The Chaliphate - Muir - The Search For Mecca

CHAPTER XLIX
MU'AWIVA II., MKRWAN, AND 'ABD AL-MELIK, CALIPHS.
REBELLION OF IHN AZ-ZUBEIR AND AL-MUKHTAR
64-73 •^•H- 683-692 A.D.
YezTd's early death was a misfortune to the Umeiyad Short and
rule. He was succeeded by his son Mu'avviya II., a weak . ,
J '
f
reign of
and sickly youth, who survived but three months. He had Muawiya
the support of all the Syrians except those of Keis, whose {Sl\, Xov.
objection to him was that his mother and grandmother were 683 a.d.
of Kelb. His maternal grand uncle, Ibn Bahdal, was ruler de
facto, and the brother of the latter was governor of Kinnasrin,
a province settled by Keis. Keis was, therefore, jealous of
the large share of Kelb in the government. Anticipating his
decease, Mu'avviya told the people from the pulpit that, like
Abu Bekr, he would have appointed a successor, but there was
none he saw of 'Omar's stamp; that like 'Omar he would
have nominated electors, but neither so did he see any men
fit for such a task ;
and accordingly that he left them to
choose a successor for themselves. The short and feeble
reign served but to relax the sinews of the Empire.
On his death, the Umeiyad counsels were divided, Ibn Zubcir's
and various aspirants to the throne appeared. Ibn az-Zubeir, extends,
now the acknowledged Caliph at Mecca and Medina, vii. 64 a.h.
succeeded during the next few months in being recognised 684 a.d.
ruler also over Egypt and the greater part of Syria. He was
'
proclaimed in Al-Basra by a Temimite, and Obeidallah, who
relied on the Azd and l^ekr, was forced to flee. Al-Kufa
also went over to Ibn az-Zubeir. Persia was in the hands of
the Khawarij. Syria, and only part even of that, remained
under the government of Damascus.
Had Ibn az-Zubeir left his sanctuary for Syria, there is
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