Kūfah to al-Mughīrah ibn Shuʿbah, and its judiciary to Shurayḥ the Judge; Basrah to ʿAbd Allah ibn ʿĀmir; and Khurasan to Qays ibn al-Haytham as deputy of ʿAbd Allah ibn ʿĀmir. [Marwān likewise appointed ʿAbd Allah ibn al-Ḥārith as judge of Madinah and ʿAmīrah ibn Yathribī as judge of Basrah] (1).

That same year the Khawārij whom ʿAlī had spared on the day of Nahrawān—whose wounded had now recovered and whose strength had returned—began to stir once more. When news of ʿAlī’s slaying reached them, they invoked mercy upon his assassin Ibn Muljam, and one of them declared:
“May God never sever the hand that struck the crown
of ʿAlī with the sword.” (2)
They went on praising Allah for ʿAlī’s death, then resolved to rise against the people, agreeing—so they claimed—to enjoin what is right and forbid what is wrong.

In this year Ziyād ibn Abīh came to Muʿāwiyah. For nearly a year he had held out in a fortress that came to bear his name—Qalʿat Ziyād. Muʿāwiyah wrote to him:
“What moves you to destroy yourself? Come to me, relate what has reached you of the revenues of Persia—what you have spent and what remains—and bring it to me while you are safe. If you wish to stay with us you may, and if not, go wherever you please on earth—you are safe.”
Ziyād therefore resolved to set out. When al-Mughīrah heard of his departure he feared that Ziyād might meet the caliph before him, so he too made for Damascus; yet Ziyād reached Muʿāwiyah a full month ahead of him. Muʿāwiyah said to al-Mughīrah:
“How can this be? He was farther from me, you set out before him, and still he has arrived first!” (3)
Al-Mughīrah replied, “O Commander of the Faithful, he was hoping for an increase (ziyādah), whereas I was expecting a decrease (nuqṣān).” Muʿāwiyah honoured Ziyād, took the funds he had brought, and accepted his account of the sums he had disbursed [and of what still remained] (4).

[Then the year 43 AH began.]

That year Busr ibn Abī Arṭāt campaigned in Byzantine territory, pushing on until he reached Constantinople. Al-Wāqidī claims that he wintered in their lands, though others rejected this, saying, “No one has ever wintered there; Allah knows best.”

In the same year a fierce engagement occurred between the Khawārij and the forces of Kūfah. The rebels, as noted above, were determined to rise at this time. Nearly three hundred of them gathered under the leadership of al-Mustawrid ibn ʿAllafah (5), so the governor prepared forces against them