Abd Allah ibn Sa'd ibn Abi al-Sarh () was an
Arab
Arabs (, , ; , , ) are an ethnic group mainly inhabiting the Arab world in West Asia and North Africa. A significant Arab diaspora is present in various parts of the world.
Arabs have been in the Fertile Crescent for thousands of years ...
administrator
Administrator or admin may refer to:
Job roles Computing and internet
* Database administrator, a person who is responsible for the environmental aspects of a database
* Forum administrator, one who oversees discussions on an Internet forum
* N ...
,
scribe
A scribe is a person who serves as a professional copyist, especially one who made copies of manuscripts before the invention of Printing press, automatic printing.
The work of scribes can involve copying manuscripts and other texts as well as ...
, and military
commander
Commander (commonly abbreviated as Cmdr.) is a common naval officer rank as well as a job title in many army, armies. Commander is also used as a rank or title in other formal organizations, including several police forces. In several countri ...
, who was an early convert and a
companion of the prophet.
He was a scriber of the Quran (كاتب الوحي) and governor of
Upper Egypt
Upper Egypt ( ', shortened to , , locally: ) is the southern portion of Egypt and is composed of the Nile River valley south of the delta and the 30th parallel North. It thus consists of the entire Nile River valley from Cairo south to Lake N ...
for the Muslim caliphate during the reign of ʿUthmān (644–656). He was also the co-founder (with the future caliph Muʿāwiyah I) of the Islamic navy which seized Cyprus (647–649) and defeated a Byzantine fleet off Alexandria in 652.
Origin
al-Sarh came from the Banu Amir ibn Lu'ayy clan of the
Quraish tribe and was an adopted brother of the caliph
Uthman
Uthman ibn Affan (17 June 656) was the third caliph of the Rashidun Caliphate, ruling from 644 until his assassination in 656. Uthman, a second cousin, son-in-law, and notable companion of the Islamic Prophet Muhammad, played a major role ...
.
After converting to Islam, he became a
Companion of Muhammad
The Companions of the Prophet () were the Muslim disciples and followers of the Islamic prophet Muhammad who saw or met him during his lifetime. The companions played a major role in Muslim battles, society, hadith narration, and governance ...
and, later, a Scriber.
During Prophet Muhammad's era
During his time as a scribe, Abdullah ibn Sa'd ibn Abi Sarh would write down the Qur'anic revelations as they were dictated to him by the Prophet Muhammad, similar to the work of other scribes. According to some historical accounts, Ibn Abi Sarh later left Islam and fled to Mecca after experiencing personal doubts regarding the revelation.
Veracity of claims
Although al-Sarh was noted to have left Islam before later returning, the authenticity of the report claiming Muhammad had fabricated revelations has been graded as disconnected and fabricated (
''Mawḍūʻ'''')'' by the hadith scholars''.''
The report was narrated by
Muhammad bin al-Sa'ib al-Kalbi from Abi Saleh, who attributed it to
Ibn Abbas
ʿAbd Allāh ibn ʿAbbās (; c. 619 – 687 CE), also known as Ibn ʿAbbās, was one of the cousins of the Prophets and messengers in Islam, prophet Muhammad. He is considered to be the greatest Tafsir#Conditions, mufassir of the Quran, Qur'an. ...
. Al-Kalbi was unanimously deemed weak in hadith, labelled a liar and a fabricator.
He was noted to be forgetful, shunned for narrating multiple fabrications, and regarded as one of the great liars in
Kufa
Kufa ( ), also spelled Kufah, is a city in Iraq, about south of Baghdad, and northeast of Najaf. It is located on the banks of the Euphrates, Euphrates River. The estimated population in 2003 was 110,000.
Along with Samarra, Karbala, Kadhimiya ...
.
Major uncertainty in veracity surrounds the reports narrated by Abi Saleh attributed to Ibn Abbas, as al-Kalbi stated towards the end of his life that everything narrated on the authority of Ibn Abbas by Abi Saleh is a lie.
Sufyan al-Thawri
Abū ʿAbd Allāh Sufyān ibn Saʿīd ibn Masrūq ibn Ḥamza al-Thawrī al-Muḍarī al-Kūfī (; 716–778 CE / 97–161 AH), commonly known as Sufyān al-Thawrī (), was a Sunni Muslim scholar, jurist, ascetic, traditionist, and eponymous ...
