Ubayd Allah ibn Ziyad
Ubayd Allah ibn Ziyad | |
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Governor of Khurasan | |
In office 673–676 | |
Preceded by | Ziyad ibn Abihi[citation needed] |
Succeeded by | Sa'id ibn Uthman[citation needed] |
Governor of Basra | |
In office 674/75–684 | |
Preceded by | Abd Allah ibn Amr ibn Ghaylan[citation needed] |
Succeeded by | Abd al-Malik ibn Abd Allah ibn Amir[citation needed] |
Governor of Kufa | |
In office 679/680–683/684 | |
Preceded by | Nu'man ibn Bashir[citation needed] |
Succeeded by | Amir ibn Mas'ud ibn Umayya |
Personal details | |
Died | 6 August 686 |
Relations | Abbad ibn Ziyad, Salm ibn Ziyad, Yazid ibn Ziyad, Abd al-Rahman ibn Ziyad (siblings) |
Parents |
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Military service | |
Allegiance | Umayyad Caliphate |
Battles/wars | |
Ubayd Allah ibn Ziyad (
He virtually inherited the governorships from his father Ziyad ibn Abihi after the latter's death in 673. During Ubayd Allah's governorship, he suppressed Kharijite and Alid revolts. In the ensuing Battle of Karbala in 680, Husayn ibn Ali and his small retinue were slain by Ubayd Allah's troops, shocking many in the Muslim community. Ubayd Allah is primarily remembered for his role in the killings of members of Ali ibn Abi Talib's family and he has become infamous in Muslim tradition. Ubayd Allah was ultimately evicted from Iraq by the Arab tribal nobility amid the revolt of Abd Allah ibn al-Zubayr.
He made it to Syria where he persuaded Marwan I to seek the caliphate and helped galvanize support for the flailing Umayyads. Afterward, he fought at the
Origins
Ubayd Allah was the son of
Governor of Iraq and Khurasan
Ubayd Allah's father prepared him to succeed him as governor, and indeed, after Ziyad's death in 672/673, Ubayd Allah became governor of Khurasan.[1] A year or two later, he was also appointed to the governorship of Basra.[1] According to historian Hugh N. Kennedy, Ubayd Allah was "more hasty and given to the use of force than his father, but a man whose devotion to the Umayyad cause could not have been doubted".[3]
In 674 he crossed the
Suppression of the pro-Alid groups
Mu'awiya died in 680 and was succeeded by his son
Husayn had already been en route to Kufa from Medina when he received news of Ibn Aqil's execution.[6][7] Ubayd Allah was prepared for Husayn's arrival and sent troops to intercept him.[6] They prevented Husayn and his small retinue from reaching the watered areas of the province.[5] The two sides negotiated for weeks, but Ubayd Allah refused Husayn entry into Kufa or return to Arabia while Husayn refused to recognize Yazid's caliphate.[6] In the end, a short battle was fought at Karbala on 10 October 680, in which Husayn and nearly all of his partisans were slain.[5][6][7] Husayn had never received the expected backing of his Kufan sympathizers, but the latter's resentment festered as a result of his death.[5] The slaying of Husayn, a grandson of the Islamic prophet Muhammad, perturbed many Muslims.[5]
Role in Umayyad succession of 684
The death of Yazid in 683 led to a major leadership crisis in the caliphate, and "the power of his house seemed to collapse everywhere", in the words of Orientalist
