After the death of Yazid and the Iraqis drove out the...

After the death of Yazid and the Iraqis drove out the Umayyad governor Ubaydullah ibn Ziyad and Iraq came under the influence of Abdullah ibn Zubayr. The collapse of Umayyad authority eased conditions for the Tawwabin and they publicly started calling for support to their cause. The Uprising Tawwabin (Penitents) thereafter started their activities by gathering requirements for the battle and inviting people to seek revenge over the killing of Imam Husain (peace be upon him).

The movement had no further goals apart from fighting the Umayyads and atoning for their failure to support Imam Husain (peace be upon him) at the Battle of Karbala. Their slogan was “Ya la-tharat al-Husain” (O Avengers of al-Husayn!) [7] and according to a report, about 16,000 people enlisted in the register of Sulaiman.

However, Sulayman ibn Surad was disappointed when a large group of Shi’as, especially the people of Basra and al-Mada’in, dishonoured their promise to take part in the rise [8] . In Rabi’ al-Thani of 65 AH (November/December 684 CE), Sulaiman summoned his men who had joined his army to Nukhayla. However, out of a total of 16,000 men who had promised to show up, only 4000 were present.

One of the reasons was that Mukhtar al-Thaqafi believed that Sulaiman had no experience of wars, so many Shias, especially those from the cities of Mada’in and Basra, began to abandon him in large numbers [9] . The army spent three days in Nukhayla and then went to Karbala to mourn at the grave of Imam Husain (peace be upon him). Sulayman ibn Surad said , “Oh Lord, witness that we are followers of Husain’s religion and path.

We are the enemies of his murderers [10] .” They thereafter prayed that since they had missed the chance to be martyred along with Imam Husain (peace be upon him) at Karbala, God would not deny them another chance to be martyred after Husain. Before the army of Syria arrived, the Tawwabin stopped at ‘Ayn al-Warda and took five days to rest. On the day of the conflict, Sulaiman ibn Surad organized the fights, announced his advice, and introduced his successors.

He said: “If I am killed, the leader of the army would be Musayyib ibn Najaba. After him, Abd ‘Allah ibn Sa’d ibn Nufayl shall take the leadership of the army. After his death, Abd ‘Allah ibn Wal and Rifa’a ibn Shaddad are going to be the leaders of the Tawwabun’s Battle [11] .” After visiting Karbala, the army arrived at Qarqisia.