Alhassanain(p) Network for Heritage and Islamic Thought

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MUKHTAR

How He AvengedThe Kerbala Perpetrators

(61 - 67 AH)

MahmoodHusein Datoo

BSc, PhD, CEng,MRAes ,MIMechE , MICE

ISBN: 0-940368-34-X

Second Edition 2003

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Tahrike Tarsile Qur’an, Inc.

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Muharram 1424, March 2003

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Table of Contents

Summary 7

Chapter 1: Who was Mukhtar? 8

Chapter 2: Mukhtar's First Imprisonment 10

Chapter 3: Imprisonment and Release of Kumayl Hamadani 12

Chapter 4: Kumayl Smuggles Pen and Paper to Mukhtar 14

Chapter 5: Kumayl Meets Abdulla Omar 16

Chapter 6: Kumayl Meets Yazeed 18

Chapter 7: Mukhtar's Release 21

Chapter 8: Rampage in Medina 23

Chapter 9: Yazeed's Death 26

Chapter 10: Mukhtar's Permission from Imam Z Abideen (as) 27

Chapter 11: The Tawwabun (The Penitents) 28

Chapter 12: Ubaydallah Ziyad Flees Basra 29

Chapter 13: Ubaydallah Ziyad in Damascus 31

Chapter 14: The Tawwabun's Mission 32

Chapter 15: Mukhtar's Second Imprisonment and Release 34

Chapter 16: Abdulla Muti Tries to Imprison Mukhtar 36

Chapter 17: Mukhtar Teams With Ibrahim Malik Ashtar 38

Chapter 18: Mukhtar Becomes Governor of Kufa 39

Chapter 19: Mukhtar Rules Over Kufa 42

Chapter 20: Abdulla Muti Joins Forces with Masa'b Zobayr 44

Chapter 21: Ibrahim Malik Ashtar Captured and Escapes 45

Chapter 22: Control for Mosul 47

Chapter 23: Attempt on Mukhtar's Life 49

Chapter 24: Mukhtar Goes After the Perpetrators of Kerbala 51

Chapter 25: Tracking Down Ubaydallah Ziyad 55

Chapter 26: Mukhtar Martyred 57

References & Bibliography 60

Summary

The book begins by introducing Mukhtar and traces his life from the moment he first welcomes Muslim Aqeel, the cousin of ImamHusein (as), who was sent to assess the situation in Kufa.

Mukhtar is subsequently imprisoned by the authorities because of his love and support of ImamHusein (as).

Mukhtar manages to get himself released through the help of aKumayl Hamadani . Meanwhile, the atrocities ofYazeed continues and because of theKerbala effect, the political situation in the region also changes dramatically.

AfterYazeed's death, and parallel to Mukhtar's activities, a group called theTawwabuns (the Penitents), led by SulaymanSurad Khuzai ,organise themselves to punish theKerbala perpetrators. TheTawwabun decide to first punishUbaydallah Ziyad, one of the leaders of the planning of theKerbala massacre. However, theTawwabun are heavily crushed by the forces ofUbaydallah Ziyad.

Mukhtar tries to form an alliance with a friendly governor in the region in order to start avenging theKerbala perpetrators, but is rebuffed. He therefore teams up with another valiant supporter of theAhlal -bayt, Ibrahim MalikAshtar . Together, they lead a group of people in taking the control of the Governorship of Kufa.

Once in power, Mukhtar has to defend himself from his enemies who want him dead, for the fear of being hunted out for their part in the atrocities they carried out atKerbala .

Having consolidated his power and his hold in Kufa, Mukhtar begins his mission in earnest. He starts searching for the perpetrators ofKerbala , puts them on trial and punishes the guilty.

Finally, the booklet traces the events leading to the martyrdom of Mukhtar.

Chapter 1: Who was Mukhtar?

1- His full name: Mukhtar AbuObaida Masood Thaqafi of BanuHawazin tribe; he was born in 1 AH.

2- His mother's name wasHusna (some sources sayHilya ) and his father's name was AbuObaida Thaqafi.

3- He had one sister named Safiya who was married to Abdulla Omar, the son of the so-called second Khalifa Omar; another sister was married to Umar Saad, the chief commander ofYazeed's army inKerbala ; one of his daughters was married to ImamZainul Abideen (as) to have a son named Omar.

