Muslim
Ibn Aqeel (AS)
Al-Husayn,
peace be upon him, summoned Muslim bin Aqil and dispatched him to Kufa.
Muslim, the mercy of God be on him, departed until he came to Medina.
There he prayed in the mosque of the Apostle of God, may God bless him
and his family, and said farewell to the dearest members of his family.
He went on
until he entered Kufa. There he stayed in the house of al-Mukhtar bin
Abi Ubayda, which is called today the house of Muslim bin al-Musayyib.
Muslims began to come regularly to see him. Whenever a group of them
gathered together with him, he would read the letter of al-Husayn, peace
be upon him, and they would weep. The people pledged allegiance to him
(on behalf of al-Husayn) to the extent that eighteen thousand men made
such a pledge to him. Therefore Muslim wrote to al-Husayn, peace be upon
him, informing him of the pledge of allegiance to him of the eighteen
thousand and urging him to come.
The Muslim
began to visit Muslim bin Aqil so frequently that his place (of
residence) became well-known. Al-Numan bin Bashlr, who had been
Muawiya's governor of Kufa and had been confirmed in office by Yazid,
knew of his where about. He went up on the the pulpit and after praising
God said: "Servants of God, fear God and do not rush into rebellion and
discord. For in that men will be destroyed, blood will be shed, and
property will be plundered. I do not combat anyone who does not combat
me, nor do I disturb those of you who remain quiet. I do not oppose you,
nor do I apprehend (you merely) on grounds of suspicion, accusation or
hearsay. However, if you turn your faces away from me, violate your
pledge of allegiance and oppose your Imam, by God, other than Whom there
is no deity, I will strike you with my sword as long as its hilt remains
in my hand, even though I do not have any of you to help me. Yet I hope
that those among you who know the truth are more numerous than those
whom falsehood will destroy."
Abd Allah
bin Muslim bin Rabi'al al-Hadrami, an ally of the Banu Umayya, wrote the
(following) letter to Yazid bin Mu'awiya:
Muslim bin
Aqil has come to Kufa and muslims have pledged allegiance to him on
behalf of al-Husayn bin Ali bin Abi Talib, peace be on them. If you have
any need for Kufa, then send it a strong man, who will carry out your
orders and act in the same way as you would against your enemy. Al-Nu'man
bin Bashir is a weak man, or he is acting like a weak man.
Yazid gave
him authority over Kufa to Ubayd Allah bin Ziyad. Ubayd Allah bin Ziyad
himself left Basra after he had made his brother, Uthman, his deputy.
When he reached Kufa, he was wearing a black turban and he was veiled.
News of al Husayn's departure had reached the people and they were
expecting his arrival. When they saw Ubayd Allah, they thought that he
was al-Husayn. He (i.e. Ubayd Allah) did not pass a group of people
without them greeting him. They were saying: "Welcome, son of the
Apostle of God, your arrival is a happy (event)."
He saw in
their welcoming of al Husayn something which (greatly) troubled him.
Muslim bin Amr said, when their number had become so great (that) they
were delaying them: "This is the governor Ubayd Allah bin Ziyad."
When
Muslim bin Aqil heard of the coming of Ubayd Allah to Kufa, he left the
house of al-Mukhtar and went to the house of Hani bin Urwa and went in
(to stay) there. The Muslims began to visit Hani's house secretly to
keep it hidden from Ubayd Allah and they enjoined that it should be kept
secret.
Ibn Ziyad
summoned a retainer (mawla) called Maqil. "Take three thousand dirhams,"
he told him, "and look for Muslim bin Aqil and search out his followers.
If you get hold of one or a group of them, give them these three
thousand dirhams. Tell them to use it to help in the war against your
enemy. Let them know that you are one of them. For if you give them it,
they will be sure of you and have confidence in you, and they will not
keep any of their information from you. So go (looking) for them and
continue until you find where Muslim bin Aqil is staying."
