in his treatment of the people of Medina, and so they inclined toward him until they heard him say, “The veil has been torn away—where could we go but Your gate?” He then declared: “Whoever fornicates is a disbeliever, and whoever steals is a disbeliever.” At that the Medinans detested him and withdrew their affection.

He remained in Medina until Marwan al-Ḥimār dispatched ʿAbd al-Malik ibn Muḥammad ibn ʿAṭiyyah—one of the Banū Saʿd—at the head of four thousand Syrian horsemen hand-picked from Marwan’s army. Marwan had given each man one hundred dinars, an Arab stallion, and a mule for his baggage, and ordered Ibn ʿAṭiyyah to fight Abu Ḥamzah without turning back, even if he had to pursue him as far as Yemen, and to engage the governor of Ṣanʿāʾ, ʿAbd Allāh ibn Yaḥyā, as well.

Ibn ʿAṭiyyah marched until he reached Wādī al-Qurā, where Abu Ḥamzah al-Khārijī—on his way north to fight Marwan—met him, and the two forces fought until nightfall. Abu Ḥamzah called out, “Woe to you, Ibn ʿAṭiyyah! Allah has made the night a time for rest; postpone the battle until tomorrow.” But Ibn ʿAṭiyyah refused to break off the fight and pressed on until he routed them. Abu Ḥamzah’s men fled, the survivors retreating to Medina, where the townsfolk fell upon them and killed great numbers. Ibn ʿAṭiyyah then entered Medina after Abu Ḥamzah’s army had withdrawn. It is said he stayed there a month, appointed a deputy over it, appointed another over Mecca, and then set out for Yemen.

The governor of Ṣanʿāʾ, ʿAbd Allāh ibn Yaḥyā, came out to face him; they fought, and Ibn ʿAṭiyyah killed him and sent his head to Marwan. A letter from Marwan reached him commanding him to lead the pilgrimage that year and urging him to hasten to Mecca. So he left Ṣanʿāʾ with only twelve riders, leaving his army behind, and carried with him a saddlebag (1) containing forty thousand dinars. Partway along the road he stopped to camp, whereupon two chieftains, known as the sons of Jumānah and leaders of that district, approached and said, “Woe to you! You are nothing but brigands.”

He answered, “I am Ibn ʿAṭiyyah, and this is the Commander of the Faithful’s letter appointing me over the pilgrimage. We are hurrying so that we may reach the season.” They replied, “This is false,” then charged and killed Ibn ʿAṭiyyah and his companions; only one man escaped, and they seized the money.

Abū Maʿshar said: That year the people performed the pilgrimage under Muḥammad ibn ʿAbd al-Malik ibn Marwan, who had been given authority over Medina, Mecca, and al-Ṭāʾif. The governor of Iraq was Ibn Hubayrah, and over Khurasan was Naṣr ibn Sayyār—though Abū Muslim had already taken possession of many towns, villages, districts, and rural areas of Khurasan. Naṣr sent to Ibn Hubayrah requesting reinforcements and aid, asking him to send ten thousand men before even a hundred thousand would prove insufficient. He also wrote to Marwan seeking help, and Marwan in turn wrote to Ibn Hubayrah instructing him to provide whatever Naṣr required.

Among the notable figures who died that year were Shuʿayb ibn al-Ḥabḥāb, ʿAbd al-ʿAzīz ibn Suhayb, ʿAbd al-ʿAzīz ibn Rufayʿ, and Kaʿb ibn ʿAlqamah.