4- Due to his successful mission of avenging the enemies of Imam (as), there were many false accounts and distortions of his life at the time; for example, that he was of a "low" family, not to be respected,etc ; but some eminent people of the BanuHawazin tribe are:

Maimoona - wife of Prophet Muhammad (saww )

Ummul Baneen - wife of Imam Ali (as), mother of H Abbas

Laila - wife of Imam Hussein (as), mother of Ali Akbar

Labeed - a great poet of Arabia; author of one of the seven poems at one time hung at Kaaba

5- AbuObaida Thaqafi always wished for a son who would do anhonourable and memorable deed in this world, and only marries when he is convinced of the right partner to give him such a son; once he has a dream to choose a certain girl from a brave family of his tribe, namedHusna .

6- During the pregnancy of Mukhtar,Husna dreams of a horse rider descending from the sky and congratulating her for a brave son to come; on the night following the birth of Mukhtar,Husna dreams again of the same horse rider descending from the sky and congratulates her on the actual birth of the baby that would grow to be a firm follower of the Prophet Muhammad (saww ), theAhlal -bayt and avenger of ImamHusein's (as) killers and enemies.

7- AbuObaida , Mukhtar's father, was the commander of an army unit which invaded Iran under the orders of Omar (the "second" Khalifa); the Iranian troops had elephants which AbuObaida's people never saw before and were frightened of them, thus affecting their battle performance, but AbuObaida fights gallantly and makes inroads to the territory; AbuObaida dies in this battle in 13 AH when Mukhtar is 12 years old.

8- The battle command is then taken over by AbuObaida's brother, to finally win the whole battle and bring the area fought under his influence.

9- Meanwhile, Mukhtar is brought up by his mother and uncle; his uncle is made governor ofMadayn by Omar; during the time ofMuawiyah , when there is a cease-fire between Imam Hasan (as) andMuawiyah , Mukhtar's uncle, till then the governor ofMadayn , is transferred to the governorship of Mosul. (Madayn is where Salman Farsi, Jabir AbdullaAnsaree andHuzayfa Yamani are buried;also inMadayn is the TakeKisra .)

Chapter 2: Mukhtar's First Imprisonment

1- When Muslim Aqeel arrives in Kufa in 60AH , sent by ImamHusein (as) from Mecca, Muslim stays at Mukhtar's house; Mukhtar is the first person to pay homage to Muslim Aqeel.

2- Mukhtar goes out of Kufa to raise, from the followers of his tribe, an army of supporters for Muslim Aqeel, who is representing ImamHusein (as).

3- AfterUbaydallah Ziyad's arrival in Kufa and the trouble which ensues, Muslim Aqeel goes to HaniUrwa's house where he is finally tracked down and then publicly executed by the order ofUbaydallah Ziyad.

4- Mukhtar is out of Kufa at the time when Muslim Aqeel is murdered byUbaydallah Ziyad; Mukhtar returns to Kufa with his men and on the way in, hears about unrest in Kufa.

5- He meets withtravellers and hears about Muslim's murder; he also fights and kills some of the road interceptors sent byUbaydallah Ziyad.

6- Mukhtar disperses his assembled army, disarms and makes a diplomatic move to join the group of OmarHaris (a government officer), stationed just outside the Kufa boundary, offering amnesty to people who initially supported Muslim Aqeel but would now not opposeUbaydallah Ziyad.

7- Chiefs of Kufa are summoned to the court ofUbaydallah Ziyad and Mukhtar is one of them; one source says Mukhtar does not saluteUbaydallah Ziyad and is hit by bodyguards to have one eye badly bruised, whereas another report says Mukhtar salutesUbaydallah Ziyad but is snubbed by not getting a reply.

8- Mukhtar is questioned byUbaydallah Ziyad about his allegiance to and motives of Muslim Aqeel staying with him initially; he is also queried about the dispersal of his followers after hearing of Muslim's murder; OmarHaris vouches for him as having surrendered alone without any supporters.

9- Widows' of the road interceptors killed by Mukhtar arrive in the court; Mukhtar is questioned why he killed, not only one but about twenty to thirty soldiers ofUbaydallah Ziyad, if his intention was friendly;Ubaydallah Ziyad orders to imprison Mukhtar for the killings of his soldiers and for supporting and hosting Muslim Aqeel.

