Abdullah ibn az-Zubayr ibn al-Awam

Son of Khuwaylid ibn Asad ibn Abd al-Uzza ibn Qusayy, and his kunya is Abu Bakr, and his mother is Asma bint Abi Bakr as-Siddiq. Abdullah ibn az-Zubayr fathered twelve men and five women: Khubayb, who left no posterity, and Hamza, and Abbad, and Thabit, and their mother is: Tamadur bint Manzur ibn Zabban (1) ibn Sayyar ibn Amr ibn Jabir ibn Aqil ibn Hilal ibn Sumayy ibn Mazin ibn Fazara.

And Hashim, and Qays, and Urwa, who was killed alongside his father, and az-Zubayr, and their mother is: Umm Hashim Zujla bint Manzur ibn Zabban ibn Sayyar (2).

And Amir, and Musa, and Umm Hakim, and Fatima, and Fakhita, and their mother is: Hantama bint Abd ar-Rahman ibn al-Harith ibn Hisham ibn al-Mughira.

And Abu Bakr, and his mother is: Rayta bint Abd ar-Rahman ibn al-Harith ibn Hisham ibn al-Mughira, and Bakr, and Ruqayya, and their mother is: Aisha bint Uthman ibn Affan.

And Abdullah ibn Abdillah, by an umm walad, and another Bakr, and his mother is: Nafisa, who is Umm al-Hasan bint al-Hasan ibn Ali ibn Abi Talib; he died young.

He said: Muhammad ibn Umar informed us, he said: Musab ibn Thabit narrated to me, on the authority of Abu al-Aswad Muhammad ibn Abd ar-Rahman, he said: When the Muhajirun came to Medina, they remained without any child being born among the Muhajirun, so they said: The Jews have bewitched us. This talk became widespread, and people spread it among one another. The first child born in Islam among the Muhajirun after the Hijra was Abdullah ibn az-Zubayr. He said: The Muslims pronounced a single takbir until Medina shook with the takbir, and the Muslims rejoiced. The birth of Ibn az-Zubayr was in Shawwal, at the head of twenty months after the Hijra, and az-Zubayr and Abu Bakr as-Siddiq, who was his grandfather, were congratulated upon him. Then his mother carried him to the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, in a piece of cloth, and the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, performed tahnik for him with a date and blessed him. And the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, commanded that the call to prayer be made in his ears, so Abu Bakr as-Siddiq made the call to prayer in his ears (1).

He said: Abu Usama Hammad ibn Usama informed us, he said: Hisham ibn Urwa narrated to us, on the authority of his father, on the authority of Asma, that she conceived Abdullah ibn az-Zubayr in Mecca. She said: I set out while I was at the full term of pregnancy, and I came to Medina and alighted at Quba and gave birth to him at Quba. Then I brought him to the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, and placed him in his lap. He called for a date, chewed it, then spat into his mouth, so that the first thing to enter his belly was the saliva of the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace. She said: Then he performed tahnik for him with the date, then supplicated for him and blessed him, and he was the first child born in Islam.

He said: Abu Muawiya informed us, on the authority of Hisham ibn Urwa, on the authority of his father, he said: Abdullah ibn az-Zubayr was the first child born in Islam. Asma gave birth to him at Quba, and she brought him to the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, and he named him Abdullah and performed tahnik for him with a date which he chewed, then placed it in his mouth (2).

He said: Al-Fadl ibn Dukayn informed us, he said: Muhammad ibn Shurayk narrated to us, he said: Ibn Abi Mulayka narrated to me, on the authority of Abdullah ibn az-Zubayr, he said: I was named with the name of my grandfather Abu Bakr, and I was given a kunya with his kunya.

He said: Ubaydullah ibn Musa informed us, he said: Israil informed us, on the authority of Abu Ishaq, on the authority of a man who narrated to him that Abu Bakr circumambulated [the House] with Abdullah ibn az-Zubayr in a piece of cloth, and he was the first child born in Islam (3).

Muhammad ibn Sad said: I mentioned this hadith to Muhammad ibn Umar, and he said: This is a clear error. Abdullah ibn az-Zubayr was the first child born in Medina after the Hijra; there is no disagreement among the Muslims about that. Mecca at that time was an abode of war which the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, did not enter, nor did any of the Muslims, until the Umra of Fulfilment in the year seven. So how could he have circumambulated with him in a piece of cloth? And when did he reach Mecca, and did he ever leave the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, from the time he emigrated with him until the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, passed away?

Abd al-Wahhab ibn Ata narrated to us, he said: Said informed us, on the authority of Amr ibn Amir, on the authority of a companion of his, on the authority of Umm Kalthum (1), on the authority of Aisha, she said: When Ibn az-Zubayr was born, I took him to the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, and he performed tahnik for him and named him Abdullah, and he said to Aisha: You are Umm Abdillah. Umm Kalthum said: So we continued to call her by the kunya Umm Abdillah, though she never bore a child at all.

He said: Ismail ibn Ibrahim informed us, on the authority of Ayyub, on the authority of Ibn Abi Mulayka, he said: With Uthman on the Day of the House there was a band seeking victory for him, among them Abdullah ibn az-Zubayr.

He said: Muhammad ibn Umar informed us, he said: Shurahbil ibn Abi Awn narrated to me, on the authority of his father, he said: I heard Ibn az-Zubayr saying upon the pulpit of Mecca: By Allah, the Commander of the Faithful Uthman appointed me over the House, and I was the one who fought with them (2), and I would go out in the company of the squadron and engage in the fighting myself, and I was wounded with more than ten wounds. Indeed, to this day I place my hand upon some of those wounds with which I was wounded alongside Uthman, may Allah have mercy on him, and I hope that it will be the best of my deeds (3).

He said: Muhammad ibn Umar informed us, on the authority of Muhammad ibn Abdillah, on the authority of az-Zuhri, on the authority of Urwa, he said: Uthman had ordered Abdullah ibn az-Zubayr to lead the people of his house in prayer for as long as he was besieged, and he used to lead them in prayer in the courtyard of the house.

He said: Abu Ubayd informed us, on the authority of Hisham ibn Urwa, on the authority of his father, he said: Abdullah ibn az-Zubayr had witnessed the Day of the Camel with his father and Aisha, and no one would take hold of the halter of the camel without being killed. So Abdullah ibn az-Zubayr came and seized its halter, and Aisha said: Who are you? He said: Abdullah ibn az-Zubayr. She said: O the bereavement of Asma! He said: Then al-Ashtar advanced and recognized me, and I recognized him, then he embraced me and I embraced him, and I said: Kill me and Malik! And al-Ashtar said: Kill me and Abdullah! Had I said: al-Ashtar, we would both have been killed (4).

He said: Abu Ubayd informed us, he said: Abu Bakr al-Hudhali narrated to us, on the authority of Muhammad ibn al-Murtafi, he said: Ibn az-Zubayr narrated to us, he said: A man from the companions of Ali came out to us and said: O company of the youths of Quraysh, spare us from yourselves; and if you do not do so, then I warn you of two men. As for one of them, he is Jundab ibn Zuhayr al-Azdi, and I shall describe him to you: he is a tall man, with a long spear, who girds himself over his coat of mail so that it draws up above his shins. As for the other: he is al-Ashtar Malik ibn al-Harith, and I shall describe him to you: he is a tall man, with a long spear, who drags his coat of mail along, trotting at the moment of combat. Ibn az-Zubayr said: While I was fighting, Jundab advanced, and I recognized him by his description, so I wanted to turn aside from him, and I said: By Allah, I have never turned aside from any opponent. So he reached me and thrust at me into a piece of iron that was upon me, and the spear slipped off, and he said: A near miss for you! I have recognized you; were it not for your maternal aunt I would have killed you. Then he turned to Abd ar-Rahman ibn Attab ibn Asid and thrust at him and felled him like a lofty date palm, wrapped in a striped Yemeni mantle. Then I fought for an hour, when behold, there was Malik, who had advanced, and I recognized him by his description, so I wanted to turn aside from him, and I said: By Allah, I have never turned aside from any opponent. So he reached me and we thrust at each other with our two spears until they were like two staves, then we struck at each other with our two swords until they were like two flails, then he lifted me up and dashed me to the ground and said: Were it not for your maternal aunt, you would not have drunk cold water again (1).

He said: Yahya ibn Abbad and al-Hasan ibn Musa informed us, they said: Hammad ibn Salama narrated to us, on the authority of Hisham ibn Urwa, on the authority of his father, that Abdullah ibn az-Zubayr was carried off wounded (2) on the Day of the Camel, and when it was near sunset it was said to him: The prayer! He said: As for the prayer, I am unable to perform it, but I shall pronounce the takbir.

He said: Al-Fadl ibn Dukayn informed us, he said: Masud ibn Sad narrated to us, he said: Yazid ibn Malik narrated to me, on the authority of Zahr ibn Qays, he said: I entered the bathhouse with Ibn az-Zubayr, and behold, on his head there was a wound such that, were a vial of oil poured into it, it would settle there. He said: Do you know who struck me this blow? Your cousin al-Ashtar.

