Alhassanain(p) Network for Heritage and Islamic Thought

Chapter 8: Rampage in Medina

1- Meanwhile in 62AH , there is a Commission of Inquiry in Medina following the return ofKerbala survivors; in the committee of prominentMedinites is AmirZobayr (AbdullaZobayr's brother) and AbdullaHanzala .

2- The Commission goes to Damascus to investigate and reports back on the damning conduct ofYazeed : that he is immoral, a drunkard, a gambler and is openly flouting Islamic ways; the Commission was offered large bribes to give afavourable report, but they did not accept anyfavours and reported the truth.

3- The Commission's conclusion was - it is immoral and unforgivable for the people of Medina to have given and to continue giving their allegiance toYazeed ; theMedinites now denounce and withdraw their allegiance fromYazeed , and transfer their allegiance to AbdullaHanzala , who becomes the Governor of Medina.

4- On hearing of Medina's rebellion, and with Mecca under the control of AbdullaZobayr , and of unrest in other areas,Yazeed sends troops, first to Medina and then to proceed to Mecca; the army units are under the command of Muslim Aqaba, who is a very staunch supporter ofYazeed and a bitter enemy of theAhlal -bayt.

5- Yazeed gives Muslim Aqaba a completely unrestrained rules of engagement and uninhibited orders to bring Medina and Mecca back intoYazeed's rule; the only exception to the orders was that ImamZainul Abideen (as) and his family should not be touched asYazeed did not want anotherKerbala effect.

6- Furthermore, if Muslim Aqaba were to die in service, then the command should pass on toHaseen Nameer ;Haseen Nameer was the Chief of police in Kufa responsible for tracking down Muslim Aqeel; he was responsible for setting up road blocks to stop Imam Hussein (as) entering Kufa; he was one of the army commanders atKerbala who headed the units of expert archers; he delivered the fatal lance at Ali Akbar (other sources say it wasKurra Munkidh who delivered the fatal lance).

7- So inZilhaj 63 AH Muslim Aqaba with his army advance towards Medina.

8- Meanwhile, the people of Medina's allegianceis now to AbdullaHanzala who is their Governor, and there is a lot of unrest againstYazeed's supporters; the people attack all knownYazeed's sympathisers .

9- Marwan Hakam (who advised Walid, the then governor of Medina, not to let ImamHusein (as) leave without extracting the oath of allegiance there and then from him, as called for byYazeed ), a bitter enemy of theAhlal -bayt, and a staunch supporter of the Umayyads (he was an Umayyad himself) is under attack from the people of Medina; Marwan sends all the womenfolk in his household to ImamZainul Abideen (as) for protection (notice the irony in the circumstances); ImamZainul Abideen (as) willingly and humbly accepts all people who ask for his protection, including his enemies (some reports say a total of about four hundred women, whilst other reports say about four thousand women, took refuge in ImamZainul Abideen's (as) house/farms).

10- Marwan himself runs from Medina at night to avoid being lynched by the people;Yazeed's supporters are told to leave Medina for their own safety; outside Medina, Marwan Hakam meets Muslim Aqaba and his army, and Marwan advises Muslim Aqaba that although a revolt is in progress in Medina, thedefence is non-existent, and so it is a good opportunity to mount an attack now.

11- Muslim Aqaba and his army proceed to Medina; on entering the city outskirts, menfolk come out to fight them but stand no chance against the might of Muslim Aqaba; a number ofMedinites are killed.

12- Muslim Aqaba moves into Medina city on 28Zilhaj 63 AH; people take refuge in the Prophet's Mosque, for all knew that at the Prophet's grave and in the courtyard of the Prophet's Mosque, there is no harassment and everybody is protected; but Muslim Aqaba knows no sanctity of the Prophet's Mosque and the Prophet's grave; he orders his soldiers into the mosque and they kill the people therein.

