Abd Allah was the son of Hanzala ibn Abi ‘Amir, a sahaba (companion) of the Islamic prophet Muhammad who had been slain at the Battle of Uhud in 625.
[1] According to historian Julius Wellhausen, he was "celebrated from his birth as the posthumous son of the martyr of Uhud who was washed by the angels".
[1][4] Meanwhile, the Quraysh of Medina, who also opposed Yazid, chose Abd Allah ibn Muti as the leader of their faction.
[1] Together, the Ansar and Quraysh drove out the Umayyads from Medina, prompting Yazid to dispatch an army led by Muslim ibn Uqba to bring the city into submission.
[1] The army, composed of the Arab tribesmen of Syria, took up strategic positions in the Harrah just east of Medina where they were met the Ansar led by Abd Allah.