Saʿīd ibn al-ʿĀṣ al-Umawī () (died 678/679) was the
Muslim governor of
Kufa
Kufa ( ar, الْكُوفَة ), 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 River. The estimated population in 2003 was 110,000. Currently, Kufa and Naja ...
under Caliph
Uthman
Uthman ibn Affan ( ar, عثمان بن عفان, ʿUthmān ibn ʿAffān; – 17 June 656), also spelled by Colloquial Arabic, Turkish language, Turkish and Persian language, Persian rendering Osman, was a second cousin, son-in-law and nota ...
() and governor of
Medina
Medina,, ', "the radiant city"; or , ', (), "the city" officially Al Madinah Al Munawwarah (, , Turkish: Medine-i Münevvere) and also commonly simplified as Madīnah or Madinah (, ), is the second-holiest city in Islam, and the capital of the ...
under Caliph
Mu'awiya I
Mu'awiya I ( ar, معاوية بن أبي سفيان, Muʿāwiya ibn Abī Sufyān; –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 deat ...
(). Like the aforementioned caliphs, Sa'id belonged to the
Umayyad
The Umayyad Caliphate (661–750 CE; , ; ar, ٱلْخِلَافَة ٱلْأُمَوِيَّة, al-Khilāfah al-ʾUmawīyah) was the second of the four major caliphates established after the death of Muhammad. The caliphate was ruled by the ...
clan of the
Quraysh
The Quraysh ( ar, قُرَيْشٌ) were a grouping of Arab clans that historically inhabited and controlled the city of Mecca and its Kaaba. The Islamic prophet Muhammad was born into the Hashim clan of the tribe. Despite this, many of the Q ...
.
During his governorship of Kufa, Sa'id led military campaigns in
Azerbaijan
Azerbaijan (, ; az, Azərbaycan ), officially the Republic of Azerbaijan, , also sometimes officially called the Azerbaijan Republic is a transcontinental country located at the boundary of Eastern Europe and Western Asia. It is a part of th ...
and near the
Caspian Sea
The Caspian Sea is the world's largest inland body of water, often described as the List of lakes by area, world's largest lake or a full-fledged sea. An endorheic basin, it lies between Europe and Asia; east of the Caucasus, west of the broad s ...
. However, he had to contend with dissent from some of the Kufan elite, led by
Malik ibn al-Ashtar. The dissent was largely driven by Sa'id and Uthman's policy of consolidating ownership of the productive
Sawad
Sawad was the name used in early Islamic times (7th–12th centuries) for southern Iraq. It means "black land" or "arable land" and refers to the stark contrast between the alluvial plain of Mesopotamia and the Arabian Desert. Under the Umayyad a ...
lands of Iraq into the hands of the
Quraysh
The Quraysh ( ar, قُرَيْشٌ) were a grouping of Arab clans that historically inhabited and controlled the city of Mecca and its Kaaba. The Islamic prophet Muhammad was born into the Hashim clan of the tribe. Despite this, many of the Q ...
and Muslim veterans from Medina. Sa'id had the dissidents exiled, but during a visit to Medina, rebels in Kufa led by Yazid ibn Qays al-Arhabi took control of the city.
After his ouster from Kufa, Sa'id aided in the defense of
Uthman's house from attack by Egyptian rebels, but Uthman was killed nonetheless and Sa'id was wounded. He declined to fight alongside the Banu Umayya and
Aisha
Aisha ( ar, , translit=ʿĀʾisha bint Abī Bakr; , also , ; ) was Muhammad's third and youngest wife. In Islamic writings, her name is thus often prefixed by the title "Mother of the Believers" ( ar, links=no, , ʾumm al- muʾminīn), referr ...
against Caliph
Ali (r. 656–661) during the
First Fitna
The First Fitna ( ar, فتنة مقتل عثمان, fitnat maqtal ʻUthmān, strife/sedition of the killing of Uthman) was the first civil war in the Islamic community. It led to the overthrow of the Rashidun Caliphate and the establishment of t ...
, an act for which he was favorably remembered in Islamic historiography. He was appointed governor of Medina by the
Umayyad
The Umayyad Caliphate (661–750 CE; , ; ar, ٱلْخِلَافَة ٱلْأُمَوِيَّة, al-Khilāfah al-ʾUmawīyah) was the second of the four major caliphates established after the death of Muhammad. The caliphate was ruled by the ...
caliph Mu'awiya I in 669, but replaced by
Marwan ibn al-Hakam in 674. Sa'id then retired to his estate outside the city where he died. One of his sons,
Amr al-Ashdaq, succeeded him as leader of his clan.
