THE APOCALYPTIC YEAR 200/815-16 AND THE EVENTS SURROUNDING IT

David Cook

Introduction

The situation of the 'Abbasid dynasty (132-6561749-1258), in the years immediately following the death of Harun al-Rashid in 194/809 in the Persian city of Tus, gave rise to a large number of apoca• lyptic expectations and prophecies concerning the imminent collapse of the dynasty and the establishment of a messianic kingdom. This paper will examine these messianic traditions, highlighting the pre• viously ignored apocalyptic atmosphere. In an effort to ensure the orderly succession of his two elder sons, al-Amin (194-98/809-13), and al-Ma'mun (198-218/813-33), Harun al-Rashid effectively divided the Muslim between them, giving al-Amin the western half and al-Ma'mun the eastern. Al-Ma'mun had a considerable advantage because the 'Abbasid army was supplied with soldiers from the east. al-Rashid further stipulated that the throne was to pass from al-Amin to al-Ma'mun upon the former's demise, and not to al-Amin's descendants. Soon after his father's death, a1-Arnin broke this part of the agreement and a civil war broke out. In addition, the war was aggravated by the fact that a1-Amin was the son of an Arab woman, whereas al-Ma'mun was the son of a Persian. Thus, the conflict assumed the dimension of a struggle between two peoples, which was then just starting to manifest itself in a number of ways. Apocalyptic hopes and predictions had been in the air from a number of different sources, including Shi'ite groups, supporters of the in , whom the 'Abbasids had overthrown and massacred, and other parties. These apocalyp• tic hopes received their strongest reinforcement when al-Ma'mun, who managed to defeat and kill his brother in 198/813, appointed a descendant of the Imami Shi'i line of the Prophet 's family, ' al-Rida' (who according to Shi'i belief is the eighth Imam), as his successor and heir. This act enraged the entire 'Abbasid family and divided the empire, which had already been in upheaval due 42 DAVID COOK to a number of revolts connected to the apocalyptic year 200/8l5~16. (Ali al-Rida' is presented in the sources as a messianic figure, and it is very likely that his appointment was the result of this messianic fervor. This situation continued until (Ali al-Rida' either died or was murdered in 203/818, at which time al-Ma'mun abruptly changed his mind, appointed an (Abbasid as his heir, and returned to live in the capital city of .] We will examine these apocalyptic pre• dictions in their historical contexts, as recorded in both Sunni and Shi'i religious and historical texts, and how they especially influenced the development of Shi'i messianic beliefs. The strong surge in apocalyptic feeling during the early 'Abbasid age (132~2471749~86l) has been recorded in numerous sources. A number of scholars have argued that the (Abbasid revolution (129~132/ 746~49) was in itself an apocalyptic manifestation.2 Throughout the first two centuries of , a pattern of apocalyptic-messianic out• breaks can be identified. For example, approximately every sixty years, starting from the Prophet's emigration from to Medina in 622, there was a major apocalyptic revolt against the govern• ment, irrespective of whether that regime was led by the Umayyads (4l~129/66l~749), or the (Abbasids who followed them. The first uprising was in 611680, and began with the revolt of al-Husayn, the Prophet's grandson, and his death at Karbala' near the River. This event sparked a series of revolts lasting until 73/692. The (Abbasid revolution (7 46~49), which successfully defeated the Umayyad dynasty, was part of a series of apocalyptically motivated revolts that occurred during those years. The apocalyptic and mes-

1 The historical facts can be found in the following sources: F. Gabrieli, "La suc• cessione di Harun a1-Rashid e la guerra fra a1-Amin a al-Ma'mun," Rivista defgi Studia Orientali 11 (1926-28), pp. 347-397; M. Shaaban, Islamic History: A New Interpretation (, 1976), vo!. 2, pp. 41-46; E. Daniel, The Political and Social History if Khurasan under 'Abbasid Rule (Chicago: Bibliotheca Is1amica, 1979), pp. 175-181; H. Kennedy, The Early Abbasid (Totowa, NJ: Bames and Noble, 1981), pp. 135-150; A. Arazi and A. E1ad, '''L'Epitre a armec' a1-Ma'mun et la seconde da'wa," Studia Islamica 66 (1987), pp. 27-70, and 67 (1988), pp. 29-74. On a specific aspect of this history, G. Hoffinann, "al-Amin, a1-Ma'mun und der 'pobe!' von Baghdad in den jahren 812113," Zeitschri.ft der Deutschen Morgenliindischen Gesellschajt 143 (1993), pp. 27-44. 2 See, e.g. F. Umar, The ' (Baghdad, 1969), pp. 57ff.; M. Sharon, Black Banners from the East (Leiden and Jerusalem, 1983), pp. 75ff.; idem, Revolt: The Social and Military Implications if the 'Abbasid Revolution (Jerusalem, 1990), pp. 29ff., 79-83, 232-234; and note S. Bashear, "Muslim Apoca1ypses and the Hour," Israel Oriental Studies 13 (1993), pp. 89, 94 on the specific apocalyptic dates.