What if they were discovered? I sent them to be discovered, as to deceive Mus’ab, so they’d be a decoy to distract him from those he must not find out about. – But, My Lord… – Forget about it, Abdul Aziz. – Forget about them. Listen, you. – Yes, My Lord. Send for Al-Hajjaj bin Yusuf Al-Thaqafi to meet me at my court. Yes, My Lord. So, you admit to being guilty of spying. Don’t look up. Your guilt shall weigh your heads down, and it shall bend your necks to be chopped off by the sword. The Emir’s mercy is greater than our guilt. I’m so fed up with the actions infidel Abdul Malek bin Marwan, that I have no more mercy. Cut their heads off. Who is the commander of Abdul Malek’s army? Is he still Rauh Ibn Zinba’ Al-Juthami? Does Abdul Malek bin Marwan intend to fight me with that meek old man? The one in charge of the army now is Al-Hajjaj bin Yusuf. Who’s that so called Al-Hajjaj? Another nobody with which the usurper of the Caliphate fights! My Lord, if you give me some time and guarantee my safety… Go ahead, speak and be quick. You talk about the war as if it was inevitable. And if that Hajjaj led the army, he would only be one of the Caliph’s soldiers. – What do you mean? – The Caliph will lead the army. Don’t call him “Caliph”! Abdul Malek bin Marwan will lead the army. I hope so! I have long wished to kill that alleged Caliph and usurper myself. Cut their heads off. Bring them! So, you didn’t know who was leading them? He might be Shabeeb Al-Shaibani. Shabeeb Al-Shaibani? I’ve never met him in war or in peace, but I’ve heard of him and heard things about him. They say that he was never defeated before. Has Al-Muhallab been defeated before? I didn’t mean that, Commander. Doesn’t Qatari bin Al-Fuja’a lead the Khawarij? He is their leader and their cavalier, but ever since he established his State and was sworn as Emir of Believers, he stopped leading his army in battles. His state? We will destroy it, with God’s will. They are approaching Basra, Commander, and you still have nothing to face them with. – We won’t face tem this time. – What? Tell people to evacuate the city and go to the outskirts, so that the Khawarij would find an empty city. But then the Khawarij would loot and damage the city! You know them better than I do. The Khawarij never go to war with the purpose of looting, but rather to horrify and kill people. So they won’t have a battle to achieve their purpose this time. This is much harder for the people of Basra than what they suffered before, Ibn Abi Sufra. This is not why we brought you here. Then, advise me, provided you assume responsibility for your the consequences if I take your advice. We would let the people of Basra down if the Khawarij invaded it while you are here, after you came to deter them. Then, I shall face them even if I have to do it alone. Muhallab, if people saw you doing that, they would support you whole-heartedly. They are not ready for war yet.
حجاج بن یوسف قسط نمبر 6
They may lack leadership. Perhaps, but if they found it their attitude would change. We will camp here tonight. I’ve postponed this matter long enough. but now I intend to go ahead with it until I achieve my goal. I will start with Mus’ab in Iraq. Then I will march to his brother Abdullah bin Al-Zubair in Hijaz. The road to Mus’ab is much easier, but… there is an obstacle in the middle of the road. – What is it? – Zufar Ibn Al-Hareth. – We will take care of him. – It is not easy to fight Ibn Al-Hareth while he’s fortified in the middle of the road to Iraq, in that particular location. We don’t have to fight him. We will buy him as we did with others. We will buy him. Peace be upon the Commander. Peace be upon you too. A commander with no army and no soldiers. – What did you do? – I went round Basra, but none of the people responded to our call. They are not ready to fight. They’re rather basking in indolence and submission. Submission to be slaughtered! No, to your presence among them, they rely on you. How could I fight on their behalf on my own, if they did not support me? They think that when Abdullah bin Al-Zubair put you in charge, he should have sent an army with you. Then where is Mus’ab’s army with which he defeated Al-Mukhtar Al-Thaqafi? He’s saving it to face Abdul Malek bin Marwan in case of war. Woe be to the people of Basra! They are people of science and trade, not of war. Go now, Ibn Basheer, and come back at dawn. I wonder what lies beyond this darkness! I’ve never seen you like this, Shabeeb! What’s wrong with you? You used to rush into war without hesitation, until you achieved your victory. It’s God’s victory, Ghazalah. I’ve never went on a war like this one. I used to go on war to fight, not to horrify people without confrontation. How do you know it will be like that? Things in Basra were exactly as I described. And I’ve never went there for the same motives the others had. – So, you’re hesitant? – Now, I