He said: Yazid ibn Harun informed us, he said: Jarir ibn Hazim informed us, he said: Habib ibn ash-Shahid narrated to us, on the authority of Abu Mijlaz, he said: Muawiya entered a house in which were Abdullah ibn Amir and Ibn az-Zubayr. When Ibn Amir saw him, he stood up, but Ibn az-Zubayr did not stand, and he was the more weighty of the two men. So Muawiya said to Ibn Amir: Sit down, O Ibn Amir, for I heard the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, say: Whoever loves that men should stand before him in his presence, let him take up an abode, or he said a seat, in the Fire.

He said: Arim ibn al-Fadl informed us, he said: Mahdi ibn Maymun narrated to us, he said: Muhammad ibn Abi Yaqub ad-Dabbi narrated to us, that Muawiya ibn Abi Sufyan used to meet Ibn az-Zubayr and say: Welcome, O son of the paternal aunt of the Messenger of Allah and son of the disciple of the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, and he would order that a hundred thousand be given to him (1).

He said: Muslim ibn Ibrahim informed us, he said: al-Harith ibn Ubayd narrated to me, he said: Abu Imran al-Jawni narrated to us, that Nawf used to say: Indeed I find in the revealed Book of Allah that Ibn [az-Zubayr] is the horseman (2) of the caliphs (3).

He said (*): Muhammad ibn Umar informed us, he said: Abdullah ibn Jafar narrated to me, on the authority of his paternal aunt Umm Bakr bint al-Miswar ibn Makhrama, he said:

And Shurahbil ibn Abi Awn narrated to me, on the authority of his father, he said:

And Abd ar-Rahman ibn Abi az-Zinad narrated to me, and others also have narrated to me a portion of this hadith, they said: Ibn az-Zubayr continued to reside in Medina during the caliphate of Muawiya ibn Abi Sufyan, until Muawiya died, and Yazid ibn Muawiya sent to al-Walid ibn Utba ibn Abi Sufyan, who was at that time the governor of Medina, announcing the death of Muawiya and ordering him to take the pledge of allegiance from those of the people who were with him. The messenger came to him by night, so he sent for Ibn az-Zubayr and called him to the pledge of allegiance. He said: Until we reach the morning (4). So he left him.

Then Ibn az-Zubayr went out saying: This is the Yazid whom we know. By Allah, he has produced no good nor any chivalry. And he went out that same night to Mecca, and he continued to reside there until al-Husayn ibn Ali went out from it to Iraq. And Ibn az-Zubayr clung to the Hijr and wore the Muafiri garment (1) and began inciting the people against the Banu Umayya. News of that reached Yazid, and he was angered against him. So Ibn az-Zubayr said: I am for hearing and obeying; I do not substitute nor change. And he walked to Yahya ibn Hakim ibn Safwan ibn Umayya al-Jumahi, who was the governor of Mecca for Yazid ibn Muawiya, and pledged allegiance to him for the caliphate. Yahya wrote of that to Yazid, who said: I will not accept this from him until he is brought to me in a fetter (2). His son Muawiya ibn Yazid said to him: O Commander of the Faithful, ward off the evil from yourself as long as it can be warded off, for Ibn az-Zubayr is a stubborn, obstinate man (3), and he will never obey in this. It would be better for you to make expiation for your oath and to leave him alone (4) until you see what his affair comes to. Yazid grew angry and said: Indeed there is something astonishing about your view. He said: Then summon Abdullah ibn Jafar and ask him about what I say and what you say. So Abdullah ibn Jafar was summoned, and the two statements were mentioned to him, and Abdullah said: Abu Layla is correct and rightly guided. But Yazid refused to accept that, and he dismissed al-Walid ibn Utba from Medina and appointed over it Amr ibn Said ibn al-As, and he sent to him: The Commander of the Faithful swears by Allah that he will accept nothing from Ibn az-Zubayr until he is brought to him in a fetter. So they presented that to Ibn az-Zubayr, and he refused. So Yazid dispatched: al-Husayn ibn Numayr and Abdullah ibn Idah al-Ashari with a fetter to Ibn az-Zubayr, swearing to him by Allah that he would accept nothing from him unless he were brought to him in it. So they passed through Medina, and Marwan sent with them Abd al-Aziz ibn Marwan to speak to him about that and to make the matter easier for him.

So they came to him at Mecca and conveyed to him the oath of Yazid ibn Muawiya and his message, and Abd al-Aziz ibn Marwan said to him: Indeed my father sent me to you out of concern for your affair and to safeguard your honor, so fulfill the oath of the Commander of the Faithful; you need only place upon yourself a fetter of silver or gold and wear over it a burnus, so that nothing of it appears except that its sound is heard. So Ibn az-Zubayr wrote to Marwan thanking him and saying: I have recognized your concern and your view; but as for this, I shall never do it, so let Yazid make expiation for his oath or leave it.

And Ibn az-Zubayr said: O Allah, I seek refuge in Your Sacred House. I have offered them hearing and obedience, but they refuse anything except to deal with me wrongfully (1) and to make lawful for themselves what You have forbidden.

So from that day he was named al-Aidh (the one who seeks refuge), and he remained at Mecca, not interfering with anyone, and no one interfering with him. Then Yazid ibn Muawiya wrote to Amr ibn Said to dispatch an army to him. Amr ibn Said asked: Who is the most hostile of people toward Abdullah ibn az-Zubayr? It was said: His brother Amr ibn az-Zubayr. So he appointed him over his police force in Medina, and he flogged many people of Quraysh and the Ansar with whips, and he said: These are the partisans of Abdullah ibn az-Zubayr. And many people fled from him into the outskirts of Medina.

Then he dispatched to Abdullah ibn az-Zubayr, in an army of the people of Syria, a thousand men, and ordered him to fight him.

So Amr ibn az-Zubayr proceeded until he came to Mecca and alighted at Dhu Tuwa, and the people came to Amr ibn az-Zubayr greeting him, and he said: I have come so that Abdullah may render obedience to Yazid and fulfill his oath; and if he refuses, I shall fight him. Then Jubayr (2) ibn Shayba said to him: Someone other than you would have been more fitting for this than you. You march to the Sanctuary of Allah and its place of security, and to your brother who is your senior in age and superior in merit, and you would place him in a fetter? I do not think the people will leave you to what you intend. He said: I am of the view that I should fight whoever stands in the way of that for which I came out.

Then Amr advanced and alighted at his house by as-Safa, and he began sending to his brother, and his brother sending to him, but he did not come forward to him. Amr used to go out and lead the people in prayer, with his army at Dhu Tuwa, and Ibn az-Zubayr was with him interlacing his fingers in his fingers, speaking to him about obedience and softening his speech to him, and Abdullah ibn az-Zubayr said: There is nothing beyond this. Indeed I am hearing and obedient; you are the agent of Yazid and I pray behind you; there is no opposition with me. But as for placing a fetter on my neck and then being led off to Syria, I have considered that and found that it is not lawful for me to debase myself; so refer back to your master and write to him. He said: No, by Allah, I have no power to do that.

So Abdullah ibn Safwan made ready some men who had been prepared with Ibn az-Zubayr, from the people of as-Sarat and others, and he tied a banner for them, and Abdullah ibn Safwan went out from the lower part of Mecca, from al-Layt (1). And Unays ibn Amr al-Aslami, who was over the army of Amr ibn az-Zubayr, was not aware of the people until they were upon him. So he cried out to his companions, and they were nearby in readiness, and they drew up in ranks, and Unays ibn Amr was killed in the battle. And Abdullah ibn az-Zubayr dispatched Musab ibn Abd ar-Rahman ibn Awf with a force against Amr ibn az-Zubayr, and they met him, and his companions dispersed from him, and his army was routed from Dhu Tuwa. And Ubayda ibn az-Zubayr came to Amr ibn az-Zubayr and said: I will grant you protection from Abdullah. So he brought him to Abdullah as a captive, with the blood dripping onto his feet, and he said: What is this blood? So he said:

We are not those whose wounds bleed upon their heels; rather, upon our feet does the blood drip. So he said: Speak, O enemy of Allah, the one who made lawful the sanctity of Allah! So Ubayda said: Indeed I have granted him protection, so do not violate my protection. He said: Shall I grant your protection to this wrongdoer who did what he did? As for the right of the people, I shall exact retaliation for them from him.

So he struck him with every whip with which he had struck anyone of those in Medina and elsewhere, except Muhammad ibn al-Mundhir ibn az-Zubayr, who refused to take retaliation, and Uthman ibn Abdillah ibn Hakim ibn Hizam, who also refused.

And he ordered that he be imprisoned in the prison of Zayd Arim. Now Zayd Arim was with Amr ibn az-Zubayr, so he seized him and imprisoned him with Amr ibn az-Zubayr, and that prison was named the Prison of Arim (2). And he built for Zayd Arim a space two cubits by two cubits and put him inside it, and sealed it over him with gypsum and baked brick.

