Alhassanain(p) Network for Heritage and Islamic Thought

Chapter 17: Mukhtar TeamsWith Ibrahim MalikAshtar

1- Mukhtar let it be known throughout Kufa and beyond that he is looking for a person to team up with to avenge the killers of ImamHusein (as); such a person should be strong, courageous, brave, a Shia, and with a dedicated desire to see the perpetrators ofKerbala avenged; such a person with these qualities was needed to counteract the power, influence and positions of theKerbala perpetrators living in Kufa.

2- Such a person is Ibrahim MalikAshtar , the son of MalikAshtar who was a staunch Shia and a firm supporter of Imam Ali (as); Mukhtar goes to Ibrahim saying it is the first time he has gone to one's house to recruit for this cause, for usually people come to him to join up.

3- Ibrahim accepts to team up with Mukhtar on the condition that he (Ibrahim) is made the Chief Commander; this is not with the intention of being power hungry, but to ensure that his bravery and talents would not be exploited to bring someone else in power; for with the army under his direct command, he can assure that abuse does not happen.

4- Mukhtar shows Ibrahim theauthorisation of MohamedHanafiya as an attorney of ImamZainul Abideen (as); one report says that on seeing the written authority, Ibrahim and his whole clan immediately swear allegiance to Mukhtar; another report says that Ibrahim asks for a few days to decide, for he sends his people to Medina to check the authenticity of the letter and to see MohamedHanafiya in order to verify Mukhtar's version.

5- These people then go back to Kufa to Ibrahim; one source says that when the group reachesQadisiya (about 20/25 miles from Kufa), they meetKhayr from the household of Mukhtar who asks of their answer from Medina;Khayr immediately rushes back to Mukhtar to tell him of MohamedHanafiya’s confirmation and blessings, to which Mukhtar offers prayers of thanks.

6- Another report says that the group returns directly to Ibrahim to inform him of MohamedHanafiya’s confirmation, and Ibrahim does not give his answer immediately to Mukhtar; when there is no immediate reply from Ibrahim, Mukhtar assumes that MohamedHanafiya did not sanction the mission and Ibrahim has therefore refused; after a few days Mukhtar comes to know it is otherwise and immediately goes to Ibrahim who agrees to team up with Mukhtar.

Chapter 18: Mukhtar Becomes Governor of Kufa

1- Mukhtar and Ibrahim decide that the best way to get the local perpetrators (ofKerbala ) in Kufa, taking into account that these killers are now influential and prominent in Kufa, is to gain control of the government, and this meant storming the governor's (AbdullaMuti ) palace.

2- A plan is agreed that on the eve of 14Rabil Awwal 66 AH, Thursday night, all of Mukhtar's and Ibrahim's supporters will leave their homes and assemble at the governor's palace to overthrow him; the signal will be a torch lit on Mukhtar's roof and the sounding of war drums; after seeing the first torch, a chain of torches will be lit on the supporters' house roofs to spread the signal; each group of supporters is to carry the banner: "Ya alasiratil Husein "; the men were warned not to be fooled by a possible enemy ploy and hence nobody should come out before the agreed Thursday night.

3- AyazMazarib , the chief policeman of Kufa, gets reports that for the past few nights, Ibrahim and a group are meeting at Mukhtar's house; he suspects that something is being planned and reports to AbdullaMuti on 13Rabil Awwal , the night before the planned revolution day; on the same night of receiving Ayaz's report, AbdullaMuti orders checkpoints at all (about ten) districts in Kufa.

4- In those times, the geographical layout of a city was such that towns, districts, areas, and even clans had distinct boundaries with only one road to aneighbouring district; this ensured that there was free movements within the area but going from one area to the next required to pass through the only inter-connecting road; this layout was a security precaution against the frequent hostile incursions at the time.

5- The guards were therefore posted at these main inter­connecting roads, to restrict movement of people from one area to another.

6- Ibrahim and his group leave their locality to go to Mukhtar's house in another district tofinalise plans for the next night's attack; they are challenged by AyazMazarib , the chief of police, at a checkpoint and in order to get through, Ibrahim kills Ayaz; Ayaz's subordinates escape to report back to AbdullaMuti .