10- Mukhtar is jailed in a dungeon together with other four thousand to five thousand Shias already there; (it was the intention of Muslim Aqeel to try for the release of these prisoners); the dungeon is about seventy five feet below ground level; Mukhtar's hands and waist are chained, his legs are chained to a heavy cannon-ball requiring about twenty people to lift; the dungeon is very dark underground with no sunlight and very little air; Mukhtar is ordered to be kept at an extreme corner so as even to deny him any fresh air from the opening of a door; his diet is malnourished food; the dungeon is always patrolled by about forty guards at a time working in shifts.

11- Ashura day massacre occurs whilst Mukhtar is in prison in Kufa, but he is brought out from the dungeon to witness the arrival of the heads of Martyrs and survivors in the court ofUbaydallah Ziyad. Here, he makes a vow to himself that he will not rest until he has avenged the perpetrators ofKerbala .

12- In prison, Mukhtar meetsMaythame Tammar , a close companion of Imam Ali (as) who taughtMaythame Tammar "ulumul balaya walmanaya ": "knowledge of dream interpretation and of predicting some future events";Maythame Tammar informs Mukhtar of his coming release and his fulfilment of the wish to avenge ImamHusein's (as) killers and enemies.

Chapter 3: Imprisonment and Release ofKumayl Hamadani

1- Kumayl Hamadani (other sources name him asKathir Hamadani ) was 70-80 years old in 60 AH; he was amadressa teacher in Kufa, aMaalim who taught Quran to many people since the time of Imam Ali (as); he was a staunch supporter ofAhlal -bayt, but he was hiding his faith, like many others, due to the political climate at the time.

(Note that this is not the same man asKumayl Ziyad, after the famousDua -e-Kumayl .)

2- Once, when conducting his class,Kumayl feels thirsty (considering his age, the heat in Kufa and his job requiring him to continually use his voice), when a water seller passes by;Kumayl buys some water and before drinking, remembers the Martyrs inKerbala and loudly curses ImamHusein's (as) killers.

3- Amongst the children present inKumayl's class is Sinan's son; he challenges theMaalim that the killers didYazeed and his government a favour; Sinan's son finishes his class, and then on his way home, beats himself with a stone to bleed and tears his clothes.

4- At home, his mother enquires to the bloody state, and the son says that theMaalim beat him up because he objected to theMaalim cursing his father andYazeed ; the mother gets angry, and when Sinan returns home, she demands an immediate retaliation of theMaalim , saying that he lives under our government butharbours animosity against us.

5- Sinan immediately goes toUbaydallah Ziyad who sends forKumayl ;Kumayl protests that he did not harm the boy, butUbaydallah Ziyad chooses to believe Sinan's son, and imprisonsKumayl in the same dungeon where the rest of the Shias and Mukhtar were kept.

6- Kumayl meets with Mukhtar; Mukhtar tellsKumayl that he was awaitingKumayl's coming as foretold byMaythame Tammar ;Kumayl is very apprehensive of his imprisonment, but Mukhtar assures him of his freedom and his help in getting Mukhtar out, again as predicted byMaythame Tammar .

7- Now, one ofKumayl's niece,Bostan , was a nanny to the grand-son ofUbaydallah Ziyad (his daughter's son) and the nanny imploresUbaydallah Ziyad's daughter to use her influence to get her uncle (Kumayl ) released for the alleged beating on Sinan's son.

8- In the evening, the daughter goes toUbaydallah Ziyad and explains thatKumayl is an uncle of the nanny and thatKumayl is an old, feeble and honest man whom Kufa owes a gratitude for his teachings;Ubaydallah Ziyad agrees to freeKumayl the next day, but she insists it be done the same evening and she herself would go to the prison to convey the order.

9- At the dungeon, the guards change for the evening shift, on the eve of the dayKumayl was to be released (as told to him by Mukhtar onMaythame Tammar's predictions);Kumayl looses any hope of release that day because an evening change of guards meant the prison doors do not get opened until the day shift arrives; Mukhtar reassuresKumayl to have faith onMaythame Tammar's prediction; it is the same evening thatUbaydallah Ziyad's daughter arrives with the order to getKumayl released.

10- Kumayl bids Mukhtar farewell, upon which Mukhtar requests him to find means of getting to him pen and paper;Kumayl promises to do so.

