THE ABBASID AGE 85
==-Umayyad Army
Abu Muslim and the Abbasid Revolution
turned out, consider himself a puppet. Over the years, Abbas had built a
real base within the movement that had chosen him as its figurehead, and
now that Abu Muslim had done the donkey work, he said thank you very
much and took the throne.
The new khalifa remembered that Mu'awiya had consolidated his
power by slipping a velvet glove over his iron fist and winning over former
foes with courtesy and charm. Accordingly, the new ruler invited leading
members of the Umayyad clan to break bread with him, just to show that
there were no hard feelings.
Well, I shouldn't say "break bread." That makes it sound like he was
going to serve his guests a simple meal of barley bread and soup, such as the
Prophet might have shared with Omar. That sort of thing was now out of
fashion. No, the Umayyad survivors found themselves lolling on cushions
while servants pranced in with lovely trays piled high with gourmet delica-
cies. The laughter rang out, the conversation turned spirited, and a sense of
camaraderie swelled. Just as everyone was getting ready to tie into the meal,
however, the waiters threw off their robes to reveal armor underneath. They
weren't waiters, it turned out, but executioners. The Umayyads jumped to