7- More checkpoints are encountered by Ibrahim and his men, and after fighting their way through, they finally reach Mukhtar's house; Ibrahim informs him of the checkpoints and the killing of AyazMazarib , the chief policeman; they bring the plan forward by a night in order to succeed, otherwise AbdullaMuti can squash any opposition by morning afterrealising that a revolution was in the making.

8- Mukhtar lights the torch on his roof and starts beating the war drums, but there is no response, for people were warned against premature signals;so they are under the impression that it is an enemy ploy, for the expected call was for the next night.

9- Now, AbdullaMuti is under the impression that Mukhtar and Ibrahim must have assembled a large force to try an overthrow; in reality, Mukhtar and Ibrahim had very little manpower this night for the planned attack for was for the following night.

10- Rashid, the son of AyazMazarib gets to hear of his father's death and comes to AbdullaMuti crying; AbdullaMuti says there is no use crying and that he should avenge his father's death; AbdullaMuti gives him a unit of men to go and fight Ibrahim and Mukhtar.

11- AbdullaMuti sends forShabath Rabi (one of the army unit commanders atKerbala ) with about a thousand men to confront Mukhtar and kill him;Shabath Rabi advises it is best to wait until daylight when the attack would be most beneficial; AbdullaMuti refuses for he does not want to take any chances, in case of an attack byMukhtarduring the night.

12- The checkpoint to Mukhtar's district is under the command of HijabHurr with about seven hundred men; when he sees the force of Shish Rabi advancing towards Mukhtar's house, he assumes that they are Mukhtar's reinforcements for it was dark; the two units do not identify each other for want of a surprise attack and in the ensuing battle, each sidelooses about half of their men; the two commanders, each thinking he has repelled the enemy, report back to AbdullaMuti the same night, only torealise their mistake. This now leaves the checkpoint to Mukhtar's house unguarded.

13- Mukhtar and Ibrahimrealise what has happened outside, and in view of the developments, they decide that they must go out to call on their men in other districts; Mukhtar has to get word to his supporters of about fourteen hundred men in theSakariya district; Ibrahim decides to go out to various other districts to inform the supporters of the change of plan.

14- Mukhtar is advised not to venture out himself for he will be immediatelyrecognised ; one Bashir volunteers to go toSakariya ; he goes out in tattered clothes and at theSakariya checkpoint, he is stopped and questioned as to how come he is out during the curfew; he explains that he is a visitor from outside Kufa and is coming to meet his relative inSakariya ; but on the way, he was robbed by Mukhtar's men who stole his luggage, and curses Mukhtar and his men; this cursing finds favour with the guards and they let Bashir through.

15- Once inSakariya , Bashir informs the district leader of the change of date due to the events; least it be a trap, the leader questions Bashir in detail to prove his identity and asks for a password, the answers to which only a man in Mukhtar's inner group could have given; once convinced, theSakariyans come out and battle at the checkpoints, on their way to the agreed meeting point; some people venture into other districts to spread the news of the change of plan.

16- Ibrahim goes to the various checkpoints in turn, which are manned by prominentKerbala killers, and eliminates the main guards who are either killed or run away; for example, at a first checkpoint, UmarHajjaj is with about five hundred soldiers; Ibrahim kills UmarHajjaj and some of his men, but most manage to escape; at a second checkpoint, Ibrahim killsZahr Qays .

17- Ibrahim proceeds from district to district, but his force of initially five hundred men is decreasing due to the battles fought, but the opposite side's force was being increasingly reinforced.

18- Meanwhile, the word has spread among Mukhtar's supporters of the change of plan, and they all come out to meet at the governor's palace; Ibrahim is busymobilising , and in some cases, he encounters units carrying the banner "Ya alasiratil Husein ", who tell Ibrahim that they know of the change of date because the people fromSakariya came to their districts to inform them.

Chapter 19: Mukhtar Rules Over Kufa

1- At dawn, Mukhtar sends a spy named Saeed to assess AbdullaMuti's position; he reports back that AbdullaMuti and his army are gathered at a mosque near the palace.

