RELIGIOUS COMMUNITIESrising, and this coalition was only held together by the immediate
danger from the army of 'Ubaydullah ibn Ziyad, which was advancing
through the Jazira. The very fact that the revolt was proclaimed in
the name of 'AI:i's son, Mui).ammad ibn al-I:Janafiyya, and sought
revenge for the death of al-I:Jusayn compromised the ashriif and gave
the Kufan dissidents a pretext to move against them. In order to
increase the fighting ability of the Kufan forces and perhaps to create
a body of armed supporters personally loyal to himself, al-Mukhtar
promised to free slaves who joined him and equipped and provisioned
everyone who followed him. He put a mawlii of the Bajlla called Abii
'Amra Kaysan in charge of his shurta. The ashriif began to complain
that their own mawiilz were given riding animals and that their slaves
disobeyed them.^79
The ashriif took advantage of the departure of the Kufan army under
Ibrahim ibn Malik al-Ashtar, which marched against 'Ubaydullah in
July of 686, to attempt to overthrow al-Mukhtar. Most of the leading
notables of Kufa were involved in this revolt: Bashir ibn Jarir ibn
'Abdullah al-BajaI:i, Shimr ibn Dhi I-Jawshan, Shabath ibn Rib'i at-
Tamimi, and I:Jajjar ibn Abjar al-'Ijli. Al-Mukhtar recalled Ibrahim,
suppressed the rebellion, and purged Kufa of those who had partici-
pated in killing al-I:Jusayn. Shimr ibn Dhi I-Jawshan and 'Umar ibn
Sa'd ibn Abi Waqqa~. were among those who were killed. Those who
could escape from Kufa fled to Basra. Some ten thousand Kufan ref-
ugees are said to have joined Mu~'ab ibn az-Zubayr at Basra, where
the spokesmen of the ashriif, such as Shabath ibn Rib'l and Mui).am-
mad ibn al-Ash'ath, incited Mu~'ab against al-Mukhtar.80 Ibrahim
was sent back against 'Ubaydullah and defeated and killed him at the
Battle of the Khazir in August 686. But the army which al-Mukhtar
sent against Mu~'ab was defeated at Madhar. After this Mu~'ab marched
on Kufa, defeated the forces of al-Mukhtar, killed him, and massacred
six thousand of his followers in April 687.^81
The movement of al-Mukhtar was important because of the ideas
associated with it and because it involved significant numbers of non-
Arabs for the first time. There was not necessarily any connection
79 Baladhurl, Ansiib, V, 229, 267; Dixon, Umayyad Caliphate, pp. 45-50, 60; Tabari,
Ta'rtkh, H, 634, 649-50.
80 Baladhuri, Ansiib, V, 231-32; Dinawari, Akhbiir ar-tiwiil, pp. 300, 307, 310, 315;
Dixon, Umayyad Caliphate, pp. 61-64, 70; Tabari, Ta'rtkh, n, 651-52.
81 Baladhuri, Ansiib, V, 260-64; Dinawari, Akhbiir ar-riwiil, pp. 312-15; Dixon,
Umayyad Caliphate, pp. 71-75; Tabari, Ta'rtkh, n, 733-50.