The killing of Muslim ibn Aqil in Kufa

مقتل مسلم بن عقيل بالكوفة

Dhu al-Hijja 60 AH

Kufa

Muslim ibn Aqil appeared in Kufa in Dhu'l-Hijja of the year 60, and about twelve thousand men pledged allegiance to him, though some say eighteen thousand ¹. When Ubayd Allah ibn Ziyad struck Hani ibn Urwa with a cane and ordered him imprisoned, Muslim proclaimed the slogan 'Ya Mansur', and eighteen thousand men gathered to him ². Most of them then dispersed from him when Ibn Ziyad besieged him in the palace; he remained with about a hundred men, then with three ². Muhammad ibn al-Ash'ath granted him safe-conduct after he had fought until he was badly wounded; he was then brought to Ibn Ziyad, who ordered him taken up to the top of the palace and told Bukayr ibn Humran al-Ahmari, who had been struck by Muslim, to strike his neck, and he did so ³. Hani ibn Urwa was taken out to the market and his neck was struck in cold blood ⁴. Ibn Ziyad ordered Muslim's body crucified and his head sent to Damascus; he was the first of the Banu Hashim to be crucified and the first head of theirs to be carried to Damascus ⁵. The book notes that his appearance was on Tuesday, eight nights into Dhu'l-Hijja, though some say it was on the day of Arafa, nine days into it ⁵.