If you listen to my speech and obey my commands...

If you listen to my speech and obey my commands, I will guide you to the right path. Peace and mercy of Allah be upon you.” All these noblemen read the letter and concealed it’s content except for Mundhir bin Jarud. He was afraid, for he thought that [the sending of Sulaiman, the messenger of al-Husayn (as)] might be a conspiracy by ‘Ubaidullah.

Thus, he came with the messenger to Ibn Ziyad in the evening preceding the day he intended to leave for Kufah, and asked the messenger to read the letter to him. [‘Ubaidullah] asked the messenger to come forward and [as he did so,] he put him to the sword. Ibn Ziyad’s Address in Basrah Ibn Ziyad went on the pulpit of Basrah, praised Allah and glorified Him and said: “By Allah!

The intractable camel ( su’bah ) shall never be coupled with me[^18]; and I will not let anyone clatter ( qa’qa’ah ) before me[^19]; I will punish ( la-nakilun ) whoever is hostile towards me[^20]; I will prove to be a poison for whoever fights me; Indeed, the tribe of Qarrah fairly treated the one who shot at them[^21]. O people of Basrah! Verily the commander of the faithful has made me in charge of Kufah and I am departing towards it tomorrow.

I am placing ‘Uthman bin Ziyad bin Abi Sufyan as my deputy. Beware of opposition and spreading rumours. By Him beside who there is no deity! If I am informed of any opposition from anyone of you, then I shall certainly kill him, and the one who knows him, and his near ones. Verily, I will punish severely for even the slightest act of disobedience until you totally submit to me and there remains among you no opponent or opposer!

I am the son of Ziyad; I resemble him [more] than anyone else on this earth; I have not been taken away by similarity to [my] maternal uncle or [my] cousin.” Ibn Ziyad Enters Kufah Ibn Ziyad then left Basrah for Kufah together with Muslim bin ‘Amru al-Bahili[^22], Sharik bin al-A’war al-Harithi[^23], his attendants and his family members who were around ten men[^24]. He entered Kufah with a black turban on his head, while he had covered his face.

The people [of Kufah] had heard that al-Husayn (as) had set out towards them, so they were waiting for his arrival. When Ibn Ziyad arrived [in the city], they thought that he was al-Husayn (as). He did not pass a group of people without them greeting him by saying: “Welcome to you, O son of the Messenger of Allah! Your arrival is a happy [event].” He saw in their welcoming of al-Husayn (as) something which [greatly] troubled him.