, narrates from al-Kalbi:
"What you narrated on the authority of Abi Saleh, on the authority of Ibn Abbas, is a lie, so do not acknowledge it."
Furthermore, noted by
Ibn Hibban, Abi Saleh never met Ibn Abbas; therefore, all narrations by Abi Saleh on the authority of Ibn Abbas are classified as disconnected and, consequently, weak (
da'if
Hadith terminology () is the body of terminology in Islam which specifies the acceptability of the sayings (''hadith'') attributed to the Islamic prophet Muhammad by other early Islamic figures of significance such as the companions and followers ...
)
"Ibn Hibban said: The obviousness of the lie in it is more apparent than the need to go into detail in describing it. He narrated on the authority of Abi Saleh, and Abi Saleh did not hear from Ibn Abbas, so it is not permissible to use it as evidence"
Similar narrations face the same challenges with transmission reliability. Despite Muhammad Ibn ‘Umar al-Waqidi being praised and acknowledged for his extensive knowledge of the
maghazi,
he is widely deemed weak (
da'if
Hadith terminology () is the body of terminology in Islam which specifies the acceptability of the sayings (''hadith'') attributed to the Islamic prophet Muhammad by other early Islamic figures of significance such as the companions and followers ...
) by the hadith scholars and all authors of the
Kutub al-Sittah
(), also known as () are the six canonical hadith collections of Sunni Islam. They were all compiled in the 9th and early 10th centuries, roughly from 840 to 912 CE and are thought to embody the Sunnah of Muhammad.
The books are the of al ...
.
an-Nasa'i
Al-Nasāʾī (214 – 303 AH; 829 – 915 CE), full name Abū ʿAbd al-Raḥmān Aḥmad ibn Shuʿayb ibn ʿAlī ibn Sinān ibn Baḥr ibn Dīnar al-Khurasānī al-Nasāʾī (), was a noted collector of hadith (sayings of Muhammad),L ...
reports his reliability.
"The liars known for fabricating the Hadith of the Messenger of Allah are four. They are: Arba’ah b. Abi Yahya in Madinah, al-Waqidi in Baghdad, Muqatil b. Sulayman in Khurasan and Muhammad bin Sa’id al-Kalbi in Syria."
Both
Ahmad ibn Hanbal
Ahmad ibn Hanbal (; (164-241 AH; 780 – 855 CE) was an Arab Muslim scholar, jurist, theologian, traditionist, ascetic and eponym of the Hanbali school of Islamic jurisprudence—one of the four major orthodox legal schools of Sunni Islam.
T ...
and
al-Shafi'i
Al-Shafi'i (; ;767–820 CE) was a Muslim scholar, jurist, muhaddith, traditionist, theologian, ascetic, and eponym of the Shafi'i school of Sunni Islamic jurisprudence. He is known to be the first to write a book upon the principles ...
also regarded al-Waqidi as a liar and fabricator.
The credibility of al-Waqidi's narrations were rejected because it was not possible to find which parts of his reports were narrated by which reporter. His isnads were often interrupted (
munqaṭiʻ).
Analysing al-Sarh’s later life introduces further doubt regarding whether he apostatised based on the reasons mentioned in al-Kalbi’s report, as it was narrated by
al-Bagawi that al-Sarh passed away whilst in the
prayer
File:Prayers-collage.png, 300px, alt=Collage of various religionists praying – Clickable Image, Collage of various religionists praying ''(Clickable image – use cursor to identify.)''
rect 0 0 1000 1000 Shinto festivalgoer praying in front ...
position.
Flight to Mecca
After leaving Islam, al-Sarh told the Meccans "دينكم خير من دينه" (i.e. "your religion is better than Muhammad's religion"). When Muhammad learned of this, it was soon thereafter revealed Quran 6:93; "And who is more unjust than one who invents a lie about Allah or says, "It has been inspired to me," while nothing has been inspired to him, and one who says, "I will reveal
omethinglike what Allah revealed."
