of Bani Jumah; for the people of Qinnasrin, the Gate of Bani Sahm (1). [At every gate stood a commander accompanied by the contingents of that region.] Al-Hajjaj and Tariq ibn ʿAmr were positioned in the plain of al-Abtah. Whenever Ibn al-Zubayr sallied forth against those at any gate, he put them to flight and scattered their ranks, wearing no armor until he had driven them to al-Abtah, where he would cry out:
“If I had but a single peer, I would be enough for him!”
Ibn Safwan—and the men of Syria as well—would respond, “Yes, by Allah, and against a thousand men too!” Stones from the mangonel would sometimes land on the edge of his cloak, yet he would not even flinch. Then he would charge them, fighting like a raging lion, and people were astonished by his daring and valor.

On the night of Tuesday, the seventeenth of Jumada al-Ula of that year, Ibn al-Zubayr spent the entire night in prayer. Near dawn he sat, clasping his knees with the strap of his sword, dozed briefly, and awoke at fajr as was his habit. He said, “Call the adhan, O Saʿd,” so Saʿd gave the call by the Maqam. Ibn al-Zubayr performed ablution, prayed the two sunnah rakʿahs of fajr, and when the iqamah was pronounced he led the dawn prayer. After finishing, he recited Sūrah Nūn (Q 68) letter by letter, then concluded, praised Allah, and extolled Him. He said, “Uncover your faces so I may see you.” They had been wearing visored helmets; they removed them, and he urged and exhorted them to fight and be steadfast.

He then rose in attack, and they rose with him, pushing the enemy back to al-Hajun. A brick struck him in the face, and he shuddered at the blow. Feeling the warm blood run down, he recited:
“Our wounds do not bleed upon our heels;
Upon our very feet the blood is shed.”
He then fell to the ground; they rushed upon him and killed him (2) (may Allah be pleased with him).

They went to al-Hajjaj and informed him; he fell prostrate—may Allah disgrace him. He and Tariq ibn ʿAmr then came and stood over the slain body. Tariq said, “Never have women borne a man more noble than this.” Al-Hajjaj retorted, “Do you praise one who defied obedience to the Commander of the Believers?” He replied, “Indeed I do! He is all the more excusable, for we besieged him while he had neither fortress nor trench nor any protection to redress our wrongs against him; rather, in every encounter he outdid us.” When this reached ʿAbd al-Malik, he approved (3) Tariq’s words.

Ibn ʿAsakir (4) relates in his biography of al-Hajjaj that when Ibn al-Zubayr was killed, Mecca resounded with weeping over ʿAbd Allah ibn al-Zubayr (may Allah have mercy on him). Al-Hajjaj then addressed the people, saying:
“O people! ʿAbd Allah ibn al-Zubayr was among the best of this community until he coveted the caliphate, wrested it from those entitled to it, and committed sacrilege within the Sanctuary; so Allah made him taste His painful punishment. Adam was more honored by Allah than Ibn al-Zubayr, and he was in Paradise—which is nobler than Mecca—yet when he disobeyed Allah’s command and ate from the tree that had been forbidden to him, Allah expelled him from Paradise. Rise now to your prayer; may Allah have mercy on you.”

[It is also reported that he said: “O people of Mecca, you deem the killing of Ibn al-Zubayr something enormous and momentous, but Ibn al-Zubayr was among the best of this—”]