Nasr ibn Abdallah, known as Kaydar ( ar, كيدر نصر بن عبد الله; ''

nisbah The Arabic language, Arabic word nisba (; also transcribed as ''nisbah'' or ''nisbat'') may refer to: * Arabic nouns and adjectives#Nisba, Nisba, a suffix used to form adjectives in Arabic grammar, or the adjective resulting from this formation **c ...

'' given variously as al-Safadi الصفدي or al-Sughdi الصغدي) was a governor of

Egypt Egypt ( ar, مصر , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a transcontinental country spanning the northeast corner of Africa and southwest corner of Asia via a land bridge formed by the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Mediter ...

for the

Abbasid Caliphate The Abbasid Caliphate ( or ; ar, الْخِلَافَةُ الْعَبَّاسِيَّة, ') was the third caliphate to succeed the Islamic prophet Muhammad. It was founded by a dynasty descended from Muhammad's uncle, Abbas ibn Abdul-Muttalib ...

, serving there from 832 until his death in 834.

Career

Kaydar appears to have been of Sogdian descent, and he was considered a client of the

Commander of the Faithful Commander (commonly abbreviated as Cmdr.) is a common naval officer rank. Commander is also used as a rank or title in other formal organizations, including several police forces. In several countries this naval rank is termed frigate captain. ...

(''mawla amir al-mu'minin''). He was appointed to the governorship of Egypt by the caliph

al-Ma'mun Abu al-Abbas Abdallah ibn Harun al-Rashid ( ar, أبو العباس عبد الله بن هارون الرشيد, Abū al-ʿAbbās ʿAbd Allāh ibn Hārūn ar-Rashīd; 14 September 786 – 9 August 833), better known by his regnal name Al-Ma'mu ...

(r. 813–833) following the latter's visit to the province in February 832. The caliph also sent a "foreigner" (''

ajam ''Ajam'' ( ar, عجم, ʿajam) is an Arabic word meaning mute, which today refers to someone whose mother tongue is not Arabic. During the Arab conquest of Persia, the term became a racial pejorative. In many languages, including Persian, Tur ...

'') named Ibn Bistam to serve as chief of security ('' shurtah''), but Kaydar dismissed him over charges of bribery and ordered him to be whipped in the mosque, after which he appointed his own son Muzaffar to lead the ''shurtah'' instead. During Kaydar's governorship, al-Ma'mun ordered the beginning of the ''

mihna The Mihna ( ar, محنة خلق القرآن, ''Miḥnat k͟halaq al-Qurʾān'' "ordeal egardingthe createdness of the Qur'an") refers to the period of religious persecution instituted by the 'Abbasid Caliph al-Ma'mun in 833 CE in which reli ...

h'' or inquisition, to ensure compliance with his belief that the Qur'an had been created. In 833 Kaydar received a letter from al-Ma'mun's brother and successor

Abu Ishaq Abu Ishaq (literally "father of Isaac") may refer to: * Abu Ishaq Muhammad al-Mutasim, Abbasid caliph (r. 833–842) and one of the most famous bearer of this Teknonym. * Abu Ishaq Ahmad al-Tha'labi (died 1035/36), Persian scholar * Abu Ishaq a ...

, announcing the formation of the ''mihnah'' and instructing him to implement it in Egypt. He accordingly questioned the ''

qadi A qāḍī ( ar, قاضي, Qāḍī; otherwise transliterated as qazi, cadi, kadi, or kazi) is the magistrate or judge of a '' sharīʿa'' court, who also exercises extrajudicial functions such as mediation, guardianship over orphans and mino ...

Harun ibn Abdallah al-Zuhri Harun, also transliterated as Haroon or Haroun ( ar, هارون, ) is a common male given name of Arabic origin, related to the Hebrew name of the Prophet Aaron. Both are most likely of Ancient Egyptian origin, from ''aha rw'', meaning "warrior l ...

, along with other officials and legal experts, and received their affirmation of the createdness of the Qur'an. A few months after the beginning of the ''mihnah'', al-Ma'mun died in August 833 and was succeeded by Abu Ishaq, who took the regnal name al-Mu'tasim (r. 833–842). The new caliph wrote to Kaydar, ordering him to drop the names of the provincial Arabs from the army registers ('' diwan'') and stop paying their salaries. This act met stiff resistance, however, and soon a certain Yahya ibn al-Wazir al-Jarawi revolted and drew five hundred men to his cause. Kaydar responded by preparing to engage the rebels, but he died in 834, and the governorship was taken over by his son Muzaffar.; ;

Notes

References

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Kaydar Nasr ibn Abdallah 834 deaths Abbasid governors of Egypt 9th-century Iranian people Sogdian people 9th-century Abbasid governors of Egypt