2- It is the dawn of Thursday, 13Rabil Awwal 66 AH; both sides are prepared for battle with the war drums beating everywhere.

3- Whilst the battle between the two sides is going on, AbdullaMuti runs away to the relative safety of his palace and is protected by his personal guards; Mukhtar makes no attempt to invade the palace, but adopts the policy of wait­-and-see; after three days, the palace is running short of food and AbdullaMuti sends a letter to Mukhtar.

4- AbdullaMuti tells Mukhtar: I remind you of our friendship, of working together to bring about the rule of AbdullaZobayr in Mecca and Medina; I tried to use my influence to convince AbdullaZobayr of fulfilling his promise to avenge theKerbala killers; I gave you transportation and money to leave Mecca in order to save your life; and so having saved your life once, you should now save mine and let me go free.

5- Mukhtar replies: I am aware of your debt, but by such arrogant reminder of yours, you have nullified any good you did to me; nevertheless, I have given you three days of no battle against you; since you became the governor here, you have sought advice only from the anti-Shia, but had you teamed up with me, we would have indeed by now avenged the perpetrators ofKerbala ; you are not intent on helping me in this mission and your actions have caused many deaths to my supporters and Shias.

6- AbdullaMuti now replies in a very humble way: I am now at your mercy; I have had no part inKerbala ; please forgive me for my actions in siding against you and let me at least get out of Kufa alive; I will not cause any more trouble for you.

7- Mukhtar seeks Ibrahim's advice, explaining to him of the friendship between himself and AbdullaMuti ; Ibrahim says he will support Mukhtar whatever the decision; Mukhtar decides to let AbdullaMuti go alive and sends a message saying that he will be allowed to leave the palace that night.

8- At night, AbdullaMuti disguises in a woman's clothes, leaves the palace and Mukhtar tells him that this freedom effectively pays off his debt when AbdullaMuti saved Mukhtar's life; AbdullaMuti escapes into the night looking for shelter in Kufa, but no one is willing to take him in; at last one Abu MusaAsha'ri is willing to shelter him.

9- AbdullaMuti now has no money and transportation, and Mukhtar provides both to enable AbdullaMuti leave Kufa alive; Mukhtar also sends the message that this completely pays off any debt he owed to him when AbdullaMuti provided transportation and money to Mukhtar to escape quickly from Mecca from AbdullaZobayr .

10- AbdullaMuti manages to escape from Kufa alive, and Mukhtar is now the governor of Kufa.

11- On taking the office of governorship, Mukhtar calls for a public meeting and informs the people that his aim in fighting for the office was to enable him to avenge theKerbala killers; he will not harass innocent people, nor

12- will he tolerate any harassment between the people themselves; he would administer justly and according to Islamic rules.

13- Mukhtar's immediate actions are humanitarians; he releases prisoners, helps the poor into better housing and better medical care for the sick; he specifically ensures that the Banu Hashim in Kufa are now well treated after years of persecution, and also that theKhums Sehme-Sadaat is rightfully paid.

14- The revolution in Kufa took place inRabil Awwal 66 AH, and after the Hajj of that year (inZilhaj 66 AH),Minhal Kufi went to Medina and met ImamZainul Abideen (as); ImamZainul Abideen (as) asksMinhal of the situation in Kufa, to whichMinhal replies that with Mukhtar in power, theKerbala perpetrators are rounded up and executed; this news very much pleased ImamZainul Abideen (as).

Chapter 20: AbdullaMuti Joins Forces withMasa'b Zobayr

1- AbdullaMuti reaches Basra whereMasa'b Zobayr (the brother of AbdullaZobayr ) is the governor;Masa'b wants Mukhtar out of the way, and he convinces AbdullaMuti to fight against Mukhtar to take his revenge; so they both agree to go after Mukhtar and his people;Masa'b tells AbdullaMuti to go ahead with an army unit and that he will follow with more reinforcements after a few days as he has some unfinished business in Basra.