And Abdullah ibn az-Zubayr said: Whoever has a claim against Amr ibn az-Zubayr for anything, let him come to us and we shall exact it for him from him. So a man would come and say: He plucked out my eyelashes (3), and he would say: Pluck out his eyelashes. And another would say: He plucked out my nipple, and he would say: Pluck out his nipple. And a man would come and say: He struck me, and he would say: Strike him. And a man would come and say: He plucked out my beard, and he would say: Pluck out his beard.

And he used to set him up every day and call the people to take retaliation from him for a year. Then Musab ibn Abd ar-Rahman ibn Awf stood up and said: He flogged me a hundred lashes with whips, though he was no governor, and I had committed nothing foul, nor ridden upon any reprehensible thing, nor withdrawn a hand from obedience. So he ordered that Amr be set up, and he handed Musab a whip, and Abdullah ibn az-Zubayr said to him: Strike. So Musab flogged him a hundred lashes with his own hand, and the body of Amr festered and he died. So Abdullah ordered that he be crucified.

They said: And Abdullah ibn az-Zubayr removed al-Harith ibn Khalid from the prayer at Mecca, for he had been the agent of Yazid ibn Muawiya over it, and he ordered Musab ibn Abd ar-Rahman to lead the people in prayer, so he used to lead them. And he would not decide any matter without al-Miswar ibn Makhrama, and Musab ibn Abd ar-Rahman ibn Awf, and Jubayr ibn Shayba, and Abdullah ibn Safwan ibn Umayya; he consulted them in all his affairs, and showed them that the matter was a consultation among them, not acting alone in anything of it without them, and he led them in the prayers and the Friday prayers and made the pilgrimage with them.

And Yazid ibn Muawiya dismissed Amr ibn Said from Medina and appointed over it al-Walid ibn Utba; then he dismissed him and appointed Uthman ibn Muhammad ibn Abi Sufyan. The people of Medina rose against him and expelled him, and that was the affair of al-Harra.

And the Khawarij had come to him, and the people of caprices, all of them, and they said: the one who seeks refuge in Allah. And his slogan was: There is no judgment except for Allah. He continued upon that at Mecca, and he led the people in the pilgrimage for ten years in succession, the first of them being the year sixty-two and the last of them being the year seventy-one (*).

He said: Arim ibn al-Fadl informed us, he said: Hammad ibn Yazid narrated to us, on the authority of Hisham ibn Urwa, he said: Abdullah ibn az-Zubayr was at Mecca for nine years (1).

He said: Anas ibn Iyad informed us, on the authority of Hisham ibn Urwa, that Abdullah ibn az-Zubayr resided at Mecca for nine years, raising the cry of pilgrimage at the crescent of Dhu al-Hijja.

He said: Kathir ibn Hisham informed us, he said: Jafar ibn Burqan narrated to us, he said: Maymun ibn Mihran narrated to us, he said: I witnessed the pilgrimage season with Abdullah ibn az-Zubayr. He said: He taught the people their rites, then he said: When you depart, if Allah wills, to your families, remember Allah and pronounce the takbir upon descending and ascending.

He said: Al-Fadl ibn Dukayn informed us, he said: Abu Said ibn (1) Awdh al-Barrad narrated to us, he said: Muhammad ibn al-Murtafi narrated to us, he said: I heard Ibn az-Zubayr saying: O company of pilgrims, ask me, for upon us the revelation came down, and we witnessed the interpretation. So a man from the people of Iraq said to him: A mouse entered my provision bag; is it lawful for me to kill it while I am in a state of ihram? He said: Kill the little vermin. He said: Tell me of the even and the odd, and the ten nights? He said: The ten: the eight, and Arafa, and the Day of Sacrifice; and the even: whoever hastens in two days, there is no sin upon him, and whoever delays, there is no sin upon him, and that is the day (2).

He said: Al-Fadl ibn Dukayn informed us, he said: Sufyan narrated to us, on the authority of Muhammad ibn al-Munkadir, he said: I saw Ibn az-Zubayr coming to the Jamarat on foot.

Hisham Abu al-Walid at-Tayalisi informed us, he said: Abu Awana narrated to us, on the authority of Abu Bishr, he said: One who saw Ibn az-Zubayr fasting on the Day of Arafa narrated to me.

He said: Ahmad ibn Abdillah ibn Yunus informed us, he said: Zuhayr narrated to us, he said: Zayd ibn Jubayr al-Jushami narrated to us, that he saw Abdullah ibn az-Zubayr circumambulating the House while wearing a burtulla (3).

He said: Ahmad ibn Abdillah ibn Yunus informed us, he said: Zuhayr narrated to us, he said: Urwa ibn Abdillah ibn Qushayr narrated to us, he said: I have not seen any human being walk more swiftly around the House than Ibn az-Zubayr. He said: He used to lead us at the Maqam, and when he finished the obligatory prayer he prayed beneath the waterspout, standing, without moving anything of himself.

He said: Affan ibn Muslim and Arim ibn al-Fadl informed us, they said: Hammad ibn Zayd narrated to us, he said: Thabit al-Bunani narrated to us, he said: Ibn az-Zubayr was mentioned; he said: We used to pass by him behind the Maqam while he was praying, as though he were a thing set up and placed (4).

He said: Ubaydullah ibn Musa informed us, he said: al-Hasan ibn Salih informed us, on the authority of Musa ibn Abi Aisha, he said: Ibn az-Zubayr used to keep his feet together in the prayer.

He said: Ubaydullah ibn Musa informed us, he said: Israil informed us, on the authority of Mansur, on the authority of Mujahid, on the authority of Abdullah ibn az-Zubayr, that he used to stand in the prayer as though he were a piece of wood, and Abu Bakr used to do that. Mujahid said: That is humility (khushu) in the prayer (1).

He said: Muslim ibn Ibrahim informed us, he said: Ibrahim ibn Marzuq Abu Ismail ath-Thaqafi, the client of al-Hajjaj ibn Yusuf, narrated to us, he said: My father narrated to us, and he was a servant of Abdullah ibn az-Zubayr, he said: When Abdullah ibn az-Zubayr heard the call to prayer for the Maghrib, he would rise and pray two rakas between the adhan and the iqama, and when he finished the prayer he would turn away to his right.

He said: Man ibn Isa and Abdullah ibn Maslama ibn Qanab informed us, they said: Malik ibn Anas narrated to us, on the authority of Amir ibn Abdillah ibn az-Zubayr, on the authority of his father, that when he heard the thunder he would cease conversation, and he would say: Glory be to Him whom the thunder glorifies with His praise, and the angels out of fear of Him, and he would say: Indeed this is a severe warning for the people of the earth.

He said: Affan ibn Muslim informed us, he said: Yazid ibn Ibrahim narrated to us, he said: I heard Amr ibn Dinar, he said: When Ibn az-Zubayr prayed, he would let his hands hang loose.

He said: Arim ibn al-Fadl informed us, he said: Hammad ibn Zayd narrated to us, he said: Isl ibn Sufyan narrated to us, on the authority of Ata ibn Abi Rabah, he said: I prayed the Maghrib with Ibn az-Zubayr, and he gave the salam after two rakas, then he rose to the corner to touch it. So the people pronounced tasbih, and he returned and prayed the [third] raka with them, then gave the salam, then made two prostrations. So I went to Ibn Abbas immediately and informed him, and he said: May Allah bless your father! How did he do it? So I informed him. He said: He has not departed (2) from the sunna of his Prophet.

He said: Affan ibn Muslim informed us, he said: Hammad ibn Salama narrated to us, he said: Amr ibn Dinar informed us, he said: Ibn az-Zubayr led us in prayer on a Friday and on a Day of Fitr, and he addressed us in the shade of the Hijr after the day had risen high, and he delayed the prayer somewhat. So I came to the Friday prayer, and he did not come out to us until the Asr prayer.

He said: Affan ibn Muslim informed us, he said: Hammad ibn Salama narrated to us, he said: Habib ibn Abi Baqiyya the teacher informed us, on the authority of Ata, that Ibn Abbas was told of what Ibn az-Zubayr had done, and he said: He was correct.

He said: Affan ibn Muslim informed us, he said: Hammad ibn Salama narrated to us, he said: Hisham ibn Urwa narrated to us, on the authority of his father, he said: Abdullah ibn az-Zubayr said: By Allah, I was not given as much of dates as I wished; it was only a handful taken for me at the beginning of the day and a handful at the end of the day.

He said: Al-Fadl ibn Dukayn informed us, he said: Hafs ibn Ghiyath narrated to us, on the authority of Hisham ibn Urwa, on the authority of Urwa, he said: Abdullah ibn az-Zubayr said: Feed me dates, they said: You have already eaten once today, he said: Then no.

He said: Rawh ibn Ubada and Muslim ibn Ibrahim informed us, they said: al-Aswad ibn Shayban narrated to us, on the authority of Abu Nawfal ibn Abi Aqrab, he said: I came in upon Abdullah ibn az-Zubayr on the morning of the fifth of the last ten days of Ramadan while he was performing continuous fasting (wisal).

