would be safe." Abu al-'Abbas then wrote him, "Come with
a thousand. After all, you will be within the sovereignty of your own
family and your own revolution. The road to Mecca will not bear
any army." He set off at the head of eight thousand, and thinned
them out between Naysabur and Rayy. He brought with him great 1871
wealth and treasures, and left these at Rayy. He also gathered together the money of Jibal,'' and then left Rayy with a thousand
men and came on. When he was ready to enter (the capital), the officers and various important people went to meet him. He then
sought Abu al-'Abbas's permission to make the pilgrimage, and he
granted it to him, saying, "If only Abu Ja'far were not making the
pilgrimage I should appoint you to lead it this season."
As for Abu Ja'far, he was the governor of the Jazirah. According to
al-Wagidi, besides the Jazirah, Abu Ja'far had Armenia and Adharbayjan. He chose Mugatil b. Hakim al-'Akki as his deputy, and he
came to Abu al-'Abbas and asked his permission to make the
pilgrimage.
According to 'Ali b. Muhammad-al-Walid b. Hishim-his father: Abu Ja'far went to Mecca as a pilgrim and Abu Muslim made
the pilgrimage with him in the year 136 (753-754) When the season
of the pilgrimage was at an end, Abu Ja'far and Abu Muslim started
back. When they were between Bustan and Dhat 'Irq,'7 a letter
475. The text is al-Jabal. The province of Jibil must be intended, and the textual apparatus supports such a reading.
476. See Yaqut, Mu'jam, 111, 651 for Dhit'[rq. The reference to Bustin is to Bustin
b. 'Amin, also known as Bustin b. Ma'mar. See Yiqut, 1, 611. The letter arrived when
Abu Ja'far and Abu Muslim were still in the pilgrimage territory.

came for Abu Ja'far that Abu al-'Abbas had died . Abu Ja'far who had
preceded Abu Muslim by one stage , wrote to him, "Something has
happened. Come quickly, quickly ." The messenger arrived and informed Abu Muslim, who came on and joined Abu Ja'far, and together they came on to Kufah.
In this year Abu al-'Abbas 'Abdallah b. Muhammad b. 'Ali had had
the oath taken to his brother, Abu Ja'far, to have the caliphate after
him. He made him the heir-apparent of the Muslims, with 'Isa b.
Musa b. Muhammad b. 'Ali as his successor. The Caliph recorded
the deed of these appointments in a document , placed it in a container, sealed it with his own seal and the seals of his family , and entrusted it to 'Isa b. Musa."
This year Abu al-'Abbas the Commander of the Faithful died at
Anbar on Sunday, the thirteenth of Dhu al-Hijjah 136 (June io, 754).
His death is said to have been due to smallpQx.
188J According to Hisham b . Muhammad : He died on the twelfth night
of Dhu al-Hijjah ( June 9, 754) . There is a difference as to his age
when he died ; some have said he was thirty-three. Hisham b. Muhammad says he was thirty-six years old, while others say he was
twenty-eight.
His reign, from the time that Marwan b. Muhammad was slain,
lasted four years . From the time that he was acclaimed Caliph until
he died, he ruled four years and eight months ; some say nine. According to al-Wagidi, he ruled four years and eight months, of which
he spent eight months and four days fighting Marwan . He then
reigned four years after the death of Marwan.
According to what is mentioned, he had curly hair, and was tall
and white- skinned, with a hooked nose and a handsome face and
beard. His mother was Raytah bt. 'Ubaydallah b. 'Abdallah b. 'Abd
al-Madan b . al-Dayyan al-Harithi . His wazir was Abu al-Jahm b.
'Atiyyah.
His paternal uncle 'Isa b. 'Ali prayed over him and buried him in
his palace in the old city of Anbar . According to what is mentioned
in the sources, he left behind nine full-sleeved gowns, four long
gowns, five pairs of trousers, four cloaks, and three silk gowns.
477. The significance of Abu Ja' far's appointment is discussed in Lassner, 'Abbasid
Rule, 19-38.
e
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Index
The index contains all proper names of persons, places, tribal and
other groups, as well as topographical data, occurring in the introduction, the text, and the footnotes . However, as far as the footnotes
are concerned, only those names that belong to the medieval or earlier periods are listed.
The definite article , the abbreviation b. (for ibn, son) and bt. (for
bint, daughter), and everything in parentheses are disregarded for the
purposes of alphabetization. Where a name occurs in both the text
and the footnotes on the same page, both page and footnote are
given, separated by a comma. If it occurs only in the footnote, there
is no comma.
A
Aban b. 'Abd al -Malik b. Bishr 191
Aban b. Mu'awiyah b. Hisham 87, 89
Aban b. al-Walid 14
Aban b. Yazid b. Muhammad b. Marwin
169
'Abbad b. al-Abrad b. Qunah 29
'Abbad b. al-Ghuzayyil 11, 12
'Abbad b . al-Harith, 45
'Abbad b. Mansur, Qadi of Basrah 92,
123, 133, 198, 204, 208
'Abbid b. 'Umar al-Azdi 40

'Abbas b. 'Abdallih b . Ma'bad b . 'Abbas
208
al-'Abbas b. 'Abd al-Muttalib 147
al-'Abbas b. 'isa al-'Uqayli , historian go,
91, 92, 112,113 , 115, 117, x x8, 119,

120
al-'Abbas b. al-Walid 167

al-Abbas b. Yazid b. Ziyad 172, 179
'Abbasiyyah 137, n. 344
'Abdallih b. 'Ala' al-Kindi 131

'Abdallih b. 'Ali b. 'Abdallih the
'Abbasid 86, 89, 150, 157, t61, 162,
n.392, 163-166, 167, n.401,
168-175, 176-179, 180,195, 198,
204, 208
'Abdallih b. 'Ar'arah al-Dabbi too
'Abdallah b. al-'Ayyash al-Mantuf 175
'Abdallih b. Badr, rawi 138, 185
'Abdallih b. al-Bakhtari 1oi, 102
'Abdallih b. Bassam 139,15 1, 16o, 161
'Abdallah b. Bistam 79
218 Index
'Abdallah b. Daysam al-'Anazi 44
'Abdallah b. al-Hasan b . al-Hasan b. 'Ali
91
'Abdallah b. Kathir b. al-Hasan al-'Abdi,
raw! 149, 150, 167
'Abdallah b. Marwan b. Muhammad 7,
50,51 , 131,163 ,165,166,169,170
'Abdallah b. Mazyad al-Asadi 34
'Abdallah b. Mu'awiyah al-Ja'fari 13, 14,
58, n.135 , 85, n.231 , 86, 87, 88, 89,
126
'Abdallah b . Muhammad, Abu Ja'far, see

Abu ja'far 'Abdallah
'Abdallah b. Muhammad b. alHarithiyyah 152
'Abdallah b. Mujja'ah b. Sa'd al -Tamimi
34, 36
'Abdallah b. al-Rabi' al-Hirithi 200
'Abdallah b. Said 70
'Abdallah b. Shajarah al-Kindi 3
'Abdallah al-Sulami 33
'Abdallah al-TWi 138, 162, 172
'Abdallah b. 'Umar b. 'Abd al-' Aziz 9-19,
23, 24, 26, 27, 49, 50, 52, 55, n.126,
167
'Abdallah b. 'Uthman al-Tai 69, io8,
III, 150, 16o
'Abdallah b. Yahya Talib al-Haqq,

Khirijite Imam 53, n. 122, 90,
11
8,
120, n.312
'Abdallah b. Yazid b. Rawh b. Zinba' 171

'Abd al-'Aziz b. 'Abdallah b. 'Amr b.
'Uthman 92, 112
'Abd aI-'Aziz b. Shammis al -Mizini 128
'Abd al-'Aziz b.'Umar b. 'Abd al-'Aziz 27,
52,164
'Abd al-Malik b. Bishr al -Taghlibi 50, 51,

167
'Abd al-Malik b. al-Mijashun, rawi I19
'Abd al-Malik b. Marwan (Caliph) 6, 147
'Abd al-Malik b. Muhammad b. 'Atiyyah
aI-Sa'di 118 - 121, 133
'Abd al-Malik b. Sa'd 62

'Abd Rabbihi b. Sisan 34, 35
'Abd al-Rahman b. Bashir al-'Ijli 26, 140,
142, 187
'Abd al- Rahman b . Jami 'al -Kindi 38
'Abd al-Rahman b. Muhammad b.
Ash'ath al-Kindi 97, 147
'Abd al-Rahman b. Nu'aym, 'Abbasid officer 143
'Abd al-Rahman b. Nu'aym al-Ghimidi
al-Azdi, Abu Zuhayr, 35
'Abd al- Rahman b. al-Qisim b.
Muhammad b. Abi Bakr 91
'Abd al-Rahman b. Samurah 14S
'Abd al-Rahman b. Sulaym, Abu 'Asim,
'Abbasid da'i 65, n.166
'Abd al-Rahman b. Yazid b. al-Muhallab
87, 88, 197
'Abd al-Rahman b. Umayyah, rnwi 166
'Abd al-Salim b. Yazid b. Hayyan alSulami 31
'Abd al-Samad b. Abin b. al-Nu'man b.
Bashir al -Ansari 14
'Abd al-Samad b. ' Ali 171, 172, 178, 179