Chapter 4:Kumayl Smuggles Pen and Paper to Mukhtar

1- On his release,Kumayl is warned byUbaydallah Ziyad not to repeat the crime of cursingYazeed or his government;Kumayl promises to lead a quiet life and to teach no more at themadressa .

2- Kumayl thinks of a plan to smuggle pen and paper into the prison andrealises that secrecy is of utmost importance shouldUbaydallah Ziyad suspect anything; he explains the plan to his wife, who is also a staunch Shia, and she helps him (other sources say he divorces his wife so as to maintain complete secrecy of his movements).

3- The plan involves befriending the warden and at night he takes money and good food to the warden's home; the warden is on night duty, soKumayl explains to the warden's wife that it was his vow to give such gifts to the warden upon being released; the wife accepts it and gives them to her husband in the morning; the warden immediatelyrealises thatKumayl is seeking a favour.

4- Same thing happens on the second night; on the third night the warden is in; he questionsKumayl of his motive and does not believe the vow story; finally, the warden pleads on behalf of thePanjatan that ifKumayl somehow wants to help Mukhtar, the warden was willing;Kumayl is now at ease knowing that the warden has sympathy for Mukhtar, and tells the warden of his intention to smuggle pen and paper to Mukhtar.

5- The warden comes up with a plan:

he says that there are total of forty guards with him as the chief, but all the guards are chosen carefully, each having animosity to each other, so that there is no lax in security due to bribes, influenceetc , and all guards report directly toUbaydallah Ziyad.the warden advisesKumayl to prepare the best and delicious of food (as per the Arab custom at time), to buy fruits and almonds; in one fruit hide a pen in it; in another fruit hide some thin small paper; and in selected almonds, insert ink; these should be marked from others so the warden would know which should go to Mukhtar.

the warden tellsKumayl : come to the prison when I am on duty and tell of your vow to feed the prisoners on your release; I will get extremely angry at your gesture, and beat you up violently and harshly, so as to get the other guards take pity on you (who will then act against my apparent wish, for as always, we all oppose each other) as an old, feeble, honestMaalim with an apparent innocent vow to bring in good food.

when the other guards then permit you to send in the food, I will ensure Mukhtar gets the marked foods.

6- The next day,Kumayl prepares and goes to the prison where the scheme goes into action as planned; the warden warns his subordinates thatUbaydallah Ziyad may not like it, but they see no harm in letting the food through especially after the warden's beating toKumayl .

7- The food gets into prison and Mukhtar gets the marked ones, which he hides successfully forUbaydallah Ziyad arrives suddenly with about thirty personal guards (other sources say thatUbaydallah Ziyad arrives with the personal guards just before the food gets into the prison).

8- Ubaydallah Ziyad orders all the forty prison guards to be beaten up severely, after which the guards (including the warden who knew of the misdeed) ask as to the reason forUbaydallah Ziyad's sudden arrival and punishment.

9- Ubaydallah Ziyad says he knows of the plot to smuggle pen and paper to Mukhtar, whereupon the warden, hoping for the best with prayers, challengesUbaydallah Ziyad to find any pen/paper in the food; his personal guards perform athrough search in all the foods but are unable to find any pen or paper, for Mukhtar had by then successfully hidden away the marked food (other sources say they did not think of looking into the fruits/almonds).

10- With the warden's prayers answered, and no trace of pen/paper found, he enquires ofUbaydallah Ziyad as to how he got the "false" information;Ubaydallah Ziyad says it was the warden's son who came to report of the plot (the son was eavesdropping on the conversation betweenKumayl and his father, but did not overhear the last part about hiding the pen/paper/inketc as the two were then whispering so as not to be overheard by passers-by going for theFajr prayers).

11- The warden explains that the boy is not his real son, but adopted him from the streets where he was abandoned, and in trying to discipline the child, the child bore grudge against him and hence falsely reported and wastedUbaydallah Ziyad time;Ubaydallah Ziyad gets very angry and orders the immediate execution of the boy.

12- Ubaydallah Ziyad and his personal guards go away,Kumayl goes home, and Mukhtar gets the pen/paper/ink.

Chapter 5:Kumayl Meets Abdulla Omar

1- From the prison in Kufa, Mukhtar writes two letters: one to his sister Safiya, and another to Safiya's husband Abdulla Omar, who are both in Medina; the letter explains his imprisonment and its harsh conditions, and asks Abdulla Omar to use his influence to get him released (Abdulla Omar was a very prominent and influential person, the son of "Khalifa" Omar, respected by Meccans, Syrians andKufians ).

