“I desire his life, while he desires my death—may you find a defender against your friend from Murad!” (1)

When Haniʾ entered and greeted ʿUbayd Allah, the governor said, “O Haniʾ, where is Muslim ibn ʿAqil?”

“I do not know,” he replied.

At that, the Tamimi client who had slipped into Haniʾ’s house disguised as a courier from Homs—pledging allegiance and handing silver to Muslim in Haniʾ’s presence—stood up. ʿUbayd Allah asked, “Do you recognise this man?”

“Yes,” Haniʾ answered. When he saw him, Haniʾ was dumbfounded, his hands falling helplessly to his sides.

He said, “May Allah set the governor aright! By Allah, I did not invite him into my house; he came and threw himself upon me.”

ʿUbayd Allah retorted, “Then bring him to me.”

“By Allah,” Haniʾ said, “even if he were under my feet I would not lift them off him.”

“Bring him closer to me,” the governor ordered. They pushed Haniʾ forward, and ʿUbayd Allah struck him in the face with the butt of a spear, gashing his eyebrow and breaking his nose. Haniʾ reached for a guardsman’s sword to draw it, but they restrained him.

ʿUbayd Allah declared, “Allah has made your blood lawful to me, for you are a Haruri (i.e., a Kharijite).” He then ordered that Haniʾ be taken away and confined in a corner of the palace.

His clansmen of Banu Madhhij, led by ʿAmr ibn al-Hajjaj, came and stood at the palace gate, thinking he had been killed. Hearing the uproar, ʿUbayd Allah said to the judge Shurayh, who was present, “Go out to them and say: The governor has detained him only to question him about Muslim ibn ʿAqil.”

Shurayh told them, “Your companion is alive. Our ruler has struck him a blow that has not reached his life. Go home; do not destroy yourselves or him.” So they dispersed to their dwellings.

When the news reached Muslim ibn ʿAqil, he mounted and issued his rallying cry: “Ya Mansur, amit!” (O Mansur, strike!). Four thousand people of Kufah gathered around him. With him was al-Mukhtar ibn Abi ʿUbayd bearing a green banner, and ʿAbd Allah ibn Nawfal ibn al-Harith with a red banner. Muslim arranged them into right and left wings, kept the centre for himself, and advanced toward ʿUbayd Allah, who was addressing the people about Haniʾ and warning them against dissension. The city’s notables and commanders were beneath his pulpit.

While he spoke, look-outs arrived saying, “Muslim ibn ʿAqil is here!” ʿUbayd Allah hastened into the palace with those who were with him, and they barred the gates.

When Muslim reached the palace gate he stationed his forces there. The tribal chiefs inside the palace looked out and signalled to their tribesmen with Muslim to withdraw, threatening and intimidating them. ʿUbayd Allah also sent out several leaders, ordering them to ride through Kufah and dissuade the people from supporting Muslim ibn ʿAqil; they did so.

A woman would come to her son or brother and say, “Go back home; others will spare you the trouble,” and a man would say to his son or brother, “Tomorrow the armies of Syria will arrive—what will you do against them?” Thus the people lost heart, stalled, and drifted away from Muslim ibn ʿAqil until only five hundred remained; then they dwindled to three hundred; then to thirty. He led those thirty in the Maghrib prayer, headed toward the Kindah gates, emerged with ten men, and then they too left him. He was left alone—no one to guide him, to share his fate, or to offer him shelter.

He wandered aimlessly as darkness fell, roaming the streets not knowing where to go. He stopped at a doorway and knocked. A woman named Tawʿah—formerly a concubine of al-Ashʿath ibn Qays—came out. She had a son by another man, Bilal ibn Asid, who had gone out with the people while his mother stood waiting