'Abd al-Wahhab b. Ibrahim b. Khilid,
rawi 1, 4, 9, 19, 49, 51, 55, 150, 167,
168, 176, 179, 180
'Abd al-Hamid b. Yahya 150
'Abd al-Wahid b. al-Munakhkhal 36

'Abd al-Wahid b. Sulayman b. 'Abd alMalik the Umayyad 9o, n. 252, 91,
92, 112, 113
'Abd al-Wahid b. 'Umar b. Hubayrah 143
'Abdawayh al-lardamadh b. 'Abd alKarim 68
'Abd al-Jabbar b. 'Abd al-Rahman al-Azdi
Abiward 61 n. 149, 64, 73, 74, 75, 8o, 83,
'Abd al-Hakim b. Said al-Awdhi 40

'Abd al-Hamid b. Rib'i al-Ta'i 127, 137,
151, 160
110,190,200
'Abd al-Jabbar al-Ahwal al-'Adawi 39

'Abd al- Karim b. Muslim 143
'Abd al-Malik b. 'Alqamah b. 'Abd alQays, Khiriji 13, 17, 18, 24
104,107,108
al-Abrad b. Dawud 33
Abrahah 91
al-Abrash b. Walid b. 'Abd al-Malik 8

Abrashahr, see Naysabur
Index
Abu al-'Abbas 'Abdallah b. Muhammad
b. 'Ali b. 'Abdallih b. al-'Abbas,
'Abbasid Caliph 145, 147-158, ,62,
165, 171, 172, 174, 175, 176, 178,
180, 181 , 182-185 , 185-190,
191-194, 196, 197, 199, 200, 201,
202, 203, 206, n.469, 209-210,
211-212
Abu al-'Abbas al-Marwazi, 'Abbasid da'i

66, 124
Abu al Àbbas al-Tusi Io8

Abu 'Abdallah al-Sulami, rdwi 152,
185
Abu 'Abd al-Rahmin al-Mikhuwini 98,
101
Abu 'All al-Harawi 97

Abu 'Allagah al-Fazzari 192
Abu 'Algamah al-Farwi, rdwi, 117
Abu 'Amr al-A'jami 69, 79
Abu'Ata' al-Sindi (poet) 15, n.39, 16,192,
n444
Abu 'Awn 'Abd al-Malik Ibn Yazid,
mawla of Huna'ah of Azd 75, 107,
109, 110, 131, 132, 161, 162, 172,
173, 174, 195, 197, 198, 204, 208
Abu Bakr al-Bahili 193
Abu Bakr b. Ibrahim, poet 47

Abu Bakr b. Ka'b al-'Ugayli 124, 191
Abu al-Dalfi, see Shayban b. 'Abd al'Aziz al-Yashkuri
Abu Damrah Anas b. 'lyad, rdwi 92
Abu Dawud Khalid b. Ibrahim alShaybani al-Bakri, 'Abbasid naqib
64, n.159, 71, 72, 73, 75, 97, 104,
105, 106, 107, 197, 202, 203,
205-208
Abu al-Dhayyil al-NO 32, 8o, 8 1, 128

Abu al-Dhayyil Zuhayr b. Hunayd al'Adawi, rdwi 98, 99, 103, 107, 137,
138
Abu Futrus, river and locality 171, 172,
n.411, 173, 175, 178,
Abu Chanim 'Abd al-Hamid b. Rib'i
al-Ta'i Io8, 177, 178
Abu al-Habbir al-Qurashi 5, 6
Abu Hafs al-Azdi, rdwi 103, 148
219
Abu Hafs Hazarmard 186

Abu Hafs al-Muhallabi 127
Abu Hammad al-Marwazi, mawla
Sulaym 69, 127
Abu Hamzah al-Ibadi, Khirijite 53,

n.122, 90, 91, 112 -20, 133
Abu al-Hasan al-jushami, rdwi 70, 107,
110,131,132
Abu al-Hasan al-Khurisani 131, 174

Abu Hashim Khalifah b. Mihrin 68
Abu Hashim b. Muhammad, called Ibn
al-Hanafiyyah, b. 'Ali 72 n.196, 147
Abu Hashim Mukhallad b. Muhammad,
rawi 55, 167, 168, 176, ,8o
Abu Humayd al-Marwazi 171

Abu Humayd Muhammad b. Ibrahim
108,151,152 , 159 , 16o
Abu Ishiq Khalid b.'Uthmin 69, 79, 206,
n.467
Abu Ja'far'Abdallah b. Muhammad, the

'Abbasid al-Mansur 86, n.236, 149,
150, 157, 158, 178, 180, 181,
182-185, 185 - 190, 191 - 194, 198,
204, 208, 209-210, 211-212
Abu Ja'far 'Isa b. Jurz 40

Abu Ja'far al-Tabari, the author 4, 71
Abu al-Jahm b. 'Atiyyah, mawli Bihilah
65,
190, 200, 212
Abu Jared al-Sulam-1, rdwi 166
Abu Kimil 124, 129
Abu Khalid al-Hasan b. 'Ulwin 66
Abu Khalid al-Marwarrudhi Ito, x I I
Abu Khalid al-Marwazi 143
Abu al-Khattab, rdwi 64, 79, 93, 97
Abu Lahab 88, n.242
Abu al-Maid 88
Abu Ma'shar al-Sindi, historian 27, 52,
92, 123, 133, 145, 198
Abu Mikhnaf, historian 24, 49, 51, 57,
132, 136, 140
Abu Muhammad al-Sufyani 2, 3, 167,

177, n.426, n.427, 178, 179
Abu Muslim 27, 48, 61-70, 70-7 5,
75-81, 82-85, 93-113, 125, 126,
148, 163, 182-185, 189,190,194,
220
Index
Abu Muslim (continued)

195, 197, 198, 202, 204, 205-208,
209-2I0, 211-212
Abu al-Mutawakkil al-Jurjani 179

Abu al-Nadr al-Khurisani 137, 139 n.347
Abu Nasr Malik b. Haytham 187, 188,
194
Abu Nu'aym Musa b. Subayh 68
Abu Sa'd al-Sharawi 206
Abu Said al-Qurashi i 1, 13, 6o, toy
Abu Salamah al-Khallil Hafs Sulaymin,
mawli al-Sabi' 27, n.62, 61, 98 n.
268, 138, 141, 142, 143, 144, 148,
150, 151 , 152, 158, t 59, 16o, 161,
162, 182-185, 186,194
Abu Salih Humayd al-Azraq 68
Abu Silih al-Marwazi, rawi 142, 162,
170, 178
Abu al-Sari, see al-Nu'min Abu Sari
Abu Shikir, 206
Abu Sharahil 79
Abu Sinin al-juhni, raw? 175
Abu Talib al-Ansari 174
Abu 'Ubaydah Ma'mar b . al-Muthamma,
Arab philologist 11, 24, 59, 6o
Abu al-'Ud al-Khurasini 186
Abu Umayyah al-Taghlibi 171, 186, 187
Abu al-Waddah al-Hurmuzfarri , 'Isa b.
Shubayl 66, 79
Abu al-Ward Majza'ah b. al-Kawthar b.
Zufar b. al-Harith al-Kilibi 5, 6,
176-179,180
Abu Yahya al-Judhami 188
Abu Yahya al-Zuhri, rawi 118
Abu al-Yagdhin 'Uthman b. 'Urwah b.
Muhammad b. Ammar b. Yasir 161
Abu Zayd, rawi 191, 193
Abu al-Zubayr b. 'Abd al- Rahmin 120,
121
Adharbayjan, province 181, 195, 198,
203, 204, 208, 211
al-Aghlab b. Salim 192

al-Ahjam b. 'Abdallih al-Khuza'i,
'Abbasid naqib 62, n.151 , 74, n.198
ahl al-bayt 63, n.156
Ahlum b. Ibrahim b. Bassam, mawli
Banu Layth 140
Ahmad b. 'All, rnwi 166

Ahmad b. Thabit al- Razi, riawi 27, 92,
123, 145, 198
Ahmad b. Zuhayr, rawf 4, 9, 19, 51, 55,
165, 166, 167, 168, 175, 176, 179,
,8o
AhwAz, city 24, 56, 57, 87, 88, 143, 145,
161, 196, 198
al-'Ala' b. Aflah, mawli Abu al-Ghayth

11 8 -119
'Ala' b. Hurayth, 'Abbasid naqib 65, n.
167, 79
'Ali b. AN Talib 157, 161
'Ali b. 'Aqil 129
'Ali b. Juday' al-Kirmani 47, 76, n.205,
77, 78, 85, 93-107
'Ali b. Ma'qil io8
'Ali b. Muhammad al-Mada'ini, historian

28, 43, 61, 70, 75, 85, 98, 99, 103,
104, 107, 110, 122 , 124-131, 132,
134-138,142,1147, 148, 151, 162,
163, 165 , 170, 171, 174, 175, 178,
179, t82 ,185, 209, 210, 211
'Ali b. Mujahid, rawi 175
'Ali b. Musa, rawi 149, 167
'Ali b. al- Rabi ' b. 'Ubaydallab al-Harithi

