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THE ORIGINS OF THE ISLAMIC STATE

Thâbit rebels. Marwân then advanced to ad-Dûdânîyah and slaughtered its people. The news of the death of al-Walîd ibn-Yazîd then came to him, and Thâbit ibn-Nuʿaim al-Judhâmi rose against him.[1] Musâfir al-Ḳaṣṣâb, who was one of those established in al-Bâb by aḍ-Ḍaḥḥâk al-Khâriji [the rebel], now came to Thâbit, espoused his cause and was made by him governor over Armenia and Adharbaijân. Musâfir then came to Ardabîl in disguise, where he was joined by a group of the ash-Shurat, and they all came to Bâjarwân[2] in which they found people with similar views and were joined by them. Thence they came to Warthân from whose inhabitants a large body of men, who held similar views, joined them; and they all crossed over to al-Bailaḳân where they were joined by a large crowd holding similar views. Marwân then came to Yûnân.[3] Isḥâḳ ibn-Muslim was made governor of Armenia by Marwân ibn-Muḥammad and never ceased to fight against Musâfir who was at al-Kilâb castle in as-Sisajân.

When the "blessed dynasty" appeared and abu-Jaʿfar al-Manṣûr was made ruler of Mesopotamia and Armenia in the caliphate of as-Saffâḥ abu-l-ʿAbbâs, he sent against Musâfir and his followers a general from Khurâsân, who fought them until he overpowered them and slew Musâfir. The inhabitants of al-Bailaḳân, who had fortified themselves in al-Kilâb castle under the leadership of Ḳadad ibn-Aṣfar al-Bailaḳâni, surrendered.

The governorship of Yazîd. When al-Manṣûr became caliph, he made Yazîd ibn-Usaid as-Sulami governor of Armenia. The latter reduced Bâb al-Lân and stationed in

  1. Ṭabari, vo i ii, pp 1892 seq.
  2. Meynard, p. 74.
  3. First syllable mutilated in the original; cf. Iṣṭakhri, p. 192; Ḥauḳal, p. 251.