2- AbdullaMuti's side comes up against Ibrahim and his army outside the Kufa boundary, for they form the first line ofdefence to the city of Kufa; AbdullaMuti's and Ibrahim's armies meet atNahrawan ; a battle ensues and AbdullaMuti's side suffer a heavy loss.

3- At night, AbdullaMuti sends a spy to Ibrahim's side to assess the position; the spy is caught and questioned by Ibrahim. The spy says he was conscripted into the army in Basra and did not wish to be involved in any battle.

4- Ibrahim explains their mission to avenge the perpetrators ofKerbala ; on knowing the truth, the spy changes side and offers to take Ibrahim back to AbdullaMuti's camp to ambush and kill AbdullaMuti .

5- Ibrahim disguises himself and together with the spy, they head for AbdullaMuti's tent; they are stopped by guards on the way enquiring about the spy's companion; the spy says it is his friend, but the guards refuse to let him through without AbdullaMuti's permission.

6- The guards go into the tent to ask for permission, but AbdullaMuti ' was just about to sleep and answers to let the spy and his unknown friend through, for he is eagerly awaiting news about Ibrahim's positions.

7- By the time the spy and Ibrahim get to AbdullaMuti's tent, he was fast asleep; Ibrahim was just about to take his sword from its sheath to strike AbdullaMuti , when a noisy arrival was heard just outside the tent, and so Ibrahim could not kill AbdullaMuti .

8- It was the arrival ofMasa'b Zobayr and his men, having come to reinforce AbdullaMuti's side; Ibrahim was notrecognised , and he and the spy managed to get back unchallenged.

9- The next day, battle resumes, and Ibrahim manages to kill AbdullaMuti in the battle;Masa'b Zobayr runs back to Basra.

Chapter 21: Ibrahim MalikAshtar Captured and Escapes

1- In Basra,Masa'b Zobayr writes to his brother AbdullaZobayr in Mecca about his defeat against Ibrahim and the death of AbdullaMuti ; AbdullaZobayr replies that he is occupied with his own troubles at home and cannot spare any reinforcements.

2- Masa'b Zobayr then writes to Abdul Malik Marwan Hakam in Damascus (who is now the governor there), and gets afavourable reply; Abdul Malik sends an army of seventy thousand men under the command of Amir Rabia to Kufa to confront the army of Mukhtar and Ibrahim; Amir Rabia camps just outside of Kufa.

3- Now, there was a squad of fourteen killers planted in the army of Mukhtar for an opportune moment to kill Mukhtar.

4- Amir Rabia sends a spy to Mukhtar's army to convey the written order to this squad that they should now make an attempt on Mukhtar's life.

5- This spy is sent under the guise of a soldier thrown out from his own side; he dresses himself in tattered clothes with the story that Amir Rabia tried to kill him but managed to escape and comes to find refuge with Mukhtar.

6- Mukhtar takes pity on this spy and gives him new clothes and money and sets him free; the spy is overwhelmed with Mukhtar's sincerity and generosity and has a change of heart; he shows the written orders of Amir Rabia to Mukhtar and tells him of the squad of fourteen killers planted in Mukhtar's group; the fourteen killers are identified and executed.

7- The spy then suggests a plan to Mukhtar that he would take Mukhtar, in a disguise, back to Amir Rabia's camp; the spy would say to Amir Rabia that the order has been delivered, and at a distance away, one of the fourteen squad members has come to personally verify the order with Amir Rabia himself; this squad member would not come to the main camp site so Amir Rabia should go to him; this way Amir Rabia would be lured away from his guards, and can then be attacked easily.

8- Mukhtar refuses to this plan on the grounds that he would be instantlyrecognised by the opposite side; however, Ibrahim likes the plan and the next day, the spy and Ibrahim (in disguise), leave to go to Amir Rabia's camp, without the knowledge of Mukhtar.

9- The spy and Ibrahim are stopped by the guards of Amir Rabia; theyrecognise the spy as being one of their own man, but not the accompanying man; so they are both arrested and brought to Amir Rabia; Amir immediatelyrecognises Ibrahim through his disguise and orders for his execution, but his adviser tells him to imprison Ibrahim overnight so that the public can see the execution of this gallant person the next morning.