13- The Prophet's grave and the Prophet's Mosque are abused to the extreme, with drinking, rape, human and animalfoulings , bloodshed; dogs were put on theMimbar and fouled it; this continued for three days and nights; simultaneously, there is a rampage in the city for three days and nights; the army is given complete freedom to loot, pillage, rape and kill (reports show that about one thousand illegitimate children were born as a result of rape in three days); the whole city was affected (except for ImamZainul Abideen's (as) household).

14- After the rampage, Muslim Aqaba asks for allegiance from the people of Medina (except for ImamZainul Abideen's (as) household) to be transferred back toYazeed ; nobody amongst the common populace dare refuse.

15- After putting a puppet governor back in power in Medina, Muslim Aqaba and his army leave for Mecca; on the way, Muslim Aqaba becomes ill and dies;Haseen Nameer takes over the command of the army and they advances to Mecca.

16- Meanwhile in Mecca, just before the rampage in Medina, AbdullaZobayr now sees that even Medina has fallen fromYazeed's grip; being ambitious, he wants to take advantage of the situation anddestabilise the regimes in nearby areas to bring them under his rule; he sends for Mukhtar to come and help him to consolidate AbdullaZobayr's power.

17- Mukhtar meets with AbdullaZobayr and agrees to join forces with him on two conditions:

1- when AbdullaZobayr's rule is established, Mukhtar must be consulted in all matters and be given unhindered access to AbdullaZobayr

2- the first priority on establishing AbdullaZobayr's rule is to avenge the perpetrators ofKerbala .

18- AbdullaZobayr agrees to the first condition; he now says that the second condition is also his purpose (with the excuse that he refused to support Mukhtar earlier as the rebellions were then only just starting and their plans could have backfired).

19- AbdullaZobayr , with the bravery and military exploits of Mukhtar, establishes his rule in Mecca and surrounding areas (my deduction: mostly during late 63/early 64 AH).

20- After seeing the state of Medina is left after the rampage, and on hearing of the advance ofHaseen Nameer to Mecca, AbdullaZobayr is frightened and flees to hide in the mountains; it is left up to Mukhtar to defend Mecca;

21- Mukhtar leads the army units and they go just outside Mecca to try and stop the advance ofHaseen Nameer into Mecca city and Kaaba.

22- The attack on Mecca starts on 4Rabil Awwal 64 AH (about two months after the Medina attack)

23- The sheer determination of Mukhtar and his outnumbered men slows down, but does not stop,Haseen Nameer's progress into the city; when they are outside the range of Kaaba, they make "petrol" bombs and throw them at the Kaaba; the Kaaba burns; Mukhtar and his men just manage to hold backHaseen Nameer and his men getting near to the Kaaba.

24- At this point, news gets toHaseen Nameer that his chief commander of his army, that isYazeed , has died in Damascus (on 14Rabil Awwal 64 AH);Haseen Nameer and his army pull back and retreat to Damascus to await developments and fresh orders; the date of retreat is a few days after 14Rabil Awwal , for the Mecca assault started on 4Rabil Awwal and allowing a few days from 14Rabil Awwal for the news to get through to Mecca.

Chapter 9:Yazeed's Death

1- AfterKerbala ,Yazeed never got peace of mind nor sound sleep; he had a constantly undying and unquenching thirst, and was always feeling hot within his body; his doctors advised him that there was no cure, but to relieve his claustrophobia, he should spend time out in the open, and pass the time in his favourite hobby, for distraction purposes: hunting; so at intervals, he used to go hunting in the wilderness.

2- Yazeed was in no doubt that his incurable illness was due to his atrocities against ImamHusein (as) atKerbala , for he was often heard saying: "Mali min-al Hussein" (How has Hussein wronged me?).

3- Yazeed takes one of his frequent hunting trips, toHarwan in this case, with about ten personal bodyguards on 12Rabil Awwal 64 AH; he spots a handsome deer the like of which he had never seen before and orders his group to hold back, while he alone tries to hunt the deer; he runs after her but cannot trap her for the deer always alluded him; this goes on for two days (to 14Rabil Awwal 64 AH).