He came
(to a place where) he sat near Muslim bin Awsaja al-Asad; in the great
mosque. The latter was praying, and he (Maqil) heard some people saying
that this (was one of those who) had pledged allegiance to al-Husayn. He
went up and sat right next to him until he had finished praying. "O
servant of God," he said, "I am a Syrian whom God has blessed with love
for the House of Prophet and love for those who love them." He pretended
to weep (in front of) him. Then he continued: "I have three thousand
dirhams with which I want to meet a man from them (the House) whom I
have learnt has come to Kufa to receive pledges of allegiance on behalf
of the son of the daughter of the Apostle of God, may God bless him and
his family. I have wanted to meet him but I have not found anyone who
will direct me to him and I don't know the place (where he is staying).
While I was sitting (here), I heard a group of the faithful saying that
this is a man (i.e. Muslim bin Awsaja) who is acquainted with this
House. Therefore I have come to you so that you may take this money from
me and introduce me to your leader; for I am one of your brethren and
someone you can trust. If you wish, you may receive my pledge of
allegiance to him before my meeting him."
"I thank
God for you meeting me," replied Muslim bin Awsaja, "and it gives me
great joy to get (you) what you desire, and that God should help the
House of His Prophet, peace be on them, through you. Yet the people's
knowledge of my (connection) with this affair before it is finished
troubles me, because of (my) fear of this tyrant and his severity." "It
would be better (if) you took the pledge of allegiance from me (now),"
Maqil told him. So he took his pledge of allegiance and testaments
heavily supported by oaths that he would be sincere and keep the matter
concealed. He (Maqil) gave him whatever would make him content in that
way.
He began
to go to visit him frequently with the people and sought permission for
him (to visit). Permission was given and Muslim bin Aqil received (Maqil's)
pledge of allegiance. He told Abu Thumama al Saidi to take the money
from him. That man (i.e. Maqil) began to visit them regularly. He was
the first to enter and the last to leave, in order to become acquainted
with (everything of) their affairs which Ibn Ziyad wanted. He used to
keep him informed about that at regular intervals.
Hani bin
Urwa began to fear for himself and he stopped attending Ibn Ziyad's
assembly. He pretended to be sick. Ibn Ziyad asked those who did attend,
"Why is it I don't see Hani?"
"He is
sick." they replied.
"If I had
been informed of his illness, I would have paid him a sick visit," said
Ibn Ziyad. Then he summoned Muhammad bin al-Ashath, Asma bin Kharija and
Amr bin al-Hajjaj al Zubaydi. "I have learnt, that he is better and he
sits at the door of his house. Go and tell him that he should not
abandon his duty towards us. I do not like one of the Arab nobles like
him to ill-treat me." said Ibn Ziyad.
They went
until they stood before his (house) in the evening. He was sitting at
his door.
"What is
stopping you from seeing the governor?" they asked.
"He has
been informed," they said, "that you sit at the door of your house every
evening. He finds you tardy and tardiness and churlish behavior are
things which the authorities will not tolerate. We adjure you to ride
with us."
He called
for his clothes and got dressed. Then he called for a mule and rode with
them until he came to Ubayd Allah bin Ziyad.
After an
argument, "Come near me," demanded (Ibn Ziyad). He came nearer and Ibn
Ziyad struck his face with his cane and went on beating at his nose,
forehead and cheeks so that he broke his nose and the blood flowed from
it on to his face anal heard and the flesh of his forehead and cheeks
was sprinkled over his beard. Eventually the cane broke. Hani stretched
out his hand towards the hilt of the sword of one of the armed
attendants but the man pulled it away and prevented him.
"You have
been behaving like one of the, Haruri (i.e. Kharijites) all day long!"
yelled Ibn Ziyad, "so your blood is permitted to us. Take him away!"
They took him and threw him into one of the rooms in the building. They
locked the doors on him.
Ubayd
Allah sent for the nobles and he assembled them. They (went up to the
roof to) look down on the people. They offered additional (money) and
kind treatment to those who would obey and they terrified the
disobedient with (threats of) dispossession and (dire) punishment. They
told them that the army from Syria was coming against them. Kathir bin
Shihab spoke until the sun was about to set. He said: "O people, stay
with your families. Do not hurry into evil actions. Do not expose
yourselves to death.
