“The moment I killed him...

“The moment I killed him,” said he, “I saw a black man with an extremely ugly face standing beside me biting his finger, so I was frightened.” “Perhaps you lost your mind for a moment,” said Ibn Ziyad.[^13] Hani was taken to an area of the market place where sheep were sold; his arms were tied. He kept saying, “O Mathhaj! Any man from Mathhaj to help me today?! O Mathhaj!

Where has Mathhaj gone away from me?!” Having seen that there was none to respond to him, he somehow managed to get one of his arms out of the ropes and said, “Is there anyone who would hand me a stick, a knife, a rock, or even a bone so that a man may be able to defend himself?” Guards attacked him and tied him again. He was ordered to stretch his neck so that they might strike it with their swords. “I am not going to give it away to you so generously.

I shall not assist you at the cost of my own life.” A Turkish slave named Rasheed owned by ‘Ubaydullah Ibn Ziyad struck him with his sword, but he missed. Hani said, “To Allah is my return! O Allah! To Your Mercy do I come and to Your Pleasure!” Rasheed hit him again and killed him. This same slave was killed by ‘Abdul-Rahman Ibn al-Hasin al-Muradi who saw him at the Khazar[^14] (Caspian Sea) in the company of ‘Ubaydullah.

Ibn Ziyad ordered the corpses of both Muslim and Hani to be tied with ropes from their feet and dragged in the market places[^15]. He crucified them upside-down[^16] at the garbage collection site, then he sent their severed heads to Yazid who displayed them at one of the streets of Damascus. ‘Ubaydullah Ibn Ziyad wrote Yazid saying: “Praise to Allah Who effected justice on behalf of the commander of the faithful and sufficed him having to deal with his foes.

I would like to inform the commander of the faithful, may Allah bless him, that Muslim Ibn ‘Aqil had sought refuge at the house of Hani Ibn ‘Urwah al-Muradi, that I assigned spies for them and let men infiltrate their assemblies and plotted against them till I forced them out.

Allah gave me the upper hand over them, so I killed them and sent you both of their heads with Hani Ibn Abu Hayya al-Wadi’i al-Hamdani and al-Zubayr Ibn al-’Arwah al-Tamimi who both are from among those who listen to and obey us; so, let the commander of the faithful ask them whatever he pleases, for there is knowledge with them, truth, understanding, and piety. And peace be with you”. Yazid wrote Ibn Ziyad saying, “You do not cease being the source of my delight.