Mukhtar a Biograghy

Chapter 11 - The Tawwabun (The Penitents) During Ubaydallah Ziyad's rule in Kufa, the Shias did not openly declare their faith for fear of the wrath of Ubaydallah Ziyad; on hearing of Yazeed's death, the Shias gain confidence and come out to attack Ubaydallah Ziyad's palace; they are joined by other non-Shia people who are against Ubaydallah Ziyad's rule.

At the time of the attack, Ubaydallah Ziyad is in Basra, for he was the governor of Kufa and Basra, and used to spend six months in each city.

Ubaydallah Ziyad's palace in Kufa is taken over and the infamous prison (the one that Mukhtar was in with the other four to five thousand Shias) is thrown open and all prisoners are freed; most prisoners are not even aware of the massacre at Kerbala due to the news blackout; these prisoners feel deeply aggrieved and remorse that they could not get to Imam Husein (as) when they were needed most.

They meet at Sulayman Surad Khuzai's house, who is about ninety years old; he was a companion of the Prophet Mohammed (saww) and Imam Ali (as); Sulayman talks to the Shias: we have failed our Imam Husein (as), for we had invited him and we were not able to help him for one reason or another; but now we can help by seeking to avenge the perpetrators of Kerbala; the people agree.

Sulayman Surad Khuzai manages to recruit more people to the cause, totalling to about sixteen thousand; this group became to be known as the Tawwabun (The Penitents), the people who felt sorry.

Sulayman Surad Khuzai is unanimously chosen to be the leader of the Tawwabun; the Tawwabun are fully aware that many of the Kerbala's killers are in Kufa (people like Sinan, Shimr, Khooli, Umar Saad, Hurmala), but the strategy was to go first after the main architect of the Kerbala tragedy, that is Ubaydallah Ziyad.

Also, the Kerbala killers in Kufa were in powerful positions with influential and powerful local connections, and the Tawwabun’s thinking was that the killers could be sought later when the Tawwabun group has had more time to mature to a position of strength.

On hearing that Ubaydallah Ziyad's palace in Kufa has been taken over by the Kufians, Abdulla Zobayr from Mecca sends Abdulla Yazeed Ansaree to Kufa to become his governor there; the new governor is well aware of the Tawwabun movement, but makes no attempt to stop the activities for they were was not directed against the Kufians, but directed against Ubaydallah Ziyad, whom Abdulla Zobayr wanted out of the way anyway.