85 – Al-Ḥusayn narrated to us; ʿAbd Allah narrated to us; he said: al-Ḥārith ibn Muḥammad al-Tamīmī related to me; Dāʾūd ibn al-Muḥabbar narrated to us; al-Muḥabbar ibn Qaḥdham, from Mujālid ibn Saʿīd, from al-Shaʿbī, said:

Al-Ḥajjāj ibn Yūsuf ordered that the domed structure in front of the mosque in Kūfa be built. When the workers dug the foundation, they struck upon a still-fresh corpse that bore a newly inflicted wound to the head. On seeing it they said, “This is ʿAlī ibn Abī Ṭālib.” The matter was reported to al-Ḥajjāj, who asked, “Who can verify this for me?” So a number of Kūfa’s elders came; when they looked at the body they likewise said, “This is ʿAlī ibn Abī Ṭālib.”

Al-Ḥajjāj exclaimed, “Abū Turāb! I will crucify him.” Ibn Umm al-Ḥakam said to him, “I adjure you by Allah, O governor, do not kindle this flame of discord between us and our brothers of Banū Hāshim.”

Al-Ḥajjāj retorted, “What are you afraid of? Do you fear that after your death someone might come for your body, dig it up, and so compel them to bury you in a place unknown to anyone?” Ibn Umm al-Ḥakam replied, “By Allah, I do not care whether my body—or anyone else’s—is exhumed ⦗75⦘ once it is merely said, ‘This is So-and-so’s body.’ ”

Al-Ḥajjāj therefore ordered that several pits be dug during the day, after which he had ʿAlī’s body loaded onto a camel, its limbs dangling. He took it out at night and buried it in another location where no one would know of it.