Origins, early life and family
Sa'id was the only son of his father, al-As ibn Sa'id ibn al-As ibn Umayya, a pagan warrior of the
Quraysh
The Quraysh ( ar, قُرَيْشٌ) were a grouping of Arab clans that historically inhabited and controlled the city of Mecca and its Kaaba. The Islamic prophet Muhammad was born into the Hashim clan of the tribe. Despite this, many of the Q ...
who was killed by the early Muslims in the
Battle of Badr
The Battle of Badr ( ar, غَزْوَةُ بَدِرْ ), also referred to as The Day of the Criterion (, ) in the Qur'an and by Muslims, was fought on 13 March 624 CE (17 Ramadan, 2 AH), near the present-day city of Badr, Al Madinah Provin ...
in 624. His uncle was
Khalid ibn Sa'id,
Amr ibn Sa'id,
Aban ibn Sa'id, and
Ubayda ibn Sa'id. They belonged to the A'yas grouping within the
Banu Umayya
Umayyad dynasty ( ar, بَنُو أُمَيَّةَ, Banū Umayya, Sons of Umayya) or Umayyads ( ar, الأمويون, al-Umawiyyūn) were the ruling family of the Caliphate between 661 and 750 and later of Al-Andalus between 756 and 1031. In t ...
(Umayyads), a sub-clan of the Quraysh. Sa'id was likely an infant when his father was slain. His grandfather Abu Uhayha Sa'id ibn al-As (d. 622/23) was a ruler in
Mecca
Mecca (; officially Makkah al-Mukarramah, commonly shortened to Makkah ()) is a city and administrative center of the Mecca Province of Saudi Arabia, and the holiest city in Islam. It is inland from Jeddah on the Red Sea, in a narrow val ...
and, in deference to his status among the Quraysh, was referred to as ''dhū al-tāj'' (owner of the crown) and no Meccan wore a turban the same color as his, though he was not a formal king. Sa'id's mother, Umm Kulthum bint Amr, was also a Qurayshite, and his maternal grandmother Umm Habib bint al-As was the sister of Abu Uhayha.
According to the historian
Clifford Edmund Bosworth
Clifford Edmund Bosworth FBA (29 December 1928 – 28 February 2015) was an English historian and Orientalist, specialising in Arabic and Iranian studies.
Life
Bosworth was born on 29 December 1928 in Sheffield, West Riding of Yorkshire (now ...
, Sa'id "speedily achieved great prestige in Islam not only as the leader of an aristocratic family group, but also for his liberality, eloquence and learning". He gained particular favor under his kinsman, Caliph
Uthman
Uthman ibn Affan ( ar, عثمان بن عفان, ʿUthmān ibn ʿAffān; – 17 June 656), also spelled by Colloquial Arabic, Turkish language, Turkish and Persian language, Persian rendering Osman, was a second cousin, son-in-law and nota ...
(). Probably around 652–654, Uthman appointed Sa'id to help canonize the modern-day
Qur'an
The Quran (, ; Standard Arabic: , Quranic Arabic: , , 'the recitation'), also romanized Qur'an or Koran, is the central religious text of Islam, believed by Muslims to be a revelation from God. It is organized in 114 chapters (pl.: , si ...
, a task he shared with
Abd Allah ibn al-Zubayr
Abd Allah ibn al-Zubayr ibn al-Awwam ( ar, عبد الله ابن الزبير ابن العوام, ʿAbd Allāh ibn al-Zubayr ibn al-ʿAwwām; May 624 CE – October/November 692), was the leader of a caliphate based in Mecca that rivaled the ...
, Abd al-Rahman ibn al-Harith and
Zayd ibn Thabit
Zayd bin Thabit () was the personal scribe of the Islamic prophet Muhammad, serving as the chief recorder of the Quran text. He hailed from the ansar (helpers), but later joined the ranks of the Muslim army at age 19. After Muhammad's passing i ...