10- Ibrahim and the spy are therefore imprisoned, where they are chained and the chains in turn are nailed to the ground, ready for execution the next morning; the guard nods off and has a dream seeing ImamHusein (as) and as result, becomes sympathetic to the prisoners and now does not wish to be responsible for keeping Ibrahim in prison.

11- The guard therefore removes all the chains and frees Ibrahim and the spy, and tells them to run as fast and far as possible; after some time, the guard raises alarm saying on checking the cell, he found the prisoners gone.

12- Ibrahim and the spy keep running but each takes take a different route to throw off their trail; Ibrahim keeps running, and during daylight, he comes across the army searching for him, so he hides himself on a high tree; here he sees a soldier, of high rank judging from his uniform, taking shelter under the tree, and cursing the Shias.

13- Ibrahim gets angry, climbs down from the tree, and confronts the soldier only to see that it was one of the notorious commanders of the Syrian army who was with Amir Rabia; Ibrahim kills him and beheads him, taking the head with him back to Kufa.

14- Meanwhile, Mukhtar is worried, for Ibrahim had left without leaving any word, and had not returned for three days; Mukhtar groups an army of thirty thousand men to go in search and to the aid of Ibrahim.

15- Just as the group was about to depart, Ibrahim rides in with the head of the commander whom he had confronted under the tree, and relates developments to Mukhtar; soon after, the spy rides in with the head of one of the executioners (of Amir Rabia's unit) whom he had engaged in fighting.

16- Both Mukhtar and Ibrahim are happy that they have managed to eliminate two notorious people, but Ibrahim says he must go back to help the guard who had freed him, for the guard would surely now be in trouble.

17- Before Ibrahim could set off, the same guard is seen riding in and relates his escape: after releasing Ibrahim, and raising the alarm, Amir Rabia naturally suspected him for treachery, but the guard made up a story that it was in fact Amir Rabia's adviser, the one who had asked for the execution of Ibrahim to be held the next morning, who was in fact responsible for Ibrahim's escape for it was the adviser after all who requested the postponement of the execution.

18- This guard knew very well that Amir Rabia was not as dangerous as that adviser who directed everything, so it was advantageous to get rid of this adviser who was a threat to Mukhtar and Ibrahim; Amir Rabia was angry at the apparent double-cross of his adviser, and despite the protests of his innocence, he gets the adviser executed.

19- Ibrahim then takes his army to go and finish the battle with Amir Rabia; Ibrahim and his men come back victorious.

Chapter 22: Control for Mosul

1- Ibrahim advises Mukhtar that before embarking on the mission in earnest for tracking down theKerbala perpetrators, they should first bring under their influence the surrounding areas to consolidate their government.

2- Mosul was of a strategic importance, and they decide on a tactic to bring it under their control; at the time, Mosul was under the rule of MohamedAshath who was a staunch anti­-Shia; his fatherAshath Qays caused a lot of problems for Imam Ali (as), and his sisterJoda Ashath , who was a wife of Imam Hassan (as), poisoned Imam Hassan (as).

3- So Mukhtar and Ibrahim are aware of the opposition they would face against MohamedAshath ; the plan is first to call in prominentKufians and the commanders of the army units who were inKerbala , the majority of whom were living in Kufa.

4- These people are called in and Mukhtar tells them that his earlier statements of wanting to avenge the killers of ImamHusein (as) were just a front to gain him power; and now he has got power, he is only interested in keeping it and amassing wealth. He gives them a lot of money and gifts to convince them of his greed for wealth, and a promise to share out any more war booty.

5- After a few days, Mukhtar calls in MohamedAshath's son Abdu Rahman, who was residing in Kufa; Mukhtar treats him like royalty and gives him lots of money and gifts, telling him the same story as he told the otherKufians .

