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.

59. 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.