The
(other) nobles spoke in a similar vein. After the people had heard what
they had to say, they began to disperse. Women began to come to their
sons and brothers (saying): "Go, the people will be enough (without)
you." Men were going to their sons and brothers and saying: "Tomorrow,
the Syrians will come against you. What are you doing, causing war and
evil? Come away." Thus (a man) would be taken away or would leave. They
continued to disperse so that by the time evening came and Muslim bin
Aqil prayed the evening prayer, he had only thirty men with him in the
mosque. When he saw that it was evening and he only had that group with
him, he left the mosque and headed for the gates of Kinda. He reached
the gates with only ten of them (left) with him. When he left the gate,
there was no one with him to guide him. He looked around but could see
no one to guide him along the road, to show him to his house and to give
him personal support if an enemy appeared before him.
He
wandered amid the lanes of Kufa without knowing where he was going until
he came to the houses of the Banu Jabala of Kinda. He went on until he
came to a door (at which was) a woman called Tawa. She had been a
slave-wife (umm walad) of al-Ashath bin Qays and he had freed her. She
had, then, married Usayd al-Hadrami and had borne him (a son called)
Bilal. Bilal had gone out with the people and his mother was standing at
the door waiting for him.
Ibn Aqil
greeted her and she returned the greeting.
"Servant
of God, give me water to drink," he asked her. she gave him a drink and
he sat down. she took the vessel inside and then came out again.
"Servant
of God, haven't you had your drink?" she asked.
"Yes," was
the answer.
"Then go
to your people," she said. But he was silent. She repeated it but he was
still silent. A third time she said: "Glory be to God, servant of God,
get up - may God give you health - (and go) to your people. For it is
not right for you to sit at my door and I will not permit you to do it."
At this he
got up and said: "Servant of God, I have neither house nor clan in this
town. Would you (show) me some generosity and kindness? Perhaps I will
be able to repay it later on."
"What is
it, servant of God?" she asked.
"I am
Muslim bin Aqil," he replied. "These people have lied to me, incited me
(to action) and then abandoned me."
"You are
Muslim," she repeated.
"Yes," he
answered.
"Come in,"
she said and he was taken into a room in her house but not the room she
used. She spread out a carpet for him and offered him supper but he
could not eat.
Soon her
son returned. He saw her going frequently to and fro between the rooms
and exclaimed: "By God, the number of times which you have gone into and
come out of that room this evening, makes me suspect that you have
something important (there)."
"My little
son, forget about this," she answered.
"By God,
tell me," he replied.
"Get on
with your own business and don't ask me about anything," she retorted.
However he persisted until she said: "My little son, don't tell any of
the people anything about what I am going to tell you."
"Indeed,"
he answered and she made him take an oath. When he swore (not to do)
that, she told him. He went to bed without saying anything.
That same
morning the son of that old woman went to Abd al- Rahman bin Muhammad
bin al-Ash'ath and told him about Muslim bin Aqil being with his mother.
Abd al-Rahman went to his father who was with Ibn Ziyad. He went to him
and Ibn Ziyad learned his secret.
"Get up
and bring him to me immediately," said Ibn Ziyad to (Muhammad bin al-Ashath),
poking a cane into his side. He sent Amr bin Ubayd Allah bin Abbas al-Sulam,
with him, together with seventy men from the tribal group of Qays.
They went
to the house where Muslim bin Aqil was. When he heard the beating of
horses hooves and the voices of men, he knew that it was him whom they
had come for. He went out against them with his sword (drawn) as they
rushed blindly towards the house. He fell upon them and struck them with
his sword so that he drove them away from the house. They repeated the
attack, and Muslim counter attacked in the same way. He and Bakr bin
Humran al-Ahmari exchanged blows and Bakr struck Muslim's mouth, cutting
his top lip and slicing down to the lower lip to knock out two of his
teeth. Muslim struck him a terrible blow on the head and repeated it
again, cutting a nerve along his shoulder with a blow which almost
reached his stomach. When the people saw that, they (went up and) looked
down on him (Muslim) from the tops of the houses, and began to hurl
stones at him and to light canes of wood with fire which they threw from
the top of the house. When he saw that, he went out against them into
the lane with his sword unsheathed.
