Q. & A. 711 to 1707 with solved Papers css 1971 to date

15. Role of Abu Muslim
Abu Muslim at the head of the Azdi (Yamni) tribe entered triumphantly, the majority of his followers were, however, Iranian peasants. The first religious service was performed on the 1st day of Shawwal 129/29th May, 747 under the Imamat of Sulayman ibn Kathir of Khuza’ah, the nominal head of the Arabs, proved beneficial to the cause of the Abbasids. He bound his followers to the common tie to accept any from the family of the Holy Prophet as caliph and taught them the transmigration of soul giving himself out as an incarnation of God. Abu Muslim supported by the Shiah and Abbasids, mostly Persians, occupied Merv, the centre of the fertile valley of Murghab in Jamadi II 130/December 747 which was never to return to the Umayyads whose cause was thus lost in Khurasan for,.,,- ever. Politics gave way to religious feelings and Abbasid propaganda began openly.
About this time a letter of Ibrahim addressed to Abu Muslim was intercepted by Marwan, Ibrahim was arrested and put into prison

460 Political and Cultural History of Islam
at Harran where he died shortly afterwards. Ibrahim was succeeded by his brother Abul Abbas, who escaped along with his brother Abu Jafar to Kufah and remained concealed.9
The small Abbasid principality, which Abu Muslim had created in the East, began to be administered with the help of a council of twelve members in the name of the House of Hashim the common ancestor of the Abbasids and the Alids. His slogans attracted all the Shiahs under his banner. He invited Nasr but the latter suspecting treachery fled to Sarakhs and thence to Nishapur pursued by Abu Muslim’s general Qahtabah ibn Salih of the Tayy tribe who had been posted as early as 718 in Khurasan with other eleven Abbasid propagandists and given a black flag to raise at Makkah in 747 indicating Ibrahim’s lieutenant. Having been defeated in a pitched battle Nasr fled to Jurjan accompanied by his followers from Tamim, Bakr and Qays tribes. He was again defeated and fled to al-Rayy in August 748. On the ways he fell ill and died at the age of eighty-five at Hamadan in Rabi. I, 131 (Nov. 748).’°
The Abbasid general Qahtabah now hastened westward accompanied by his lieutenants Khalid ibn Barmak, the Persian, Abu Awn of the Azdi and Khazin of Tamim. He conquered Rayy and laid siege to Nihawand. With 20,000 men he intercepted the Umayyad reinforcement under Amir al-Murri from Kirman numbered 100,000 and routed it entirely. Nihawand fell after a three months siege. Unperceived by the Syrian general Ibn Hubayrah, who was at Jalulah. Qahtabah tried to force his way to Kufah in Muharram

132/August 749 in order to join the Hashimites. But before reaching Kufa he had to take the field against Yazid ibn Hubayrah near Anbar and Karbalah on 8th Muharram 132727th August 749. Qahtabah died fighting and the command of the Hashimi force was taken by his son Hasan. Ibn Hubayrah was defeated and forced to fall back on Waist. Hasan ibn Qahtabah after facing some resistance given by the Umayyad troops entered Kufah. Abul Abbas came out of his hiding and on Thursday the 14th Muharram 132/30th October 749 he received public homage in the Kufah Mosque as caliph.

He appointed provisionally Abu Salamah, the Wazir of the family of the Holy Prophet, who hitherto ”had been working as Abbasid agent in Kufah but inclined to the cause of the Alids. as his
Enc\ clopedia of Islam, Vol I, P 141 °!b,d
Decline & Fall of the Umayyad Dynasty 461
Wazir and Muhammad, son of the former governor of Kufah namely Khalid as Commander. Allegiance was sworn to him on Friday 12th Rabi II, 132/28th November, 749. Abu Muslim sent twelve Khurasani chiefs to pay homage to the new Caliph who went to Hirah and Khurasan. Abu Salamah was killed by one of Abu Muslim’s friends.