Battle of the Barges of the Basran soldiers, together with a number of civilians that had accompanied them, were killed during the fighting. The battle was a major victory for the Zanj, and it forced the Abbasid government to take a more direct role in the campaign against the rebels. The Zanj Rebellion had begun in early September 869, in the region of southern Iraq. It was led by one 'Ali ibn Muhammad, who had previously led failed attempts against the government in al-Bahrayn and Basra. 'Ali was able to quickly gather a major following, especially among the black slaves who had been employed
Battle of Uhud opposition from the rest of the Quraysh, the tribe that ruled Mecca and to which he belonged. The Muslims fled Mecca in 622 after years of persecution and established themselves at Medina (formerly known as "Yathrib"; Medina means "City"). The Quraysh had seized the properties and families of Muslims in Mecca and dispatched caravans to Damascus which the Muslims intercepted and raided. The Meccans sent out a small army to punish the Muslims and stop their raiding. At the Battle of Badr in 623, a small Muslim force defeated the much larger Meccan army. Many Muslims considered this unexpected victory