203, 204
Alin, village 64 n. 160, 68, 76, n.202, 8o,
95
'Amir b. Dubirah al-Mum, 56 , 57, 58,
59, 6o, 87, 88 , 89, n.247, 90, 125,
126,127, 128, 129
'Amir b. Ismail al-Harithi io8 , 170, 173,
174,175
'Ammar, mawla of jibra'il 152, 170

'Ammar b. Yasir 149, n.366
al-'Amq 121, n. 316
'Amr b. Ayyub 192
'Amr b. A'yan 64, 75
'Amr al-Fadusbin al-Sughdi al-Bukhari
32
'Amr b. Sahl b. 'Abd al-'Aziz 88
'Amr b. al-Waddah 5
Amul, village 75, 206, n.468
Anbar on the Euphrates, town 135, 203,
n.461, 209, 212
Andumin, village 73, 74
Index
'Agil b. Ma'qil al -Laythi 32, 33, 38, 81,
94, 97, 102
'Aqiq I I2, n.292
al-Abrad b. Qurrah 33
'Arish, oasis 173, n. 413
Armenia, province 3, 12, 180, 195, 198,
203, 204, 211
Asad b. 'A bdallah al-Qasri 31, n. 76, 39

n. too
Asad b. al-Marzubin 138

al-ASbagh b. Dhu'ilah al - Kalb-1 4, 5, 8, I;,
179
Asbiwidiq, village 68
al-A'shi, Abu al-Ghana im, poet 158
Ash'ath b. Qays, Asha'ithah (notable
family ) 12
Asid b. 'Abdallah al-Khuzai, Abu Malik,
'Abbasid naqib 61, n. 150, 62, 73, 74,
82,95 t 108, 109, 110, 145
'Asim b. 'Amr 8o
'ASim b. Hafs al-Tamimi, rdwi 85
'Asim b. Qays al-Sulami, al-Haruri 6 t,
62,63,64,74
'Asim b. 'Umar b. 'Abd al-'Aziz I I, 12,
13, 14, 15
'Asim b. 'Umayr al-Suraymi al-Sughdi,

Abu al-Aswad, 32, 33, 43, 107, 129,
130
Aslam b. Hassan 127

Aslam b. Sallam, Abu Sallam, 'Abbasid
agent 96, n.266
Aslam b. Subayh, 79
'Atiyyah al-Tha'labi 11, 49, 88
Awini, village 135
al-Awayiq, village 68
A'yan mawli Hayyan 33
'Ayn al- Darr, town 171, n. 405
'Ayn Tamr 25, n. 58 , 56, 57, 143
Azd, tribe 36 n. 89, 37, 45, 46, n. 113, 64
n. 157, 76 n. 205, 81, 85 n. 230, 104,
145
Azhar b. Shu'ayb 62, n. 152

B
Ba'albakk 171, 208
Badhash, village of Qumis 122 , n.3 1 8,

124
221
Badr al-Dhakwini 50
Bahdal b. lyis al -Dabbi, 'Abbasid dd'i 79
Bahrayn 57, 196, 198, 204
Bajilah, tribe 141, n. 352
al-Bakhtari, kdtib Nasr b. Sayyar 102

Bakkar al-Ansari 189
Bakkar b. Muhammad al-'Adawi 114
Bakkar b. Muslim 181
Bakr b. Mu'awiyah al-Bihili 170
Bakr b. Wa'il, tribe 23, 5 5 n. 126, 96, 103,
104, 137, 174
Balisha Jird, village 8o
Balm 64 n. 16o
Bilis, town 176
Bali 91
Bali b. 'Uyaynah b. al-Haysam al-Asadi
114,118
Balkh, city 65, 67, 71, 104, 105, 106, 197,

202, 203, 205
Balga' 84, n. 228 , 148, 172, 180, 208
Balwa 162
Banu 'Abbas 63, 84 n. 229 , 143, 149

Banu 'Abd al-Madan 199
Banu'Amir 164
Banu Awd 151, 159
Banu Fazzir 187, 192
Banu Harb 154, n . 378, 155
Banu al-Harith b. Ka'b 199

Banu Hishim, 64, 76, 79, 85 n. 231, 86,
88, 15o, 156, 182 , 189 n. 440
Banu Hilil 17
Banu Layth 104
Band Marwan 31, 70,154, n. 378,155
Banu Musliyyah 175, n. 417
Banu Nabhin 136, 137

Banu Nizar 2
Banu Rasib, clan of Azd 29
Banu Sa'd 45
Banu Salamah 31, 142
Banu Shayban 17, 49
Banu Suraym 22, 23, 44, 129, 164, 183
Banu Tha'labah 88
Banu Umayyah 67, 79, 95, 144, 155, 175,
196
Bann Zufar 20, 176
Birkath, town 206
Barugan, village to6, n. 280
222
Index
Bashir b . 'Abdallih b. Yahyi , Kharijite

120
Basrah 52 , 92, 118 , 121, 123 , 133, 143,
144, n . 360, 145, 146, 195 , 196, 198,
201, 202 , 204, 208
Bassam b. Ibrahim b. Bassam, mawla

Banu Layth 70, 104, 140, n. 349, 143,
161, 172, 199-201 , 207, n. 471
Bathaniyyah, district 176, 177 , 179, 180
Bayhas, rdwi 24
Bayhas b. Budayl al-'Ijli 62
Bayhas b. Budayl al-Sulami 129
Berber(s) 148, 197
al-Birdhawn b. Marzuq al-Shaybani 27
Bishr b. 'Abd al -Malik b. Bishr 191
Bishr b. Bistam b. 'Imrin al-Burjumi 29,
99,128
Bishr b. la 'far al -Sa'di 70
Bishr b. 'Isa, rdwi 170, 185, 188
Bishr b. Jurmuz, 41, 42, 43, 45
Bishr b. Khuzaymah al-Asadi 171
Bistam al-Bayhasi 9, to
Biward, see Abiward
Bukayr b. Mahan 27 , n. 62, 62 n. 152, 71
n. 192, 174, 175
Bukhara, city 29 n. 66, 7S, 197, 203, 206
Bukharakhudih 95, loo
Buraykah 181
BUsir, village 170, n. 404, 173, 174
Buway', mawla of Nasr b. Mu'iwiyah 66
Buzurg Sibur, town 135, n. 338
D
Dahhak b. Qays al -Shaybani 9-19, 23,
24, 25, 26, 27, 49-51 , 52, 54, 56, 167
Damascus , 1, 3, 5, 6, 7, 30, 84, 148, 169,
171, 172, 177, 178, 198, 204
Dandangan 61 n. 148
Dara 181
Daskarah 132, n . 333, 134
Dastajird, village io6, n. 280
Dawud b. Abi Dawud b. Ya'qub 41
Dawud b. 'Ali, 152 , 154, 156, 157, 158,
159, 161 , 183, 187 , 195, 196
Dawud b . Hitim al -Muhallabi 57, 58, 87
Dawud b . 'Isa 150
Dawud b. Karraz al -Bahili, 'Abbasid

naqib 79, n. 215 , 101, 102
Dawud b. Shu'ayb al-Huddani 36, 43
Dawud b . Yazid b. 'Umar b. Hubayrah
87, 127, 128, 186, 192
Dayr al-A'war, place 137, 139
Dayr Ayyub 6, 7, 9, 19
Dayr Qunna 143, 174
Dhakwaniyyah 4, n. 8, 5 n. 13, 20, 50,
163
Dhu'ilah b. Asbagh b . Dhu'ilah 4, 5, 13
Dhu'ayb b . al-Ash'ath 127, 179
Dinar b. 'Isa al -Amiri 40
Dimimma, town 132, 135
Dujayl, river 135, n. 339
DUmat al-Jandal 157
Durayn 7, n. 19, 19
E
Egypt 7 , 88, 174, 195, 197 , 198, 204
Euphrates 12, 57, 132, 135, 136, 138, 181,
185
F
al-Fadl b . Dinar 173, 174
al-Fadl b. Sulayman al-TUsi, 'Abbasid

nagib 61 n. 150, 73, 143, 191
FallUjah, Upper and Lower, 135, n. 340,
136
Fanin, village of Marw 64, 75
Farami 173
Farghanah 197
Faris, town 107, n. 283
Fars, province 24, 56 , 57, 58, 6o, 85-89,
90, 110, 194, 195, 198
Fay' 114, n. 296, rig
al-Furafisah b. Zuhayr al-'Absi rob
Furafisah b. al-Asbagh b. Dhu'ilah
Fustat, city 173, n. 414
G
Ghalib b. Sa'id 62 n. 151, 74
Ghatafan, tribe 164
Ghaylin b. 'Abdallah al- Khuza'i,
Index
'Abbasid nagib 65, n. 169 , 74 187,
188
Ghaylan b. Fadalah, 'Abbasid naqib 62 n.
62, 74
Ghaylan b. Hurayth, poet 25, 26
Ghamr b. Yazid b. 'Abd al-Malik
Ghutah, oasis 5, 208
H
Habib b. Khudrah, Khirijite poet 17, 24,
6o
Habib b. Budayl al-Nahshali 125, 126
Habib b. Murrah al-Murri 176, 177,
179-180
Hafs b . Dinar 208
Hafs b. al-Sabi' 143
Hafs b. Shabib 128
Hafs b. Sulayman, see Abu Salamah
al-Khallil
al-Hajjaj b. Artih 184, 195
al-Hajjaj b. 'Asim al-Muhiribi 92, 123,
133
al-Hajjaj b. Yusuf 9 n. 23, 16, 147
Hijib b. Sadden 16o
al-Hakam b. 'Abd al- Malik b. Bishr 192
al-Hakam b. Abi Abyad al-'Absi 9o
al-Hakam b. Dab'in al-Judhami 171
al-Hakam b. Numaylah al-Numayri 99,
102
al-Hakam b. Thibit b. Abi Mas'ar alHanafi 129

