Mus'ab ibn al-Zubayr
Mus'ab ibn al-Zubayr | |
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Died | October 691 Dayr al-Jathaliq, Umayyad Caliphate |
Era | Caliphate era |
Known for | Zubayrid governor of Iraq (686–691) |
Opponents | |
Spouses |
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Parents |
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Battles/wars |
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Mu'sab ibn al-Zubayr ibn al-Awwam al-Asadi (
Early life and family
Mus'ab was the son of
Mus'ab had several children from a number of wives and slave women (ummahat awlad; sing:
Political career and governorship of Iraq
After the death of the Umayyad caliph
The Kharijites were a group of ultra-pious secessionists, the most extremists of whom were given to excessive use of arms against those who disagreed with their doctrine. They emerged during the
In Iraq, Mus'ab built a dyke to prevent the flooding of its marshlands, but appropriated the lands thus acquired for himself.[10]
Defeat of Mukhtar
Previously a Zubayrid ally in the
Between 6,000 and 8,000 of Mukhtar's supporters surrendered, but Mus'ab gave way to pressure from the vengeful tribal nobles and executed all of them.[19] According to the orientalist Henri Lammens, Mus'ab "executed a considerable number of his [Mukhtar's] supporters".[10] In the account of the historian Abu Mikhnaf (d. 774), Abd Allah ibn Umar accused Mus'ab of massacring 7,000 Kufans,[19] while the account of al-Waqidi (d. 823) held that among Mukhtar's partisans who surrendered, Mus'ab executed 700 Arabs and all of the Persians, and afterward massacred 6,000 Kufan sympathizers.[20] The executions led to resentment among Kufa's inhabitants, who considered the numerous killings an act of savagery.[21] In the words of Lammens, the slaughter earned Mus'ab "as many enemies as his victims had relatives".[10]
With the defeat of Mukhtar, all of Iraq came under Mus'ab's control. He appointed Muhallab as governor of Mosul and its dependencies to repel potential Umayyad advances on Iraq from Syria.[22] Abd Allah ibn al-Zubayr soon deposed Mus'ab after receiving complaints from the province, and sent his son Hamza as his replacement. The latter proved incompetent and Mus'ab was reinstated.[23]
Rebellion of Ibn al-Hurr
Ubayd Allah ibn al-Hurr al-Ju'fi was a Kufan nobleman turned bandit. He had been active against Mukhtar, harassing his financial agents and looting estates of his partisans. He then joined Mus'ab in his campaign against Mukhtar and participated in the siege of Kufa.[24] Afterwards he fell out with Mus'ab, and resumed his brigandage along with his band of supporters. Defeating several forces that were sent against him, Ibn al-Hurr occupied Tikrit and collected taxes. After fighting a 1,500-strong army that was against him, Ibn al-Hurr fled from Tikrit and occupied the town of Kaskar in eastern Iraq, taking its treasury. Thereafter he defeated Mus'ab's forces near Kufa and occupied al-Mada'in. Having fought and defeated several more Zubayrid forces, he went to Sawad, continuing raiding and looting towns in the area. He then went to the Umayyad caliph Abd al-Malik ibn Marwan, who sent him back to Kufa to recruit support. Having reached Anbar, he sent his men to Kufa. Mus'ab's deputy in the city became aware of this and sent an army against Ibn al-Hurr. The army succeeded in isolating him from his companions and he fled on a boat after his horse had drowned. He was soon captured and killed by some villagers.[25]
Standoff with Abd al-Malik
Meanwhile, Marwan died in 685 and was succeeded by his son Abd al-Malik.[26] In the summer of 689, Abd al-Malik marched towards Iraq and camped at Butnan Habib, a border post between Syria and Iraq. Mus'ab awaited him at Bajumayra near Tikrit, but Abd al-Malik abandoned the campaign upon receiving the news of Al-Ashdaq's revolt in Damascus.[27] In 690, preparations were again made for war and the two encamped at their respective positions from the previous year. This year too, no fighting took place and the arrival of winter forced them to retreat. Nevertheless, Abd al-Malik sent his agents to Basra to instigate a revolt against Mus'ab. With promises of reward, Abd al-Malik's agents were able to secure significant support, and clashed with pro-Zubayrid forces at a place called Jufra. The battle lasted for several weeks, but the arrival of reinforcements sent by Mus'ab decided it in his favor. Abd al-Malik's supporters, nonetheless, were allowed to withdraw before the arrival of Mus'ab, who, once back in the city, severely punished any remaining Umayyad loyalists.[28] Having thoroughly insulted them, he delivered each of them a hundred lashes, ordered their heads and beards shaved, their houses razed, exposed them to the sun for three days and forced them to divorce their wives.[29]
Death
In 691, Abd al-Malik once again marched on Iraq and camped at Maskin, deep into Iraqi territory. Mus'ab left Kufa and camped at his usual place of Bajumayra.[30] Because of Mus'ab's severity in dealing with Mukhtar's and Abd al-Malik's supporters, the Iraqis in general had turned against him and he could not amass a large army. Moreover, many of his troops were left in Basra to protect the city from the Kharijites. Abd al-Malik secretly contacted Mus'ab's commanders and won over most of them with promises of money and governorships. Ibrahim ibn al-Ashtar, who also had been contacted by Abd al-Malik, reported the matter to Mus'ab, suggesting that commanders in correspondence with Abd al-Malik should be executed. Fearing that the execution of influential tribal nobles would provoke a revolt in his ranks, Mus'ab did not pay heed to the warning and kept his commanders in their posts.[31] With the death of Ibn al-Ashtar early in the battle, Mus'ab's fate was sealed. The rest of his commanders either refused to fight or defected to Abd al-Malik.[32] Mus'ab asked his son Isa to leave the battle and return to Mecca, but Isa refused and was killed fighting before Mus'ab's eyes.[33][32] Considering his old friendship with Mus'ab, Abd al-Malik offered him amnesty and promised him the governorship of Iraq on the condition of surrender and allegiance. Mus'ab refused and kept fighting almost alone.[32] Severely wounded, he was killed by Za'ida ibn Qudama al-Thaqafi, a follower of Mukhtar, who shouted "Revenge for Mukhtar!".[34] Mus'ab's head was cut off and presented to Abd al-Malik, who lamented his death.[10] According to the orientalist Julius Wellhausen, he was 36 years old at the time of his death,[32] whereas according to the medieval historian Khalifa ibn Khayyat (d. 854) he was 40.[35] He was buried in Dayr al-Jathaliq and a mausoleum was built over his grave, which became a pilgrimage site.[36]
Personality
Mus'ab was described in sources as very handsome, generous, and chivalrous. According to Lammens "[He] resembled his older brother and the Zubayrid family only in his courage and outbursts of severity in repression."
