The Letters · Mecca

Twelve thousand letters from Kufa

In Mecca the Imam received an extraordinary outpouring: by the traditional count, some twelve thousand letters from the people of Kufa, begging him to come and lead them, promising their swords and their loyalty.

Cautious, he did not set out on a promise alone. He sent his cousin Muslim ibn ‘Aqil ahead as his emissary, to weigh the truth of Kufa's word before committing his family to the road.