Kufa

The City of Kufa: Birth & Early Years

A Majlis Recited at Stanmore
Saturday 7 Ramadhan 1416 (eve),
27 January 1996.
By Dr Mahmood Husein Datoo

Preface
- Kufa is the nerve centre of Shia activities in the early Islamic period
- Imam Ali (a.s.) moves the headquarters of Islamic government from Medina to Kufa in 36 AH (656 AD)
- The mobilisation of forces, by Imam Ali (a.s.),takes place in and around Kufa for the battles of Jamal and Siffin
- Imam Hasan (a.s.) relinquishes the political office to Muawiya against the backdrop of political manoeuvrings involving the people of Kufa
- After the death of Imam Hasan (a.s.), the Shia uprising of Hujr al-Kindi against Muawiya in 51 AH occurs in Kufa
- Muslim b. Aqeel solicits support for Imam Husein (a.s.)from the people of Kufa in 60 AH
- The tragedy of Kerbala in 61 AH evolves around the city and people of Kufa
- The movement of the Penitents (Tawwabeen) in 64 AH, led by Sulayman Khuzai, is initiated and mobilised by the Kufa residents
- Mukhtar Thaqafi leads a revolution in Kufa in 66 AH to become its Governor and avenges the perpetrators of Kerbala residing in Kufa
- Thus, Kufasees many activities connected with the early Shia history.


Introduction

Some of the Arab communities who had converted to Islam during the Prophet's lifetime, now withdraw from that pledge and break-off their connection with Medina soon after the Prophet's death in 11 AH (632 AD).
The coup at Saqifa installs Abu Bakr as the successor to the Prophet.
Abu Bakr is therefore engaged in theapostasy campaigns to bring the deserting communities back into the fold.
Such apostasy campaigns mark the beginning of the outward expansion of the Muslim empire.
On Abu Bakr's death in 13 AH (634 AD), Umar b. Khattab is appointed by Abu Bakr to be his successor and the leader of the Muslims.
Umar continues, and greatly diversifies, with the policy of Abu Bakr to expand the Muslim influencein the region.


The Choice of Kufa

Umar sanctions the conquests of lands into Syria, Palestine and Persia.
Sa'd b. Waqqas, the commander of the Muslim army in Iraq, conquers Al-Qadisiya in 15 AH (636 AD); Sa'd's counterpart in the Persian army is a general by the name of Rustam.
Al-Qadisiya is near the border of the then Iraqi and Persia areas.
Next to fall is Madayn in 16 AH - thecapital city of the Persian (Sassanaid) empire in the region.
Next to fall is Jalula in 16 AH, and the Muslim army is now deep in Persian territory.
The soldiers are based in Madayn, which is a rich, luxurious city, full of Persian royal pageantry and trappings; its climatic conditions does not suit the Arabic culture - it is not an open dessert terrain.
Umar is informed of the difficultacclimatising hardship of the Arab troops, and he orders Sa'd to search for a suitable stationing place for two purposes: first, to permanently house the Al-Qadisiya fighters thereby maintaining control over the new territory; secondly, to use the place as a launching station for further excursions in to the Persian territory (that is, it should serve as a garrison town).
After careful scrutiny, and (somereports say) with the help of Salman Farsi and Hudhayfa Yamani, a spot is chosen - a plain dessert terrain on the west bank of River Euphrates, near the old Persian city of Al-Hira, south of Madayn and just north of Al-Qadisiya; this is Kufa - so called because of its coarse soil and reddish sand.
Sa'd orders his troops to move there in 17 AH (638 AD) and this is the beginning of Kufa.


TheFirst Administrative Block

The new area has now got to be planned and built into a garrison town.
The troops under Sa'd form a heterogeneous grouping of Arabs; they are not from the same area, clans or tribes, and it is not possible to naturally group them into tribal/clan/area divisions.
The soldiers who had ventured into Syria and Basra were mostly of cohesive groupings from the same...