4- WhenYazeed does not return to his bodyguards, they go searching for him for two days but find no trace and they decide to return to the city; on the wayback they spotYazeed's horse withYazeed's thigh enclosed in his clothes, and they conclude thatYazeed had been killed.

5- Other reports say that when the bodyguards searched, they foundYazeed's body.

6- Whatever the case, the bodyguards return to Damascus and relate the tale, withYazeed's horse and his thigh, orYazeed's body, as evidence;Yazeed's thigh/body is buried; to-date, there is no trace remaining of his grave or its location.

7- AfterYazeed's death, the Caliphate is offered to his sonMuawiyah , who publicly refuses such an office due to the shame he felt of the abuse of the office by his father; he is nevertheless forced to accept it but does not step out of the palace due to the shame felt; after about eighteen days (some reports say forty days) Marwan Hakam engineered his murder for fear of the Caliphate slipping away from the Umayyad family dynasty.

Chapter 10: Mukhtar's Permission from Imam ZAbideen (as)

1- Meanwhile in Medina, on hearing ofYazeed's death, the Governor imposed by Muslim Aqaba is ousted and thrown out byMedinites ; AbdullaZobayr takes the opportunity to consolidate his power over Medina, and sends Mukhtar to oversee things.

2- Mukhtar goes to Mecca to AbdullaZobayr to make detailed plans of avenging theKerbala perpetrators; AbdullaZobayr however is no longer very responsive to the idea, saying they should take on the task of avenging when the time is right and not now.

3- Mukhtar is very disappointed and reminds AbdullaZobayr of his promise, when he solicited Mukhtar's help in establishing AbdullaZobayr as a ruler, and the moral duty to please theAhlal -bayt, but AbdullaZobayr does not listen.

4- AbdullaMuti , a friend of Mukhtar and the prime minister of AbdullaZobayr , advises Mukhtar to leave Mecca for the safety of his life, as otherwise AbdullaZobayr would have Mukhtar killed if he were to remain in Mecca; AbdullaMuti gives Mukhtar money and transportation to help him get out of Mecca.

5- So Mukhtar alone (since AbdullaZobayr has now turned) now has to effect a scheme planning for the avenge of the perpetrators ofKerbala ; but first he wants the blessings for the mission from the Imam of the time, ImamZainul Abideen (as).

6- Mukhtar goes to Medina to see MohamedHanafiya with whom he was in good terms; he requests MohamedHanafiya to accompany him to ImamZainul Abideen (as) to seek his permission and blessings for the mission; MohamedHanafiya was the step­brother of ImamHusein (as) and so he was the uncle of ImamZainul Abideen (as).

7- MohamedHanafiya and Mukhtar go to meet ImamZainul Abideen (as); MohamedHanafiya explains to ImamZainul Abideen (as) the mission that Mukhtar is taking on.

8- ImamZainul Abideen (as) says to MohamedHanafiya : the work of avenging ImamHusein's (as) killers is a right and Wajib for everyone to perform; I cannot do it myself because of the political situation at present and it is in the overriding interest of spreading Islam that I do not take on the task myself (this is Imam's knowledge and assessment); however, I leave this matter in your (MohamedHanafiya ) hands and you have my full blessings.

9- Both, MohamedHanafiya and Mukhtar understood the implicit permission of ImamZainul Abideen (as), but because of the political situation, ImamZainul Abideen (as) could not say so openly, but delegated the responsibility to MohamedHanafiya ; MohamedHanafiya consents to Mukhtar's mission, and Mukhtar, with the consent of Mohamed

10- Hanafiya as an attorney of ImamZainul Abideen (as), sets out on his mission.

Chapter 11: TheTawwabun (The Penitents)

1- DuringUbaydallah Ziyad's rule in Kufa, the Shias did not openly declare their faith for fear of the wrath ofUbaydallah Ziyad; on hearing ofYazeed's death, the Shias gain confidence and come out to attackUbaydallah Ziyad's palace; they are joined by other non-Shia people who are againstUbaydallah Ziyad's rule.