. Sa'id married two of Uthman's daughters, Maryam al-Sughra and Umm Amr. From the latter, he had his sons Dawud, Sulayman al-Akbar, Uthman al-Asghar, Mu'awiya and daughter Amina, while from Maryam al-Sughra he had his son Sa'id. He also married Umm al-Banin bint al-Hakam, a sister of
Marwan ibn al-Hakam, another member of the Banu Umayya, who bore him his eldest son, Uthman al-Akbar, and sons
Amr al-Ashdaq, Muhammad, Umar, Abd Allah al-Akbar and al-Hakam.
From his wife Umm Habib bint Jubayr ibn Mut'im he had his son Abd Allah al-Asghar, from his wife al-Aliyya bint Salama he had Yahya and Ayyub, from Juwayriyya bint Sufyan he had his sons Aban, Khalid and al-Zubayr, from A'isha, a daughter of
Jarir ibn Abd Allah al-Bajali Jarir may refer to:
*Jarir (poet), Arab poet
*Jarir Bookstore
Jarir Marketing Company ( ar, شركة جرير للتسويق), also known as Jarir Bookstore ( ar, مكتبة جرير), is a Saudi Arabian establishment founded by Abdulrahman Nass ...
, he had his son Jarir and daughter Umm Sa'id, from Umayma bint Amir al-Bajaliyya he had his daughters Ramla, Umm Uthman and Umayma, from a certain Bint Salama ibn Qays he had his son Ibrahim, from his wife Umm Habib bint Buhayr he had his daughter A'isha al-Saghira and from Umm Salama bint Habib he had his son Sulayman al-Asghar. From various slave women (''
ummahat awlad''; singular ''umm walad'') unnamed in the sources, he had his sons Anbasa and Utba, and daughters Hafsa, A'isha al-Kabira, Umm Amr, Umm Yahya, Fatikha, Umm Habib al-Kabira, Umm Habib al-Saghira, Umm Kulthum, Sara, Umm Dawud, Umm Sulayman, Umm Ibrahim and Humayda.
Governor of Kufa
In 649/650, Sa'id was appointed governor of
Kufa
Kufa ( ar, الْكُوفَة ), 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 River. The estimated population in 2003 was 110,000. Currently, Kufa and Naja ...
, replacing
al-Walid ibn Uqba
Al-Walīd ibn ʿUqba ibn Abī Muʿayṭ ( ar, الْوَلِيْد ابْنِ عُقبَة ابْنِ أَبِيّ مُعَيْط, died 680) was the governor of Kufa in 645/46–649/50 during the reign of his half-brother, Caliph Uthman ().
Durin ...
. During his tenure, his military reputation was boosted by campaigns in
Azerbaijan
Azerbaijan (, ; az, Azərbaycan ), officially the Republic of Azerbaijan, , also sometimes officially called the Azerbaijan Republic is a transcontinental country located at the boundary of Eastern Europe and Western Asia. It is a part of th ...
and near the
Caspian Sea
The Caspian Sea is the world's largest inland body of water, often described as the List of lakes by area, world's largest lake or a full-fledged sea. An endorheic basin, it lies between Europe and Asia; east of the Caucasus, west of the broad s ...
. However, from the start, he faced issues with the Kufan elite, which consisted of Arab tribal settlers, Muslim veterans from the
Battle of Qadisiyya and the ''
qurra'' (Qur'an reciters). Many among the elite were incensed by Uthman's seizure of the conquered lands of the
Sasanian
The Sasanian () or Sassanid Empire, officially known as the Empire of Iranians (, ) and also referred to by historians as the Neo-Persian Empire, was the History of Iran, last Iranian empire before the early Muslim conquests of the 7th-8th cen ...
royals and nobility in Iraq, which he planned to distribute to the tribesmen of Quraysh and certain men from Medina, in exchange for their properties in the
Arabian Peninsula. Those two groups made up the early settlers in Kufa, who took part in the
conquest of Iraq. By the time of Uthman, a large influx of newcomers from Arabia moved to Kufa and the Sawad, reducing the collective profits of the early settlers and prompting Sa'id to send a complaint about the crisis to Uthman in 651. Uthman's policy was meant to be a solution to this situation and stood in stark contrast to Caliph
Umar
ʿUmar ibn al-Khaṭṭāb ( ar, عمر بن الخطاب, also spelled Omar, ) was the second Rashidun caliph, ruling from August 634 until his assassination in 644. He succeeded Abu Bakr () as the second caliph of the Rashidun Caliphat ...