2- Mukhtar gives the letters to the warden who forwards them toKumayl .

3- Kumayl thinks of a way to reach Medina without incurring the suspicion ofUbaydallah Ziyad, forUbaydallah Ziyad is well aware of Abdulla Omar's (Mukhtar's brother in-law) influence onYazeed to order Mukhtar's freedom; soUbaydallah Ziyad wants a news blackout on Mukhtar's imprisonment.

4- Kumayl decides it is best to leave with the blessings ofUbaydallah Ziyad least he be caught when he is out of Kufa, is forced back and imprisoned again; also, a state of emergency was in force in Kufa and an exit visa was required.

5- Kumayl dresses up inEhram and goes toUbaydallah Ziyad's court, where he recites theTalbiya (Labek ,labek ,Allahuma laka labek ) loudly;Ubaydallah Ziyad enquires of thisTalbiya in the Hajj off-season and is told that it isKumayl , who also wishes to seeUbaydallah Ziyad.

6- Kumayl explains toUbaydallah Ziyad that he vowed to performUmra on release butUbaydallah Ziyad is suspicious, recalling the vow to feed the prisoners, and asks how many vows were there, and whetherKumayl intends to go to Mecca only, or also to Medina;Kumayl could not say Medina for he would surely not be given permission to leave; he answers that he is to perform "Mukkamal Hajj" implying the visiting of Prophet's tomb in Medina;Ubaydallah Ziyad does not catch the significance ofKumayl's reply and allows him to go with his blessings, being under the impression thatKumayl is to visit Mecca only.

7- Kumayl leaves Kufa but instead of going to Mecca, he heads straight for Medina to Abdulla Omar's house; he arrives there at lunch time with Abdulla Omar serving good food (as befits his position); Safiya refuses to partake in such good lunches for any lack of news of his brother Mukhtar.

8- On hearing of atraveller's arrival from Kufa, Safiya urges her husband Abdulla Omar to meet with him to get any news of Mukhtar;Kumayl introduces himself to Abdulla Omar and produces the two letters from Mukhtar; on reading the letter, Safiya is distressed and asks for details directly fromKumayl and he relates the miserable condition of Mukhtar and how Mukhtar hopes for imminent release to avenge ImamHusein's (as) killers.

9- Due to her sorrow and distress, Safiya gets hysterical and shaves some of her head hair (as custom at the time to indicate deep grief); her daughters also do the same on seeing their mother's grief; Safiya asks her husband Abdulla Omar to write a letter toYazeed in Damascus to decree the release of Mukhtar; Abdulla Omar agrees, andKumayl volunteers to travel immediately to Damascus and hand deliver the letter toYazeed .

10- Abdulla Omar givesKumayl the letter and a wallet containing Safiya's lock of hair as evidence of his wife's grief; the letter says: release Mukhtar in Kufa, or Abdulla Omar will use his influence todestabilise the government ofYazeed in all areas, which Abdulla Omar was capable of doing.

Chapter 6:Kumayl MeetsYazeed

1- Kumayl enters the Syrian border and proceeds directly to Damascus city, and rents a room belonging to a shopkeeper.

2- In view of the political climate at the time, no Shia would show himself up, soKumayl had to tread carefully about the purpose of his visit.

3- He goes pastYazeed's palace daily in the hope of somehow getting in, but is refused entry by the guards; this goes on for eighteen days; he goes daily to the local mosque for prayers, and asks of his fellowNamazee to pray to Allah for the granting of his wish without specifying any details.

4- On the eighteenth day, the local mosque prayer leader, Imam-ul-jamaat, (other sources say it was the shopkeeper from whom he had a rented a room) asksKumayl the purpose of his visit as for the last eighteen days he has been trying to get intoYazeed's palace.

5- Kumayl is very apprehensive and only after establishing that the person was sympathetic to the Shias, does he say that he has a personal message forYazeed from Abdulla Omar regarding Mukhtar in Kufa.

6- The prayer leader says he will showKumayl of a way to get intoYazeed's palace since the visit is to help avenge the killers of ImamHusein (as); he also says that he would have told this toKumayl earlier hadKumayl confided in him.