2- At the time of the attack,Ubaydallah Ziyad is in Basra, for he was the governor of Kufa and Basra, and used to spend six months in each city.

3- Ubaydallah Ziyad's palace in Kufa is taken over and the infamous prison (the one that Mukhtar was in with the other four to five thousand Shias) is thrown open and all prisoners are freed; most prisoners are not even aware of the massacre atKerbala due to the news blackout; these prisoners feel deeply aggrieved and remorse that they could not get to ImamHusein (as) when they were needed most.

4- They meet at SulaymanSurad Khuzai's house, who is about ninety years old; he was a companion of the Prophet Mohammed (saww ) and Imam Ali (as); Sulayman talks to the Shias: we have failed our ImamHusein (as), for we had invited him and we were not able to help him for one reason or another; but now we can help by seeking to avenge the perpetrators ofKerbala ; the people agree.

5- SulaymanSurad Khuzai manages to recruit more people to the cause,totalling to about sixteen thousand; this group became to be known as theTawwabun (The Penitents), the people who felt sorry.

6- SulaymanSurad Khuzai is unanimously chosen to be the leader of theTawwabun ; theTawwabun are fully aware that many of theKerbala's killers are in Kufa (people like Sinan,Shimr ,Khooli , Umar Saad,Hurmala ), but the strategy was to go first after the main architect of theKerbala tragedy, that isUbaydallah Ziyad.

7- Also, theKerbala killers in Kufa were in powerful positions with influential and powerful local connections, and theTawwabun’s thinking was that the killers could be sought later when theTawwabun group has had more time to mature to a position of strength.

8- On hearing thatUbaydallah Ziyad's palace in Kufa has been taken over by theKufians , AbdullaZobayr from Mecca sends AbdullaYazeed Ansaree to Kufa to become his governor there; the new governor is well aware of theTawwabun movement, but makes no attempt to stop the activities for they were was not directed against theKufians , but directed againstUbaydallah Ziyad, whom AbdullaZobayr wanted out of the way anyway.

Chapter 12:Ubaydallah Ziyad Flees Basra

1- There is a crisis of succession to the office afterYazeed's death, especially when his elder sonMuawiyah denounces the office, and who is soon murdered for his defiance.

2- So, who now takes over the office? The government of Damascus considers three candidates:

1. Umar BashirAnsaree - he is one of the most prominent in the government circles in Damascus

2. KhalidYazeed - atwelve year old son ofYazeed ; this would keep the dynasty going

3. AbdullaZobayr in Mecca - as he has already got Mecca and Medina under his control.

3- Marwan Hakam writes a letter toUbaydallah Ziyad informing him ofYazeed's death, and telling him to come to Damascus to discuss the question of succession to the office; Marwan Hakam sends the letter to Kufa.

4- When the letter gets to Kufa,Ubaydallah Ziyad is at that time in Basra for the six month administration cycle between Kufa and Basra; his son Omar is left in charge of Kufa; with a homing pigeon, Omar passes Marwan Hakam's letter to Basra together with the news of the unrest going on in Kufa as the news ofYazeed's death was now public knowledge in Kufa.

5- Ubaydallah Ziyad gathers theBasrites at a public meeting; he tells them ofYazeed's death (other reports say he does not); and says: I am leaving Basra to go to Damascus immediately of the unrest there; there should be no unrest here while I am away, and my deputy will be in charge; anyone who opposes my deputy will be executed together with his family.

6- Ubaydallah Ziyad then asks if there are any persons who will ensure his speedy and safe journey to Damascus for a very large fee.

7- UmarJaru (another source says UmarHaris ) was an experienced and a professional desert guide and it was his job to escort merchants and people from area to area; he had five sons (another source saystwenty one sons), each experienced in the ways of desert travelling and guide, and each son had about thirty assistants.