He said: Rawh ibn Ubada and Yahya ibn Abbad informed us, they said: Hammad ibn Salama narrated to us, on the authority of Ammar ibn Abi Ammar, that Abdullah ibn az-Zubayr used to fast continuously for seven days; and when it was the night of the seventh, he would call for a vessel of clarified butter and drink it, then he would be brought a tharid in a large dish with two bones of meat upon it (1), and the people would be brought the great bowls, which would be placed before them, and he would say: O people, this is from my own pure wealth, and this is from the treasury that is yours (2).

Rawh ibn Ubada narrated to us, he said: Habib ibn ash-Shahid narrated to us, on the authority of Ibn Abi Mulayka, he said: Ibn az-Zubayr used to fast continuously for seven days, then on the morning of the eighth day he would be the most vigorous of us (3).

He said: Hafs ibn Umar al-Hawdi informed us, he said: Yazid ibn Ibrahim narrated to us, he said: Amr ibn Dinar narrated to us, that Ibn az-Zubayr used to fast continuously through the seven [days] (4).

He said: Abdullah ibn Jafar ar-Raqqi informed us, he said: Abu al-Malih narrated to us, on the authority of Maymun,

That Ibn az-Zubayr used to fast continuously from Friday to Friday, and when he broke his fast, he would resort to clarified butter, sipping it to soften his bowels (1).

He said: [Abd al-Wahhab] (2) ibn Ata informed us, on the authority of Hisham ibn Hassan, he said: Abdullah ibn az-Zubayr used to fast ten days without breaking his fast during them. He said: And when Ramadan came, he would eat one meal in the middle of the month (3).

He said: Al-Mualla ibn Asad informed us, he said: Sallam ibn Abi Muti narrated to us, on the authority of Hisham ibn Urwa, that his uncle Ibn az-Zubayr used to bathe once every night and once every day.

He said: Sulayman ibn Harb informed us, he said: Jarir ibn Hazim narrated to us, on the authority of [Abdullah] (3) ibn Ubayd ibn Umayr (4), he said: When there was a funeral among his family, Ibn az-Zubayr would be as though standing upon one foot until he had brought it out.

He said: Azhar ibn Sad as-Samman informed us, on the authority of Ibn Awn, on the authority of Muhammad, he said: Ibn Umar came in upon the wife of Ibn az-Zubayr, and she said: It only troubles me that you think he fights for the sake of the world. He said: He is [a worry] in my soul, and had Allah willed, He would not have made him so.

He said: Abu Usama informed us, on the authority of al-Amash, on the authority of Shimr ibn Atiyya, on the authority of Hilal ibn Yisaf, he said: The courier who brought the head of al-Mukhtar to Abdullah ibn az-Zubayr narrated to me, he said: When I placed it before him, he said: Kab did not narrate to me anything which I encountered in my reign except that I saw it other than this, for he narrated to me that a man of Thaqif would kill me, and he showed me the one whom I killed (5).

Muhammad ibn Umar said: It was Musab ibn az-Zubayr who killed al-Mukhtar and sent his head to Abdullah ibn az-Zubayr, and he remained in charge of Iraq and dispatched [forces] to Khurasan.

The account returns to the first:

(* He said: And when there reached Yazid ibn Muawiya the uprising of the people of Medina and their expulsion of his agent and the people of his house from it, he dispatched to them Muslim ibn Uqba al-Murri, who at that time was a man of some ninety years and more, afflicted with dropsy (1), and he dispatched him in a dense army. So Abdullah ibn Jafar spoke to him about the people of Medina, and he said: Indeed you are only destroying yourself by them. He said: Yes, I shall destroy myself by them and heal my own soul; but I will grant you one thing: I shall order Muslim ibn Uqba to take Medina merely as a route, so that if they leave him alone and do not oppose him nor set up war, he will leave them and proceed to Ibn az-Zubayr and fight him; but if they prevent him from entering it and set up war against him, he shall begin with them and engage them in fighting, and if he prevails over them he shall kill whoever stands prominent against him, and plunder it for three days, then proceed to Abdullah ibn az-Zubayr.

So Abdullah ibn Jafar saw in this a great relief, and he wrote of that to them and ordered them not to oppose his army when it passed through them, until it had gone on from them to wherever they intended. And Yazid ordered Muslim ibn Uqba accordingly, and he said: If anything befalls you, then al-Husayn ibn Numayr is over the people. So Muslim ibn Uqba arrived at Medina, but they prevented him from entering it and set up war against him and abused Yazid, so he fell upon them and plundered it for three days.

Then he set out intending Ibn az-Zubayr, and he said: O Allah, there was no people more beloved to me to fight than a people who cast off the Commander of the Faithful and set up war against us. O Allah, just as You have brought coolness to my eye through the people of Medina, so keep me alive until You bring coolness to my eye through Ibn az-Zubayr. And he proceeded, and when he was at al-Mushallal, death descended upon him, so he called for al-Husayn ibn Numayr and said to him: O packsaddle of the donkey, were it not for the charge of the Commander of the Faithful to me concerning you, I would not have charged you. Hear my charge: do not give Quraysh access to your ear, and do not grant them more than three: the halt, then the engagement, then the withdrawal. And inform the people that al-Husayn is their governor. And he died on the spot. He was buried upon the height of al-Mushallal, with seven nights remaining of Muharram in the year sixty-four.

And al-Husayn ibn Numayr proceeded with his companions until he came to Mecca and alighted at al-Hajun by the well of Maymun and encamped there. He besieged Ibn az-Zubayr four nights before the end of Muharram, and through Safar and the month of Rabi al-Awwal, so the siege was sixty-four days, during which they fought the fiercest fighting. And al-Husayn set up the catapult against Ibn az-Zubayr and his companions, and bombarded the Kaba, and a great many of both parties were killed. A fragment of a stone from the catapult struck al-Miswar, and he died on the night the announcement of the death of Yazid ibn Muawiya arrived, and that was at the crescent of the month of Rabi al-Akhir in the year sixty-four.

So al-Husayn ibn Numayr and those with him of the people of Syria spoke to Abdullah ibn az-Zubayr to let them circumambulate the House and then withdraw from him. He consulted his companions about that, then permitted them, and they circumambulated. And Ibn az-Zubayr spoke to al-Husayn ibn Numayr and said to him: Yazid has died, and I am the most entitled of people to this affair, for Uthman made a covenant with me concerning that, a covenant by which Talha and az-Zubayr prayed behind me, and the Mother of the Faithful acknowledged it. So pledge allegiance to me, and enter into what the people have entered into with me; you shall have what they have, and upon you is what is upon them. Al-Husayn ibn Numayr said to him: By Allah, O Abu Bakr, I will not draw near to you with anything other than what is in my soul. I shall come to Syria, and if I find them united for you, I shall obey you and fight whoever disobeys you; and if I find them united upon someone other than you, I shall obey him and fight you. But march you yourself with me to Syria, and I shall give you sovereignty over the necks of the Arabs. Ibn az-Zubayr said: Or shall I send an envoy? He said: Perdition to you for the rest of the day! Your envoy will not be like you.

So the two parted, the people were safe, and the war laid down its burdens. The people of Syria stayed for some days buying their needs and equipping themselves, then they departed, returning to Syria. From that day Ibn az-Zubayr called the people to himself, and the people pledged allegiance to him for the caliphate, and he was called Commander of the Faithful. He abandoned the slogan that he had been upon and by which he used to be called, "He who seeks refuge in Allah," and "Judgment belongs to none but Allah," before Mus'ab ibn Abd ar-Rahman ibn Awf and al-Miswar ibn Makhrama died. The Kharijites separated from him and left him, and he appointed governors. So he appointed over Medina: Mus'ab ibn az-Zubayr ibn al-Awam, and the people pledged allegiance to him. He sent al-Harith ibn Abdullah ibn Abi Rabi'a to Basra and they pledged allegiance to him, and he sent Abdullah ibn Muti' to Kufa and they pledged allegiance to him, and he sent Abd ar-Rahman ibn Utba ibn Jahdam al-Fihri to Egypt as governor and they pledged allegiance to him, and he sent his governor to Yemen and they pledged allegiance to him, and he sent his governor to Khurasan and they pledged allegiance to him, and he sent ad-Dahhak ibn Qays al-Fihri to Syria as governor and the generality of the people of Syria pledged allegiance to him. Thus all the lands fell in order under him, except a faction of the people of Syria among whom were Marwan ibn al-Hakam and the people of his house (*).

