Abu Musa al-Ash'ari
Abu Musa al-Ash'ari | |
---|---|
Birth name | Abū Mūsā 'Abd Allah ibn Qays al-Ash'ari |
Born | 602 companion of the Islamic prophet Muhammad |
Battles/wars | Muslim conquest of Khuzestan Siege of Shushtar Siege of Gundishapur Battle of Bayrudh |
Abu Musa Abd Allah ibn Qays al-Ash'ari (
Life
Abu Musa came originally from
Following the conquest of Mecca in 629, Abu Musa was named among those sent by Muhammad on the expedition to Awtas.[1] Two years later he was appointed as one of the governors over Yemen, where he remained until the caliphate of Abu Bakr, whom he joined in fighting the local leader of the ridda (lit. apostasy) movement.
During Muhammad's era
He was present during the
Muhammad proceeded towards
The most authentic opinion according to "Saifur Rahman al Mubarakpuri", however, is that Dhat Ar-Riqa‘ campaign took place after the fall of Khaibar (and not as part of the Invasion of Nejd). This is supported by the fact that
After the Caliphate of Abu Bakr
The appointments of Abu Musa to the governorates of Basra and Kufa were made during the caliphates of
When Basra was established during 'Umar's period, he started building some canals for conveying drinking water and for irrigation. Al-Tabari reports that 'Utba ibn Ghazwan built the first canal from the Tigris River to the site of Basra when the city was in the planning stage. After the city was built, 'Umar appointed Abu Musa al-Ash'ari as the first governor. Al-Ash'ari governed during the period 17-29/638-650. He began building two important canals linking Basra with the Tigris River. These were al-Ubulla River and the Ma'qil River. The two canals were the basis for the agricultural development for the whole Basra region and used for drinking water. 'Umar also devised the policy of cultivating barren lands by assigning such lands to those who undertook to cultivate them. This policy continued during the Umayyad period and it resulted in the cultivation of large areas of barren lands through the construction of irrigation canals by the state and by individuals.[5]
During the time of Caliph Uthman he was replaced by
Following the assassination of Uthman
There are many unresolved issues regarding the First Fitna (literally "trial") period of dissension and civil war, which split the Muslim community following the assassination of the Caliph Uthman. When Ali arrived in Kufa in 656 seeking support against Aisha bint Abi Bakr and the Basrans it is agreed that Abu Musa (then the governor of Kufa), urged his subjects not to support Ali and avoid participation in the upcoming battle. When his advice was rejected and the people of Kufa supported Ali, Abu Musa was forced to leave and Ali disposed him from his Governorate.
However, the next year Abu Musa is named as the arbitrator (hakam) chosen by defactors in Ali's party in accordance with the terms agreed between Ali Muawiyah after the battle of Siffin. There are many historical versions of the result of the arbitration court. According to an academic research done by Khalid Kabir Alal in University of Algeria, the most authentic version is that both Abu Musa and
After this Abu Musa died in Mecca and some say in Kufa.[8] There are a number of different dates given for his death, the most common being 662 and 672.[9]
Contributions to Islamic learning
Despite Abu Musa's reputation as a soldier and politician, he was also praised for his beautiful recitation of the
See also
- Al-Asha'ir Mosque
- Sunni view of the Sahaba
- Dhikr
- Al Haleem
- List of battles of Muhammad
Notes
- ^ Waqedi, Mughazi, pp.915-16, London 1966
- ^ Muir, William (1861), The life of Mahomet, Smith, Elder & Co, p. 224
- ^ ISBN 9798694145923
- ^ Tabari, Abu Jafar Muhammad ibn Jarir, I, p. 2601
- ^ "History of Science and Technology in Islam".
- ISBN 9789790241374– via Google Books.
- ^ Alal, Dr Khalid Kabir (2002). The Arbitration Issue In The Battle Of Siffin Between Truths And Untruths (in Arabic) (1st ed.). Algeria: Balagh., page 10.
- ^ Ibn Kathir, Al-Bidaya wa'l-Nihaya, vol. 8, p. 65
- ^ Muhammad Ibn Saad, IV/I, p.86
- ^ A. Jeffery, Materials for the History of the Text of the Quran, Leiden, pp. 209-11, Leiden 1937
External links
- Sunni view Archived 2013-03-06 at the Wayback Machine
- Abu Musa al-Ashari