Ibn Jarir al-Tabari recorded in his
Tafsir
Tafsir ( ; ) refers to an exegesis, or commentary, of the Quran. An author of a ''tafsir'' is a ' (; plural: ). A Quranic ''tafsir'' attempts to provide elucidation, explanation, interpretation, context or commentary for clear understanding ...
of the Quran;
"Al-Qasim told us... "I can reveal like what Allah hath revealed" was revealed about Abdullah bin Sa'd bin Abi Al-Sarh, the brother of Bani (children of) Amir bin Lu'ai. He bdullahused to write for the Prophet (SAW), and while he ohammadwas dictating "Exalted in power, full of Wisdom", he bdullahwould write it "Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful", thus changing it. Then he bdullahwould read the changed verses to him ohammad and he ohammadwould say, "Yes n approval it's like this". So, he bdullahreverted from Islam and followed Quraysh telling them, "He ohammadused to recite to me Exalted in power, full of Wisdom', and I would change it when I write it down, and he would tell me, 'Yes n approval it's the same eaning"
When Muhammad had gathered enough troops to besiege Mecca, he issued an order to his followers that Abdallah al-Surh was to be killed. Al-Sarh fled to his adopted brother
Uthman ibn Affan
Uthman ibn Affan (17 June 656) was the third caliph of the Rashidun Caliphate, ruling from 644 until Assassination of Uthman, his assassination in 656. Uthman, a second cousin, son-in-law, and notable Companions of the Prophet, companion of ...
to plead for help, knowing Uthman to be an important ally for Muhammad. Sunan Abu Dawud, Hadith 2683 records that:
"on the day when Mecca was conquered, the Messenger of Allah gave protection to the People except four men and two women and he named them. Ibn AbuSarh was one of them. He then narrated the tradition. He said: Ibn AbuSarh hid himself with Uthman ibn Affan. When the Messenger of Allah called the people to take the oath of allegiance, he brought him and made him stand before the Messenger of Allah. He said: Messenger of Allah, receive the oath of allegiance from him. He raised his head and looked at him thrice, denying him every time. After the third time he received his oath."
After Uthman and al-Surh had left, Muhammad turned to his Companions and said:
"Is not there any intelligent man among you who would stand to this (man) when he saw me desisting from receiving the oath of allegiance, and kill him?" and that "I kept silent so that one of you might get up and strike off his head!". They replied: We do not know, Messenger of Allah, what lies in your heart; did you not give us a hint with your eye? He said: It is not proper for a Prophet to have a treacherous eye.
Regardless, Al-Sarh's life was thus spared with the aid of Uthman's intervention, and he came back into the fold of Islam. In his ''
History
History is the systematic study of the past, focusing primarily on the Human history, human past. As an academic discipline, it analyses and interprets evidence to construct narratives about what happened and explain why it happened. Some t ...
'',
al-Tabari
Abū Jaʿfar Muḥammad ibn Jarīr ibn Yazīd al-Ṭabarī (; 839–923 CE / 224–310 AH), commonly known as al-Ṭabarī (), was a Sunni Muslim scholar, polymath, historian, exegete, jurist, and theologian from Amol, Tabaristan, present- ...
briefly records about Abd Allah and Muhammad that "Abd Allah b. Sa`d b. Abi Sarh used to write for him. He apostatised from Islam and later returned to Islam on the day of the conquest of Mecca".
[Al-Tabari, "History of al-Tabari Vol. 9 - The Last Years of the Prophet", transl. Ismail K. Poonawala, p.148, Albany: State University of New York Press]
During Umar's era
Umar appointed him as second-in-command (lieutenant) to
Amr ibn al-As
Amr ibn al-As ibn Wa'il al-Sahmi (664) was an Arab commander and companion of Muhammad who led the Muslim conquest of Egypt and served as its governor in 640–646 and 658–664. The son of a wealthy Qurayshite, Amr embraced Islam in and was ...
for the campaign of conquest of Egypt. He played a major role as a military commander in the conquest of Egypt. He was commander of the right flank of Amr's and participated in all the battles fought during the conquest of Egypt under Amr's command.
During Uthman's era
When
Uthman
Uthman ibn Affan (17 June 656) was the third caliph of the Rashidun Caliphate, ruling from 644 until his assassination in 656. Uthman, a second cousin, son-in-law, and notable companion of the Islamic Prophet Muhammad, played a major role ...
became caliph in 644 CE, he appointed Abd Allah governor of
Egypt
Egypt ( , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a country spanning the Northeast Africa, northeast corner of Africa and Western Asia, southwest corner of Asia via the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to northe ...
replacing 'Amr ibn al-'As, with
Muhammad ibn Abi Hudhayfa
Muhammad ibn Abi Hudhayfa (Arabic: محمد بن أبي حذيفة ) was the son of Abu Hudhayfa ibn 'Utba and Sahla bint Suhail. His father's original name was Utba bin Rabea'ah. Since his father adopted Salim Mawla Abi Hudhayfa as his son, ...
as his aide. Abd Allah brought over a large foreign entourage and established the
diwan, "and commanded that all the taxes of the country should be regulated there".