8- UmarJaru and his group escortUbaydallah Ziyad to Damascus;Ubaydallah Ziyad packs up all the monies, jewels and valuables from his palace and these are sent by a different route (from the one he will be taking) to Damascus to avoid an ambushed robbery on the way.

9- The entourage of UmarJaru withUbaydallah Ziyad has about a hundred camels carrying people, luggage and water; many of the camels were water carriers stocking for the long journey ahead; and soUbaydallah Ziyad sets out for Damascus.

10- SulaymanSurad Khuzai and theTawwabun (numbering about four and a half thousand), who are now just outside Kufa, hear ofUbaydallah Ziyad entourage going to Damascus; theTawwabun therefore position themselves at the crossroad from Basra to Damascus.

11- UmarJaru's group were experienced and professional guides, and an advance party was always sent to watch out for any ambushetc ; they report that a huge force of people are blocking their way to Damascus, and are carrying a banner "Ya alasiratil Husein " (those who are in the path ofHusein ).

12- They report back to UmarJaru , who in turn questionsUbaydallah Ziyad: why is there such a force blocking our way?Ubaydallah Ziyad now has to confess ofYazeed's death, and that his visit to Damascus is to influence the question of succession toYazeed , and that the force ahead is of theTawwabun who are after him;Ubaydallah Ziyad now promises UmarJaru an even bigger fee if he (Ubaydallah Ziyad) could reach Damascus alive.

13- UmarJaru comes up with a plan, whichUbaydallah Ziyad first refuses, but later has to accept in order to save himself; the plan is to tieUbaydallah Ziyad completely under the belly of a camel, and then cover him with the hanging water carriers all around the camel; this way, with so many camels having water carriers around them,Ubaydallah Ziyad's chance of being spotted would be very small.

14- SulaymanSurad Khuzai and theTawwabun arrive; Sulayman tells UmarJaru that they are not interested in robbing him of his belongingsetc , as they are just afterUbaydallah Ziyad, whom UmarJaru was escorting to Damascus; UmarJaru naturally denies, saying he is just transporting luggage andUbaydallah Ziyad is not with them; UmarJaru gives permission for a search forUbaydallah Ziyad.

15- TheTawwabun search but do not for one moment think of looking low under a camel's belly, although they did spread the water carriers of some of the camels; SulaymanSurad Khuzai and his men therefore go back towards Kufa thinkingUbaydallah Ziyad played a trick of decoy and managed to escape them.

16- After some distance,Ubaydallah Ziyad is untied and he finally reaches Damascus unchallenged.

Chapter 13:Ubaydallah Ziyad in Damascus

1- On reaching Damascus,Ubaydallah Ziyad meets with Marwan Hakam to discuss the question ofYazeed's succession; Marwan Hakam informs him of the three candidates (Umar BashirAnsaree , KhalidYazeed and AbdullaZobayr ).

2- Marwan tellsUbaydallah Ziyad that the consensus in Damascus is that the local Umar BashirAnsaree should be offered the office of the Khalifa.

3- Ubaydallah Ziyad is against KhalidYazeed (Yazeed's twelve year old son) to be the Khalifa as Khalid would betray them as his father (Yazeed ) did;Ubaydallah Ziyad says thatYazeed had sent an order in writing to him not to spare ImamHusein's (as) life at any cost, but afterKerbala ,Yazeed denied issuing any such orders alleging that the massacre atKerbala was not of his orders, but the doings ofUbaydallah Ziyad andShimr etc , and this betrayal displeasedUbaydallah Ziyad.

4- Ubaydallah Ziyad wants Marwan Hakam to be the Khalifa instead of giving the office to anyone else; Marwan Hakam initially refuses saying that he will not get any support, butUbaydallah Ziyad offers his support which should in turn give credence to his candidature; he would also give to Marwan Hakam the treasures which he brought from Kufa, together with the hidden treasures ofYazeed thatUbaydallah Ziyad knew of, to be used for bribing the prominent people for their support; the condition forUbaydallah Ziyad's help is that he should be made the Commander in Chief of the army.

