In this year, the Muslims launched a major military expedition (ghazā) against the Byzantine lands and conquered Irkilya. However, on their return, they were caught in severe rains, hail, and snow. As a result, many of them fell ill and died. In this year, the caliph ʿAbd al-Malik appointed Mūsā b. Nuṣayr to carry out a military campaign against all the western provinces (Maghrib). He went to Tangier and appointed Ṭāriq as the commander of the vanguard. They killed some of the rulers of those regions and exiled others.
In this year, the caliph ʿAbd al-Malik dismissed Umayya b. ʿAbd Allāh from the governorship of Khurasan and entrusted Khurasan to Ḥajjāj. Ḥajjāj was already serving as the governor of Sijistan.
After Ḥajjāj had finished dealing with Shabīb, he left Kufa and returned to Basra. He left Mughīra b. ʿAbd Allāh b. ʿĀmir al-Ḥaḍramī as his deputy in Kufa. While Ḥajjāj was in Basra, Muhallab came to him, having just finished the war against the Azāriqa. Ḥajjāj seated him beside him on the throne. He summoned those of his soldiers who had suffered calamities and misfortunes. To the soldiers who spoke well of Muhallab, Ḥajjāj gave abundant gifts. Afterwards, Ḥajjāj appointed Muhallab as governor of Sijistan and ʿAbd Allāh b. Abī Bakra as governor of Khurasan. Then, before these two left his presence, he had them exchange their posts with each other. It is said that he did this exchange at the suggestion of Muhallab.
According to another narration, he sought help from the commander of the guards, ʿAbd al-Raḥmān b. ʿUbayd b. Ṭāriq al-Abshamī, who then indicated this matter to Ḥajjāj, and Ḥajjāj, in accordance with his suggestion, had them exchange their posts. Because he objected to this exchange, Muhallab was fined 1,000,000 dirhams.
Abū Maʿshar said: In this year, al-Walīd b. ʿAbd al-Malik led the people in the pilgrimage (ḥajj). The governor of Medina was Abān b. ʿUthmān; the governor of Iraq, Khurasan, Sijistan, and their dependencies was Ḥajjāj. His deputy in Khurasan was Muhallab b. Abī Ṣufra, and his deputy in Sijistan was ʿAbd Allāh b. Abī Bakra al-Thaqafī. The qadi of Kufa was Shurayḥ, and the qadi of Basra was Mūsā b. Anas b. Mālik al-Anṣārī.