Al-Samil was one of the dignitaries selected by the army...

Al-Samil was one of the dignitaries selected by the army from among the people of Syria. He entered Andalusia under the authority of Balaj Ibn Bishr who looked after the Mudarites in Andalusia when Abu al-Khattar al-Husam Ibn Dirar al-Kalbi demonstrated his fanaticism in support of the Yemenites. Al-Samil died in the prison of ‘Abdul-Rahman Ibn Mu’awiyah in the year 142 A.H./759 A.D. He was a poet.” On p. 234, Vol.

1, of his book Tarikh ‘Ulama' al-Andalus, Ibn al-Fawti says the following, “Shimr Ibn Thul-Jawshan al-Kila’i, a Kufian, is the one who presented the head of al-Husayn (‘a) to Yazid Ibn Mu’awiyah at the Balaj garrison. He is grandfather of al-Samil Ibn Hatim Ibn Shimr al-Qaysi, a fellow of al-Fahri.” What is really accurate is the account narrated by al-Dinawari on p. 296 of his book Al-Akhbar al-Tiwal: “Shimr Ibn Thul-Jawshan was killed by the supporters of al-Mukhtar at al-Mathar.

His head was sent to Muhammad Ibn al-Hanafiyya.” On p. 222 of his book Al-A’laq al-Nafisa, Ibn Rastah says, “Al-Shimr Ibn Thul-Jawshan was leprous.” On p. 122, Vol. 7, of his Tarikh, al-Tabari says the same, and so does Ibn al-Athir in his book Al-Kamil. [^2]: Ibn al-Athir, Al-Kamil, Vol. 4, p. 23. [^3]: al-Tabari, Tarikh, Vol. 6, p. 236. Previous…