Abbasid caliph from 750 to 754
Abu al-Abbas Abd Allah ibn Muhammad ibn Ali ibn Abd Allah
(
Arabic
:
??? ?????? ??? ???? ??? ???? ??? ???
,
romanized
:
Ab? al-?Abb?s ?Abd All?h ibn Mu?ammad ibn ?Al?
; 721/722 ? 8 June 754),
known by his
laqab
al-Saffah
(
Arabic
:
???????
,
romanized
:
al-Saff??
), was the first caliph of the
Abbasid Caliphate
, one of the longest and most important
caliphates
in
Islamic history
.
His
laqab
al-Saff??
(
???????
) means "the Blood-Shedder". It may refer to his ruthless tactics, or perhaps it was used to instill fear in his enemies.
Family origins and earlier history
[
edit
]
As-Saff??, born in
Humeima
(modern-day
Jordan
), was head of one branch of the
Banu H?shim
from Arabia, a subclan of the
Quraysh tribe
who traced its lineage to
H?shim
, a great-grandfather of
Muhammad
via
'Abb?s
, an uncle of Muhammad, hence the title "Abbasid" for his descendants' caliphate. This indirect link to Muhammad's larger clan formed sufficient basis for as-Saffah's claim to the title
caliph
.
As-Saffah was the son of
Muhammad ibn Ali
and his mother was named Rayta was the daughter of a certain Ubayd Allah ibn Abd Allah.
As narrated in many
hadith
, many believed that in the end times a great leader or
mahdi
would appear from the family of Muhammad, to which Ali belonged, who would deliver
Islam
from corrupt leadership. The half-hearted policies of the late
Umayyads
to tolerate non-Arab Muslims and
Shi'as
had failed to quell unrest among these minorities.
During the reign of late Umayyad Caliph
Hisham ibn Abd al-Malik
this unrest led to a revolt in
Kufa
in southern
Iraq
, mainly by the town's slaves. Shi'ites revolted in 736 and held the city until 740, led by
Zayd ibn Ali
, a grandson of
Husayn
and another member of the Banu Hashim. Zayd's rebellion was put down by Umayyad armies in 740. The revolt in Kufa indicated both the strength of the Umayyads and the growing unrest in the Muslim world.
During the last days of the Umayyad caliphate, Abu al-‘Abb?s and his clan chose to begin their rebellion in
Khuras?n
, an important, but remote military region comprising eastern
Iran
, southern parts of the modern Central Asian republics of
Turkmenistan
,
Uzbekistan
,
Tajikistan
,
Kyrgyzstan
and northern
Afghanistan
. In 743, the death of the Umayyad Caliph
Hish?m
provoked a rebellion in the east. Abu al-`Abb?s, supported by Shi'as and the residents of Khuras?n, led his forces to victory over the Umayyads. The civil war was marked by
millennial
prophecies encouraged by the beliefs of some Shi'as that as-Saff?? was the
mahdi.
In Shi'ite works such as the
al-Jafr
faithful Muslims were told that the brutal civil war was the great conflict between good and evil. The choice of the Umayyads to enter battle with white flags and the Abbasids to enter with black encouraged such theories. The color white, however, was regarded in much of
Persia
as a sign of mourning.
Family tree
[
edit
]
Abbasid
Caliphate
was founded by a dynasty descended from Muhammad's uncle,
Abbas ibn Abdul-Muttalib
(566?653
CE
), from whom the
dynasty
takes its name.
Caliphate
[
edit
]
In early October 749 (132 AH), Abu al-'Abb?s as-Saff?h's rebel army entered
Kufa
, a major Muslim center in Southern
Iraq
. As-Saffah had not been yet declared caliph. One of his priorities was to eliminate his
Umayyad
rival, caliph
Marwan II
. The latter was defeated in February 750 at a battle on the
(Great) Zab river
north of
Baghdad
, effectively ending the Umayyad caliphate, which had ruled since 661 AD. Marwan II fled back to
Damascus
, which didn't welcome him, and was ultimately killed on the run in Egypt that August.
[4]
As-Saffah would go on to become the first Abbasid caliph, but he did not come forward to receive the pledge of allegiance from the people until after the Umayyad caliph
[5]
and a large number of his princes were already killed.
[5]
In one far-reaching, historic decision, as-Saff?h established
Kufa
as the new capital of the caliphate, ending the dominance of Damascus in the Islamic political world, and
Iraq
would now become the seat of
'Abbassid
power for many centuries.
Later tales recount that, concerned that there would be a return of rival Umayyad power, as-Saff?h invited all of the remaining members of the Umayyad family to a dinner party where he had them clubbed to death before the first course, which was then served to the hosts.
