Origins & Early Life

Al-Mukhtar ibn Abi Ubayd al-Thaqafi (Arabic: الْمُخْتَار ٱبْن أَبِي عُبَيْد الثَّقَفِيّ, romanized: al-Mukhtār ibn Abī ʿUbayd al-Thaqafī; c. 622 – 3 April 687) was a pro-Alid revolutionary based in Kufa, who led a rebellion against the Umayyad Caliphate and Zubayrid Caliphate during the Second Fitna, ruling over most of Iraq and parts of northwestern Iran for eighteen months. Born in Ta'if, Mukhtar moved to Iraq at a young age and grew up in Kufa. Following the death of Husayn, the grandson of the Prophet Muhammad, at the hands of the Umayyad army in the Battle of Karbala in 680, Mukhtar captured Kufa in October 685 after expelling its governor Abd Allah ibn al-Zubayr, and killed several figures responsible for Husayn's death, including Umar ibn Sa'd, Ubayd Allah ibn Ziyad, and Shimr ibn Dhi al-Jawshan.

Pivotal Works & Achievements

He then allied with the rival caliph Abd Allah ibn al-Zubayr in Mecca, but the alliance was short-lived. Mukhtar returned to Kufa where he declared Muhammad ibn al-Hanafiyya the Mahdi and the Imam, a son of Ali and brother of Husayn, and called for the establishment of an Alid caliphate. Hostile relations with Ibn al-Zubayr ultimately led to Mukhtar's death by the forces of the Zubayrid...

Enduring Legacy & Impact

The historical impact and works continue to influence the modern world.

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