He said: And Muhammad ibn Umar informed us, he said: Musa ibn Ya'qub narrated to us, on the authority of his uncle Abu al-Harith ibn Abdullah (١) ibn Wahb ibn Zam'a, he said:

And Sharhabil ibn Abi Awn and Abdullah ibn Ja'far informed us, on the authority of Abu Awn, he said:

And Ibrahim ibn Musa informed us, on the authority of Ikrima ibn Khalid, he said:

And Abu Safwan al-Attaf ibn Khalid informed us, on the authority of his brother, they said: When al-Husayn ibn Numayr departed from Mecca, with five nights of the month of Rabi' al-Akhir of the year sixty-four remaining, Abdullah ibn az-Zubayr ordered those huts (٢) that were around the Ka'ba to be demolished, so the Ka'ba became visible, and he ordered the mosque, and what was in it of stones and blood was swept away. Then behold, the Ka'ba was shaking (٣), weakened from its top to its bottom, in it like the openings of women's garments from the stones of the mangonel, and behold, the corner had blackened and burned from the fire that had been around the Ka'ba. So Ibn az-Zubayr consulted the people about demolishing it and rebuilding it, and Jabir ibn Abdullah ibn Umayr and others advised him to demolish it and rebuild it, but Abdullah ibn Abbas refused that for him and said: I fear that someone will come after you and demolish it, and it will continue to be demolished, and the people will treat its sanctity lightly, so I do not like it for you.

He had consulted al-Miswar ibn Makhrama, before he died, about demolishing it, and he advised him to do that. So he remained for some days consulting about demolishing it, then he resolved to demolish it.

So he came upon it with the laborers on Saturday, in the middle of Jumada al-Akhira of the year sixty-four, and he demolished it until he laid all of it upon the ground. Then he dug the foundation, and it was found connected to the Hijr, interlaced like the fingers of these two hands of mine. So he summoned fifty men of Quraysh and made them witnesses to that, and he placed the Stone with him in a coffer wrapped in a piece of silk. Then he built the House and brought the Hijr into it, and he made for the Ka'ba two doors set upon the ground, a door by which one enters and a door by which one exits opposite it from behind it, and he said: A'isha narrated to me that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said to her: If your people wish to build the House upon what it was in the time of Ibrahim, then let them do that. So A'isha showed me what the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, had shown her, and it was measured with me until I took charge of this affair, and I did not exceed in it what the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said. So the people that day saw that he had been right.

And he built the House until he reached the place of the Black Corner, and he set it. The one who set it was Hamza ibn Abdullah ibn az-Zubayr, and he bound it with silver because it had cracked. Then he restored the Ka'ba to its structure, and he increased its height, making it twenty-seven cubits, and he perfumed its interior, and he smeared its walls with musk until he finished it from outside, and he covered it with brocade. He was the first to cover it with brocade.

When he finished building the Ka'ba, he performed the umra from the tent of Jumana, walking, with men of Quraysh accompanying him, Ibn Safwan and Ubayd ibn Umayr and others, and he made the talbiya until he looked at the House, and the tent of Jumana was at the mosque of A'isha.

He said: And the people of Syria pledged allegiance to Marwan ibn al-Hakam, so he marched against ad-Dahhak ibn Qays al-Fihri, who was in obedience to Ibn az-Zubayr, calling to him. He met him at Marj Rahit and killed him and scattered his assembly. Then he returned and dispatched Hubaysh ibn Dalja al-Qayni with six thousand four hundred against Ibn az-Zubayr, so he marched until he encamped at al-Jurf with his army, and he entered Medina and lodged in the house of Marwan, the house of the governorate, and he appointed over the market of Medina a man of his people called Malik. He frightened the people of Medina with a severe fright and harmed them, and he began to address them, reviling them and threatening them and ascribing to them discord and hypocrisy and treachery toward the Commander of the Faithful. So Abdullah ibn az-Zubayr wrote to al-Harith ibn Abdullah ibn Abi Rabi'a, who was his governor over Basra, that he should dispatch an army to Medina, so he sent al-Hantaf (١) ibn as-Sijf at-Tamimi with three thousand. They went out, and with them were a thousand five hundred horses and mules and beasts of burden. The news reached Hubaysh ibn Dalja, so he said: Let us go out of Medina and meet them, for we are not safe from the people of Medina aiding them against us. So he went out and left behind over Medina Tha'laba ash-Shami.

They met at ar-Rabadha at noon, and they fought a severe battle, and Hubaysh ibn Dalja was killed, and five hundred of his companions were killed, and five hundred of them were captured, and the rest were routed in the worst rout. So the people of Medina rejoiced at that, and the captives were brought and imprisoned in the palace of Khall (١). So Abdullah ibn az-Zubayr dispatched Mus'ab ibn az-Zubayr to them, and he struck off all their necks (٢).

They said: When Abd al-Malik ibn Marwan was given the pledge of allegiance, he sent Urwa ibn Unayf with six thousand to Medina, and he ordered them not to lodge with anyone, nor to enter Medina except for a need that was unavoidable, and that they should encamp at al-Arsa. So Urwa lodged with his army at al-Arsa, and al-Harith ibn Hatib, Ibn az-Zubayr's governor over Medina, fled. Urwa would come down and lead the people in the Friday prayer, then return to his camp. So Ibn az-Zubayr did not send anyone against them, and they did not encounter any fighting. Then Abd al-Malik wrote to them to come to Syria, and they did so, and not one of them stayed behind, and al-Harith ibn Hatib returned to Medina as governor for Ibn az-Zubayr. Then Abd al-Malik ibn Marwan sent Abd al-Malik ibn al-Harith ibn al-Hakam with four thousand to Medina and what was below it, to encounter the assemblies of Ibn az-Zubayr and whoever appeared to them of his governors (٣).

Now Sulayman ibn Khalid ibn Abi Khalid az-Zuraqi was a devout worshipper of merit, so Ibn az-Zubayr appointed him over Khaybar and Fadak, so he went out and settled in his district. Abd al-Malik ibn al-Harith sent Abu al-Qamqam with five hundred against Sulayman ibn Khalid, and he killed him and killed those who were with him. When the news of him reached Abd al-Malik ibn Marwan, it angered him and he disliked his being killed (٤). And Abd al-Malik ibn Marwan dispatched Tariq ibn Amr with six thousand and ordered him to be in the area between Ayla and Wadi al-Qura as reinforcement for whoever needed it of the governors of Abd al-Malik ibn Marwan, or for whoever wished to fight against him of the companions of Ibn az-Zubayr. Now Abu Bakr ibn Abi Qays was in obedience to Ibn az-Zubayr, and Jabir ibn al-Aswad had appointed him over Khaybar, so Tariq made for him and killed him along with six hundred of his companions, and those who remained of them fled in every direction. So al-Harith ibn Hatib wrote to Abdullah ibn az-Zubayr that Abd al-Malik ibn Marwan had sent Tariq ibn Amr with a great assembly, and they were in the area between Ayla and Dhu Khushub, plundering the people's wealth and seizing portions of it (١) and oppressing them, so if you would send to Medina a garrison force, it would not be entered.

So Ibn az-Zubayr wrote to al-Harith ibn Abdullah ibn Abi Rabi'a to dispatch two thousand to Medina and to appoint over them a man of merit, so he dispatched to them Ibn Rawwas with two thousand. They came to Medina and protected it from the armies of the people of Syria, and they were a people with no harm in them. Now Medina was at one time in the hand of Ibn az-Zubayr and at another time in the hand of Abd al-Malik ibn Marwan; whichever of them prevailed over it took control of its affair, and most of that time it was in the hand of Ibn az-Zubayr.

When the killing of Abu Bakr ibn Abi Qays reached Ibn az-Zubayr, he wrote to Ibn Rawwas to go out with his companions against Tariq ibn Amr, and that was hard upon the people of Medina. Ibn Rawwas went out, and that reached Tariq, so he summoned his companions. Then they met at Shabkat ad-Dawm (٢) in formation, and they fought a severe battle. Then the victory was for Tariq and his companions, so Ibn Rawwas and his companions were killed in great slaughter, and one man of them escaped and came to Medina and reported the killing of Ibn Rawwas and his companions, so the people of Medina were grieved by that. Then that man went out to Abdullah ibn az-Zubayr and reported the news to him. Tariq returned to Wadi al-Qura, and Ibn az-Zubayr wrote to his governor at Medina to allot stipends for two thousand of the people of Medina to be a defense for Medina against whoever should descend upon it suddenly. So the allotment was made but the money did not come, so that allotment was nullified and it was named "the allotment of the wind" (٣).

He said: Muhammad ibn Umar informed us, he said: Abdullah ibn Ja'far narrated to us, on the authority of Umm Bakr bint al-Miswar, on the authority of her father. And Riyah ibn Muslim, on the authority of his father. And Isma'il ibn Ibrahim, on the authority of Abd ar-Rahman ibn Abdullah ibn Abi Rabi'a al-Makhzumi, on the authority of his father, they said: Abu Ubayd ath-Thaqafi came from at-Ta'if, and he was a righteous man, and Umar summoned the people to the land of Iraq, so Abu Ubayd went out to it and was killed, and his offspring remained at Medina. Now al-Mukhtar at that time was a youth known for his attachment to the Banu Hashim, then he went out at the end of the caliphate of Mu'awiya or the beginning of the caliphate of Yazid to Basra, and he stayed there making mention of al-Husayn ibn Ali. Ubaydullah ibn Ziyad was informed of that, so he seized him and flogged him a hundred lashes and clothed him in a cloak and sent him to at-Ta'if (١).

