Betrayal in Kufa · Ramadan–Dhul Hijja

Muslim ibn ‘Aqil is betrayed

At first Kufa kept its promise. Thousands gathered around Muslim ibn ‘Aqil and pledged themselves to the Imam's cause.

Then Yazid replaced the city's governor with the ruthless ‘Ubaydullah ibn Ziyad, who ruled by terror. The crowds melted away. Muslim and the man who sheltered him, Hani ibn ‘Urwah, were seized and beheaded.

The letter carrying this news would reach the Imam only when he was already deep in the desert.