ds, the universe would be ruined." The Khorasanian chiefs were bribed
into submission, and order was at last re-established by Mansur's
general Khazim b. Khozaima in Mesopotamia, and by Abu Da'ud, the
governor of Khorasan in the east.

About the same time Africa[28] and Spain escaped from the dominion of
the eastern Caliphate; the former for a season, the latter permanently.
The cause of the revolt of Africa was as follows. Mansur had written to
Abdarrahman, announcing the death of Abu'l-Abbas, and requiring him to
take the oath of allegiance. Abdarrahman sent in his adhesion, together
with a few presents of little value. The caliph replied by a threatening
letter which angered Abdarrahman. He called the people together at the
hour of prayer, publicly cursed Mansur from the pulpit and declared him
deposed. He next caused a circular letter, commanding all Maghribins to
refuse obedience to the caliph, to be read from the pulpit throughout
the whole extent of the Maghrib (western North Africa). A brother of
Abdarrahman, Ilyas, saw in this revolt an opportunity of obtaining the
government of Africa for himself. Seconded by many of the inhabitants of
Kairawan, who had remained faithful to the cause of the Abbasids, he
attacked his brother, slew him, and proclaimed himself governor in his
stead. This revolution in favour of the Abbasids was, however, not of
long duration. Habib, the eldest son of Abdarrahman, who had fled in the
night of his father's murder, was captured, but the vessel which was to
convey him to Spain having been detained by stress of weather, his
partisans took arms and rescued him. Ilyas was marching against them,
when the idea occurred to Habib of challenging him to single combat.
Ilyas hesitated, but his own soldiers compelled him to accept the
challenge. He measured arms with Habib, and was slain. The party of
independence thus triumphed, but in the year 144 (761) Mahommed b.
Ash'ath, the Abbasid general, entered Kairawan and regained possession
of Africa in the name of the eastern caliph. From the year 800, it must
be added, Africa only nominally belonged to the Abbasids; for, under the
reign of Harun al-Rashid, Ibrahim b. al-Aghlab, who was invested with
the government of Africa, founded in that province a distinct dynasty,
that of the Aghlabites.

At the same time as the revolt in Africa, the independent Caliphate of
the western Omayyads was founded in Spain. The long dissensions which
had preceded