Thesis Submitted for ?he Degree of Doctor of Philosophy in The Aligarh llislim University, Aligarh. TH2 LISS OF 'AL-MJHALLAB 3. >ABI 3UERA.' By Syed ISuharrsnad Yusuf» Research Scholar, T ill T117 T117 rfcr A <rrn > : n r k fid In Cowtpnm C^'S V _Aj>N a3^ r^ V- u- \ ' ' " ' ^ Vr tT ^ o > \ cJ> u \j\)X*'£d}Q~ (lKl>. 2./ 1^7 ). i . C ONTENTS. Page Chapter I Geneology arid ancestry. 1 H II Sarly Career. 19 " III 'Hie Background of Kharijite History. 37 " IV The Genesis of the ’AzEriqa. 47 " V AX-i.iuhailab* s V isit to Kecca. 58 w VI jjl-lluhallab Assumes Leadership of Campaign Against the >Azariqa. 61 " VII Al-Muhallab’ s Campaign Against the >Azariqa - First Period,66-67 A*H* 71 * VIII Al-Kuhallab Helps Mus<ab, 3 ICxpedition' Against al-Mukntar. * 100 M II Governorship of al-MaUsil. 110 * X Campaign Against tiie ^zariqa - Second Period, 60 A,H. 116 XI Back to al-Mausil. 117 .XII Recalled from al-Hawaii. (Events during the Years 69-72), 121 XIII Campaign Against the >Azariqa - 128 Third Period, 71-72 A.H." XIV Al-^uhallab Under Xhalid b. Abdullah. 133 XV Al-Muhallab Under Bishr b, Marwan. 151 XVI Campaign Against the ^zlriqa - 162 Fourth Period,74-78 A.H.(Gontd.) First Phase Under Bishr b,Marwan. XVII Conditions Under al-Hsjjaj b. Yusuf. 169 XVIII Campaign Against the >AMirioa - Fourth Period (Contd.; 178 Second Phases Offensive at Xasarun. XIX Campaign Against the ^zariqa - “Fourth Period (Contd.) 138 Third Phase* Ihe Lull 11. Page aptor XI ^ttab b. War a a’ And Hi a Rip ture with Al-Munailab. 198 " XXI Gsnpfiigia g a in s t uie ^ a r iq a - Fourth Period (Contd.) 207 Fourth Phase: ?Azariqa wiped out of Far s. XXXI 218 XXIII The j^ad of the Campaign Against the^zariqa. 237 XXIV Celebration of Victory. 244 XXV Governorship of Khurasan. 253 XXVI Campaign in Transoziana. 261 XXVII Death of dl-MufulUfc. 272 XXVIIIAl-Muhallab* s Strategy and Qualities 276 jOf Generalship. XXIX Al-Muhallab and the Poets. 299 XXX Ihe Dynasty of al-Muhallabids. 303-312 APPI1D1I A* Letters of al-Muhallab. A- I B. Speeches of al-Muhallah 1^-9 C. Maxims of al-Muhallab Jd-ir" D. vJUM4>b</.• ** S. Miscellaneous Anecdotes about al -Huhall ab* CHAPTER I. Jeneology - Arab or non-Arab ? - >Abu 3ufra. Geneology ( l) . — f <>\> Jrl> — <_> — .— c^Yr <_> U ) c> cV V? <> <-£*-> <> ^ C s (JsS^Cr is \ CsA&ysjtcs * ^yj/^vyju vJl>^uj) c>^^ <_>^>^ ^V ^t> A-^^V.^.’U > y V ^ ^ ^ •> \/ ^ 4^X»j> <_> J (i) For gsneology see Agh. 18/8; ID,283; IKh. Vl45; Isa,4/108; la t.4/109J TT. 10/329; TI. 320;Uad. *}* Thus also in B&L.417; Iq d . Z/2 1 3 ', Ktm.z+sA- + Agh, adds ‘ q ^ ^ C r ’_ a Al-l’uhallab originally belonged to Daba (1), the old principal town of %man which had been the home of his father and forefathers for many a century. He was descended from al-*Atik, progenitor of a branch of *Azti­ nman which name was applied to one of the four principal groups (2) into which the descendants of al-Azd became divided after their emigration from their original home in Yaman(3).The ^zd-^Uman were so called after the name of their new home in order to distinguish them from the other collateral groups, e.g. , >Azd Sarat* which, though tracing their descent from one and the same ancestor, al-^Azd, had drifted to different far-off lands and had likewise some distinctive suffix added to their common tribal name(4). We come across a few references insinuating that al-Mahal lab was not of the Arab stock and that his father was really a non-Arab, belonging to Khuzistan (5) or the (1). Tab. j Tag. 2/543 and IKh. 2/148 1 ’ f Bal.76 ’Dabba* ( \S>). Al^Asma*! has described Daba as a market place'in <Uman’whieh probably is identical with the town of Daba. (Yaa. 2/543; cf# Tab. j/19 T i ^ ^ V WT* (2). Sncy. 1/529. (3). The ©migration of al-^zd, connected with the bursting of the Dam of Ma>rib, is well-known. (4). IKh. 2 / 148. (5). A$i. 13/61. 5 island of Kharak(l), who migrated to <Uraan, settled amongst the ykzd and then in course of time spuriously claimed hi3 descent from them. Such references are mostly to be found in the verses of the content orary poets , 2iyad a l- ^ ja m , Ka<b al-'Xshqari and al- Farazdaq(2). ^bn Ha jar also mentions that such ^ view was a / I held by * a few people*^). (1), ^bu Ubaida in Yi Persian Gulf opposite ine raoutiii c ( Le Str. 261). lention of Kharak al-farazdaqJ- .