7- The prayer leader tellsKumayl - inYazeed's palace, there is a household help, who is a Shia, whom you have to see in order to meetYazeed ; sinceKerbala , this helper is always dressed completely in black, is in mourning at all time and does not take subsistence fromYazeed but from his own income of knitting; you need to see this person forYazeed promised to grant him one wish in his life which he has not as yet asked for, and if your wish is concerning ImamHusein (as) then this person will ask of it fromYazeed .

8- Question: why wouldYazeed allow such an obvious Shia to remain with him? -Shahr Banoo , the first wife of ImamHusein (as) was a princess brought from Iran after a war victory there; she came with her maids, and one of these was Hinda; duringShahr Banoo lifetime, Hinda stayed with her, but afterShahr Banoo's death, ImamHusein (as) allowed allShahr Banoo's maids to go, except for one who was looking after ImamZainul Abideen (as) (who was just under two years old at the time).

9- Hinda was extremely pretty and beautiful, andYazeed was deeply infatuated with her, despite knowing her loath for him;Yazeed wants to marry her but she adamantly refuses; she is forced into marriage withYazeed ; (it is this same Hinda who visits theKerbala survivors in Damascus prison, to discover that they are theAhlal -bayt, and not ordinary rebels as maintained byYazeed ).

10- Now, Hinda had her servants/helpers and one of them was this person whoKumayl was to meet inYazeed's palace;Yazeed kept this helper (of Hinda) and granted him the privilege of any single wish to behonoured , out ofYazeed's love for Hinda.

11- SoKumayl was to see this person inYazeed's palace and the prayer leader explains toKumayl the way to get to meet this helper inYazeed's palace.Kumayl was to pass through the various security barriers with

12- confidence and act as if heis a frequent visitor to the palace and knows his way around.

13- The prayer leader tellsKumayl to:

dress yourself completely and fully in white, as this is the uniform of theauthorised people to gain entry into the palace do not hesitate at all at the main gate (other sources say it was the tradesman side entrance) but just walk straight through as if you know your way and are a frequent visitor

1st courtyard - there will be about a thousand cavalry; walk through confidently and do not answer any questions from the guards, asauthorised personnel do not answer back

2nd courtyard - there will be more cavalry; walk through confidently

3rd courtyard - there will be even more cavalry: walk through confidently

4th courtyard - five mounted soldiers will be guarding the entrance toYazeed's inner court; walk through confidently

5th hall - there will be more soldiers; walk through confidently

6th hall: this will be an office full of people busy in their administration works; walk through confidently

7th hall - gallery on both sides, marble and gold floor, glasses of gems and jewels filled with liquor, three people on either gallery lounging leisurely; these six people are called "Tashtiya " (tear bearers) for they personally carried the tray containing ImamHusein's (as) head finally toYazeed , and soYazeed allows them to lounge all the time as their reward; walk through confidently

8th hall - again, two galleries on either side, hall more decorous than the 7th, where all things are decorated with gems, gold and jewels; there will be nobody there; do not pause to admire the beauty, for anyone pausing is surely a first time visitor, and will be questioned by security guards who are watching from hidden positions; walk through confidently

9th hall - empty and completely stripped of any decoration; this is to provide a complete contrast to the previous decorated halls; do not stop to wonder why the sudden contrast as this again is a trap for thefirst time visitors; just walk straight through without any pause

10th hall - you will meet a person fully dressed in black; he is the one (Hinda's help) whom you have to meet

14- Next dayKumayl goes toYazeed's palace and follows the instructions of the prayer leader; he passes through all the nine halls and to the tenth to meet the person dressed in black; this person greetsKumayl by name saying he has been waiting for eighteen days to meetKumayl ;Kumayl is immediately apprehensive thinking that it is a trap and his identity is discovered;Kumayl enquires how this person knew of his name and that he was in town for eighteen days.

15- This person says - eighteen nights ago, ImamHusein (as) came to my dreams saying that aMaalim namedKumayl from Kufa will come with a request which I should honour as it involves the avenging of the perpetrators ofKerbala ; ImamHusein (as) also came to my dreams last night to tell me that you will come today, and to convey his thanks to you and to myself for the work undertaken.

16- Just then, about a hundred people pass through with an aroma of various perfumery and incense to fragrant the air on the way to the bathroom whereYazeed is scheduled for a bath; they are followed by a number of pages (young children) all dressed in golden clothes; the pages are followed by personal bodyguards ofYazeed ;Yazeed then follows pompously, wearing a golden crown, carrying a golden stick and wearing golden shoes decorated with gems.