[6]
The only survivor,
Abd al-Rahman ibn Mu'awiya
, escaped to the province of
al-Andalus
(Spain), where the Umayyad dynasty would endure for three more centuries in the form of the
Emirate of Cordoba
and the subsequent
Caliphate of Cordoba
. Another version is that as-Saff??'s new governor to Syria,
'Abd All?h ibn 'Ali
, hunted down the last of the family dynasty, with only Abd al-Rahm?n escaping. Ultimately, 'Abbasid rule was accepted even in Syria, and the beginning of the new Islamic dynasty was considered "free from major internal dissensions."
[7]
As-Saff?h's four-year reign was marked with efforts to consolidate and rebuild the caliphate. His supporters were represented in the new government, but apart from his policy toward the Umayyad family, as-Saff?h is widely viewed by historians as having been a mild victor.
Jews
,
Nestorian Christians
, and Persians were well represented in his government and in succeeding Abbasid administrations. Education was also encouraged, and the first
paper mills
, staffed by skilled
Chinese
prisoners captured at the
Battle of Talas
, were set up in
Samarkand
.
[
citation needed
]
Equally revolutionary was as-Saff?h's reform of the army, which came to include non-Muslims and non-Arabs in sharp contrast to the Umayyads who refused any soldiers of either type. As-Saff?h selected the gifted
Abu Muslim
as his military commander, an officer who would serve until 755 in the Abbasid army.
[
citation needed
]
Not all Muslims accept the legitimacy of his caliphate, however. According to later
Shi'ites
, as-Saff?h turned back on his promises to the partisans of the
Alids
in claiming the title
caliph
for himself. The Shi'a had hoped that their
imam
would be named head of the caliphate, inaugurating the era of peace and prosperity the millennialists had believed would come. The betrayal alienated as-Saff?h's Shi'a supporters, although the continued amity of other groups made Abbasid rule markedly more solvent than that of the Umayyads.
[
citation needed
]
Caliph Abu al-`Abb?s `Abdu’ll?h as-Saff?? died of
smallpox
on 8 June 754 (13
Dhu al-Hijja
136 AH), only four years after taking the title of caliph. Before he died, as-Saffah appointed his brother
Abu Ja'far al-Mansur
and, following him, the caliph's nephew
Isa ibn Musa
as his successors; ibn Musa, however, never filled the position.
[
citation needed
]
Abbasid Military Activities
[
edit
]
During his reign a great battle took place in 751 known as the Battle of Talas or
Battle of Artlakh
was a military engagement between the
Abbasid Caliphate
along with their ally the
Tibetan Empire
against the Chinese
Tang dynasty
. In July 751 AD, Tang and Abbasid forces met in the valley of the
Talas River
to vie for control over the
Syr Darya
region of central Asia. After several days of stalemate, the
Karluk Turks
originally allied to the Tang defected to the Abbasids and tipped the balance of power, resulting in a Tang rout.
The defeat marked the end of Tang westward expansion and resulted in Muslim control of
Transoxiana
for the next 400 years. Control of this region was economically beneficial for the Abbasids because it was on the
Silk Road
. Historians debate whether or not Chinese prisoners captured in the aftermath of the battle brought paper-making technology to the Middle East, where it eventually spread to Europe.
[8]
The numbers of combatants involved in the Battle of Talas are not known with certainty; however, various estimates exist. The Abbasid army (200,000 Muslim troops according to Chinese estimates, though these numbers may be greatly exaggerated) which included contingents from their
Tibetan
ally met the combined army of 10,000 Tang Chinese and 20,000 Karluk mercenaries (Arab records put the Chinese forces at 100,000 which also may be greatly exaggerated).
[9]
In the month of July 751, the Abbasid forces joined in combat with the Tang Chinese force (the combined army of Tang Chinese and Karluk mercenaries) on the banks of the Talas river.
The Tang army was subjected to a devastating defeat. The Tang dynasty's defeat was due to the defection of
Karluk
mercenaries
and the retreat of
Ferghana
allies who originally supported the Chinese. The Karluk mercenaries, two-thirds of the Tang army, defected to the Abbasids during the battle; Karluk troops attacked the Tang army from close quarters while the main Abbasid forces attacked from the front. The Tang troops were unable to hold their positions, and the commander of the Tang forces,
Gao Xianzhi
, recognized that defeat was imminent and managed to escape with some of his Tang regulars with the help of
Li Siye
. Out of an estimated 10,000 Tang troops, only 2,000 managed to return from Talas to their territory in Central Asia. Despite losing the battle, Li did inflict heavy losses on the pursuing Arab army after being reproached by
Duan Xiushi
. After the battle, Gao was prepared to organize another Tang army against the Arabs when the devastating
An Shi Rebellion
broke out in 755. When the Tang capital was taken by rebels, all Chinese armies stationed in Central Asia were ordered back to
China proper
to crush the rebellion.
