s family,
where his own tribe the Azd was predominant. Meanwhile 'Adi b. Artat had
all the brothers of Yazid and other members of the family of Mohallab
arrested, and tried to prevent Yazid from entering the city. But 'Adi
was too scrupulous to employ the public money for raising the pay of his
soldiers, whilst Yazid promised mountains of gold. Yazid stormed the
castle and took 'Adi prisoner, the public treasury fell into his hands,
and he employed the money to pay his troops largely and to raise fresh
ones. A pardon obtained for him from the caliph came too late; he had
already gone too far. He now proclaimed a Holy War against the Syrians,
whom he declared to be worse enemies of Islam than even the Turks and
the Dailam. Notwithstanding the warnings of the aged Hasan al-Basri, the
friend of Omar II., the religious people, took the part of Yazid, and
were followed by the _maulas_. Though the number of his adherents thus
increased enormously, their military value was small. Ahwaz (Khuzistan),
Fars and Kirman were easily subdued, but in Khorasan the Azd could not
prevail over the Tamim, who were loyal to the caliph. As the rebellion
threatened to spread far and wide, Yazid II. was obliged to appeal to
his brother, the celebrated Maslama. With the approach of the Syrians,
Yazid b. Mohallab tried to forestall them at Kufa. He took his way over
Wasit, which he mastered--the Syrian garrison seems to have been
withdrawn in the days of Omar II.--but, before he could get hold of
Kufa, the Syrian troops arrived. The meeting took place at 'Aqr in the
vicinity of Babel, and Yazid was completely defeated and fell in the
battle. His brothers and sons fled to Basra; thence they went by sea to
Kirman and then to Kandabil in India; but they were pursued relentlessly
and slain with only two exceptions by the officers of Maslama. The
possessions of the Mohallabites were confiscated.

Maslama was rewarded with the governorship of Irak and Khorasan, but
was soon replaced by Omar b. Hobaira, who under Omar II. had been
governor of Mesopotamia. He belonged to the tribe of Qais, and was very
severe against the Azd and other Yemenite tribes, who had more or less
favoured the part of Yazid b. Mohallab. In these years the antagonism
between Qais (Modar) and Yemenites became more and more acute,
especially in Khorasan. The real cause of the dismissal of Maslama was,
that he did not send the revenue-quota to Damascus. Omar b. Hobaira, to
supply the