5- Marwan Hakam agrees andUbaydallah Ziyad immediately swears allegiance to Marwan Hakam;Ubaydallah Ziyad shows Marwan Hakam the hidden treasures ofYazeed , which is now transferred to Marwan Hakam's safekeeping.

6- Ubaydallah Ziyad takes to his ways of forcing people to swear allegiance to Marwan Hakam or face persecution and execution; in the midst of prevailing persecution, oneZufar Haris escapes from Damascus toQarqisiya , which is a town between Damascus and Kufa; fromQarqisiya ,Zufar Haris , who was a supporter of AbdullaZobayr in Mecca and againstUbaydallah Ziyad, tries unsuccessfully to removeUbaydallah Ziyad's and Marwan Hakam's influence in Damascus.

7- Ubaydallah Ziyad advises Marwan Hakam to marryYazeed's widow, Khalid's mother, in order to consolidate Marwan Hakam's power; having established his authoritative influence with Marwan Hakam in Damascus,Ubaydallah Ziyad sets out to seek SulaymanSurad Khuzai and his group of theTawwabun .

Chapter 14: TheTawwabun's Mission

1- Now, when theTawwabun could not findUbaydallah Ziyad personally with the UmarJaru's group, SulaymanSurad Khuzai and his group of about four and a half thousand return to Kufa, where he recruits more men to a total of about sixteen thousand.

2- On 1 Muharram 65 AH, theTawwabun under SulaymanSurad Khuzai camp atNukhaila , just out of theKufaboundary ; Sulayman sees that of the sixteen thousand recruited, only about three thousand are actually present; he goes back into Kufa with the message of "Ya alasiratil Hussein" and manages to rally another one and half thousand volunteers, making a total force of about four and a half thousand men.

3- Before setting off in earnest to hunt downUbaydallah Ziyad, theTawwabun go toKerbala where they spend a whole day and night in lamentations andZiyarat ; as theTawwabun leaveKerbala for Damascus,Ubaydallah Ziyad leaves Damascus for Kufa.

4- TheTawwabun reachQarqisiya at night, whereZufar Haris (who ran away from the purge ofUbaydallah Ziyad in Damascus) is now the ruler ofQarqisiya ; Sulayman sends his deputyMosayab Najaba to tellZufar that they have not come to invadeQarqisiya , but are on their way to findUbaydallah Ziyad;Zufar is happy thatUbaydallah Ziyad is being hunted down and orders the shopkeepers to open at night and stock up theTawwabun free of charge.

5- Ubaydallah Ziyad's group is 300,000 strongtotal , including an advance party of 100,000; theTawwabun are 4,500 men.

6- The two groups meet at Ayn al-Warda where the battle occurs.

7- The first round of battle lasts for two days between theTawwabun and the advance party ofUbaydallah Ziyad.

8- The second round of battle between theTawwabun and the whole ofUbaydallah Ziyad’s army lasts for seven days.

9- InSulayman's group of the remaining 75 men, are the five commanders who are to take up the position of Chief Commander in the case of the previous commander's death: SulaymanSurad Khuzai ,Mosayab Najaba , Abdulla Saad, AbdullaWalin ,Rufa 'Shadad .

10- On the last night of the battle, some of theTawwabun say that they should retreat considering their small number of men who are extremely fatigued, wounded and thirsty (for the water supply is guarded byUbaydallah Ziyad's soldiers), compared against the remaining well equipped army of 150,000 men; Sulayman says the aim is to avenge ImamHusein's (as) killers and if that is not possible, then it is better to die in battle for the mission rather than retreat.

11- After prayers, during the night, SulaymanSurad Khuzai nods off and dreams: he is in a pretty and most beautiful gardens full of flowers and tree, and a golden house is in the middle; a lady inChaddar comes out of the palace; Lady Khadija, conveys Salaams from thePanjatan and ImamHusein's (as) congratulations to theTawwabun for their work so far, and informs Sulayman of his martyrdom the next day; Lady Khadija takes a pot of water and gives it to Sulayman to sprinkle on all their wounds for the battle the next day.