[10]
Also in 751, the
Byzantine Emperor
Constantine V
led an invasion across the frontier of the Caliphate. The Byzantines captured Theodosiopolis (
Erzurum
) and Melitene (
Malatya
), which was demolished. There was no serious attempt to retain control of the captured cities, except for
Camachum
(modern
Kemah, Erzincan
), which was garrisoned.
[11]
[12]
Succession
[
edit
]
As-Saffah died after a five-year reign and
al-Mansur
took on the responsibility of establishing the Abbasid caliphate by holding on to power for nearly 22 years, from Dhu al-Hijjah 136 AH until Dhu al-Hijjah 158 AH (754 ? 775).
[13]
[14]
Al-Mansur was proclaimed Caliph on his way to
Mecca
in the year 753 (136 AH) and was inaugurated the following year.
[15]
Abu Ja'far Abdallah ibn Muhammad took the name al-Mansur ("the victorious") and agreed to make his nephew
Isa ibn Musa
his Heir to the Abbasid caliphate. This agreement was supposed to resolve rivalries in the Abbasid family, but al-Mansur's right to accession was particularly challenged by his uncle
Abdullah ibn Ali
. Once in power, caliph al-Mansur had his uncle imprisoned in 754 and killed in 764.
[16]
Legacy
[
edit
]
Al-Saffah was the First Arab caliph from the Caliphal
Abbasid dynasty
. He nominated his brother
Abu Ja'far Abdallah
as
heir
, because his own son was too young to succeeded to the Caliphate. His brother nominated his son (al-Saffah's nephew) as heir. Al-Saffah's nephew nominated his two sons as heir. Even though al-Saffah's son never ascended to Caliphate, his children remained influential. In 761, his nephew Muhammad (future caliph
al-Mahdi
) married
Rayta
as his first wife after his return from Khurasan.
She gave birth to two sons,
Ubaydallah
and Ali.
[18]
His elder grandson, Ubaydallah was appointed as governor of
Arminiyah
and the northwestern provinces in 788/9.
[19]
He was later appointed to two brief stints as governor of Egypt, in 795 and 796.
[20]
His second grandson, Ali was the uncle and father-in-law of sixth Abbasid caliph al-Amin through his daughter
Lubana
.
See also
[
edit
]
References
[
edit
]
- ^
Kennedy, H. (2004).
The prophet and the age of the caliphates.
2nd ed.
- ^
a
b
The Oxford History of Islam
, p. 25. Ed.
John Esposito
. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1999.
ISBN
9780199880416
- ^
Roberts, J:
History of the World
. Penguin, 1994.
- ^
Kennedy, H. (2004).
The prophet and the age of the caliphates.
2nd ed. Page 129.
- ^
"The Battle of Talas, In Our Time"
.
BBC Radio 4
. Retrieved
23 October
2016
.
- ^
The strength of Arabs is not recorded for this battle, but the armies to the east of
Khorasan
controlled by the Arabs later were estimated by the Chinese in 718 with 900,000 troops available to respond according to
Bai Shouyi
, Bai however never estimate any Abbasid army figures. (Bai 2003, pp. 225?26).
- ^
Bai, pp. 226?28.
- ^
Treadgold (1997), pp. 360, 362
- ^
Bonner, p. 107
- ^
Sanders, P. (1990). The Meadows of Gold: The Abbasids by MAS‘UDI. Translated and edited by Lunde Paul and Stone Caroline, Kegan Paul International, London and New York, 1989
ISBN
0 7103 0246 0
. Middle East Studies Association Bulletin, 24(1), 50?51. doi:10.1017/S0026318400022549
- ^
Axworthy, Michael
(2008);
A History of Iran
; Basic, USA;
ISBN
978-0-465-00888-9
. p. 81.
- ^
Aikin, John (1747).
General biography: or, Lives, critical and historical, of the most eminent persons of all ages, countries, conditions, and professions, arranged according to alphabetical order
. London: G. G. and J. Robinson. p. 201.
ISBN
1333072457
.
- ^
Marsham, Andrew (2009).
Rituals of Islamic Monarchy: Accession and Succession in the First Muslim Empire: Accession and Succession in the First Muslim Empire
. Edinburgh University Press. p. 192.
ISBN
9780748630776
.
- ^
Al-Khatib al-Baghdadi 2011
, p. 310;
Ibn Hazm 1982
, p. 22.
