strong and firmly established between al-Mukhtār and Ibn al-Zubayr in that very year, and it was not long before Musʿab (1) set out from Basrah to Kufah—Musʿab ibn al-Zubayr together with the people of Basrah (2)—to lay siege to al-Mukhtār.

The Slaying of al-Mukhtār ibn Abī ʿUbayd, the Impostor (3)

That same year ʿAbd Allah ibn al-Zubayr dismissed al-Hārith ibn ʿAbd Allah ibn Abī Rabīʿah al-Makhzūmī, known as al-Qubbāʿ, from the governorship of Basrah and appointed his brother Musʿab ibn al-Zubayr in his place, so that he might serve as a buttress and an equal rival to al-Mukhtār ibn Abī ʿUbayd. When Musʿab reached Basrah he entered the city with his face veiled and made straight for the pulpit. Once he had ascended it, the people cried, “The amīr! The amīr!” When he removed the veil they recognised him and crowded around him, while al-Qubbāʿ came and sat one step below him.

When the people had gathered, Musʿab rose to address them. He opened his discourse until he reached the verse, “Indeed, Pharaoh exalted himself in the land and made its people into factions” (Qasas 28:4), gesturing with his hand toward Syria—or toward Kufah. He then recited, “And We desired to bestow favor upon those who were oppressed in the land and to make them leaders and heirs (5), and to establish them securely in the land” (Qasas 28:5-6), pointing this time toward the Hijaz.

He continued, “People of Basrah, you are accustomed to giving your commanders epithets; I have called myself al-Jazzār, ‘the Butcher.’” The people rallied to him and were delighted.

When the Kufans had been routed after their revolt against al-Mukhtār—who overpowered them and slew whomever he slew—every one of them who fled made for Basrah. Later al-Mukhtār set out to meet Ibn al-Ashter when news reached him that the latter had slain Ibn Ziyād. The Kufans took advantage of his absence and became eager to depart for Basrah. They then began urging Musʿab to attack al-Mukhtār, inflaming him against the man on the grounds of his scant religiosity (4), his claim that revelation came to him, and his preference for the mawālī over the noblemen.

Now, once Ibn al-Ashter had killed Ibn Ziyād and taken full control of those regions, he secured for himself lands, provinces, and estates, and he looked down on al-Mukhtār. Musʿab therefore coveted the chance to challenge him. He dispatched Muḥammad ibn al-Ashʿath ibn Qays by express courier to al-Muhallab ibn Abī Ṣufrah—who was their governor in Khurasan—and the latter arrived in magnificent style with wealth, men, arms and equipment, a large and formidable army. The people of Basrah rejoiced at his arrival, and Musʿab’s position was strengthened. He then mounted with the people of Basrah and those of Kufah who had joined them, travelling by sea and by land on their way to Kufah.