Ibrahim I ibn al-Aghlab ( ar, إبراهيم بن الأغلب; 756–812) was the first Emir of the

Ifriqiya Ifriqiya ( '), also known as al-Maghrib al-Adna ( ar, المغرب الأدنى), was a medieval historical region comprising today's Tunisia and eastern Algeria, and Tripolitania (today's western Libya). It included all of what had previously ...

from Aghlabid family (800-812).

Origin and early career

He was the son of al-Aghlab, a

Khurasan Greater Khorāsān,Dabeersiaghi, Commentary on Safarnâma-e Nâsir Khusraw, 6th Ed. Tehran, Zavvâr: 1375 (Solar Hijri Calendar) 235–236 or Khorāsān ( pal, Xwarāsān; fa, خراسان ), is a historical eastern region in the Iranian Plate ...

i who had been a companion of

Abu Muslim , image = Abu Muslim chastises a man for telling tales, Folio from the Ethics of Nasir (Akhlaq-e Nasiri) by Nasir al-Din Tusi (fol. 248r).jpg , caption = "Abu Muslim chastises a man for telling tales," Folio from the '' ...

during the Abbasid Revolution. He had served as governor of

in 765–767, being killed during the revolt of al-Hasan ibn Harb. The ''

Encyclopaedia of Islam The ''Encyclopaedia of Islam'' (''EI'') is an encyclopaedia of the academic discipline of Islamic studies published by Brill. It is considered to be the standard reference work in the field of Islamic studies. The first edition was published in ...

'' describes Ibrahim as "energetic and wise, prudent and shrewd, a brave fighter as well as skilful diplomat", and of considerable education, including in

Islamic jurisprudence ''Fiqh'' (; ar, فقه ) is Islamic jurisprudence. Muhammad-> Companions-> Followers-> Fiqh. The commands and prohibitions chosen by God were revealed through the agency of the Prophet in both the Quran and the Sunnah (words, deeds, and e ...

, as well as talented in poetry and oratory. In 795, Ibrahim was appointed governor of the Zab. From that position he played a leading role in the suppression of a revolt against the Abbasid governor of Ifriqya,

Muhammad ibn Muqatil al-Akki Muhammad ibn Muqatil ibn Hakim al-Akki ( ar, محمد بن مقاتل بن حكيم العكي) was a provincial governor for the Abbasid Caliphate. Appointed to Ifriqiya in 797, he was the last Provincial governor of that province prior to the ...

. As a reward, on 9 July 800 Caliph Harun al-Rashid recognized him as emir of Ifriqiya, and bestowed virtually complete independence in exchange for an annual payment of 40,000 gold dinars to the Abbasid treasury. This allowed Ibrahim and his successors to establish the hereditary Aghlabid dynasty.

Reign

Ibrahim was successful in subduing the last

Berber Berber or Berbers may refer to: Ethnic group * Berbers, an ethnic group native to Northern Africa * Berber languages, a family of Afro-Asiatic languages Places * Berber, Sudan, a town on the Nile People with the surname * Ady Berber (1913–196 ...

uprisings that had continued since the Great Berber Revolt, although the southern part of the Maghreb had to be given up for lost, and the Berbers there allowed to keep their

Kharijite The Kharijites (, singular ), also called al-Shurat (), were an Islamic sect which emerged during the First Fitna (656–661). The first Kharijites were supporters of Ali who rebelled against his acceptance of arbitration talks to settle the c ...

Shi'a Shīʿa Islam or Shīʿīsm is the second-largest Islamic schools and branches, branch of Islam. It holds that the Prophets and messengers in Islam, Islamic prophet Muhammad in Islam, Muhammad designated Ali, ʿAlī ibn Abī Ṭālib as his S ...

beliefs, which a century later would provide the basis for the downfall of the Aghlabids to the Shi'a Fatimids. Domestically, Ibrahim and his successors faced constant opposition from the Arab settler community (''jund'') in Tunis and Kairouan, which was jealous of their prerogatives and oppressed the native population. In addition, Ibrahim was a Muʿtazila, Mu'tazili Muslim, and in opposition to the Maliki jurists of Kairouan. He named Abu Muhriz, a Mu'tazili imam, as Qadi (Shari'a magistrate) Qayrawan (cadi of Kairouan) in 806. Ibrahim faced two revolts from the ''jund'', one by Hamdis ibn Abd al-Rahman al-Kindi in 802, and another by Imran ibn Mukhallad in 809. As a result, Ibrahim established the palace city of al-Abbasiyya (or ''al-Qasr al-Qadim''), just south of Kairouan, and imported a large number of black African slave soldiers to lessen his dependence on the ''jund''. On his death on 5 July 812, he was succeeded by his son Abdallah I ().

References

Sources

*Hitti, Philip K. ''A History of the Arabs'', 5th ed. London, 1951. * {{Authority control 756 births 812 deaths Aghlabid emirs of Ifriqiya 8th-century Arabs Mu'tazilism Governors of the Abbasid Caliphate