al-Hakam b. 'Utaybah al-Asadi 14
al-Hakam b. al-Walid b. Yazid 2, n.3, 3
Hakim al -Fard, Abu al-Majd 88
Hamadhin, city 125, 126
Harrah, city 5
Hamden, tribe of Yaman 121, n.315
Hammed b. 'Amir al-Himmani 29, 33
Hammam A 'yin 142, n. 353, 143, 159,
16o
Hamzah b. AN Silih al-Sulami al-Riwi
29
223
Hanash b. al-Subul, King of Khuttal 197,

n. 449
Hani, canal 19, n. 45

Hanifah b. Qays 68
Harit, city 77
Harb b. Qatari al-Kinini 89
Harb b. Salm b. Ahwaz 138
Harb b. Ziyid 2o8
al-Harith b. 'Abd al-Muttalib
al-Harith Abu al-Ghassin al-Hirithi of
the Banu Dayyan 143
al-Ninth b. Hassan 14
al-Hirith b. Surayj 27, n. 63, 28-49, 76 n.
205, 81
Harrah, the 92, n. 257, 112, n. 292
Hirun b . Musi al -Farwi S 3, 90, 91, 92,
112, I I 3, I I 5, 1 I 7, I I 8, I I 9, 1 20
HarUri' 9 n. 24
Harrin, city 4, n. 7, 50, 57, 131, 158, 162,
167, 168, 169, 171 , 180, 181
Haruriyyah, see also Kharijites) 9, 14,
181
al-Hasan b. Hamdin 207, n. 473

al-Hasan b. Junayd 207
Hasan b. Mu'iwiyah al-Ja'fari 86
al-Hasan b. Qahtabah Io9, 110, I I I,
124-129 , 131, 134, 137-1143, ,62,
185, 186, 187, 188, 189, 194
Hasan b. Rashid, rawi, 70, 103, 107, 124,
127, 129, 134, 135 , 148, 162
al-Hasan b. Sa'd, mawli of Quraysh 32
al-Hasan b. Yazid 56
Hishimiyyah, 'Abbasid Shi'ah 96, n. 256,
97, 205 n. 465
al-Hishimiyyah, city 161 , 183 n. 434,

184
Hassan b. Khilid al -Asadi 32
Hatim b. al-Harith b. Shurayh, 129
Hitim b. al-Hirith b. Surayj, 36, 8o, 85
Hawrin 176, 177, 179, 180
Hawtharah b. Suhayl al-Bahili 132, 135,
137, 140, 141, 185 , 191, 192
al-Haytham b. 'Adi, rnwi 54, 209
al-Haytham b. Bassim 172
Hamzah b. Asbagh b. Dhu'ilah 4, 8, 12,

13
al-Haytham b. Shu'bah b. Zuhayr 191,
Hamzah b. Rutaym al-Bihili 66, n. 172,

68, n. 181
al-Haytham b. Yazid b. Kaysin 66
192
Index
224
al-Haytham b. Ziyad 127, 143
Hayyish b. Habib al-Tai 162
Hayyah b. Nubitah b. Hanzalah al-Kilibi

III
Hizim b . Hitim 33
Hazzin b . Sa'd 191
Hijiz 178
Hims 3,4-9,21, 22, 23, 49, 52, 169, 171,

177, 179, 198, 204, 208
al-Hirah to, n. 28 , II, 14, 16, 176, 203
Hisham b. 'Abd al-Malik, Caliph 3, 7, 19,
21, 115, 193
Hisham b. Abi Haytham 42
Hisham b. 'Ammar al-Dimashqi, rawi,
24, n.56, 51
Hisham b. 'Amr al-Taghlibi 171
Hisham b. Hashim b. Safwah b. Mazyad
192
Hisham b. Muhammad, r8wi 49, 54, 57,

132, 136, 140, 145, 175, 212
Hizam b . Hisham, rdwi 114
Hubayrah b. Sharahil 32, 36
Hudbah b. 'Amir al-Sha'riwi 31
Huir b. Said al-Tai 192
Hulwin, city 56, n. 129, 85, 131, 132
Humayd al-Azraq, Abu Salih 68
Humayd b. Qahtabah 137, 143, 161, 169,
172, 178, 179
Humayd b . Razin, 'Abbasid da 'i 65, n.
16g
Humayd al-Tawil 88
Humayd al-Wartakani 202
Humaymah, village 84, n. 228 , 148, 149,
150, 158
Husayn b. Wa'lah al-Sadusi 88, 89
I
lbidi, Khirijite sect 201

Ibn Abi Layli 195, 198, 204, 208
Ibn 'Algamah, see 'Abd al-Malik
Ibn Dubirah, see 'Amir b. Dubarah
Ibn Ghazwin 82-83
Ibn al-Hasan b. al-Shaykh al-Azdi 81
Ibn Hubayrah, see Yazid b. 'Umar
Ibn Husayn al-Sa'di, rnwl 140
Ibn Kawan , island 6o, 88, 201
Ibn Nabhan al-Sadusi 138

Ibn al-Najih 202, 207
Ibn Muhammad al-Sakurai 9o
Ibn al-Muqaffa' 88, 19o n. 441
Ibn al -Sahsah 89
Ibrahim b. 'Abdallih al-Sulami 33, 43, n.
110
Ibrahim b. 'Abd al-Rahmin al-Sa'igh 29,

30
Ibrahim b. 'Ali b. Salamah b. 'Amir, poet
168
Ibrahim b. al-Ashtar 175, n. 418
Ibrahim b. Bassim, mawli Banu Layth
38
Ibrahim b. Hassan al-Salami 197
Ibrahim b. Muhammad, 'Abbasid Imam
26,27,48,61,64,71,73,75,83,84,
107, 148, n. 365, 149, ISO ? ISI, 158,
159, 16o, 166-168, 171
Ibrahim b. Salamah 151 , 159, 16o
Ibrahim b. al-Walid b. 'Abd al-Malik 1, 4,
5, 8, 13, 164
Ibrahim b. Yazid al -Khurisini 69, 135
Idris b . Ma'qil al-'Ijli 71
Ifriqiyah 148, 197
al-Ikhrid 202
'Ikrimah b. Shayban, Kharijite 16
'Imran b. al-Fadi al-Azdi 39
'Imran b. Ismail, Abu al-Najm, 'Abbasid
naqib 71, n. 192 , n. 195, 97
Iraq 6 n. 16, 24, 25 n. 58, 56, 6o, 92, 133,
149, 150, 157, 158, 209
'Ird 198, n. 450, 204

'Isa b.'Abdallih al-Sulami 33
'Isi b.'Ali, the'Abbisid 86, 149, 194, 212
'Isi b. 'Agil al-Laythi 77
'Isa b. A'yan AN al-Hakam, 'Abbasid
naqib 64, n. 164, 65, 102
'Isi b. Iyis al-'Adawi 138
'Isi b. Ka'b 97
'Isa b. Mahan, 'Abbasid naqib 206, 207
'Isa b. Musa b. Muhammad b. 'Ali 150,
157, 158 , 161, 195, 198, 204, 2o8,
212
'Isa b. Muslim, 20
'Isi b. Zur'ah al-Sulami Io5

Isbahin 85 , 86, 90, I10, 127 , 128,129
Index
225
Ishaq b. al-Fadl al-Hishimi 184

Ishaq b. Ibrahim 151, 16o
Ishaq b. 'Isa, rawi, 27, 92, 123, 145, 198
Ishaq b. Muslim al-'Ugayli 51, 18o, n.
430, 181
Jilan b. al-Sughdi, Abu Khadijah 68

Jiraft 59, n. 137
Jiranj 67, n. 176
Ishaq b. Talhah 162
Juday' al-Kirmini 27, 29, 30, 31 n. 76, 35,

36, 37, 38, 41, 42, 43, 44, 47, 64, 66 n.
171, 75, 81, 82, 83, 84, 85, 206 n. 469
Julandi b. Mas'ud b. Jayfar b. Julanda alAzdi, Ibadi Kharijite Imam 6o n.
144,201-202
'Ismah b. 'Abdallih al-Asadi 33, 37, 8,,