>UUO? u *^\jr (D iw.253) (2). Ziyad a l - >A<jam says;- Aj>V^ <J ^ aX^> VjLA"! b> \ (Agh. 13/56). The second verse is also to be found In Ida.4/109 where it is stated that the_reference in the third line was particularly to >Abu Suf'ra# father of al-Muhallab* who had remained uncircumcised t i l l he was far advanced in age. Ka*b al-^A^hqari 3ays, eulogising Qutaiba b. Mislim, the avowed enemy of ai-m hallabids, and satirising Yazid b. al-Mihallabj- ^ \ A>Vks?^ \<-^r* >U W o cTXTd- g (Agh. 13/61). The three proper nouns occurring in the third verse- are saia to be the former names of ’Abu §ufra, hia father and his grand-father respec­ tively which were discarded in favour of Arab names after their fusion with the ^zd. According to *Abu <Ubaida in Yaq.2/387 where verses 3 and 4 are given with variation,the formBr name of Abu Sufra wa3 t> j^ i The verses,with variation and along with many others* are also preserved in Tab.2/1239-40. Al-Farazdaq, in his satires ,frequently refers to the non-Arab origin of al-lfiinallab.A few verses are quoted on infra p. 7 noteiD. C3; is«..4/io9. 4 There is no room for the lea st doubt about the Arab descent of al-mhallab. His geneology as given above is preserved by sush eminent authorities as^bn *Abd al -3arr, >Ibn al^Athlr, al^Isfahan! » ^bn iruraid and >Ibn Khallikan. >Ibn Ha jar too recognises it as the authoritative version which is also corroborated by >Ibn al -Kal bi, Now the references to the contrary can only be explained a3 the irresponsible utterances of unscrupulous poets who* in accordance with the spirit of the tims, were moved by tribal jealousies and s t i l l more were motivated by selfish considerations of monetary gain. It was an age when tribal rivalries and old prejudices had revived with full force and particularly the tradi­ tional animosity between the Northern and the Southern Arabs was raging vehemently. The poets traded freely in satires, lampoons and encomiums and seldom did they allow the fall of a patron to affect their own fortunes. Often and without any compunction they shifted their allegiance from their erstwhile patron to his supplanter and the praise of the la tter invariably involved a satire on the forser. Ouriously enough, the case of al-Mihallab forms a typical illustration of the poets1 irresponsibility and disregard for truth and consistency. Of the three poets whose assertion of al-mhallab*s foreign descent has been referred to above, 2iyad a l->A<jam was devoted to him since an early date and continued to be his S panegyrist throughout his lif e . The full report in Agh. (i) leaves no doubt that the verse containing a jibe on ^bu WAS Sufra who 'circumcised late in life*, was coc^osed by him only in a fit of tribal jealousy just with a view to establishing the superiority of his om tribe, <Abd al- Qais, over that of the rival poet, Ka4b alAsjiqari, who happened to belong to the 3ame tribe as al-;uhallab. Similarly Ka<b long remained the family poet of al- Mahaliba (2) and his derogatory verses are themselves a proof that they were meant just to flatter the vanity of the powerful Qaisite to whom he had gone over after the tragic fall of hi3 Yemenite patrons notwithstanding the fact that he himself was an Aadite. The satires of al-Farazdaq against al-Bihallabids are numerous indeed, yet his dlwan too contains a Qasida in honour of the sons of al-Mohallab (3) with many a laudatory verse in eulogy of their illustrious father. During the heyday of their ascendancy, al-Farazdaq had no scruples to lavish praises on the Bihallabids who had long been the target of his most vehement satires and whom he again satirized after their tragic end when he had no tiling to hope for or fear from them. (1)* 12/56; See also Supra p.3 note 2. (2). Al-Muhallab and his descendants are collectively called al-Mailaliba* ( Kam. 96). (3). Div. 374* 7 also cut off from any deep and intimate contact with their Arab brethren inland . This could not but oonduoe to their giving up many Arab notions and habits and developing un-Arab ones in their place. Thus if we scrutinise closely the satires and invectives against the ^zd <Uman» we w ill find that they stress not so much their non-Arab origin as the un-Arab way of l i f practised by them.