were part of the Qur'an itself. It became said that Uthman had sent an exemplar of the text to Kufa, but that it was burnt during the wars of Mukhtar and Ibn Zubayr. Al-Hajjaj restored or at any rate promulgated the standard text under Abd al-Malik, castigating even the memory of Abd Allah ibn Mas'ud as "Ibn Umm Abd (son of a slave's mother)". But a faction in Kufa preserved the readings "of `Abd Allah / Ibn Mas`ud", whence Mujahid and his fellow mujtahids compiled them along with other readings and interpretations. From there these readings entered the vast repository of Near Eastern hadith, ultimately to be written down into collections of hadith and tafsir.
Post-Abbasid history
Kufa began to come under constant attack in the 11th century and eventually shrunk and lost its importance. Over the last century, the population of Kufa has begun to grow again. It continues to be an important pilgrimage site for Shi`ite Muslims.
Presently, Kufa and Najaf have joined into a single urban area that is mostly commonly known to the outside world simply as Najaf.
Places
The Great Mosque of Kufa or Masjid al-K?fa, or "Masjid al-Aazam" located in K?fa, Iraq, is one of the earliest mosques in Islam. It was constructed in the middle of the 7th century after the Caliph Omar established the city. The mosque contains the remains of Muslim ibn �Aq?l�first cousin of Husayn ibn �Al?, his companion H?n? ibn �Urwa, and the revolutionary Mukht?r al-Thaqaf?.
Masjid al-Kufa in K?f?, Iraq�contains the tombs of Muslim ibn �Aq?l, H?n? ibn �Urwa, and Mukht?r al-Thaqaf?. The Mosque also contains many important sites relating to the Prophets and �Al?, including the place where he was fatally struck on the head while in Sujood
The tomb of Zayd ibn �Al? in K?f?, Iraq
Masjid al-Hannaanah in K?f?, Iraq�contains some of the skin of Husayn ibn �Al? which was ripped off of him post-mortem by the aggressors of Karbal?.
The House
