18
Origins
actionsawhiminthecompany
ofmawlas.
4
Hesentamawlaon
the
important
missionof
avengingal-H.usayn
b.CAli’sdeath.
5
Subsequently,
unfreesoldiers
fought
forhim
in
large
numbers:
500,1,000,
2,300,
possibly
4,000,and
"mostofan
army.
’’
A1-
Mukhtr’s
troops
includedsomany
unfreesoldiersthat
they
werecalled"theslaves";
7
atone
point
Ibn
az-Zubayr’s
soldiers
complained
to
al-Mukhtfirof
being
attacked
by
theirown
slaves
(or
theirslavesandmawlas).
8
The
unfree
provided
al-Mukhtr
withofficersaswellas
troops;
in
66/686
they
led 100 horsemen
onone occasion and4,000
soldiers
(including
atleast 1,000
mawlas)
onanother.
9
Further,al-Mukhtr
sentablack
ghulm
cavalryman
onan
important
mission;
6
andamawlawassucha
close
companion
of
his thatwhen the
enemy captured
the
mawla,he
was
singled
outfor
special
insultsand
punishment.
61
Ofal-Mukhtr’s
mawlas,AbfiCAmra
Kaysn
is
by
farthebest
known.
2
He served al-Mukhtr as the leader
ofhis mawla
bodyguard (theshur.ta
or.haras).
3
At the BattleofMadhr,
whereal-Mukhtr
losthislifein67/687,AbO
CAmra
Kaysn
led
a
separate
corps
ofmawlas.
4
His
exploitsapparently
caught
the
imagination
ofsomeShiCis,forasectcalled
the
KaysSniya
came
intoexistenceaboutthetimeofal-Mukhtr’srevolt,
most
prob-
ably
namedafterthisman.
n
Afteral-Mukhtfir’sdeathin67/687,his
supporters
lost
abattle
54.
Ibid.,p.
29.
55.
KM,
p.
126.
56.500:Dixon,
p.
44.1,000:Din,
p.
298,andAA,5:253;
T,2:721.2,300:AA,
5:246;
T,2:689.
Possibly
4,000:samerefs.as1,000.
Mostofan
army:
Dixon,
p.
65.NotealsoIbnAtham,5:289.
57.T,2:623.
58.Slaves:T,2:718;IbnACtham,6:147.Slaves
andmawlas:IbnAtham,
6:146.
- 100 horsemen:Din,p.
301.4,000soldiers:Din,
p.
298 andAA,5:253;T,
2:721.
60.IbnAtham,6:155.
61.Ibid.,
p.
108.
62.A.A.Dixon,"Kaysn,
AbOAmra,"inEl
.
63.T,2:634,671.
T,2:634
implies
thatmawlasconstitutedthe
wholeshu.rta.
64.T,
2:721;AA,5:253.
65.W.
Madelung,"Kaysniyya"
inEI;Dixon,pp.
77-78.