He remained there until Abdullah ibn az-Zubayr rose and called to what he called to, so he came to him and stayed with him as one of the fiercest of people in fighting and the best of them in intention and counsel, in their view. He used to frequent Muhammad ibn al-Hanafiyya, and they would hear from him speech which they disapproved of. When Yazid died, and al-Miswar ibn Makhrama died, and Mus'ab ibn Abd ar-Rahman, al-Mukhtar asked Ibn az-Zubayr permission to go out to Iraq, and he gave him permission, having no doubt of his loyalty while he was persisting in treachery toward him. So Ibn az-Zubayr wrote to Abdullah ibn Muti', who was his governor over Kufa, mentioning to him his standing with him and commending him to his care. So he used to frequent Ibn Muti' and outwardly show loyalty to Ibn az-Zubayr while secretly faulting him, and he would mention Muhammad ibn al-Hanafiyya and praise him and describe his standing and call to him, and he incited the people against Ibn Muti' and took for himself a following, riding out among a company and cavalry. His cavalry attacked the cavalry of Ibn Muti' and overcame them, and Ibn Muti' feared him and fled, but al-Mukhtar did not pursue him, and he said: I am in obedience to Ibn az-Zubayr, so for what reason did Ibn Muti' go out?

And he wrote to Ibn az-Zubayr disparaging Ibn Muti' and accusing him of cowardice, saying: I saw him being lenient toward the Banu Umayya, so it was not possible for me to confirm him in that, because of what I bore around my neck of your pledge of allegiance. So he left Kufa while I and those who are with me are in obedience to you. So Ibn az-Zubayr accepted that from him and believed him and confirmed him as governor over the people.

When he was reassured and saw that Ibn az-Zubayr had accepted from him, he proceeded to the house of Umar ibn Sa'd ibn Abi Waqqas and killed him in his house, and he killed his son Hafs in the worst manner of killing, and he began to track down the killers of al-Husayn from the register, those who had gone out against him, and he killed everyone he could lay hold of, and everyone of the people of Kufa who opposed him went into hiding. Then he sent his garrisons to the Sawad and al-Mada'in and the collectors of the land tax, so the moneys were gathered to him.

So Abd al-Malik ibn Marwan sent against him Ubaydullah ibn Ziyad with sixty thousand of the people of Syria, and he took the route by Mosul. So al-Mukhtar sent Ibrahim ibn al-Ashtar with twenty thousand of his companions to fight Ubaydullah ibn Ziyad, and he met him in the land of Mosul, by a river called al-Khazir (١). They exchanged arrows for an hour and thrust at one another with spears, then they came to the swords and fought the fiercest fighting until a third of the night had passed, and the people of Syria were killed under every stone, and whoever fled of them fled, and Ubaydullah ibn Ziyad and al-Husayn ibn Numayr were killed in the battlefield, and he sent the heads to al-Mukhtar. So he sent the head of Ubaydullah ibn Ziyad and the head of al-Husayn ibn Numayr and six of their chiefs with Khallad ibn as-Sa'ib al-Khazraji, and he came with them to Medina from one day until the night, then he went out with them to Ibn az-Zubayr and set them up on the ridge of al-Hajun (٢).

And Ibn az-Zubayr began to ask Khallad ibn as-Sa'ib about their meeting and their fighting, and he informed him, so he said: And how did you find the loyalty of al-Mukhtar? He said: I found him to be as the Commander of the Faithful loves; he calls to him from his pulpit and mentions obedience to you and separation from the Banu Marwan.

And al-Mukhtar and those with him returned to Kufa, and he wrote to Ibn az-Zubayr deceiving him and informing him that he was only acting on his behalf, and he calmed him until what he wanted should be possible for him.

Then Ibn az-Zubayr discerned his affair, and Urwa ibn az-Zubayr and Abdullah ibn Safwan and others spoke to him about him and informed him of his treachery and the evil of his way and that he was no companion for him. He said: Then whom shall I appoint? I need a strong, capable, bold man. Mus'ab ibn az-Zubayr said to him: Do not appoint anyone who will carry out your affair better than I. He said: Then I have appointed you over Iraq, so go to Kufa. He said: This is not the right view; I would be coming against a man whom you have known, whose desire and view are only with others besides us, and who only conceals himself behind us, and a great number of the Shi'a have gathered with him. But rather I shall come to Basra, and its people are obedient and submissive, then I shall advance against him with the troops, if Allah wills. Ibn az-Zubayr said: This is the right view.

So Mus'ab went to Basra as its governor, and word reached al-Mukhtar, and he knew that it was evil and the sword, so he wrote to Ibn az-Zubayr reviling him and faulting him and saying: There is no obedience due to you upon anyone of those who are with me, so muster your horse and foot. And al-Mukhtar addressed the people at Kufa and openly faulted Ibn az-Zubayr and deposed him, and he called to "the pleasing one" from the family of Muhammad, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, and he mentioned Muhammad ibn al-Hanafiyya and lauded him and named him the Mahdi. And Ibn az-Zubayr wrote to Mus'ab ordering him to march against al-Mukhtar with the people of Basra, so Mus'ab ordered preparation, then he encamped, and he appointed over his right wing al-Harith ibn Abdullah ibn Abi Rabi'a, and over his left wing Abdullah ibn Muti', and he left as his deputy over Basra Ubaydullah ibn Umar ibn Ubaydullah ibn Ma'mar.

And word reached al-Mukhtar of Mus'ab's marching with the troops, so he sent against him Ahmar ibn Shumayt al-Bajali and ordered him to engage them at al-Madhar. But the companions of Mus'ab attacked them by night and killed that army, and none of them escaped except the fugitive, and that night Ubaydullah ibn Ali ibn Abi Talib was killed, who was in the army of Mus'ab with his maternal uncles, the Banu Nahshal ibn Darim.

And al-Mukhtar went out with twenty thousand until he stood facing them, while they were in the area between the bridge and the river of the Basrans. And Mus'ab and those with him advanced and reached them at night, but there was no battle between them. So al-Mukhtar sent to his companions when evening came, that none of you should leave his position until you hear a caller calling out "O Muhammad," and when you hear it, charge upon the people and kill whoever you do not hear calling out "O Muhammad." Then he waited, until, when the moon rose and grew full, he ordered a caller and he called out: O Muhammad. Then they charged upon Mus'ab and his companions and routed them and entered their camp, and they did not cease fighting them until they reached the morning. And al-Mukhtar reached the morning with no one of any account with him except ten horsemen, and behold, his companions had all plunged into the companions of Mus'ab. So al-Mukhtar withdrew, routed, and pressed on in his march until he came to Kufa and entered the palace. And the companions of al-Mukhtar, when they reached the morning, returned until they stood at their position but did not see al-Mukhtar, and they said: He has been killed. So whoever of them was able to flee fled, and the rest hid themselves, and eight thousand of them headed to Kufa, and they found al-Mukhtar in the palace, so they entered with him.

And Mus'ab advanced until he dug a trench around the base of the palace and the mosque, and he besieged them with the severest siege. So al-Mukhtar went out one day on a dappled gray mule and fought them at az-Zayyatin (١), and they killed him. And the people of the palace sought safe conduct from Mus'ab, so he granted them safe conduct, and among them were seven hundred of the Arabs and the rest of them of the freedmen and the non-Arabs. He wanted to kill these and leave the Arabs, but it was said to him: This is not religion; their offense is one, you kill the non-Arabs and leave the Arabs. So he brought them all forward and struck off their necks while they were bound captive, and he sent the head of al-Mukhtar to Abdullah ibn az-Zubayr with a man of the police. The messenger came and reached Ibn az-Zubayr while he was in the Sacred Mosque, having prayed the last evening prayer, then he stood performing supererogatory prayer. He said: By Allah, he did not turn to him nor leave until he prayed the witr at dawn, then he sat. So the messenger drew near and handed him the letter, and he read it, then he handed it to a servant boy of his. The messenger said: O Commander of the Faithful, this head is with me. He said: Throw it down. So he threw it at the door of the mosque. Then he came to him and said: My reward? He said: Take the head that you came with.

When Mus'ab killed al-Mukhtar and gained victory over Iraq and appointed governors and collected the moneys, Ibrahim al-Ashtar wrote to him informing him that he was in obedience to him, and the people had hastened to him despite his enmity to the people of Syria and his killing of them, and he asked him to permit him to come as an envoy to him. So Mus'ab agreed to that for him, and he left Abu Qarib over al-Jazira and came to Mus'ab, who took his pledge of allegiance for Abdullah ibn az-Zubayr. And he stayed with him as the most preferred of people with him and the most honored by him; indeed he used to seat him upon his couch. And Mus'ab appointed al-Muhallab ibn Abi Sufra over al-Jazira and Mosul and Adharbayjan and Armenia.