82
'ISmah b. al-Mugsha'irr 4, 8
Ismail b. 'Abdallih al-Qasri 11, 14, 189

Ismail b. Abi Isma'il 132, 134
Jordan, province 6 n. 14, 170, 172, 198,

204, 208
Isma'il b. 'Ali, the'Abbisid 150, 194, 196,

198, 204, 208
Isma'il b. al-Hasan, rawi, 147, 174
Isma'il b. al-Mutawakkil 131
Ispahbadh 207, n. 472
Istakhr 85 , 86, 87, 89
'Iyad, canal 8o
'Iyad al-Dabbi 144
Jukha, district 199, n. 453

al-turf 120, n. 313
Jurjan, province 74, 109, 110, III, I21,
122,126
Iyas b. Talhah b. Talhah, rawi 99
Kafartutha, town 9, n. 26, 24, 49, 50

Kalb, tribe 2 , 3, 4, 5, 6 n. 16, 8, 17, 144,
178
al-Kimil, fortress 20, 21
Kimil b . Muzaffar, Abu Salih 68, n. 178,
79,80,98,207
Karon, river 57, 135 n. 339
Kandak, town zo2 n. 457
Karbala 137, n. 344, 139
Karnaba 135, n. 339
Kashsh 202, n. 456, 207
Kaskar, district 144
Kathir b. 'Abdallah 5 3
Khadir b. Khalid 33
al-Khadir b. Tamim 37, 38
Khalaf b. Khalifah, poet 57
Khafaf al-Bakri 104
Khafaf b. Mansur 143
Khalaf b. Muwarri ' al-Hamadhini 134
al-Khalid b. 'Abd al-Rahmin 32
Khalid b. 'Allan, rawi 147
Khalid b. al-Asfah, rawi 137
J
Jabalah b. Farrukh al -Tali, rawi, 124, 127,
131, 132, 134, 135 , 142, 148, 151,
162, 178, 182
Jibalq 127 n . 327, 128

Jabir b. Tawbah al -Kilabi 144
Ja'far b. 'Abdallah b. Muhammad 149
Ja'far b. al-'Abbas al-Kindi, 11, 12-13,
55-16
Ja'far b. Hanzalah Igt
Jahm b. Mas'ud b. Naji 33
Jahm b. Safwin 29 n. 68, 31, 35 , 42 n. to8
Jahwar b. Marrar al -'Ijli 107 , io8, 188,
Igo
Jaluli', 132 , n. 333, 134, 135
Jama'ah b. Muhammad b. 'Aziz Abu
Khalaf 36
Jawlan, the 208

al-Dawn b . Kilib al- Khariji 56 , 58, 59, 6o
Jazirah, province 2, 7, 9, 10, 11, 15, 24,
49, 50, 51, 55, n. 126, 57, 59, 129,
132, 150, 158, 169, 180-582,
194-195 , 198, 204, 208, 211
Jibal, province 86, 195 , 596 n . 447, 198,
204, 211, n. 475
Juzjan 104
K
Khalid b. Barmak 75, n. 200, Io8, Iog, n.

286, 110, III, 127 , 143, 195, 198,
204, 208
Khalid b. al-Ghuzayyil 15
Khalid b. Huraym 29
Khalid mawli Banu Layth 122
Index
226
Khalid b. al-Qasri x6 182, 183 , 185, 195, 198 , 204, 208,

Khalid b . Salamah al-Makhzumi 192 212
Khalid b. 'Uthman, Abu Ishaq 79, 98 Kulthum b. Shabib 127
Khalid b . Yazid b. Mu'awiyah 148 Kunish 159, n. 387
Khalid b . Ghazwin al-'Adawi 36, 38 Kurab b. Masqalah 9o
Khiniqin, town 132, 134, 135 Kurbuj Dinar 87, n. 237
Kharaq 8o Kuswah, river 172, n. 409
Kharijites, (see also Sufriyyah, Ibadiyyah,
L
Haruriyyah) 9 n. 24, n. 25, 12, 13, n.
34, 14, 15, 16, 17, 24, 25, 26, 51, 52,
54,55 , n- 126, 56, n. 127 , 57, 59, 90, Lahiz b. Quaryz, 'Abbasid naqib, 26, 96,
91 n. 256, 103, 112 - 119, 183, 184 98 , 99, 101, 102, 103
Khargin, district by Marw 41 , n. 105 , 65, Lakhm, tribe 6

66, 68, 8o Laqit al-Akhdar 38, 43
al-Khattab b. Muhriz al - Sulami 94
al-Khaybari , Kharijite Imam 9, to, 17,
51-52, 54, 55, 59

Khazars, land of 203 , n. 46o al-Madi 'in, city 59, n. 138 , 85, n. 231,
Khazim b. Khuzaymah al-Tamimi 70, n. 143 , 16,, 199
Madinah, 21, n. 49 , 27, 90 , 92, 112-I20,
188,70 - 75,108, 142, ,86, 191, 192 ,
199-202, 125, 131 , 135 123 , 133, 145 , 172, 195 , 196, 204,
Khidhim b. 'Ammar al- Kindi 66, 68 208
Khurisin, province 27, 28 -49, 52 , Madinat Ibn Hubayrah, city 141, n. 351
61-70, 70-75, 75-81 , 92, 122, 123, Ma'din Bani Sulaym 53, n. 124
126, 128 , 129, 130, 135, 148, n. 363, Maghrib 148
156, 182 - 185, 186 , 189, 195 , 197, al -Maghud 174
198, 201 , 204, 209 Majza 'ah, see Abu al-Ward
Khusaf, battle 20 n . 46, 23 , 176 Makhlad b. Hasan al-Azdi 78
Khutamiyyah, village 71 Mikhuwin, village 67, n. 176, 68, 74, 78,
Khuttal io6, n. 281 , 197 79 , 8o, 95 , 100, 101
Khuwar, town 122, n. 317, 124, 125 Malih b . Khalid al-Bajali 141
Malik b. Adham b. Muhriz al-Bihili 125,
Khuza'ah, tribe 64, n. 157, 73, 75, 96, 97,
112, 114 126,129
Khuzaymah b. Khazim 70, 104 Malik b. 'Amr al -Tamimi 82

Khwirizm, province 65 Malik b. al-Haytham al-Khuza'i, Abu
Nasr 68 n. 185, 69 , 79, 95 , 96, 98,
al-Kinini, rdwi 175
Kindah, tribe 43 101, 107
Kirman, province and city 59, 86, 87 , 89, Malik b . Qadim 173
Malik b. Tarif 127, 131, 161
126, 127
Mah 57, n. 131, 198
al-Kirmini, see Juday'
Manbij 171
Kubadgan 107
Kufah, city 9, n. 24, 10, n. 28, it, 12, 13,
14, 16, 24, 25 , n. 25, 26, 49, 55, 56,
57, 71 , 85, 87 , 92, 123 , 132, 133, 134,
135, 136, 137 n . 343, 139, 140, 141,
142, 143 , 150, 151 , 154, 156, 157, n.
382, n . 383, 158 , 159, 16o , 161, 175,
Ma'n b . Za'idah 87, 88, 89, 138, 187, 188

Mansur b . Abi al-Kirga ' al-Sulami 97,
102
Mansur b. Jumhur 6 . n. 6, 13, 16-18, 25,

26, 49, 57, 58, 86, 88, 195, n. 446,
198, 203, n. 458
Index
Mansurah, city 203, n. 459
Max ash, city 121, n. 316
Mirdin, city 181
Mari al-Akhram 178
Mazj al-Qal'ah 131, n.330
Marrar b. Anas al-Dabbi 183, 184
Mirsarjas, village 68
Marthad b. 'Abdallah al -Mujishi'i 44

Marv 30, 31 , n. 75, 36 n. 89, 37, 39, 40,
41, 43, 44, 46 , 6z, n. 147, 63, 64, n.
162, 66, 68, 70, 71 , 73, 75 , 76, 77 n.
206, 8o, 81, 83 , 84, 85 , 93-104, 126,
183, 203
Marw al-Shidhan 88, n. 241
Marwin al-Jurjini 179
Marwin b. Muhammad b . Marwin, Caliph 1 - 4,4-9,9-19,19-27 , 28,49,
51, 52, 53, 54, 55, 56, 57 , 59, 6o, 76,
83, 84, 90, 94, n. 260, 103, 118, 119,
122,128 , 131, 132, 133, 135, 141,
148, 149, 150, 156, 158, 159, 16o,
161, 162 - 166, 167, 168-175, 176,
181, 182, 185, x86,189, 195, 212
Marwarrudh, city 64, n. 162, 65, 67,
70-75, 83, 105 , 201, 202
Mas'adah al-Ta'i i to
al-Masih b. al-Hawiri 87, n. 239

Maslamah b . 'Abd al-Malik 176
Maslamah b . Yahyi, rnwi 75, 98
Mas'ud b. 'llij 137 , 138, 139, 143
Maymun al-A'sar al- Khwarizmi 8z
Mazun(i) 45, 46
Mazyad b. Shaqiq al-Sulami, 'Abbasid
naqib 94, n. 263, 95
Mecca 27, 40, 48, 52, 53, 90 , 91, 92, 110
n. 288 , 120, 123 , 133, 195, 196, 203,
204,208,211
Milhin b. Ma'ruf al-Shaybini I1, 14, z6,