am already here. I shouldn’t have gone out for a war like this, and I should’ve come clear about it to Qatari Ibn Al-Fuja’a. I’ve never heard you say such a thing, and I like what I’m hearing. These words will be translated into actions. Ever since we founded a state, we weren’t the same. I am afraid that we would slip into an abyss where we would abandon our faith for the sake of worldly gains. Are you losing sleep over this matter? What matter? Being summoned by the Emir of Believers. No, I’d lose sleep if he didn’t summon me for a long time. Without knowing what he wants? My goal is to stand before the Emir of Believers, regardless of the reason behind it. What if wanted to admonish you? – For what? – For killing one of his soldiers. I killed one of my soldiers, the Caliph’s soldier is me. I don’t think that the Emir of Believers would summon a man like me over such a trivial matter. You underestimate everything to overestimate yourself. I’m fed up with that. What if those words turned into actions? I won’t live to see that. We’ll see. God is Greatest. Peace be upon you. Peace be upon you. What have you done, Hajjaj? – Did you send for Al-Hajjaj? – Yes, My Lord. What’s holding the Emir of Believers up? It must be a call more important than ours. I left him praying. – Peace be upon you – Peace be upon you too. – Peace be upon you – Peace be upon you too. God called me to stand before him, which went on for long time, although to me it felt as fast as lightening. Didn’t you hear anything from Iraq? We’re not receiving much news these days, My Lord. What are Mus’ab and Al-Muhallab doing then? We heard they weren’t on good terms with each other. Not on good terms! While we face this threat! It seems that Al-Muhallab doesn’t acknowledge Mus’ab as his superior And it seems as if Mus’ab doesn’t acknowledge what you put Al-Muhallab in charge of. We should avoid internal disputes and unrests, before we avoid the threat of our enemies. That’s right, Emir of Believers. Send two letters to Mus’ab and Al-Muhallab. I will dictate them to you. We are faced with increasing threat, may God help us. God is indeed the Best Helper! You are getting involved in something very dangerous, Muhallab. Have you ever seen me shying away from danger? The Khawarij are cruel fighters, and they have a thirst for blood. Nothing could make Shabeeb Al-Shaibani turn away from seeking to achieve his goal. Do you think I would turn away, while I am facing him and them? Alone! Here they come, that is their front line. They are approaching slowly, this is not like them. They used to rush in like a raging storm that swept everything in its way. We will march to them. Take this letter to my brother Mus’ab in Kufa, and take this to Al-Muhallab in Basra, then come back and tell me what is happening there. If I could leave Makkah, I would go to them myself. Godspeed. I am Al-Muhallab Ibn Abi Sufra, Shabeeb Al-Shaibani. I think you know me as well as I know you. Above everything, I know that you never invade a peaceful town with peaceful people, and you never kill anyone except in a battle or a confrontation. And I’ve come to confront you alone, with only Adad bin Al-Basheer with me, to defend Basra and its people. So, if you retreat now, we will fight another day, where the sword will be our judge. But if you go ahead with your plans, I swear you will only pass over my dead body. You know my valor and bravery, but I won’t pull out my sword for this. If you approach, this is your chance to kill me. While if you retreat as not to fight those who don’t want to fight you, then that would be true to your character. What do you think, Ghazalah? I came prepared for battle, only to be faced by this. It’s a man whose chivalry pushed him to defend indolent men. It wouldn’t be right to kill him except in battle. Muhallab! I would be ashamed before God., and my sword would blame me if I unsheathed it without a battle. So, go back to your people and wake them up, for the upcoming battle, in which my sword wouldn’t be disgraced.
Source 2
You have defeated them, Abu Yazeed. No, I didn’t, Ibn Basheer. By God, I’ve never been defeated in my life, but today I was defeated without a battle. Go ahead, Hajjaj you always have something to say. Not in this situation, My Lord. Before the Emir of Believers, I only listen, understand and comply. You must comply, even if it will bring about your death. My Lord, complying with the orders of the rulers saves one from death. Death will be the destiny of those who disobey them. Well said! We heard what you did to the man who disobeyed you. – My Lord… – Enough about that. This wasn’t why I wanted to see you. I approve of what you did, but don’t make it a habit. I am at your beck and call, so what are your orders, My Lord? Go with my brother Abdul Aziz and others to Zufar bin Al-Hareth. – My Lord… – Let me finish. Zufar bin Al-Hareth! what for, My Lord?