- ^
Bosworth 1989
, p. 103;
Al-Baladhuri 1916
, p. 330. Numismatic evidence for this appointment is summarized by
Bates 2019
, p. 20.
Al-Ya'qubi
(
Gordon et al. 2018
, p. 1178) does not note Ubaydallah's governorship, saying instead that Ibn Mazyad was succeeded by
Abd al-Kabir ibn Abd al-Hamid
.
Łewond
(
Bedrosian 2006
, ch. 41), claims that following a conflict between Harun and Ubaydallah the empire was split in two, with Ubaydallah receiving the northern provinces of
Atropatene
, Armenia,
Iberia
/
Georgia
, and
Aghuania
; this assertion is however disputed by
Bonner 1988
, pp. 88?89, who notes that the Arabic sources from the period make no reference to any sort of conflict between the two brothers.
Ibn Qutaybah n.d.
, p. 380, refers to Ubaydallah as a governor of the
Jazira
.
- ^
Al-Kindi 1912
, pp. 137?38;
Ibn Taghribirdi 1930
, pp. 93, 101;
Khalifah ibn Khayyat 1985
, pp. 463?64 (noting only one appointment to Egypt). During his first governorship he was placed in charge of both prayers/security (
salah
) and finances (
kharaj
); in his second administration he is mentioned as only being in charge of the
salah.
Bibliography
[
edit
]
- Bonner, M.D. (2004)
Arab-Byzantine Relations in Early Islamic Times
, Ashgate/Variorum, Farnham
ISBN
9780860787167
- Hoiberg, Dale H., ed. (2010). "
"Abbasid Dynasty"
".
Encyclopedia Britannica. I: A-Ak ? Bayes (15th ed.)
.
ISBN
978-1-59339-837-8
.
- Houtsma, Martijn Theodoor (1993).
E.J. Brill's First Encyclopaedia of Islam
. Vol. 1. Brill.
ISBN
9789004097872
.
- Kennedy, Hugh
(2004).
The Prophet and the Age of the Caliphates: The Islamic Near East from the 6th to the 11th Century
(Second ed.). Harlow: Longman.
ISBN
978-0-582-40525-7
.
- Kennedy, Hugh N.
(2016).
The Early Abbasid Caliphate : A Political History
(3rd reprinted & revised ed.). London:
Routledge
.
doi
:
10.4324/9781315667423
.
ISBN
978-1-315-66742-3
.
- Treadgold, Warren
(1997).
A History of the Byzantine State and Society
. Stanford, California:
Stanford University Press
.
ISBN
0-8047-2630-2
.
- Williams, John Alden, ed. (1985).
The History of al-?abar?, Volume XXVII: The ?Abb?sid Revolution, A.D. 743?750/A.H. 126?132
. SUNY Series in Near Eastern Studies. Albany, New York: State University of New York Press.
ISBN
978-0-87395-884-4
.
- The Oxford History of Islam, p. 25. Ed.
John Esposito
. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1999.
- Al-Baladhuri, Ahmad ibn Jabir
(1916).
The Origins of the Islamic State, Part I
. Trans. Philip Khuri Hitti. New York: Columbia University.
- Bosworth, C. E.
, ed. (1989).
The History of al-?abar?, Volume XXX: The ?Abb?sid Caliphate in Equilibrium: The Caliphates of M?s? al-H?d? and H?r?n al-Rash?d, A.D. 785?809/A.H. 169?192
. SUNY Series in Near Eastern Studies. Albany, New York: State University of New York Press.
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- Bates, Michael L. (7 August 2019),
Names and Titles on Islamic Coins
, retrieved
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(in Arabic). Al-Riyadh: Dar Taybah.
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(1912). Guest, Rhuvon (ed.).
The Governors and Judges of Egypt
(in Arabic). Leyden and London: E. J. Brill.
- Ibn Hazm, Abu Muhammad ibn 'Ali ibn Ahmad ibn Sa'id al-Andalusi
(1982). Harun, 'Abd al-Salam Muhammad (ed.).
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(n.d.). Ukashah, Tharwat (ed.).
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.
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(2011). Mustafa 'Abd al-Qadir 'Ata (ed.).
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.
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.
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.
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. Vol. 3. Leiden and Boston: Brill.
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.
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(1930).
Nujum al-zahira fi muluk Misr wa'l-Qahira, Volume II
(in Arabic). Cairo: Dar al-Kutub al-Misriyya.
External links
[
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]
Wikiquote has quotations related to
Al-Saffah
.
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History
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Background
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Early period
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Fragmentation of
the Abbasid empire
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Final period
(1157–1258)
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Aftermath
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Government and military
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Palace and central government
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Financial administration
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Military
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International
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National
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