24, 25, 49
Mihrijingadhaq 196, n. 447, 198, 204
Minhil b. Fattin 162
Migdim b. Nu'aym al-Ghimidi 35
Mizzah, village 172, n. 406
Misr, city 170, n. 403
Mosul 10, 25, 49, 50, 54, 55, 56 , 58, 6o,
131, 132, 162, 171 , 195, 198, 204,
208
227
Mu'adh b. Jabalah 29
Mu'iwiyah al-Saksaki 4, 5, 8, 22 n. 51
Mu'iwiyah b. Abi Sufyin b. Yazid b.
Mu'awiyah 8
Mu'iwiyah b. Hishim b . 'Abd al-Malik
194
Mu'iwiyah b. Sufyin b. Mu'awiyah alMuhallabi 144
Mu'iwiyah b. Yazid b . al-Husayn b.
Numayr 3
Mudar, tribal grouping to, 16, 38, 39, 42,
44, 45 , 46, 48 , n. 116, 77, 78 , 8o, 82,
94, 95, 99, 100, 102, 103, 105, 106,
128, 144, 191
al-Mufaddal b. Ja'far b . Sulayman, rawi

167
al-Mufaddal b. Muhammad al-Dabbi 98,
104, 128
Mufaddal b. Shargi al-Sulami 63

Mughallis b. Ziyid 29
al-Mughirah b. al-Faz' 200
al-Mughira b. Shu 'bah al-Jahdami 29
al-Muhalhil b . Safwin, rdwi 167
Muhallab b. Iyis al-'Adawi 44, 99
Muhammad b. 'Abdallih b. 'Amr b.
'Uthman 9t
Muhammad b. 'Abdallih b. Hasan b.
Hasan 189, n. 440
Muhammad b.'Abdallih b . Muhammad
149
Muhammad b. 'Abd al-Malik b. Marwin
123
Muhammad b. 'Ali, 'Abbasid imam, 26,
27 n. 62, 71, n. 192, 72 n. 196, 96, n.
265, 97 n. 267 , 147, 148
Muhammad b. 'Alwin 66
Muhammad b. al-Ash'ath 87, 107, 194,
195, 197, 198
Muhammad b. Farrukh, Abu Hurayrah
16o
Muhammad b. Al-Hirith 16o

Muhammad b. al-Hasan al-Azdi tot
Muhammad b. al-Hazmi al -Sughdi 81, 82
Muhammad b. al-Husayn 151, 16o
Muhammad b. Ibrahim b. Muhammad,
the 'Abbasid 150
Muhammad b. Ja'far 145
Index
228
Muhammad b. Kathir 191

Muhammad b. Khilid al-Qasri 140-143
Muhammad b. Marwin b . al-Hakam 175
Muhammad b. Ma'ruf b. Suwayd, rdwi,
167
Muhammad b. al-Muthanna 36, n. 89,
38, 81, 82, 94
Muhammad b. Nubitah 89, 137, 139,
186, 188, 191, 192
Muhammad b. Qatan b. 'Imran al-Asadi
33, 34, 38, 40, 102
Muhammad b. Sul 163, 171, 203, 204,
2o8
Muhammad b. Thibit al-Qadi 35
Muhammad b. 'Umar, see al-Wagidi
Muhammad b. Yazid b. 'Abdallih b. 'Abd
al-Madan 196, 197, 203
Muhammad b. al-Zubayr 41
Muhammad b. Zur'ah 33
Muhammirah 163, n. 394
al-Muhijir b. 'Uthman 62, n. 151, 74 n.
198
Muharib b. Mimi, mawla of Banu
Yashkur 85, 86, 87
Muhriz b. Ibrihim al-Jabini, Abu alQisim, 'Abbasid naqib, 66, 67, n.
177, 68, 108,124, 131,171
Muhtafiz b. 'Uthman b. Bishr al -Mazani

8o, 94
Mujahid b. Yahyi b. Hudayn 102
Mujishi' b. Yazid 198, 203
Mukhallad b. al-Hasan 44
Mukhallad b. Muhammad b. Silih, Abu
Hishim, akhbari, mawli of
'Uthman, 1, 4, 7, 9, 19, 49, 51
Mukhallad b. Muharib 87
al-Mukhariq b. Ghifir 127, 139, 163
Mukhariq b. Shabib 178
al-Mundhir al-Raggishi, poet 34
Mundhir b. 'Abd al- Rahmin Io8
al-Muntaji' b. al-Zubayr al-Azdi 104
Munqidh b. 'Abd al-Rahman al-Hilili,
poet 193
Mugatil b. Hakim al-'Akki , 82, io8, Io9,
111,127 , 143,211
Mugatil b. Hayyan al-Nabati 29, 31, n.
74, 41, 105
Mugatil b. Malik al'Akki 137

Mugatil b. Sulaymin 29, 32, 42
Muriyin 57 n. 132
Musa b. Diwud b . 'Ali 150, 157, 158, 196
Musa b . Ka'b al-Mari 'i al-Tamimi, Abu
'Uyaynah, 'Abbasid nagib, 64, 7S, n.
201, 80, 96, 104, 110, 151 , 152, 159,
,6o, 162 , 163, 164, 18o, 181, 200,
203, 204
Musa b. Kathir, rnwi, 9o, 113, 118

Musa b. 'Aqil 127, 191
Mus'ab b . al-Raba ' al-Khuth'ami, rdwi,
170
Mus'ab b. al-Sahsah al-Asadi 56, 125 n.

322
Mus'ib b. Qays, Abu Nu'aym al-Hanafi,
'Abbasid naqib, 68, n. 185, 79
Musayyab b. Zuhayr al-Dabbi, 'Abbasid
deputy naqib and officer, ro9, Ito,
143, 203
Muslim b. 'Abd al-Rahman b. Muslim alBihili 32, 37, 39, 40, 105, to6
Muslim al-Arghadi 202
Muslim b. al-Mughirah, rdwi 170
Muslim b. Musayyab 86
al-Muthanna b. 'Imran al'A'idhi 25, 55,
56, 57
al-Muthanna b. Yazid b. 'Umar b.
Hubayrah 197
Muwarri' al-Sulami 89
N
al-Nibi b. Suwayd al -'Ijli 107 , Io8, Io9,
122
Nadalah b. Nu'aym al-Nahshali 201

al-Nadr b. Ghalliq al-Sughdi 36
al-Nadr b. Nu'aym al-Dabbi 77
al-Nadr b . Said al-Harashi to, 11, 12, 13,
14, 16, 24, 27
Nadr b. Subayh al-Murri, 'Abbasid nagib
65, 70 , n. 191 , 75, 106
Nifi al-Marwazi Ito
Nahir b. Husayn ,6o
Nasi, city 61 n. 149, 63, 73, 74, 75, 82,
83, 108
Nasibin, city 5o, n. 118, 51
Index
Nast b. Idris 68
Nast b. Muhammad b. al-Ash'ath 170
Nast b. Rashid 205, 2o6
Nasr b. Sayyir al - Laythi, Governor of
Khurasin 27, 28 - 49, 52, 61, 64, 66
n. 171 , 67, 68, 69, 70-75, 76 , n. 204,
77, n. 206, 78, 8o, 81, 82, 83, 84, 85,
92, 93 - 103, 107, 122, 123 , 124, 125,
126, 129, 140
Na'urah 176, n. 421

Naysabur (Nishipur) 40, n. 103, 68, 81,
1 00, Io6, 107, I08 , 109, 122, I26,
182, 209, 211
NihBwind, city 126, 127, 128, 129, 130,

131, 162
Nile 173
Nizar, tribe 2, 16, 189
Nubitah b . Hanzalah al- Kilabi, Governor of jurjin, 16, 57, 86, 87, 88, 89,
n. 249 , 109,110,111 , 121, 122,124,
126, 127
Nukhaylah 12 n. 32, 55 n. 127, 183

al-Nu'min Abu Sari, rdwi, 142, 151, 162,
170, 178, 185
Nusayr b. al-Muhtafiz 162

0
Oxus 71 , 105, 197, 205
P
Palestine 6, 198, 204, 208
Pilgrimage, the 27, 52, 62, 63, 73, 90-92,
120, 121, 132, 133, 195, 198, 204,
209,211
Q
Qadisiyyah I I, n. 29, 24
Qahtabah b. Shabib al-Tai, 26, 41, n.
i05, 63 , 64, 73, 74, 75, 96, 97 n. 267,
I07, Io8 - II2, I21 , 122, I24-140,
162, 185
Qahtan, tribal grouping 8o, n. 218, 94, 95

al-Qa'im 143 , 14411. 3 5 9
Qanbar, family 75
229
Qarqisiyyah 9, 19 n . 44, 55 , 56, S7, 18o

Qishin, city 127
Qasim b. Mujishi' al-Mara'i al-Tamimi,
'Abbisid nagib 64, 73 , 75, 79, 8o, 95,
96, 98, I01, I07, I08
al-Qasim al-Shaybini 34, 35, 43