References
- ^ Lammens & Pellat 1993, p. 649.
- ^ a b Bewley 2000, p. 119.
- ^ Bellamy 1973, p. 65.
- ^ Ahmed 2010, p. 69.
- ^ Elad 2016, p. 326.
- ^ a b Bewley 2000, p. 120.
- ^ Wellhausen 1927, p. 185, note 2.
- ^ Hawting 1989, p. 64.
- ^ Hawting 1989, p. 175.
- ^ a b c d e f g Lammens & Pellat 1993, p. 650.
- ^ a b Fishbein 1990, p. 84.
- ^ Levi Della Vida 1978, p. 1074.
- ^ Levi Della Vida 1978, p. 1075.
- ^ Dixon 1971, p. 174.
- ^ Wellhausen 1975, pp. 125–126.
- ^ Wellhausen 1975, pp. 130–131.
- ^ Kennedy 2004, p. 96.
- ^ Wellhausen 1975, pp. 137–138.
- ^ a b c Wellhausen 1975, p. 139.
- ^ Fishbein 1990, pp. 116–117.
- ^ Dixon 1971, p. 132.
- ^ Fishbein 1990, p. 118.
- ^ Fishbein 1990, pp. 118–119.
- ^ Fishbein 1990, p. 134 n.
- ^ Fishbein 1990, pp. 141–147.
- ^ Kennedy 2004, p. 93.
- ^ Wellhausen 1927, pp. 188–189.
- ^ Dixon 1971, pp. 128–130.
- ^ Fishbein 1990, pp. 175–177.
- ^ Wellhausen 1927, pp. 191–192.
- ^ Wellhausen 1927, pp. 196–197.
- ^ a b c d Wellhausen 1927, p. 197.
- ^ Fishbein 1990, p. 183.
- ^ Dixon 1971, p. 133.
- ^ Wurtzel & Hoyland 2015, p. 128.
- ^ Duri 1965, p. 197.
- ^ Fishbein 1990, p. 180.
- ^ Fishbein 1990, p. 84 n.
- ^ Fishbein 1990, pp. 194–195, n.
Sources
- Ahmed, Asad Q. (2010). The Religious Elite of the Early Islamic Ḥijāz: Five Prosopographical Case Studies. Oxford: University of Oxford Linacre College Unit for Prosopographical Research. ISBN 978-1-900934-13-8.
- Bellamy, James A. (1973). The Noble Qualities of Character by Ibn Abi Dunya. Wiesbaden: Franz Steiner Verlag GMBH.
- Bewley, Aisha (2000). The Men of Madina by Muhammad Ibn Sa'd, Volume 2. Ta-Ha Publishers. ISBN 9781897940907.
- Dixon, Abd al-Ameer A. (1971). The Umayyad Caliphate, 65-86/684-705 (A Political Study). London: Luzac. ISBN 978-0718901493.
- Duri, A. A. (1965). "Dayr al-Djāthalīk". In OCLC 495469475.
- Elad, Amikam (2016). The Rebellion of Muḥammad al-Nafs al-Zakiyya in 145/762: Ṭālibīs and Early ʿAbbāsīs in Conflict. Leiden: Brill. ISBN 978-90-04-22989-1.
- Fishbein, Michael, ed. (1990). The History of al-Ṭabarī, Volume XXI: The Victory of the Marwānids, A.D. 685–693/A.H. 66–73. SUNY Series in Near Eastern Studies. Albany, New York: State University of New York Press. ISBN 978-0-7914-0221-4.
- ISBN 978-0-88706-855-3.
- ISBN 9780582405257.
- ISBN 978-90-04-09419-2.
- OCLC 758278456.
- OCLC 752790641.
- ISBN 9780720490053.
- Wurtzel, Carl; ISBN 978-1-78138-175-5.