"You can
have my guarantee of security," said Muhammad bin al-Ashath, "don't kill
yourself." But he continued to fight against them saying: I swear I will
only be killed as a free man.
He had
been hurt by stones and weakened by the fighting. He was out of breath
and he was propping his back up against the wall of that house. Ibn al-Ash'ath
repeated the offer of security to him.
"If you
will not grant me security," declared Muslim, "I will not put my hand in
yours."
A mule was
brought and he was put on it. They gathered around him and pulled his
sword away. At that he was in despair for his life and his eyes filled
with tears.
"This is
the first betrayal," he cried.
"I hope no
harm will come to you," called out Muhammad bin al-Ashath.
Ibn al-Ash'ath
went with Ibn Aqil to the door of the palace. He asked permission to
enter. Permission was given him and he went in (to see) Ibn Ziyad. He
gave a report about Ibn Aqil and Bakr's blow against him, and about his
own guarantee of security to him.
"What (is
this about) you and a guarantee of security?" demanded Ubayd Allah, "as
if we sent you to guarantee him security when we only sent you to bring
him."
Ibn al-Ashath
fell silent.
While Ibn
Aqil remained at the palace door, his thirst had become severe. There
was a jug of cold water placed at the doorway. "Give me a drink of that
water," asked Muslim. "See how cold it is," replied Muslim bin Amr, "but
by God, you will never taste a drop of it until you taste the heat of
Hell-fire."
"Shame on
you whoever you are!" cried Ibn Aqil.
He sat
down, propping himself against a wall. Amr bin Hurayth sent one of his
boys to bring a jug with a napkin and cup. He poured water into it and
told him to drink. But whenever he went to drink, he filled the cup with
blood so that he was not able to drink. He did that once, and then
twice. When he made as if to drink for the third time, his tooth fell
into the cup.
"Praise be
to God," he said, "if it had been a provision granted me (by God), I
could have drunk it."
Ibn
Ziyad's messenger came out and ordered him to go to (see) him. He went
in but did not greet him as governor.
"Don't you
greet the governor?" demanded the guard.
"If he
wants my death, what is (the point of) my greeting him with words of
peace?" he replied. "If he did not want my death, my greetings (of
peace) to him would be profuse."
"By my
life, you will be killed," declared Ibn Ziyad.
"So be
it," he replied.
"Indeed,
(it will)."
"Then let
me make my will to one of my fellow tribesmen."
"Do (so)."
Muslim
looked at those sitting with Ubayd Allah. Among them was Umar bin Saed
bin Abl Waaaas. He said to him: " Umar, there is kinship between you and
me and I have need of you. So you could carry out what I need of you.
But it is secret."
Umar
refused to listen to him.
"Why do
you refuse to consider the need of your cousin" asked Ubayd Allah. So
Umar got up with him and sat where Ibn Ziyad could watch both of them.
"I have a
debt in Kufa," said Muslim. I borrowed seven hundred dirhams when I came
to Kufa. Sell my sword and armour and pay the debt for me. When I have
been killed, ask Ibn Ziyad to give you my corpse and bury it. Send to
al-Husayn, peace be on him, someone to send him back. For I have written
to him telling him that the people are with him and now I can only think
that he is coming."
"Do you
know what he said to me, governor?" Umar said to Ibn Ziyad. "He
mentioned these things."
"The
faithful would not betray you," said Ibn Ziyad to (Muslim), "But the
traitor was confided in. As for what you have, it is yours, and we will
not prevent you from doing with it what you like. As for the body when
we have killed it, we do not care what is done with it. As for al-Husayn,
if he does not intend (harm) to us, we will not intend (harm) to him.
Then Ibn
Ziyad said: "Ibn Aqil, you came to the people while they were all
(united) and you scattered them and divided their opinions so that some
of them attacked others."
"No,"
replied Ibn Aqil, "I did not come for that but (because) the people of
the town claimed that your father had killed their best men, shed their
blood and appointed governors among them like the governors of Choesroe
and Caesar. We came to enjoin justice and to urge rule by the Book."