Qastal 8 n. 20
Qatan b. Harb al-Hilili 129
Qatan b. al-Mughirah 43
Qatan b. Muhammad 29, 32
Qatirin b. Akmah 49
Qays, tribal coalition 2, 3 n. 6 , ,6, 29, 36
n. 91, 40, 41, 5 5 n. 126, 120, n. 310,
122, 144, t63 n. 394, 177, 18o, n.
430, 191
Qinnasrin, city 7, 11, 19, 20, 169, 171,

176, 177 , 178, 179, 18o, 198, 204,
208
Qirmasin 132, n. 334
Qudi'ah, tribe 164
Qudayd b. Mani' 33, 36
Qudayd, village 112, 113, 115, 117, 118
Quh, village 73
Quhandiz 31, n. 75, 34

Qumis, province 62 n. 154 , 63, 64, 73, 85,
1 09, 110, 122,124,12 5
Qumm, City 127
Qurayn al-Tha'alib 91
Quraysh, tribe 2, 7, 23, 55 , 56, 89, n. 248,
112, 1 13, n. 294, 114, 129
Quraysh b . Shaqiq tot, 102

R
Rabi'ah, tribal grouping 9, 30, 32, 36 n.
89, 38, 40, 43, 48, n. 116, 55 n. 126,
77 n. 206, 80, 81 , 94, 95, 101, 105,
I06, 144, 181, 187
Rabi'ah b. 'Abd al-Rahman 91
Ramlah 173, n. 412
Raqqah, city 19, 21 , 50, 51 , 167, 18o-81
Rashid b. Kurayb, rdwi 147
Rashidiyyah 163
Rawindiyyah )see also Hashimiyyah) 96
n. 265, 205 , n. 465, 207
Rawh b. Hatim 187, 188, 191
al-Rawhi ', city 57
230
Index
Raytah bt. 'Ubaydallah b. 'Abdallah b.

'Abd al-Madan b. al-Dayyin alHirithi 212
Salm b. Ahwaz al-Tamimi 29, 30, 33, 34,
Rayy, city and province 85, 1 Io, 124,

I25, I26, 182, 183, 2I I
Salm b. Qutaybah al-Bahili 143-144

Samarqand, city 30, 202, 203
Raziq, Canal by Marw 34, n. 83, 38

Rifa'ah b. Thabit b. Nu'aym 6, 7
Ruha ', village 181, n. 431
al-Rumihis b. 'Abd al-'Aziz al-Kinini
6-7, 170
Rusifah, city of Hisham 8, 9, 19
Rustugbadh 135, n. 338
San'a ', city 120, 121
S
Saba'iyyah 153, n. 376
al-Sabbih mawli libril, rnwi 75, 98
Sabiq al-Khuwarizmi 151, 159
Sibur 87, n. 238
Sa'd b. Salm al-Maraghi 36
Sa'dah, city 121
al-Safar b. Habib 121

Safidhanj, village 64, n. 157, 65, 66, 68,
69, 75, 79
Sahsahiyyah 125, n. 322, 163

Said b. 'Abdallah 197
Sa'id b. 'Abd al-Malik, canal 24, n. 54, 25
Sa'id b. 'Amr 143
Sa'id b. al-'As, poet 165
Said b. Bahdal al-Murri al-Shayban 9,
10, 11
Sa'id b. Hisham b. 'Abd al-Malik 23, 167

Said b. al-Saghir, mawli Bahilah 32
al-Saksaki 20, 22, n. 51, 23, 164
Sakun, tribe 164
Salamah b. 'Amr b. 'Uthmin 161
Salamah b. Muhammad io8, 139, 151,
16o, 162
Salih b. 'Ali, the Abbasid 150, 172, 173,
174, 197, 198, 204, 208
Silih b. al-Hajjaj al-Numayri 128
Silih b. al-Qa'ga' al-Azdi 37
Salih b. Subayh 198, 203
Salih b. Sulayman al-Dabbi, 69, n. 186
Salim b. Rawiyah al-Tamimi 111, 112
Sallam b. Sulaym 183, n. 433, 190, 191
35, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 78, 81, 82, 97,
98, 102
Sarakhs, city 61 ns . 148, 149, 100, 102,

103, 107
Sark Canal 26, n. 60, 56, 57, 139
Sawadah b. Surayj 36, n. 92, P. 43
Sawah, city 125
Sayyir b. 'Umar al-Sulami 37
Sawrah b. Muhammad b. 'Aziz al-Kindi
36, 43, 94
Shabib. Waj al-Marwarrudhi 70
Shihi, village 137, n. 345
Shahrazur 60, 131, 132, 162
Shaqiq, officer of Marwin 56
Sharahil, 'Abbasid officer 143, 151, 160
Sharahil b. Maslamah b. 'Abd al-Malik
167
Shark 157
Shank b. Ghadi al-Tamimi, 'Abbasid
nagib 65, 165
Shank b. 'Isa 75
Shank b. Shaykh al-Mahri 197, n. 448,
207 n. 473
Shawaghar 207, n. 472

Shawwal, village 79, n. 216
Shaybah b. Shaykh al-Azdi 42
Shayban b. 'Abd al-'Aziz al-Yashkuri,
Kharijite Imam, 51, 52 , 54, 55, 56,
57, 59, 6o, 64 n. 158, 88, 201
Shayban b. al-Hils b. 'Abd al 'Aziz alShaybani, Kharijite 86
Shayban b. Salamah al - Haruri, Kharijite
Imam 59 n . 137, 6o, 64, n. 158, 75,
76, 77, 78, 82, 98, 100, 101, 103, 104,
107
Shihib al-'Abdi 136, 137

Shiraz, city 86
Shibl b. Tahman, Abu 'All, 'Abbasid
nagib 78, 95, 97, 100
Shu'bah b. Kathir al-Mizini 170, 172,
173
Shubayl b. 'Azrah al-Dubba'i, poet 23
Index
Shurayh b. 'Abdallih 128
Siba' b. Nu'min al-Azdi, 107, 206
Sijistin, province 59, 88 , 148, 187
Simnin, town 125, n. 323
Sinan al-Arabi 39, 40
Sind, province 6, n. 17, 7 n. 18, 57, 88,
195, 198, 203, 204
al-Sindi b. ' Asamm 136
Sinn 56, 58, 59
Sufriyyah, Khirijite sect 1i, n. 31 , 13, 25,
201
Sufyin b. Mu'iwiyah al-Muhallabi 143,

144, 145, 195
Sudhgin, place Io8
Sughd, province 203
al-Sughdi b. 'Abd al- Rahmin al -Hazmi,
Abu Tu' mah 35, 36, 37
Sulayman b. 'Ali, the 'Abbasid 196, 198,
201, 204, 208
Sulayman b. al-Aswad 151 , 16o, 197

Sulayman b . Diwud, rnwi 147, 178
Sulayman b. Habib 57, 87
Sulayman b. Hassan 66
Sulayman b. Hishim b. 'Abd al-Malik z,
4, 5, 8, 9, 19 , 20, 21 , 22, 23 , 50, 51,
54, 55, n. 126 , 56, 57, 58, 86, 87, 89

Sulayman b . Kathir al-Khuzi 'i, 'Abbasid
nagib 26, 48, 61, 63, 65, n. 169, 66,
67, 71, n. 192 , 73, 76, 93, 94, 96, 97
n. 267, 100, 184, 185, n. 435
Sulayman b. al-Muhajir al-Bajali 184
Sulayman b . Sa'id al-Harashi 16
Sumaysat, village 181, n. 432
Suri 138, 139, n348
Syria 4, 9, 14, 24, 55, 57, 59, 6o , 132, 147,

156, 158 , 159, 170, 174, 197
T
al-Tabari, the author, see Abu Ja'far
al-Tabari
Tabas al-'Unnib, town 107, n. 283
Tabas al-Tamr 107, n. 283
Tadmur (Palmyra) 4, 7, 8, 23, 177
al-Ta'if 123, 133 , 196, 204
Tilagin 65, 205 , n. 466, 208, n. 474
231
Talhah b. Zurayq, Abu Mansur, 'Abbasid

naqib 73 , 8o, n. 219 , 94, 96, 97
Tamim, tribe 22, 29, 36 , n. 91, 37, 45, 70,
96, 134, 144, 201, 203
Tamim b. Nasr b. Sayyar 37, 38, 42, 102,
107,108, 109,122
Tarif b. Ghaylin 127
Tarin 202
Tiriq b. Qudimah 19 r
Tarkhin al -Jammal 62
Tayy', tribe 96, 136
Thibit b. Nu'aym al -Judhimi 3, n. 6, 4,
6-7,8
Tha'labah b. Hassan al-Mazini 86
Tha'labah b. Salimah al-'Amili 170
Thagif (Thagafz), tribe z6
Thubayt al-Bahrini 22
Thumamah b. 'Abdallih 52
Tiberias 6, n. 14
Tigris 24 , 54, 55, 58,135, 162, 171, 174,
186, 193, 196, 198, 204
Tirmidh, city 104, ro5, rob, 205, n. 464
Tufayl b. al-Hirithah 4, 8
Tukharistan, province 30, 32, 38, 39 n.
zoo, 64, 68, 75, 104, 105, 107
TUs, city 100, 107,108
Tusan, village 8o
U
'Ubaydah b. Sawwir al -Taghlibi 19, n.
42, 26, 56, 57, 59
'Ubaydallah b. 'Abbis al-Kindi 12, 13, 15