12- Sulayman wakes up and sees the pot of water next to him, and offers prayers of thanks; he sprinkles the water on the wounds of the remainingTawwabun , who are asleep; the heavenly water completely heals all the wounds and removes all fatigue; the water pot disappears when Sulayman is in prayers; when the rest of the group wake up, Sulayman informs them of the miracle.

13- Next day, theTawwabun put up a resilient fight against the 150,000 soldiers ofUbaydallah Ziyad who expected a very feeble resistance; Sulayman is killed at about noon;Mosayab Najaba takes charge and he is also killed; Abdulla Saad then takes charge and he is also killed; next, AbdullaWalin takes charge and he is killed; finally,Rufa 'Shadad takes charge and with the 10 remainingTawwabun , they retreat to Kufa to try and regroup.

14- On winning the second round of battle, and having decisively crushed theTawwabun ,Ubaydallah Ziyad goes to Basra.

Chapter 15: Mukhtar's Second Imprisonment and Release

1- Meanwhile, after getting permission from MohamedHanafiya on behalf of ImamZainul Abideen (as), Mukhtar leaves Mecca for Kufa; at the crossroads ofQadisiya , he makes a detour toKerbala forZiyarat , where he pledges to ImamHusein (as) to avenge the perpetrators ofKerbala .

2- Mukhtar then comes to Kufa, publicly proclaiming his entry so that the population, the governor (AbdullaYazeed Ansaree ) and the localKerbala perpetrators are all aware of his presence.

3- It was while SulaymanSurad Khuzai was recruiting in Kufa, that Mukhtar arrives fromKerbala ; they meet to discuss tactics; theTawwabun first aim is to hunt downUbaydallah Ziyad, while Mukhtar's first aim is to seek avenge from the perpetrators ofKerbala who are in Kufa, as the majority of them were still living in Kufa.

4- With Mukhtar's arrival in Kufa, the localKerbala perpetrators feel threatened with his declared aim, whereas they were under no immediate threat from theTawwabun ; these local killers are in powerful positions and are of influence in Kufa; they therefore advise the governor, AbdullaYazeed Ansaree , to imprison Mukhtar least he causes any troubles for them; so under pressure from these powerful and prominentKufians , AbdullaYazeed Ansaree imprisons Mukhtar; Mukhtar is now serving his second imprisonment term in Kufa.

5- Rufa 'Shadad (from theTawwabun ) reaches Kufa and hears of Mukhtar's imprisonment; unlike his first imprisonment underUbaydallah Ziyad, Mukhtar is now able to have visitors, he is not chained and letters areallowedin and out; on hearing ofTawwabun’s crushing defeat, and ofRufa's return, Mukhtar writes to him not toloose courage and to wait for Mukhtar's release to come up with a plan.

6- Rufa ' comes to prison and offers to break out Mukhtar from prison; Mukhtar refuses any illegal moves but assuresRufa ' of his impending release by legal means; Mukhtar sends one of his man to go to Medina and inform Abdulla Omar (his brother­-in-law) of the situation.

7- Abdulla Omar writes to AbdullaYazeed Ansaree in Kufa explaining of his relationship to Mukhtar and demanding his immediate release; AbdullaYazeed Ansaree gets the letter and is aware of Abdulla Omar's influence; AbdullaYazeed Ansaree reasons that the imprisonment of Mukhtar was not a decree from his master AbdullaZobayr in Mecca, but was due to intense local pressure; so releasing Mukhtar was not a violation of any decree from AbdullaZobayr .

8- The local perpetrators ofKerbala are against Mukhtar's release for fear of their own lives; AbdullaYazeed Ansaree is torn between the order from Abdulla Omar and the protests of these locals; he finally decides to release Mukhtar with some conditions for his freedom.