And he distributed the governors among the lands, then he gathered the nobles of the people of the two garrison towns and came as an envoy to Abdullah ibn az-Zubayr, and he placed Ibrahim ibn al-Ashtar over the whole delegation.

So Abdullah said to him: I have looked upon a banner that Allah had lowered, and you raised it.

He said: O Commander of the Faithful, this is the chief of those behind me; if he is pleased they are pleased, and if he is displeased they are displeased. So Abdullah ibn az-Zubayr undid his lower garment, and behold, there was a blow upon his shoulder that had penetrated through, then he said to Mus'ab: Do you think I could love al-Ashtar after this blow that he struck me on the Day of the Camel?

And Mus'ab said: O Commander of the Faithful, name for the delegation whatever reward seems good to you, and I will give it to them from Iraq. He said: No, by Allah, not even a single dirham.

Then Abdullah ibn az-Zubayr addressed them, and he praised Allah and extolled Him and said: O people of Iraq, you came to us as a rabble from every motley crowd. By Allah, if it could be exchanged, we would have exchanged you the way gold is exchanged. By Allah, I would wish that for every two men of you I had one man of the people of Syria.

Then Abu Hadir al-Asadi rose toward him, and he was the storyteller of the community at Basra, and he said: O Commander of the Faithful, we and you have a likeness that has passed before, it is what al-A'sha said: - I became attached to her by chance, while she was attached to a man other than me ... and another woman than her was the man's beloved (١)

We became attached to you, and you became attached to the people of Syria, and the people of Syria became attached to the family of Marwan, so what could we hope to do? Ash-Sha'bi said: I have not heard a reply better than it.

Then Mus'ab and the delegation departed to Kufa, then Mus'ab came to Basra, and he gathered money and came as an envoy a second time to Abdullah ibn az-Zubayr with the money of Iraq, so he removed him from Basra and appointed his son Hamza ibn Abdullah over it, and he was a vain young man. So Mus'ab stayed with Abdullah ibn az-Zubayr, and Hamza went to Basra and withheld the stipends from the people and ordered the money to be carried to Ibn az-Zubayr, but Malik ibn Misma' and the notables of the people of Basra prevented him from that and goaded him, so he left Basra. That reached Ibn az-Zubayr, so he appointed Mus'ab over Basra and ordered him to proceed to Iraq.

Ash-Sha'bi said: We have not seen a commander of a faction more resembling the commanders of the community than Mus'ab ibn az-Zubayr.

And Mus'ab continued to be the most beloved of the commanders of Iraq to them; he used to give them two stipends in the year, a stipend for winter and a stipend for summer, and he would be harsh in the place of harshness and gentle in the place of gentleness, and he was firm in his command, strong in his affair.

And Abd al-Malik ibn Marwan used to write to his partisans in Iraq about assassinating Mus'ab. And he wrote to his partisans in Basra ordering them to revolt against Mus'ab, and he informed them that he would send to them a thousand of the people of Syria. But he had no hope of that in Kufa while Mus'ab was there. He used to go out every year until he came to Butnan Habib (٢), which is part of Qinnasrin (٣), and encamp there, and that was the furthest extent of his authority. And Mus'ab ibn az-Zubayr would go out until he encamped at Bajumayra (٤) in the land of Mosul, that being the furthest extent of his authority. So Abu al-Jahm al-Kinani said:

You refuse, O Mus'ab, anything but marching ... every year you have Bajumayra (٥)

And when the cold grew severe and winter set in tumultuously, they both withdrew together at the same time, this one to Damascus and that one to Kufa. And Ibn az-Zubayr used to write to Mus'ab about Abd al-Malik: Do not be heedless of him, and raid him before he raids you, for you are at the source of money and men.

So Mus'ab allotted the stipends and set about preparation for the campaign and apportioned moneys and brought out the stipends. That reached Abd al-Malik, so he gathered his troops and marched himself heading for Iraq to fight Mus'ab, and he said to Rawh ibn Zinba' while he was equipping himself: By Allah, there is indeed a wonder in the affair of this world. I would find myself with Mus'ab ibn az-Zubayr missing him for a single night from the place where we used to gather, and it was as if I were distraught, and he would miss me and do the like of that, and indeed gifts of food (١) used to be brought to me, and I did not think it permissible for me to eat it until I sent it, or part of it, to him, and he used to do the like of that. Then we came to the sword! But this kingship is barren (٢).

When Mus'ab resolved to go out from Kufa heading for Abd al-Malik, he went out, and the people had formed for him two ranks at Kufa, and he had wound on his turban, the qafda' style (٣), while he was attending to the forelock (٤) of his mount. Then he looked into the faces of the people, right and left, and his eye fell upon Urwa ibn al-Mughira ibn Shu'ba, so he said: O Urwa? He said: At your service. He said: Come near. So he came near and walked with him, and he said: Tell me about al-Husayn ibn Ali, how he conducted himself when he was descended upon? He said: So I began to narrate to him about his patience and his refusal of what was offered to him, and his loathing to enter into obedience to Ubaydullah ibn Ziyad, until he was killed.

He said: So he struck with his whip upon the forelock of his packhorse, then he said: - Indeed those first ones at at-Taff of the family of Hashim ... set a noble example, so they established for the noble the following of their example He said: So I knew, by Allah, that he would not flee and that he would be patient until he was killed (١).

He said: And the verse is by Sulayman ibn Qatta, he said: Then Abd al-Malik marched, and Mus'ab marched, until the two met with those who were with them at Maskin, and Abd al-Malik said: Woe to you, what is this Isfahan? It was said: The navel of Iraq. He said: By Allah, more than thirty men of the nobles of the people of Iraq have written to me, and all of them say: If I betray Mus'ab, then is Isfahan mine? He said: So I wrote to them all: Yes. When they met, Mus'ab said to Rabi'a: Advance to fight. They said: This is a dunghill before us. So he said: You bring nothing but the dunghill, meaning their holding back from fighting. Now Rabi'a had before that agreed upon abandoning him, and they made that plain, so the people abandoned him and no one advanced to fight in his defense.

When Mus'ab saw what the people had done and their abandonment of him, he said: A man is dead in any case, and by Allah, that he should die nobly is better for him than that he should grovel to one whom he has wronged. I will never seek the help of Rabi'a nor of anyone of the people of Iraq; we have found no faithfulness in them. Go, my son, to his son Isa, who was with him, and ride to your uncle at Mecca and inform him of what the people of Iraq did, and leave me, for I am to be killed. His son said to him: By Allah, I will never tell the women of Quraysh of any evil concerning you. He said: Then if you wish to fight, advance and fight until I count you as a reward with Allah.

So his son Isa drew near and fought a severe battle until the spears took him from every side, and the people overwhelmed him and he was killed, while Mus'ab was sitting upon his couch. Then a band came toward him to kill him, and he fought them the fiercest fighting until he was killed. And Ubaydullah ibn Zibyan came and cut off his head and brought it to Abd al-Malik ibn Marwan, and he gave him a thousand dinars, but he refused to take them. And Mus'ab was killed by a river called: Dujayl (٢), by Dayr al-Jathaliq (٣). So Abd al-Malik ordered that he and his son Isa be buried, then Abd al-Malik marched until he encamped at an-Nukhayla, and he called the people of Iraq to the pledge of allegiance and they pledged allegiance to him, and he appointed over Kufa his brother Bishr ibn Marwan, then he returned to Syria (١).

He said: Muhammad ibn Umar informed us, he said: Uthman ibn Muhammad al-Umari narrated to me, on the authority of Umar ibn Nafi', on the authority of his father, on the authority of Ibn Umar, that it was said to him: Which of the two sons of az-Zubayr was the more courageous? He said: There was none of the two but he was courageous; both of them walked to death while seeing it.

He said: Muhammad ibn Umar informed us, he said: Mus'ab ibn Thabit narrated to us, on the authority of Abu al-Aswad, on the authority of Abbad ibn Abdullah ibn az-Zubayr, he said:

And Sharhabil ibn Abi Awn narrated to us, on the authority of his father, who was knowledgeable about the affair of Ibn az-Zubayr, he said:

And Abd ar-Rahman ibn Abi az-Zinad narrated to us, on the authority of Hisham ibn Urwa, on the authority of his father, he said:

And Abdullah ibn Ja'far narrated to us, on the authority of Abu Awn the freedman of Abd ar-Rahman ibn Miswar, he said:

And Musa ibn Ya'qub ibn Abdullah ibn Wahb ibn Zam'a narrated to us, on the authority of his uncle Abu al-Harith ibn Abdullah, he said:

And Abdullah ibn Ja'far narrated to us, on the authority of Umm Bakr bint al-Miswar, he said: And others besides these also narrated to me, and I wrote all that they narrated to me about the killing of Abdullah ibn az-Zubayr.