'Ubaydallah b. 'Abd Rabbihi al-Laythi 94
'Ubaydallah b. Bassim 34
'Ubaydallah b. al-Husayn al-A'raj 184
'Ubaydallah b. al-Kibuli 166
'Ubaydallah b. Marwin 7, 170
'Ubaydall ah b. 'Umar b. Hafs b. 'Asim b.
'Umar b. al-Kattib 91
al-'Ud, village near Balkh 105, n. 277
'Ukbara' 132, 135, n.338
'Ula i 18, n. 306, 119
'Umin 60, 88, 196 , 198,201 - 202,204
'Umar b. 'Abd al-Hamid b. 'Abd alRahmin b. Zayd b. al-Khattab 14
Index
232
'Umar b. Dharr 192

'Umar b. al-Ghadbin b. al-Qaba'thari 13,
14
'Umar b. Hubayrah, see Yazid b. 'Umar b.
Hubayrah
'Umar b. al-Naghm 207

'Umar b. Shabbah, Abu Zayd 149
'Umirah mawli Jibra'il b. Yahya 142
Umayyah b. Mu'awiyah b. Hisham 5 5
Umm Amr bt. Kathir al-Khuza'I 65
Umm al-Bann bt. Muhammad b. 'Abd
al-Muttalib al-Nawfaliyyah 177
Umm 'Uthman bt. Marwin 16g
Umm al-Walid bt. Marwin 169
'Utayf al-Sulami 56, 124, n. 321, 125
'Uthman b. 'Abd al-A'li' b. Suragah alAzdi 177
'Uthman b. 'Affan 1
'Uthman b. Juday' al-Kirmini 47, 78, 94,
101, 104, io6
'Uthman b. Nahik, 'Abbasid dd'i, 73, n.

197, Io8, 143, 188 , 191, 200
'Uthman b. Razin 65
'Uthman b. Rufay' i io
'Uthman b. Sufyin 131, 162
'Uthman b. 'Urwah b. Muhammad b.
Muhammad b. 'Ammir b. Yasir,
rnwi, 149
'Uyaynah b. Musa 162
W
Waddahiyyah 5
Wadis b. Nadlah 162
Wadi al-Qura i 18, 120
al-Walid b. Hassan al-Ghassani 13, 14
al-Walid b. Hisham 121, 209, 210
al-Walid b. Mu'awiyah b. 'Abd al-Malik,
the Umayyad 84
al-Walid b. Mu'awiyah b. Marwin 3, 6,
163, 164, 169, 171, 172
al-Walid b. Qa'gi' 194
Walid b. Sa'd 150, 159, 16o
Walid b. 'Urwah b. Muhammad b.
'Atiyyah al-Sa'di 132, 133, 195
al-Walid b. 'Utbah al-Firisi 145
al-Walid b. Yazid, Caliph 1, 2, 9, 16, 31
al-Wagidi, Muhammad b . 'Umar, historian 27 , 52, 92, 114, n . 297, 118, 120,
145, 195, 196, 198, 203, 211, 212
Wisit, city 9 n. 23, 13, 15, 16, 19, 21, 26,

49, 57, 59, 89 , 122, 138 , 140, 142,
151, n. 369, 161 , 18o, 185 - 191, 192
Y
Yahya b. al-Hakam al-Hamadhini I29
Yahya b. Hudayn 32, 34, 138, 185, ,86,
208
Yahya b. Ja'far b. Tammim b. al-'Abbas
al-Hashimi 150, 157, 161, 172
Yahya b . Muhammad b. 'Ali 150, 184,
195, n. 445, 197-198
Yahya b. Nu'aym b . Hubayrah alShaybini, Abu al-Mayla', 77, 78, 81,
104, 105
Yahya b. Safwan 172

Yahya b. Tufayl Nu 'man b. Sari, rdwi
148
Yahya b. Zakariyyi' 115
Yahya b. Zayd b. 'Ali 94, n. 261
Yaman, tribal coalition 3 n. 6, 6 , Io, 16,
25, 27, 30, 35, 38, 39, 40, 44, 45, 46 n.
112, 48 , n. 116 , 5 5 n. 126 , 59, 77 n.
206, 8o n. 218, 8,, 82, 100, 101, 103,
105, Io6, 141, 144, 189, 200, 203
Yaman, province of Arabia 118, 120, 121,
133, 195, 196, 197, 204
Yamimah 195, 196, 197, 204

Ya'qub b. Diwud 29
Ya'qub b. Talhah al-Laythi 91
Yazdin b. Hassan 66
Yazid b. Abi Muslim 148
Yazid Abu Khilid 32
Yazid b. Asid, rdwi, 182
Yazid b. al-Aslami 69
Yazid b. Hini 174
Yazid b. Hitim 19o
Yazid b. Khilid al-Qasri 5, 6
Yazid mawli of Nasr b. Sayyir 68-70
Yazid b. Mu'awiyah al-Ja'fari 86, 87, 88,
148
Yazid b. 'Umar b. Hubayrah, Governor of
Iraq 7, 9, 19, 24, 25, 26, 52, 55, 56,
Index
233
57, 59, 83, 86, 87, 90, 92, 109, 110,

122, 123, 124n . 321, 125 , 126, 132,
Ziyad b. 'Abd al -Rahman al-Qushayri

104, Io5, Io6
133, 134, 135, 136, 137, 138, 139,

140, 142, 143, 144, 158, 180,
185-190, 191-194
Ziyad b. 'Isa 69
Ziyad b. Mushkan 143
Ziyad b. Sahl al -Ghatafani 132
Ziyad b. Salih al-Harithi 140, 189
Ziyad b. Salih al-K* huza 'i 96, 188, 197,
203, 205-208
Ziyad b. Sayyar al -Azdi 68
Ziyad b. Suwayd 191
Ziyad b. 'Ubaydallah al-Harithi 178,189,
192, 196, 197, 198 , 200, 203, 204,
208
Ziyad b. Zurarah al -Qushayri 122, 125
Zuhayr b. Muhammad al-Azdi 127, 143
Zuhayr b. Hunayd, see Abu al -Dhayyal
Zurayq b. Shawdhab 74, n. 199
Yazid b. al-Walid 1 , 3 n. 5, 13, 16, 28

Yunus b. 'Abd Rabbihi 31, 40 , 97, 102
Yusuf b. Muhammad 16o
Yusuf b. 'Urwah 195

Yusuf b. 'Umar al-Thagafi 2, n. 3, 16
Z
Zab, river 5, 7, 132, 16,, 162 -166, 167,
169, 186, 192
Zakat 116, n. 300
Zamil b. 'Amr al-Jibrani ;, 5, 6
Zayd b. 'Ali b. Husayn b. 'Ali 191

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What events led to the end of the Umayyad caliphate?

What events led to the end of the Umayyad caliphate?

Who led the revolutionaries in Khurasan against the Umayyad governor?

Who led the revolutionaries in Khurasan against the Umayyad governor?

The

The Abbasid Revolution

The `Abbasid Revolution

By 735 an Arab empire stretched from Aries and

SUNY Series in Near Eastern Studies

The State University of New York Press

THE HISTORY OF AL -TABARI

The `Abbasid Revolution

743-750/ A .H. 12 6 -132

Said Amir Arjomand, Editor

The History of al-Tabari

The History of al-Tabar!

john Alden Williams

State University of New York Press

The preparation of this volume was made possible by a grant from

No part of this book may be used or reproduced

The Abbasid revolution.

In 1971 the General Editor proposed to the UNESCO to

The 'Abbasid Revolution

The Caliphate of Marwan b. Muhammad

The Year 128 (745/46) / 28

Khazim b. Khuzaymah Takes Marwarrudh / 70

x The 'Abbasid Revolution

Qahtabah b. Shabib Comes to Abu Muslim / 107

'Amir b. Dubarah is Slain by Qahtabah / 126

The Caliphate of Abu al-`Abbas al-Saffah

The Year 134 1751/521 / 199

The Year 1361753/54) / 209

In this volume I have followed the transliteration system adopted

xiv The `Abbasid Revolution

John Alden Williams

The Caliphate of Marwan b.

In this year the oath of allegiance was given in Damascus to Marwan

Why The Oath of Allegiance Was Given to Marwan

stopped at 'Aliyah .2 The two young sons of al -Walid b. Yazid who

He then recited some verses composed by al-Hakam in prison.

Now convey my regards to Quraysh.

The Events of the Year 127 3

Had the lions of the Banu Tamim taken part,

then Marwan shall be Commander of the Faithful.

' Abbasid Revolution

According to Ahmad -'Abd al -Wahhab b. Ibrahim - Abu Hashim

The Events of the Year 127 5

The Events of the Year 127 7

8 The 'Abbasid Revolution

The Events of the Year 127 9

Io The `Abbasid Revolution

Though he was Bistam, surely I am al-Khaybari;

The Events of the Year 127 11

12 The 'Abbasid Revolution

The Events of the Year 127 13

We slew both 'Asim and Ja'far, also

14 The 'Abbasid Revolution

They cast at my most precious target and killed 'Asim,

The Events of the Year 127 15