the beasts, snakes and deadly scorpions. This ibn-Nâfiʿ was a righteous man whose prayer was answered. He prayed to his Lord, who made the scorpions disappear; even the beasts had to carry their young and run away.
Al-Wâḳidi says, "I once said to Mûsa ibn-ʿAli, 'Thou hast seen the buildings in Ifrîḳiyah that are connected together and that we still see to-day. Who was it that built them?' And Mûsa replied, 'The first one was ʿUḳbah ibn-Nâfiʿ al-Fihri who marked out the plans for the buildings, himself built a home, and the Moslems at the same time built houses and dwelling-places. He also built the cathedral mosque that is in Ifrîḳiyah.'"
It was in Ifrîḳiyah that Maʿbad ibn-al-ʿAbbâs fell a martyr in the campaign of ibn-abi-Sarḥ during the caliphate of ʿUthmân. Others say he met natural death during the war; but that he fell a martyr is the more authentic report.
According to al-Wâḳidi and others, Muʿâwiyah ibn-abi-Sufyân dismissed Muʿâwiyah ibn-Ḥudaij[1] and conferred the governorship of Egypt and al-Maghrib on Maslamah ibn-Mukhallad al-Anṣâri,[2] who appointed his freedman, abu-l-Muhâjir, governor of al-Maghrib. When Yazîd ibn-Muʿâwiyah, however, came to power, he reinstated ʿUḳbah ibn-Nâfiʿ in his position, and the latter invaded as-Sûs al-Adna,[3] which lay behind Ṭanjah. There he went about without being molested or fought by anybody. At last he departed.
Yazîd ibn-Muʿâwiyah died and his son Muʿâwiyah ibn-Yazîd, surnamed abu-Laila, was proclaimed caliph. Muʿâwiyah called a general public prayer meeting, and resigned the caliphate. He retired to his home where he died after
