Unlike his brother, Muhammad al-Baqir, the fifth Imam of the Twelver and Isma'ili Shi'as, Zayd ibn Ali believed the time was ripe for renewing the rebellion against the Umayyad Caliphs in support of the claims of his own Hashemite clan.
On his trip to Iraq, he was persuaded by pro-Alid faction of Kufa that he had support of 10,000 warriors and could easily drive out a few hundred Umayyad soldiers stationed there.
[1] The Umayyad governor of Kufa, however, learned of the plot, and commanded the people to gather at the great mosque, locked them inside and began a search for Zayd.
His small band of followers was soundly defeated by the much larger Umayyad force, and Zayd fell in battle to an arrow that pierced his forehead.
[citation needed] Zayd's son Yahya, who managed to escape the suppression of the revolt, tried to recruit followers in Khurasan, but in vain; once the Umayyads were alerted to his presence there, he was pursued and killed.
His revolt attracted many supporters, among them the ruler of Rustamids, the son of Farīdūn (a descendant of Rostam Farrokhzād), Abd ar-Rahman ibn Rustam.
I swear by Him who appointed Muhammad to the Prophethood and established him as one to give glad tidings and admonishments, that on the Resurrection Day I will grab the hands of whoever helps me in this battle and deliver him to Paradise with the permission of the Honorable the Exalted God.’I rented a horse when he got killed and set out for Medina.