Al-Dhahabi reports that al-Mukhtar went to Basra during the...

Al-Dhahabi reports that al-Mukhtar went to Basra during the reign of Mu’awiya and invited its residents to Imam Husain (PBUH). He was arrested by ‘Ubayd Allah ibn Ziyad, who was the governor of Basra at the time and whipped one hundred times. Then he was exiled to Ta’if (Dhahabī, Siyar aʿlām al-nubalāʾ, vol. 3, p. 544).

However, during the Battle of Karbala, al-Mukhtar was absent in the Event of ‘Ashura, but his absence was not on purpose, as he was imprisoned by ‘Ubayd Allah ibn Ziyad until the end of Imam Husain’s uprising. After the Event of ‘Ashura After the ‘Event of ‘Ashura’, al-Mukhtar was freed by ‘Ubayd Allah on the condition that he leave Kufa within three days, and if he was seen afterwards, he would be killed.

Meanwhile, it should be mentioned that Al-Mukhtar refused to participate in the Uprising of Tawwabin because he believed it was useless, and that Sulaiman ibn Surad al-Khuza’i was unfamiliar with combat skills and tact. With al-Mukhtar’s refusal, four thousand individuals, of the sixteen thousand who had given their allegiance to Sulaiman ibn Surad retreated because they believed he was incompetent in combat tactics.

His Uprising Al-Mukhtar announced his great revolt, which aimed to accomplish social justice among men and avenge the martyrdom of Imam Husain (peace be on him). Hence, the motto of his uprising was: “Come on to demand vengeance for al-Husain!” This effective call was a thunderbolt against the traitors who committed the most atrocious crime in human history. The righteous, deprived people responded to him. Meanwhile, the objectives of this uprising are as follows: 1.

Equality between the Arabs and non-Arabs: Al-Mukhtar accomplished equality between the Arabs and non-Arabs in all the rights and duties. He demolished the barriers the Umayyad government established to prefer the Arabs to non-Arabs and singled them out for distinctions. It is worth mentioning that the non-Arabs were the backbone of al-Mukhtar’s government.

Hence, al-Mukhtar entrusted the important offices to them and appointed them as commanders-in-chief of his army and he was sure of their sincerity to him. 2. Demanding Vengeance for al-Husain (PBUH): Al-Mukhtar was not craving for the kingdom when he announced his great revolt, as those who envied him said. Rather, he wanted to demand vengeance for Imam Husain ibn Ali (PBUH) who was unjustly killed along with 72 other members of his family and companions.