[Archdeacon George (fl. 715), as transferred to On George's authorship of Lives 27-42:]
The protests against Abd Allah appear to have been instigated by his aide, Muhammad ibn Abi Hudhayfa. Muhammad's father (Abi Hudhayfa) was an early convert to Islam who died in the
Battle of Yamama
The Battle of Yamama was fought in December 632 as part of the Ridda Wars against a rebellion within the Rashidun Caliphate in the region of al-Yamama (in present-day Saudi Arabia, South of Riyadh City) between the forces of Abu Bakr and Musay ...
. Muhammad was raised by Uthman. When he reached maturity he participated in the foreign military campaigns and accompanied Abd Allah to
Egypt
Egypt ( , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a country spanning the Northeast Africa, northeast corner of Africa and Western Asia, southwest corner of Asia via the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to northe ...
as an aide. Muhammad ibn Abi Hudhayfa admonished Abd Allah, recommending changes in the government but Abd Allah did not respond. After continuous efforts to persuade Abd Allah to make changes in the government, eventually Muhammad ibn Abi Hudhayfa lost patience and turned from sympathetic admonisher to a disillusioned opponent; first of Abd Allah and later of Uthman for appointing him. Abd Allah wrote to Uthman claiming that Muhammad was spreading sedition and that if nothing was done to stop him, the situation would escalate. Uthman attempted to silence Muhammad's protests with 30,000
dirham
The dirham, dirhem or drahm is a unit of currency and of mass. It is the name of the currencies of Moroccan dirham, Morocco, the United Arab Emirates dirham, United Arab Emirates and Armenian dram, Armenia, and is the name of a currency subdivisi ...
s and expensive presents. Uthman's gifts were perceived as a bribe and backfired with Muhammad bringing the money and presents into the Great Mosque saying;
:''"Do you see what Uthman is trying to do? He is trying to buy my faith. He has sent these coins and these goods to me as a bribe."''
Uthman sent numerous placatory letters to Muhammad, but he continued building community opposition against Abd Allah. In 656 Egyptian community leaders decided to send a delegation to
Medina
Medina, officially al-Madinah al-Munawwarah (, ), also known as Taybah () and known in pre-Islamic times as Yathrib (), is the capital of Medina Province (Saudi Arabia), Medina Province in the Hejaz region of western Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, ...
to demand Abd Allah's dismissal. Abd Allah also left for Medina to defend himself at the court of the caliph. In his absence, Muhammad ibn Abi Hudhayfa assumed charge of the government.
When Abd Allah reached
Ayla, he was told that Uthman's house was under siege (
Siege of Uthman
Uthman ibn Affan, the third Rashidun caliph, who ruled from 644 to 656, was assassinated at the end of a siege upon his house in 656. This was initially a protest but escalated into a siege following the death of a protester. The protesters-turne ...
) and decided to return to Egypt. At the border he was informed that Muhammad ibn Abi Hudhayfa had given orders to prevent him from entering Egypt. He then went to Palestine awaiting the outcome of events in Medina. In the meantime, Uthman was assassinated in Medina, and when Abd Allah heard the news, he left Palestine, and went to
Damascus
Damascus ( , ; ) is the capital and List of largest cities in the Levant region by population, largest city of Syria. It is the oldest capital in the world and, according to some, the fourth Holiest sites in Islam, holiest city in Islam. Kno ...
to live under the protection of
Muawiyah I
Mu'awiya I (–April 680) was the founder and first caliph of the Umayyad Caliphate, ruling from 661 until his death. He became caliph less than thirty years after the death of the Islamic prophet Muhammad and immediately after the four Rashid ...
.
See also
*
List of rulers of Egypt
Lists of rulers of Egypt:
* List of pharaohs (c. 3100 BC – 30 BC)
** List of Satraps of the 27th Dynasty (525–404 BC)
** List of Satraps of the 31st Dynasty (343–332 BC)
* List of governors of Roman Egypt (30 BC – 639 AD)
* List of rul ...
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Abdallah ibn Sa'd
7th-century Arab people
Year of birth unknown
Arab people of the Arab–Byzantine wars
7th-century Egyptian people
Admirals of the Rashidun Caliphate
Generals of the Rashidun Caliphate
Rashidun governors of Egypt