The ABBASIDES took advantage of their efforts and secretly formed an association...

The ABBASIDES took advantage of their efforts and secretly formed an association, the members of which had pledged the oath to transfer the government from UMAYYADS to the HASHEMITES who really deserved it. It is clear that to rule the Islamic world was not the job of every HASHEMITE. It was the right of those divinely appointed descendants of the holy Prophet and IMAM ALI (AS) whom God had chosen to lead humanity.

But these high-thinking souls never wished to take undue advantage of the situation with the aid of cunning tactics. In short, the Imams, the descendants of Imam Ali (as), never tried to acquire power through political trickery. But the ABBASIDES, who too were HASHEMITES. No doubt took the opportunity by the forelock. Availing themselves of the silence shown by the Imams, and of the compassion the people had for the HASHEMITES, they ABBASIDES saw their chances to rise to power.

And when they established themselves on the throne, they became enemies of Imam Ali's posterity in the same degree or more than that which had been adopted by the heartless UMAYYADS. Details of this will be narrated in the biographies of later Imams. The first to start the movement among the ABBASIDES was MUHAMMAD IBN ALI IBN ABDALLAH IBN AL-ABBAS who sent his agents throughout Persia to secretly obtain the oath of allegiance to the HASHEMITES' cause from the Persians.

On Muhammad's death, his son IBRAHIM succeeded him. Meanwhile, the martyrdom of ZAID and his son YAHYA had fanned the flames of revolt against the UMAYYADS. The ABBASIDES took advantage of it and increased their influence in Iraq through ABU SALAMA AL-KHALLAL. Slowly but steadily, their power base increases. Through the sincere support of ABU MUSLIM AL-KHURASANI, all Western Persia and KHURASAN came under their control and the UMAYYAD governor had to flee.

The name of the UMAYYAD ruler was dropped form Friday sermons, having been replaced by that of IBRAHIM IBN MUHAMMAD. The UMAYYAD government till then was under the impression that the disturbances were merely local protests, but now the spies reported that it was a full-fledged movement initiated by IBRAHIM IBN MUHAMMAD IBN ABBAS who was residing at JABULQA. Soon IBRAHIM was arrested, imprisoned and killed ruthlessly.

His family escaped the royal rage with other ABBASIDES and sought quarters with ABU SALMA in Iraq. When the news reached ABU MUSLIM AL-KHURASANI, he sent an army to Iraq which defeated the UMAYYAD forces and annexed Iraq.