Note 175 — Chapter X · Nasr ibn Sayyār and Abū Muslim

We are told that Abū Muslim wished to have a distinctive colour for his party, the Umayyads having adopted white. After making one of his slaves clothe himself in suits of various colours, he ordered him to dress in black, and finding the sombre hue the most awe-inspiring adopted it for his party. Cf. Zotenberg, lot cit. p. 327. Later the Khārijites adopted red, and the Shi`ites green.