6- After a few more days, Mukhtar calls for Abdu Rahman again, asking him to take a personal message to his father MohamedAshath in Mosul; the message says: let MohamedAshath swear his political allegiance to Mukhtar and in return MohamedAshath will get the governorship ofMadayn , which is a larger and a more powerful province than Mosul.

7- Abdu Rahman travels to Mosul and meets with his father and conveys Mukhtar's message; MohamedAshath is very surprised that his son should bring such a message, but Abdu Rahman explains the apparent change of heart by Mukhtar; he assures this to his father by the evidence of gifts and money to him and to the perpetrators ofKerbala living in Kufa.

8- MohamedAshath consults his advisers and is told that the offer is too good to refuse for two reasons; firstly,Madayn is indeed a greater province, but secondly, and more importantly, ifUbaydallah Ziyad who is on his way to Mosul to consolidate Abdul Malik Marwan's (who is now the new ruler of Damascus) power, then Mukhtar and Ibrahim will come afterUbaydallah Ziyad even in Mosul, with or without the support of MohamedAshath , in which case then MohamedAshath will be unwillingly dragged into the battle.

9- So MohamedAshath takes an army of four thousand men and leaves Mosul to go to Mukhtar in Kufa; theMosulians are angry that he now runs away with all their money with him which they paid as taxes; they confront MohamedAshath with his army; a battle ensues and the public get all their money back and only then allow MohamedAshath to leave Mosul; with no money and power base now, MohamedAshath is forced to accept Mukhtar's offer.

10- On reaching Kufa, Mukhtar receives MohamedAshath with honour and gives him a lot of money and a house, telling him that he would soon make arrangements for hisMadayn's governorship.

11- Mukhtar appoints a man named Abdu Rahman to become the governor of Mosul (note that this is not MohamedAshath's son who is of the same name).

12- Meanwhile Abdul Malik from Damascus sendsHaseen Nameer with an army to Mosul to overthrow Abdu Rahman;Haseen Nameer's unit was to be an advance party, to be followed by reinforcements led byUbaydallah Ziyad himself;Ubaydallah Ziyad was presently busy enforcing the consolidation of Abdul Malik's rulership in Damascus.

13- On hearing ofHaseen Nameer's coming, Abdu Rahman runs away from Mosul to Tikrit, with a letter sent to Mukhtar saying he cannot faceHaseen Nameer and Mukhtar should send another governor.

14- In Kufa,Zaeed , who is old and sick himself, is more than willing to travel to Mosul to confrontHaseen Nameer , forZaeed particularly wanted to personally avengeHaseen Nameer for delivering the fatal lance to Ali Akbar.

15- Zaeed with hisunits head for Mosul to confrontHaseen Nameer , whilst at the same time,Ubaydallah Ziyad and his units leave from Damascus heading to Mosul to reinforceHaseen Nameer .

16- The two armies meeten -route to Mosul and a battle ensues; hereZaeed dies of his illness, and his side is defeated, withUbaydallah Ziyad victoriously heading for Mosul.

17- Back in Kufa, Mukhtar gets the news of the battle and the defeat ofZaeed ; Mukhtar and Ibrahim now make strategic military decision that instead of going for the local perpetrators ofKerbala , now is the best opportunity to getUbaydallah Ziyad in Mosul, for after all,Ubaydallah Ziyad was the main architect of carrying outYazeed's order for theKerbala massacre.

18- A huge army using all the reserves is assembled in Kufa with Ibrahim as its commander to head for Mosul, with the intention to finish offUbaydallah Ziyad.

19- Ibrahim is worried though that with all the reserves out of Kufa, Mukhtar is left unguarded with so many enemies within; they decide that it is best to ask the prominentKufians and the killers ofKerbala to have their household helps in Mukhtar's palace with the pretext of guarding Mukhtar, thereby reducing the chances of these killers mounting a surprise attack; the killers agreed to the plan for they had an ulterior motive of having reliable inside information on Mukhtar's activities.

20- Ibrahim and the assembled army of all the reserves leave for Mosul to confrontUbaydallah Ziyad.