"What are
you (to do) with that, you great sinner" cried Ibn Ziyad. "Why did you
not do that among the people when you were drinking wine in Medina?"
"Me, drink
wine! By God, God knows you are not speaking the truth, and have spoken
without any knowledge, for I am not like you have said. It is you who
are more correctly described as drinking wine than me, (you) who lap the
blood of Muslims and kill the life whose killing God has forbidden and
(you are one) who sheds sacred blood on behalf of usurpation, enmity and
evil opinion while he (Yazid) enjoys himself and plays as if he had done
nothing."
"You great
sinner (fasiq)," shouted Ibn Ziyad, "your own soul made you desire what
God prevented you from having (i.e. authority) (because) God did not
regard you as worthy of it."
"Who is
worthy of it, if we are not worthy of it?' asked Muslim.
"The
Commander of the faithful, Yazid," answered Ibn Ziyad.
"Praise be
to God," called out Muslim. "We will accept God's judgement between us
and you in every circumstance."
"May God
kill me, if I do not kill you in such a way as no one in Islam has
(ever) been killed before," reported Ibn Ziyad.
"You are
the person with the most right to commit crimes of innovation in Islam
which have not been committed before," Muslim replied, "for you will
never abandon evil murder, wicked punishment, shameful practice, and
avaricious domination to anyone (else)."
Ibn Ziyad
began to curse him, and to curse al-Husayn, Ali and Aqil, peace be on
them, while Muslim did not speak to him.
"Take him
up to the top of the palace," ordered Ibn Ziyad, "and cut off his head,
(throw it to the ground) and make (his body) follow it (to the ground)."
"By God,"
said Muslim, "if there was any (real) kinship between you and me, you
would not kill me."
"Where is
the man whose head Ibn Aqil struck with (his) sword?" asked Ibn Ziyad.
Then Bakr bin Humran al Ahmari was summoned and he told him: "Climb up,
and you be the one who cuts his head off."
He went up
with him. He (Muslim) said: "God is greater (Allahu Akbar)" He sought
forgiveness from God and prayed for blessings on the Apostle, saying:
O God,
judge between us and a people, who have enticed us, lied against us and
deserted us.
They
(took) him to a part which overlooked where the shoemakers are today.
His head was cut off (and thrown down) and his body was made to follow
his head. Muhammad bin al-Ash'ash, then approached Ubayd Allah bin Ziyad
and spoke to him of Hani bin Urwa. He said: "You know of the position of
Hani in the town and of his House in the clan. His people know that I
and my colleague brought him to you. I adjure you before God, hand him
over to me for I would not like (to face) the enmity of the town and his
family."
He
promised to do that but then afterwards something occurred to him and he
ordered Hani (to be) taken (immediately) to the market place and (his
head) cut off.
Hani was
taken in chains until he was brought to a place where sheep were sold.
He began to shout: "O Madhhij! There is no one from Madhhij for me
today! O Madhhij, where is Madhhij?"
When he
realised that no one was going to help him, he pulled his hand and
wrenched it free of the chain, crying: "What is there, stick, knife,
stone or bone, with which a man can defend his life?"
At this
they jumped upon him and tied the chains (more) tightly. He was told to
stretch out his neck but he answered: "I am not so liberal with my life
and I will not help you (to take) my life."
A Turkish
retainer (mawla) of Ubayd Allah called Rashid struck him with a sword
but it did not do anything.
"To God is
the return, O God to Your mercy and Your paradise," called out Hani.
Then (Rashid) struck him with another blow and killed him.
When
Muslim and Hani were killed, the mercy of God be on them, Ubayd Allah
bin Ziyad sent their heads with Hani bin Abi Hayya al-Wadi'i and al-Zubayr
bin al-Arwah al-Tamimi to Yazid bin Muawiya.
Muslim bin
Aqil's (attempted) rising in Kufa was on Tuesday, 8th of Dhu al-Hijja in
the year 60 A.H. (680). He, May God have mercy on him, was killed on
Wednesday, 9th of Dhu al-Hijja, on the Day of Arafa. |