Muhammad ibn al-Ash'ath al-Khuza'i () was an early
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 ...
follower and later became Abbasid governor in
Iran
Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran (IRI) and also known as Persia, is a country in West Asia. It borders Iraq to the west, Turkey, Azerbaijan, and Armenia to the northwest, the Caspian Sea to the north, Turkmenistan to the nort ...
,
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 ...
and
Ifriqiya
Ifriqiya ( '), also known as al-Maghrib al-Adna (), was a medieval historical region comprising today's Tunisia, eastern Algeria, and Tripolitania (roughly western Libya). It included all of what had previously been the Byzantine province of ...
for the
Abbasid Caliphate
The Abbasid Caliphate or Abbasid Empire (; ) was the third caliphate to succeed the Islamic prophet Muhammad. It was founded by a dynasty descended from Muhammad's uncle, Abbas ibn Abd al-Muttalib (566–653 CE), from whom the dynasty takes ...
.
Life
Muhammad was a deputy ''
naqib'' during the
Abbasid missionary phase in
Khurasan
KhorasanDabeersiaghi, Commentary on Safarnâma-e Nâsir Khusraw, 6th Ed. Tehran, Zavvâr: 1375 (Solar Hijri Calendar) 235–236 (; , ) is a historical eastern region in the Iranian Plateau in West Asia, West and Central Asia that encompasses wes ...
and the
Abbasid Revolution that followed. Upon the spread of the Revolution,
Abu Muslim
Abu Muslim Abd al-Rahman ibn Muslim al-Khurasani (; ; 718/19 or 723/27 – 755) was a Persian general who led the Abbasid Revolution that toppled the Umayyad dynasty, leading to the establishment of the Abbasid Caliphate.
Little is known ab ...
appointed Muhammad as governor of
Tabasayn Tabasayn () was a district in Quhistan in the medieval period. The name, although referring to both cities, was often applied by geographers to either one in isolation. The cities were Tabas al-Tamr ('Tabas of the Dates'), also known as Tabas Gila ...
,
Fars and
Kerman
Kerman (; ) is a city in the Central District (Kerman County), Central District of Kerman County, Kerman province, Kerman province, Iran, serving as capital of the province, the county, and the district.
History
Kerman was founded as a def ...
. In 755 he participated in the suppression of the rebellion of
Sunpadh
Sunpadh (; also spelled Sunpad and Sunbadh) was an Iranian nobleman from the House of Karen, who incited an uprising against the Abbasid Caliphate in the 8th century.
Background
Sunpadh was a Zoroastrian nobleman, who was a native of a village c ...
at
Rayy
Shahre Ray, Shahr-e Ray, Shahre Rey, or Shahr-e Rey (, ) or simply Ray or Rey (), is the capital of Rey County in Tehran Province, Iran. Formerly a distinct city, it has now been absorbed into the metropolitan area of Greater Tehran as the 20t ...
, and in the next year fought against another rebel,
Jawhar ibn Marar
Jawhar is a city and a municipal council in Palghar district of Maharashtra state in Konkan division of India 130km Away from Mumbai .Jawhar was a capital city of the erstwhile princely state of Jawhar.
Situated in the ranges of the Western ...
, also at Rayy (although the two events may have been mixed up in the sources, so that Muhammad may in reality have been present only at one).
In 758/9, he was named governor of Egypt, a post he held until 760/1, and was then sent west to
conquer Ifriqiya for the Abbasids from the
Ibadi
Ibadism (, ) is a school of Islam concentrated in Oman established from within the Kharijites. The followers of the Ibadi sect are known as the Ibadis or, as they call themselves, The People of Truth and Integrity ().
Ibadism emerged around 6 ...
tes in 761. According to the Mamluk historian Safadi, he was also governor of
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 ...
under
al-Mansur
Abū Jaʿfar ʿAbd Allāh ibn Muḥammad al-Manṣūr (; ; 714 – 6 October 775) usually known simply as by his laqab al-Manṣūr () was the second Abbasid caliph, reigning from 754 to 775 succeeding his brother al-Saffah (). He is known ...
. Muhammad died in 766, while on his way to take part in a summer raid against the
Byzantine Empire
The Byzantine Empire, also known as the Eastern Roman Empire, was the continuation of the Roman Empire centred on Constantinople during late antiquity and the Middle Ages. Having survived History of the Roman Empire, the events that caused the ...
.
His sons also had distinguished careers: Ja'far was ''
sahib al-shurta
''Shurṭa'' () is the common Arabic term for police. Its literal meaning is that of a "picked" or elite force. The ''shurṭa'' or police force were established in the early days of the Caliphate, perhaps as early as the caliphate of Uthman (644� ...
'' for
Harun al-Rashid
Abū Jaʿfar Hārūn ibn Muḥammad ar-Rāshīd (), or simply Hārūn ibn al-Mahdī (; or 766 – 24 March 809), famously known as Hārūn al-Rāshīd (), was the fifth Abbasid caliph of the Abbasid Caliphate, reigning from September 786 unti ...
and governor of Khurasan, while Nasr was governor of
Palestine
Palestine, officially the State of Palestine, is a country in West Asia. Recognized by International recognition of Palestine, 147 of the UN's 193 member states, it encompasses the Israeli-occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and th ...
and of
Sindh
Sindh ( ; ; , ; abbr. SD, historically romanized as Sind (caliphal province), Sind or Scinde) is a Administrative units of Pakistan, province of Pakistan. Located in the Geography of Pakistan, southeastern region of the country, Sindh is t ...
.
References
Sources
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Muhammad ibn al-Ashath al-Khuzai
766 deaths
8th-century Arab people
8th-century Abbasid governors of Egypt
Generals of the Abbasid Caliphate
Abbasid governors of Ifriqiya
Abbasid governors of Fars
Year of birth missing
8th-century people from the Abbasid Caliphate
8th-century people from Ifriqiya
Abbasid Revolution