Chapter 23: Attempt on Mukhtar's Life

1- With Mukhtar left unguarded,Shabath Rabi (who was one of the army unit commanders atKerbala , and also sent by AbdullaMuti to fight Mukhtar's men on the night of the revolution in Kufa), goes to Umar Saad saying now is the best time to kill Mukhtar, for he is unguarded; theyrealise that if Ibrahim were to return victorious, then Mukhtar would become even more powerful, and hence more difficult to kill him then.

2- Umar Saad calls all the other army unit leaders who were inKerbala and asks of their opinions; they all go to MohamedAshath (who is in Kufa) for consultation and approval; MohamedAshath does not approve for he thinks Mukhtar must have an undeclared reserve unit for hisdefence .

3- MohamedAshath also thinks that they should not attack Mukhtar for he has enough powerful enemies who are after his life:Ubaydallah Ziyad, AbdullaZobayr , Abdul Malik,Masa'b Zobayr , and that it is only a matter of time before these people get Mukhtar.

4- Umar Saad and his group decide to check out if Mukhtar has an undeclared reserve unit; the plan is for one of them to go to Mukhtar telling him that his governorship is illegal and not sanctioned by AbdullaZobayr and theKufians want to swear allegiance to AbdullaZobayr ; if Mukhtar answers humbly, then he is afraid toantagonise anyone at the moment implying he has no reserves; if he answers uncompromisingly, then he does indeed have reserves.

5- Three days after Ibrahim has left Kufa (purposely waited for three days to allow Ibrahim and his men to be well away from Kufa so that Mukhtar cannot recall Ibrahim back in a hurry),Shabath Rabi goes to Mukhtar's palace; he tells Mukhtar that theKufians do not want his governorship and that he should leave office; Mukhtar asks what is it that they are objecting to;Shabath Rabi says for example, that they are not happy with Mukhtar keeping their household help in his palace; Mukhtar says that they are most welcome to recall their people, and Mukhtar would willingly let them go.

6- Shabath Rabi reports back to his group that Mukhtar's answer was humble and accommodating, implying there are no reserves for his protection.

7- MohamedAshath is now also convinced that Mukhtar has no hidden reserves, and agrees with the killers that now is the time to launch an attack on Mukhtar; the same night, Umar Saad and his group call on their supporters to assemble outside Mukhtar's palace, and are also hoping that their people in the palace will side with them.

8- Meanwhile, Mukhtar in the palace calls for the helpers and tells them their masters want them back and he is ready to let them go; the people refuse saying now that they have managed to get out of the grips of their masters, they will not return to them, but will only remain with Mukhtar; Mukhtar tells them that might mean fighting to death, which they readily accept.

9- Mukhtar sends his helpKhayr to Ibrahim with the message: wherever you are, whatever you are doing, whatever the circumstances, leave everything and come directly back to Kufa in a hurry, for the situation here has worsened and my life is in danger; I fear that should I be killed, ImamHusein's (as) killers will not be avenged.

10- When Ibrahim gets the letter, he immediately heads back with his army; he has the minimal of rest for himself, his army and the horses, and makes the outward three days journey back in one day.

11- MohamedAshath , Umar Saad and his group have surrounded Mukhtar's palace and Mukhtar tries hard to hold back the assault; Mukhtar himself comes out fighting but is greatly outnumbered

12- At this point, Ibrahim and his men arrive; they were not expected to be back for another two days by the enemies (for the outward journey was three days beforeShabath Rabi came to Mukhtar) and this sudden arrival too takes the opposite side by surprise.

13- Ibrahim and his men are exhausted by the quick journey home, but they immediately do battle with the enemies; Ibrahim asks MohamedAshath for one-to-one battle but MohamedAshath is fearful of this and refuses; out of fear, none else is willing to face Ibrahim alone.

14- MohamedAshath and a few men manage to escape and retreat toQadisiya , with Ibrahim and some of his men giving chase; MohamedAshath takes refuge in one of the houses where he is put under house arrest for the moment, whilst Ibrahim rushes back to Mukhtar in Kufa.

15- At night, MohamedAshath disguises as a woman, mounts a donkey and leaves unchallenged by the back door to escape to Basra.