9- AbdullaYazeed Ansaree sends for Mukhtar and makes him promise that he will not try stirring up any opposition against himself (AbdullaYazeed Ansaree ), or the penalty will be the sacrifice of a thousand livestock and the freeing of all Mukhtar's slaves.

10- Mukhtar promises in front of witnesses to agree to the conditions and he is released; on giving the promise in order to be released, Mukhtar was confident that the sacrifice of a thousand livestock and the freeing of his salves was of little material significance to him compared to the pursuit of theKerbala perpetrators.

11- One source says that Mukhtar was imprisoned again for the third time and manages to obtain his freedom once more.

Chapter 16: AbdullaMuti Tries to Imprison Mukhtar

1- Now, AbdullaZobayr in Mecca replaces the governor of Kufa from AbdullaYazeed Ansaree to AbdullaMuti , who was his prime minister in Mecca; AbdullaZobayr thinks that by making AbdullaMuti the governor, Mukhtar would not cause any opposition due to his friendship with AbdullaMuti .

2- AbdullaMuti was the one who intercepted for Mukhtar when AbdullaZobayr , after having consolidated his power with the help of Mukhtar, broke his promise to help Mukhtar in avenging the perpetrators ofKerbala ; AbdullaMuti , who was the prime minister of AbdullaZobayr at the time, tried unsuccessfully to influence AbdullaZobayr's decision not to allow Mukhtar into his courtyard for any discussion; then AbdullaMuti advised Mukhtar to leave Mecca for the safety of his life and AbdullaMuti gave him money and transportation to see himself out of Mecca.

3- With the new governor installed, the localKerbala killers go to AbdullaMuti and advise him that he should imprison Mukhtar for if he is left free, Mukhtar would carry out his threat of avenging these killers who are in prominent and influential positions in Kufa; if these prominent and influential people are threatened, then that in itself could lead to the overthrow of AbdullaMuti himself.

4- AbdullaMuti says he just cannot imprison Mukhtar without him having committed any crime, and furthermore he was a good friend of Mukhtar; but AbdullaMuti is under intense pressure to take some action against Mukhtar; at the time when AbdullaMuti came to Kufa, Mukhtar had purposefully gone out of Kufa as a pretext to avoid AbdullaMuti .

5- AbdullaMuti finally decides to imprison Mukhtar; AyazMazarib , the chief policeman in Kufa, advises AbdullaMuti : that the best way to trap Mukhtar is to first lure him to come to the palace to meet you as you are his friend; the message should be sent by two people whom Mukhtar could not associate with you (AbdullaMuti ), as neutral messengers, and this should not raise any suspicion with Mukhtar.

6- ZaidaQudama andHusein Abdulla are chosen and they go to Mukhtar's house with the message that AbdullaMuti needs consultation on certain matters of state and is seeking Mukhtar's advice.

7- On reaching Mukhtar's house, they see him busy reciting Quran, and this influences Zaida into not wanting to see Mukhtar enticed into a trap; they pass on the false message of AbdullaMuti , but Zaida also talks about the wonders of Quran and recites a verse from a Sura clearly warning Mukhtar of the danger ahead; Zaida had to pass this coded message to protect himself from getting into trouble with AbdullaMuti if his partnerHusein Abdulla reported him.

8- Mukhtar gets the message, feigns illness and tells them to tell AbdullaMuti that he is presently not well but will visit AbdullaMuti as soon as he gets better.

9- The two messengers leave, andHusein Abdulla tells ZaidaQudama : I understood the coded message you passed to Mukhtar, but I will not report you to AbdullaMuti ; I have heard a story from people who heard the Prophet (saww ) say that Mukhtar was to avenge the killers of ImamHusein (as), and I would rather be with Mukhtar than AbdullaMuti .

10- Mukhtarrealises that it will not be long before AbdullaMuti makes another attempt to imprison him, and therefore has to hasten his planning; due to the urgency now, he alsorealises that the plan will only work if he can find a partner who is as firm in his conviction of avenging theKerbala perpetrators as himself.