They said:

When Muslim ibn ʿAqil reached the palace gate he found there a group of commanders—sons of the Prophet’s Companions whom he knew and who knew him—waiting to be granted audience with Ibn Ziyad. Muslim’s face and clothes were soaked with blood, his wounds were deep, and he was tormented by thirst. Just then he noticed a jug (1) of cold water, and he reached for it to drink.

One of the men said, “By Allah, you will not drink from it until you drink from the scalding water of Hell!”

Muslim answered, “Woe to you, son of Bāhila (2)! You are more deserving than I of that boiling water and of everlasting punishment in the Fire.”

He then sat down, leaning against the wall from exhaustion, weariness, and thirst. ʿUmārah ibn ʿUqbah ibn Abī Muʿīṭ sent a servant to his house, and the man returned with a jug wrapped in a cloth and a cup. He kept pouring water into the cup and handing it to Muslim, who would try to drink, but the blood that kept welling up and covering the water made it impossible for him to swallow—this happened two or three times. When he finally managed to drink, his front teeth fell into the cup with the water. He said, “Praise be to Allah! There still remained for me, in my allotted provision, one last draught of water.”

He was then ushered in to Ibn Ziyad. When he stood before him he offered no greeting. The guards said, “Will you not salute the governor?”

He replied, “No. If he intends to kill me, I have no need to greet him; and if he does not intend my death, I shall greet him many times.”

Ibn Ziyad advanced on him and said, “Well then, son of ʿAqil! You came to a people whose affairs were united and whose word was one, only to scatter them, divide their ranks, and drive them to shed one another’s blood?!”

Muslim replied, “Never! I did not come for that. The people of this city claimed that your father killed their best men, shed their blood, and treated them as Chosroes and Caesar treated their subjects. I came to command justice and to summon them to the judgment of the Book.”

Ibn Ziyad retorted, “And what concern is that of yours, you reprobate? Why did you not act upon that while you were in Medina, guzzling wine?”

Muslim said, “I drink wine?! By Allah, Allah knows you are lying and speaking without knowledge. You are far more entitled to that charge than I—[for I am not as you describe, and the one truly deserving of it is he who plunges into the blood of Muslims, kills the soul Allah has forbidden without right, murders out of anger and suspicion, and then sports and plays as though he had done nothing].”

Ibn Ziyad said, “O sinner, your soul made you hope for something Allah kept from you and denied you; He has not shown you its people.”

Muslim asked, “And who are its people, Ibn Ziyad?”

He answered, “The Commander of the Faithful, Yazid.”

Muslim said, “Praise belongs to Allah in every circumstance. We are content with Allah as judge between us and you.”

Ibn Ziyad said, “It is as though you imagine you have any say in the matter!”

Muslim replied, “No, by Allah, that is not conjecture; it is certainty.”

Ibn Ziyad swore, “May Allah destroy me if I do not kill you with a death the like of which no one in Islam has ever suffered!”

Muslim responded, “Indeed, you are the one most entitled to introduce into Islam things it has never known. You will never abandon vile killing, ugly mutilation, and the wicked conduct you have inherited from your elders (3) and your ignoramuses (4).”

Ibn Ziyad then began cursing him and cursing al-Husayn and ʿAli, while Muslim remained silent and did not answer him. —Reported by Ibn Jarir from