They deceived him as they had deceived the Commander of the faithful before him.

They deceived him as they had deceived the Commander of the faithful before him. Al-Hasan camped at al-Nukhayla for ten days. No one joined him except four thousand fighters. So he came back to Kufa to urge people. There he delivered a sermon in which he said: "You have deceived me as you had deceived those who were before me." [1] I (the author) say: We do not know exactly the number of those who joined al-Hasan. However, we know that he "left Kufa with a great army" as b.

Abu al-Hadid said in his book 'Sharh Nahj al-Balagha.' In the chapter entitled, 'the Number of the Army', we will discuss the ideas of the historians to choose the accurate number of the soldiers of al-Hasan, peace be on him. Al-Hasan left al-Nukhayla and reached Dir 'Abd al-Rahman. He [1] Al-Rawandi, al-Kharaij wa al-Jaraih, p. 228, (Iran). stayed there for three days. At that next other mujahidin (fighters) joined him, but we do not know their number.

Dir of 'Abd al-Rahman was situated between the two camps of Imam al-Hasan in al-Mada'in [1] and Maskan. [2] [1] It was the Sassanid capital. It lasted for one thousand years. It was the inheritor of Babil (Babylon) in greatness. Today, none of its ruins has remained but Taq Kasra, and the Shrine of the great Companion (Salman al Farisi), may Allah have mercy on him. There were seven facing cities, namely they faced each other on the banks of Tigris. The Muslims conquered it in the year 15 A.H.

At that time it was the capital of all the Persian East. So in the Western side were Saluqiya, Darzjan, Bahrsir, and Jindisabur (Kauka) in the district of Mazlam Sabat which was related to Nahr al-Malik (the River of the king). And in the Eastern side were Asfanbar, Romya, and Tishfon which had Taq Kasra. More than one hundred years had passed before the extinction of al Mada'in because of the foundation of Baghdad in the year 150 A.H.

During that period of time, al-Mada'in supplied Kufa with industries, resources, and crops. That was through sending Persian friends to it, who became Muslims. Al-Mada'in followed the example of the family of Muhammad, may Allah bless him and his family, from the day when Salman became a governor over it. Also in the seventh century A.H., al Mada'in was a village which no one inhabited but the eager Shi'a. Al-Mas'udi mentioned al-Mada'in when he mentioned Iraq.

He said: "And the cities of Iraq were al Mada'in and the surrounding cities.