The killing of Abdullah ibn az-Zubayr: - They said: When Abd al-Malik ibn Marwan killed Mus'ab ibn az-Zubayr, he sent al-Hajjaj ibn Yusuf to Abdullah ibn az-Zubayr at Mecca with two thousand of the army of the people of Syria. So he came until he encamped at at-Ta'if, and he used to send out raiding parties to Arafa, and Ibn az-Zubayr would send out a party, and they would meet, and the cavalry of Ibn az-Zubayr would be routed and the cavalry of al-Hajjaj would return to at-Ta'if. So al-Hajjaj wrote to Abd al-Malik about entering the Sacred Precinct and besieging Ibn az-Zubayr, and that he should reinforce him with men, and Abd al-Malik agreed to that for him and wrote to Tariq ibn Amr ordering him to join al-Hajjaj. So Tariq marched with his companions, who were five thousand, and joined al-Hajjaj. So al-Hajjaj came down from at-Ta'if and besieged Ibn az-Zubayr in the mosque, and al-Hajjaj led the people in the pilgrimage in the year seventy-two while Ibn az-Zubayr was besieged. Then al-Hajjaj and Tariq set out when they had finished the pilgrimage and encamped at the well of Maymun, and they did not circumambulate the House, nor did they approach women or perfume, until Ibn az-Zubayr was killed, then they circumambulated the House and slaughtered camels. And Ibn az-Zubayr was besieged on the night of the new moon of Dhu al-Qi'da of the year seventy-two, six months and seventeen nights, and he was killed on Tuesday, with seventeen nights of Jumada al-Ula of the year seventy-three having passed (١).

And Abyssinians from the land of Abyssinia came to Ibn az-Zubayr, throwing javelins (٢), so he put them forward against the people of Syria, and they began to throw their javelins, and no javelin of theirs fell except upon a person, so they killed many of the people of Syria. Then the people of Syria charged upon them in a single charge, and they were exposed. And Ibn az-Zubayr used to put forward the men of effective harm (٣) with the swords, and he would advance, urged on by their shouting, and with him was a people of the people of Egypt who fought along with him a severe battle, and they were Kharijites, until they mentioned Uthman and disavowed him. That reached Ibn az-Zubayr, so he rebuked them, and he said: There is nothing between me and the people except the door of Uthman, so they turned away from him (٤).

And al-Hajjaj set up the mangonel, throwing with it in the most vehement throwing, and he pressed hard upon them in fighting from every direction, and he withheld the provisions from them and besieged them with the severest siege, until the companions of Ibn az-Zubayr were worn out and a severe famine afflicted them (٥).

And Ibn az-Zubayr had placed in every place that he feared a garrison post, so his garrison posts were many, patrolled by the steadfast of his companions, and they were withal so reduced by hunger that a man could fight but could not bear arms as he wished, from weakness. And they used to seek relief at Zamzam and drink from it, and it sustained them. And the stones from the mangonel were thrown at the Ka'ba until they made marks in it as if they were the openings of women's garments, and the mangonel was thrown from Abu Qubays, and the stones would pass by while Ibn az-Zubayr was praying at the Maqam like a standing tree that did not bend; the stones would fall, rounded and smooth as if they had been turned on a lathe, and nothing of them would strike him, and he would not move away from them nor be alarmed by them (١).

And al-Hajjaj mustered the people of Syria one day and addressed them and ordered them to obedience and that their effect should be seen that day, for the matter had drawn near. So they came forward with clamor (٢) and joy. Asma bint Abi Bakr as-Siddiq, the mother of Abdullah ibn az-Zubayr, heard of that, so she said to Abdullah, her freedman: Go and see what the people have done, for this day is a grievous day. O Allah, carry my son through upon clear evidence. So Abdullah went, then returned and said: I saw the people of Syria having taken hold of the gates of the mosque, and they were from the gates to al-Hajun. So the Commander of the Faithful went out, brandishing his sword, saying:

Indeed, when I recognize my day, I am patient ... while some of them recognize, then deny (٣)

So he repelled them with a thrust from which they piled up and fell upon their faces, and he killed many of them, then he returned to his place. She said: Whom did you see with him? He said: With him are the people of his house and a small band. His mother said: They abandoned him and loved life, and they did not look to their religion nor to their honor. Then she rose praying and supplicating and saying: O Allah, indeed Abdullah ibn az-Zubayr was one who venerated Your sanctity, to whom it was hateful that You be disobeyed, and he strove against Your enemies in Your cause, and he expended the lifeblood of himself in hope of Your reward. O Allah, do not disappoint him. O Allah, have mercy on that prostration and weeping and thirst in those scorching middays. O Allah, I do not say it as self-praise, but rather what I know, and You know him better. O Allah, and he was dutiful to his parents (٤).

He said: Then Abdullah ibn az-Zubayr came and entered upon his mother, wearing the coat of mail and the helmet, and he stood before her and greeted her, then he drew near and took her hand and kissed it and bade her farewell, so she said: This is a farewell, so do not go far except from the Fire.

So Ibn az-Zubayr said: Yes, I have come bidding you farewell. I see this as the last day of the world that will pass over me, and know, O my mother, that if I am killed, then I am only flesh and blood; what is done to me does not harm me.

She said: You have spoken truly, so proceed upon your insight, and do not enable the son of Abu Aqil over you, and come near me that I may bid you farewell. So he drew near her and embraced her, and she touched the coat of mail and said: This is not the conduct of one who intends what you intend! He said: I did not wear the coat of mail except to strengthen you. She said: It does not strengthen me, rather it opposes me. So he took it off, then he rolled up his sleeve and fastened the lower part of his shirt, and there was a jubba of silk under the shirt, and he tucked its lower part into the belt, while his mother was saying: Are your (١) clothes tucked up? He said: Yes, they are as in your time. She said: May Allah make you firm. So he departed from her, saying:

Indeed, when I recognize my day, I am patient ... while some of them recognize, then deny (٢)

So she understood his words, and she said: You will be patient, by Allah, if Allah wills. Is not your father az-Zubayr?

He said: Then he encountered them and charged upon them a charge that routed them, until he halted them outside the gate, then the people of Hims charged upon him, so he charged upon them and it was the like of that (٣).

He said: Muhammad ibn Umar informed us, he said: Abd ar-Rahman ibn Abi az-Zinad narrated to me, on the authority of Makhrama ibn Sulayman al-Walibi, he said: Abdullah ibn az-Zubayr entered upon his mother when he saw of the people what he saw of their abandonment of him, so he said: O my mother, the people have abandoned me, even my children and my family, so there remained with me none but one who has no more to offer of defense than the patience of an hour, while the people are offering me what I wish of the world, so what is your view? So his mother said: You, by Allah, O my son, know yourself best. If you know that you are upon the truth and to it you call, then proceed for it, for your companions were killed upon it, and do not enable your neck to be taken so that the slave-boys of the Banu Umayya play with you. But if you only wanted the world, then what an evil slave you are! You have destroyed yourself and destroyed those who were killed with you (٤).

He said: So Ibn az-Zubayr drew near and kissed her head, and he said: This, by Allah, is my view, and that which I rose calling to up to this day of mine. I did not incline to the world nor love life in it, and nothing called me to the rising up [but] anger for the sake of Allah. But I wished to know your view, and you have increased me in strength and insight along with my insight. So look, O my mother, for I am to be killed this day of mine; let not your grief over me be severe; submit to the command of Allah, for your son did not deliberately commit a wrong nor act with an indecency, nor did he act unjustly in a judgment, nor betray a covenant of safe conduct, nor deliberately wrong a Muslim or a protected person, nor did news reach me of any [injustice] by my governors that I was pleased with it; rather I disapproved of it, and there was nothing dearer to me than the pleasure of my Lord. O Allah, I do not say this as self-praise from me; You know me better, but I say it as consolation to my mother, that she may be consoled thereby concerning me (١).

So his mother said to him: Indeed I hope that my solace concerning you will be good if you go before me. And if I go before you, then there is a need in my soul (٢) until I see to what your affair comes. He said: May Allah reward you, O my mother, with good, so do not abandon supplication for me after my killing. She said: I will not abandon it, I will never leave that off, for whoever is killed upon falsehood, you have been killed upon truth. And he went out, and his mother said: O Allah, have mercy on that long standing in the long night, and that weeping and thirst in the scorching middays of Medina and Mecca, and his dutifulness to his father and to me. O Allah, I have submitted concerning him to Your command, and I am pleased concerning him with what You have decreed, so reward me concerning Abdullah with the reward of the patient and the grateful (٣).

He said: Musa ibn Isma'il informed us, he said: Salih ibn al-Walid ar-Riyahi narrated to us, he said: My grandmother Rayta bint Abdullah ar-Riyahiyya informed me, she said: I was with Asma when her son Abdullah came and said: Indeed this man has descended upon us, and he is a man of Thaqif called al-Hajjaj, with forty thousand of the people of Syria, and their arrows and missiles have reached us, and he has sent to me giving me the choice between three things: between fleeing in the land so that I go wherever I wish, between placing my hand in his hand so that he sends me to Syria laden with iron, and between fighting until I am killed. She said: O my son, live nobly and die nobly, for I heard the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, say: Indeed from Thaqif there will be a destroyer and a great liar. She said: So he went and leaned against the Ka'ba until he was killed (٤).