When Ubayd Allah arrived in Syria, he found it in political disarray; Caliph Mu'awiya II had died weeks into his rule and a power vacuum ensued with many Syrian noblemen, particularly from the Qaysi tribes, switching allegiance to the rival, Mecca-based caliphate of Abd Allah ibn al-Zubayr.[11] The latter had expelled the Umayyads from the Hejaz and among the exiles to Syria was Marwan ibn al-Hakam, an Umayyad elder.[15] Ubayd Allah persuaded Marwan, who was preparing to recognize Ibn al-Zubayr's sovereignty, to enter his candidacy as Mu'awiya II's successor.[16] The Umayyads' principal Syrian allies, the Banu Kalb, had sought to maintain Umayyad rule and nominated Mu'awiya II's half-brother Khalid as caliph.[16] However, the other pro-Umayyad Syrian tribes viewed Khalid as too young and inexperienced, and rallied around Marwan, who was ultimately chosen as caliph.[16]
Military campaigns in Syria and Jazira
Ubayd Allah fought for Marwan and his tribal allies against the Qaysi tribes led by al-Dahhak ibn Qays al-Fihri, the governor of Damascus, at the Battle of Marj Rahit in August 684.[1] The Qays were routed and al-Dahhak killed. Ubayd Allah was put in command of Marwan's army which, during Marj Rahit, consisted 6,000 men from a handful of loyalist tribes.[17] According to Kennedy, Ubayd Allah "clearly intended to rebuild the Syrian army which had served Mu'awiya and Yazid I so well".[17] In the aftermath of Marj Rahit, Ubayd Allah oversaw campaigns against rebel Qaysi tribes for Marwan and his son and successor Abd al-Malik (r. 685–705) in the Jazira.[1] However, Marwan's forces were too little to assert Umayyad rule throughout the caliphate.[17] Thus, Ubayd Allah expanded recruitment to include various Qaysi tribes.[17] He placed Husayn ibn Numayr al-Sakuni of Kindah as his second-in-command, and Shurahbil ibn Dhi'l-Kila' of Himyar, Adham ibn Muhriz of Bahila, al-Rabi'a ibn Mukhariq of Banu Ghani and Jabala ibn Abd Allah of Khath'am as deputy commanders.[17] Other than Husayn ibn Numayr, all of the commanders were either Qaysi or had earlier supported al-Dahhak against Marwan.[17]
In January 685, as Ubayd Allah was in Manbij preparing for the Umayyad reconquest of Iraq, Husayn ibn Numayr defeated the pro-Alid Penitents at the Battle of Ayn al-Warda.[1][18] Ubayd Allah had been promised by Marwan the governorship over all of the lands he could conquer from the Alids and Ibn al-Zubayr, and he may have been sanctioned to plunder Kufa.[18] For the following year, Ubayd Allah was bogged down in battles with the Qaysi tribes of Jazira led by Zufar ibn al-Harith al-Kilabi.[18] By 686, Ubayd Allah's army numbered some 60,000 troops.[17]
By the time Ubayd Allah's army approached
References
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j Robinson 2000, p. 763.
- ^ Hasson 2002, p. 519.
- ^ Kennedy 2004, p. 74.
- ^ Gibb 2007, pp. 17–19.
- ^ a b c d e f Kennedy 2004, p. 77.
- ^ a b c d e f Donner 2010, p. 178.
- ^ a b c d e f Wellhausen 1927, pp. 146–147.
- ^ Kennedy 2001, p. 13.
- ^ Crone 1980, p. 32.
- ^ a b Wellhausen 1927, p. 169.
- ^ a b c d Kennedy 2004, p. 78.
- ^ a b c d Madelung 1981, p. 301.
- ^ a b c Madelung 1981, p. 303.
- ^ Wellhausen 1927, p. 175.
- ^ Kennedy 2004, pp. 78–79.
- ^ a b c Kennedy 2004, p. 79.
- ^ a b c d e f g Kennedy 2001, p. 32.
- ^ a b c Wellhausen 1927, p. 185.
- ^ a b c d e f Kennedy 2004, p. 81.
Bibliography
- ISSN 0334-4118.
- ISBN 0-521-52940-9.
- ISBN 978-0-674-05097-6.
- ISBN 1-4067-5239-8.
- Hasson, I. (2002). "Ziyād b. Abiḥī". In Bearman, P. J.; Bianquis, Th.; Bosworth, C. E.; van Donzel, E.; Heinrichs, W. P. (eds.). The Encyclopedia of Islam. Vol. XI: W–Z (new ed.). Leiden and New York: Brill. pp. 519–522. ISBN 90-04-12756-9.
- ISBN 0-415-25093-5.
- ISBN 978-0-582-40525-7.
- JSTOR 544603.
- ISBN 978-90-04-11211-7.
- OCLC 752790641.