Abu al-Khaṣīb Marzuq was an
Abbasid
The Abbasid Caliphate or Abbasid Empire (; ) was the third caliphate to succeed the prophets and messengers in Islam, Islamic prophet Muhammad. It was founded by a dynasty descended from Muhammad's uncle, Abbas ibn Abd al-Muttalib (566–653 C ...
general and administrator during the reign of
Abu Ja'far al-Mansur. A ''
mawla
''Mawlā'' (, plural ''mawālī'' ), is a polysemous Arabic word, whose meaning varied in different periods and contexts.A.J. Wensinck, Encyclopedia of Islam 2nd ed, Brill. "Mawlā", vol. 6, p. 874.
Before the Islamic prophet Muhammad, the te ...
'' of Mansur in his early life, Abu al-Khasib rose to the position of ''
Hajib
Hajib or hadjib (, ) was a court official, equivalent to a chamberlain, in the early Muslim world, which evolved to fulfil various functions, often serving as chief ministers or enjoying dictatorial powers. The post appeared under the Umayyad Ca ...
'' (
chamberlain) in 755. In 760, he was sent by Mansur to conquer
Tabaristan
Tabaristan or Tabarestan (; ; from , ), was a mountainous region located on the Caspian coast of northern Iran. It corresponded to the present-day province of Mazandaran, which became the predominant name of the area from the 11th-century onward ...
from its
Dabuyid ruler,
Khurshid. After the conquest of Tabaristan, he was appointed as its first Abbasid governor, a position he retained until about 763.
Biography
Abu al-Khasib was from Sind. According to
Ibn Isfandiyar, he had been a client (mawali) of Muthanna ibn al-Hajjaj ibn
Qutayba ibn Muslim
Abū Ḥafṣ Qutayba ibn Abī Ṣāliḥ Muslim ibn ʿAmr al-Bāhilī (; 669–715/6) was an Arab commander of the Umayyad Caliphate who became governor of Khurasan and distinguished himself in the conquest of Transoxiana during the reign o ...
. He is first mentioned in 755, when he was sent by Abbasid Caliph Mansur as his chamberlain to
Abu Muslim Khurasani to calculate what he had acquired by defeating
Abdullah ibn Ali, the Caliph's uncle. When Abu Muslim refused to hand over the wealth, Abu al-Khasib returned to Mansur and told him about Abu Muslim's intention. This sowed the seeds of distrust between the caliph and Abu Muslim, ultimately leading to Abu Muslim's execution a few months later. Abu al-Khasib also helped
Ma'n ibn Za'ida to go into hiding and sought protection for him, ultimately helping him in gaining indemnity from prosecution.
In 759, Dabuyid
Ispahbadh
''Spāhbad'' (also spelled ''spahbod'') is a Middle Persian title meaning "army chief" used chiefly in the Sasanian Empire. Originally there was a single ''spāhbad'', called the , who functioned as the generalissimo of the Sasanian army. From th ...
of Tabaristan, Khurshid, rebelled killing Muslims living in Tabaristan. In response, Mansur sent Abu al-Khasib, along with
Khazim ibn Khuzaymah and Rawh ibn Hatim against him. They besieged and ultimately conquered his fortress. Khurshid later committed suicide by taking poison. Abu al-Khasib was appointed as governor of Tabaristan, a position he held until 763.
Although no coins are known from Abu al-Khasib's tenure as governor of Tabaristan, he is known to have built a great mosque in the city of
Sari
A sari (also called sharee, saree or sadi)The name of the garment in various regional languages include:
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* is a drape (cloth) and a women's garment in the Indian subcontinent. It consists of an un-sti ...
, probably in 761. He may have been same as Abdul Hamid, father of al-Khasib who was governor of Egypt during the reign of Harun ar-Rashid, although this is uncertain. Abu al-Khasib also ordered the excavation of Abu al-Khasib canal in
Basra
Basra () is a port city in Iraq, southern Iraq. It is the capital of the eponymous Basra Governorate, as well as the List of largest cities of Iraq, third largest city in Iraq overall, behind Baghdad and Mosul. Located near the Iran–Iraq bor ...
, named after him, which in turn gave its name to the present-day
Abu Al-Khaseeb District
Abu Al-Khaseeb District () is a district of the Basra Governorate, Iraq. Its seat is the town of Abu Al-Khaseeb. It got its name from ''Abu al-Khasib canal'', which was excavated by and named after a client of the 8th-century Abbasid caliph, Abu ...
.
See also
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Al-Sindi ibn Shahak
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Al-Sari ibn al-Hakam
Al-Sari ibn al-Hakam ibn Yusuf al-Zutti () (died November 820), also known as Al-Sari ibn al-Hakam al-Balkhi served twice as the Abbasid Caliphate's governor of Egypt.
Career
Al-Sari ibn al-Hakam was of Zutt origins. According to al-Kindi, he w ...
References
Sources
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* {{Cambridge History of Iran , volume = 4 , last=Madelung , first=W. , authorlink = Wilferd Madelung , chapter = The Minor Dynasties of Northern Iran , chapter-url = https://books.google.com/books?id=hvx9jq_2L3EC&pg=PA200
Abbasids