17- Hinda's help goes toYazeed to tell him that the time has come for the granting of his one request: to meet the person from Kufa who has a got a message from Abdulla Omar in Medina;Kumayl hands over the letter and

18- the wallet containing Safiya's lock of hair;Yazeed asksKumayl - who are you? are you a Shia? do you have any animosity to the killers of ImamHusein (as)?; Kumayl is frightened, but Hinda's help intercedes saying that all these questions are irrelevant to his one wish.

19- Yazeed orders for pen and paper and writes toUbaydallah Ziyad in Kufa a decree to release Mukhtar immediately on receipt of the order;Yazeed's letter is given toKumayl ;Yazeed says to Hinda's help - alas, I would have willingly given you any amount of money if it were your wish, but for my promise to you for the love of Hinda, together with Abdulla Omar's threat ofdestabilising my kingdom, I have had to issue this decree knowing it will cause my downfall.

20- Kumayl rushes back to his rented room, collects his belongings and goes straight to Medina to Abdulla Omar;Kumayl informs him of the decree but Abdulla Omar does not tell Safiya, least Mukhtar is not freed byUbaydallah Ziyad and she gets disappointed.

Chapter 7: Mukhtar's Release

1- Kumayl travels from Medina to Kufa; on his way he wonders ifUbaydallah Ziyad has got wind of the developments and has sent soldiers to intercept him and kill him, thereby not receivingYazeed's decree for freeing Mukhtar.

2- Near the gates of Kufa (boundary into Kufa),Kumayl covers his face (as was the customary dress to protect against the desert winds) and rides through in an energetic manner, to give the impression of a young rider so as to fool any soldiers looking for an old person.

3- Kumayl finally reachesUbaydallah Ziyad's court and says that he has got message to deliver toUbaydallah Ziyad;Ubaydallah Ziyad reads the decree andrecognises that Mukhtar's freedom will finally be the cause of his downfall and death, but dare not opposeYazeed's order.

4- A blacksmith is ordered to cut off Mukhtar's chains, his wounds are attended to by a doctor, then he is brought toUbaydallah Ziyad; (one source says that Mukhtar's one eye turned blind during the imprisonment and it was the eye damaged by the guards when Mukhtar did not saluteUbaydallah Ziyad in the presence of all the other Chiefs);Ubaydallah Ziyad orders Mukhtar to leave Kufa within three days, or he will be imprisoned again.

5- Mukhtar advisesKumayl that it is best forKumayl also to leave Kufa, and they both leave Kufa the next day; Mukhtar tellsKumayl of his plan to raise an army to avenge the perpetrators ofKerbala ; they part company just outside Kufa;Kumayl goes to his tribe of Bani Kanda and Mukhtar heads for Medina.

6- Mukhtar arrives at Abdulla Omar's house and meets his sister Safiya (my deduction: Mukhtar is released in late 61 AH/very early 62 AH, for ifKerbala survivors were in Medina afterChehlum of 62 AH, surely Mukhtar would have visited them); brother and sister are both very happy at the reunion and Safiya is overcome with joy to an unconscious state; Safiya does not regain conscious and dies.

7- Mukhtar now sets out to start his planning for avenging the perpetrators ofKerbala ; he goes to Mecca to meet AbdullaZobayr :

8- AbdullaZobayr was one of the three prominent people who refusedBayat toYazeed (ImamHusein (as), AbdullaZobayr , Abdulla Omar)

9- AbdullaZobayr was in Mecca, ambitious to assume power and was inciting people in Medina/Mecca to rebel againstYazeed in the guise of sympathy of ImamHusein (as), saying that he (AbdullaZobayr ) was related to Prophet Muhammad (saww ) (he was actually related through Lady Khadija: AbdullaZobayr's grandfather's sister was Lady Khadija).

10- Mukhtar sees that AbdullaZobayr also appears to want to avenge ImamHusein's (as) killers, so he goes to AbdullaZobayr and asks him to join forces to avenge ImamHusein's (as) killers; AbdullaZobayr does not commit himself positively and Mukhtar seeing no support forthcoming, leaves Mecca forTaif to his tribesmen where he spends one year (my deduction: most of 62/63 AH) trying tomaterialise a plan.