THE HISTORY OF AL-TABARi AN ANNOTATED TRANSLATION VOLUME XXVII The 'Abbasid Revolution A.D . 743-750/A.H . 126-132 Bibliotheca Persica Edited by Ehsan Yar-Shater The History of al-'fabari' (Ta'rikh al-rusul wa'l-muliik) VOLUME XXVII THE (Abbasid Revolution translated and annotated by John Alden Williams University of Texas at Austin State University of New York Press SUNY SERIES I N NEAR EASTERN STUDIES Said Amir Arjomand, Editor The History of al-Tabari Editorial Board • Ihsan Abbas, American University of Beirut C. E. Bosworth, The University of Manchester Jacob Lassoer, Wayne State University, Detroit (Supervising Editor) Franz Rosenthal, Yale University Ehsan Yar-Shater, Columbia University (General Editor) Contents " Foreword I xiii I I The Caliphate of Marwan b. Mul).ammad The Year I27 (745} I I Why the Oath of Allegiance was Given to Marwan I I Revolt of the People of I:Iim~ I 4 Revolt of al-Qal:t~ak b. Qays the Kharijite I 9 Revolt of Sulayman b. Hisham I 19 The Year I28 (745/46} I 28 The Slaying of al-I:Iarith b. Surayj in Khurasan I 28 Death of al - Q~ak b. Qays the Kharijite I 49 Slaying of al-Khaybari the Kharijite I 5 I Yazid b. 'Umar b. Hubayrah is Sent to Iraq I 52 Abu I:Iamzah the Kharijite in Arabia I 53 The Year I29 (746/47} I 54 The Death of Shayban b. 'Abd al-'Aziz the Kharijite I 54 Abu Muslim Openly Preaches the 'Abbasid Revolution in Khurasan I 61 Khazim b. Khuzaymah Takes Marwarriidh I 70 The Arab Tribesmen ·of Khurasan Ally Against Abu Muslim I 7 5 Death of Juday' b. 'Ali al~Kirmani I 81 'Abdallah b. Mu'awiyah al-Ja'fari Gains Control of Fars I 85 Abu I:Iamzah the Kharijite Leads the Pilgrimage I 90 Contents xi Death of Ibn Hubayrah I 191 Other Events of This Year I 194 The Year 133 (750/sr} I 196 Events of This Year I 196 The Year 134 (75 l /52} I 199 The Rebellion of Bassiim b. Ibrahim I 199 Khiizim b. Khuzaymah1s War Against the Kharijites of·~Uman I 201 Death of Man~ur b. Jumhur in Sind I 203 Other Events of This Year I 203 The Year 135 /752/53) I 205 The Rebellion of Ziyad b. ~alil:;i in Transoxania I 205 Other Events of This Year I 208 The Year 136 /753/54) I 209 The Visit of AbU Muslim to Abu al-'Abbas in Iraq I 209 AbU Ja'far the 'Abbasid and Abu Muslim go on the Pilgrimage I 211 The Death of Abu al-'Abbas al-Saffii.l). I 212 Bibliography I 2 I 3 Index I 216 x The 'Abbasid Revolution The Year 130 (747/48) I 93 Abu Muslim Enters the Walled City of Marw I 93 Death of Shayban b. Salamah the Kharijite I 103 Abu Muslim Kills 'Ali and 'Uthman the Sons of Juday' al-Kirmaru I 104 Qal).tabah b. Shabib Comes to Abu Muslim I 107 Marwan's Governor for Jurjan is Killed I r rn Battle of Qudayd by Madinah I II2 Abu Hamzah the Kharijite Enters Madinah I II3 Other Events I 120 The Year 13r (748/49) I 124 The Death of Na~r b. Sayyar I 124 Qal:itabah Camps at Rayy and Abii Muslim Moves to Nay~abiir I 126 'Amir b. I)ubarah is Slain by Qal:i~abah I 126 The Battle of Jabalq by I~bahan I 127 Qal).tabah Enters Nihawand I l 29 The Battle of Shahra:zUr I l 3 l Other Events of This Year I 132 The Year 132 (749/50} I 134 The Death of Qal:i~abah b. Sha bib I l 34 Mu}:iammad b. Khalid al-Qasri Revolts at Kufah in the Name of the 'A~basids I I40 The Caliphate of Abu al-(Abbas al-Saffah Other Events of the Year 132 I 158 Marwan's Defeat at the Zab I 162 Death of Ibrahim the 'Abbasid Imam I l 66 Slaying of Marwan b. Mul:tarnmad I 168 Revolt of Abu al-Ward at Qinnasrin I 176 Defection of l:fabib b. Murrah I 179 Revolt of the Men of the Jazirah I 180 Abii Ja'far the 'Abbasid's Journey to Khurasan I 182 The Battle of Wasi~ I 185 .