(), under whom the
Sawad
Sawad was the name used in early Islamic times (7th–12th centuries) for southern Iraq. It means "black land" or "arable land" and refers to the stark contrast between the alluvial plain of Mesopotamia and the Arabian Desert. Under the Umayyad a ...
lands were collectively held by the Muslim community. The newcomers were not able to benefit from the proposed land exchange since most did not own property elsewhere.
Sa'id pursued Uthman's policy and stated "the Sawad
f Iraqis the garden of Quraysh", i.e. that the land was to be owned by his tribe. According to 8th-century historian
Sayf ibn Umar, troubles came to a head when a certain young man of the
Banu Asad, Abd al-Rahman ibn Hubaysh, remarked in the presence of Sa'id and the Kufan elite that Sa'id should take possession of the Sawad's lands. This aroused the anger of
Malik ibn l-Ashtar and the ''qurra''. The young man's father insisted the remark was innocent, but al-Ashtar believed Sa'id had the event staged to justify the impending property confiscations. Ibn Hubaysh and his father were severely beaten, prompting the Banu Asad to besiege Sa'id's residence demanding retribution. Sa'id calmed the tribesmen and strongly condemned the actions of the ''qurra''. With Uthman's sanction, the ten leading Kufan dissenters, including al-Ashtar, were exiled to Syria.
Uthman summoned Sa'id to Medina for consultations regarding the state of the caliphate in 655. During his absence, the ''qurra'' and other dissidents led by a certain Yazid ibn Qays al-Arhabi and Ibn al-Ashtar seized control of Kufa, preventing Sa'id from returning at the end of the year. Forced to return to Medina, he was replaced by
Abu Musa al-Ash'ari
Abu Musa Abd Allah ibn Qays al-Ash'ari ( ar, أبو موسى عبد الله بن قيس الأشعري, Abū Mūsā ʿAbd Allāh ibn Qays al-Ashʿarī), better known as Abu Musa al-Ash'ari ( ar, أبو موسى الأشعري, Abū Mūsā al-Ash ...
, who was favored by the rebels.
Later life

Sa'id took part in the defense of Uthman's house when it was besieged by Egyptian rebels in 656. The caliph was ultimately killed and Sa'id was wounded in the attack. In the aftermath, he was set to join Aisha,
Talha ibn Ubayd Allah
Ṭalḥa ibn ʿUbayd Allāh al-Taymī ( ar, طَلْحَة بن عُبَيْد اللّه التَّيمي, ) was a Companion of the Islamic prophet Muhammad. In Sunni Islam, he is mostly known for being among ('the ten to whom Paradise was ...
and
Zubayr ibn al-Awwam
Az Zubayr ( ar, الزبير) is a city in and the capital of Al-Zubair District, part of the Basra Governorate of Iraq. The city is just south of Basra. The name can also refer to the old Emirate of Zubair.
The name is also sometimes written ...
in their pursuit of vengeance over Uthman's death. However, he refused to fight alongside them against Uthman's successor, Caliph
Ali () at the
Battle of the Camel
The Battle of the Camel, also known as the Battle of Jamel or the Battle of Basra, took place outside of Basra, Iraq, in 36 AH (656 CE). The battle was fought between the army of the fourth caliph Ali, on one side, and the rebel army led ...
. Instead, he settled in Mecca. Despite not participating in the
war with Ali, Caliph
Mu'awiya I
Mu'awiya I ( ar, معاوية بن أبي سفيان, Muʿāwiya ibn Abī Sufyān; –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 deat ...
(), a leading opponent of Ali, appointed Sa'id governor of Medina in 669. He replaced Marwan ibn al-Hakam until the latter was reappointed to the post in 674.
Afterward, Sa'id moved back to his estates at Wadi al-Aqiq near Medina. He died there, at the al-Arsa estate, in 678/679. Despite being a member of the Banu Umayya, his good relations with the
Banu Hashim
)
, type = Qurayshi Arab clan
, image =
, alt =
, caption =
, nisba = al-Hashimi
, location = Mecca, Hejaz Middle East, North Africa, Horn of Africa
, descended = Hashim ibn Abd Manaf
, parent_tribe = Qur ...
(the family of Muhammad and Ali) and his refusal to fight against Ali contributed to his positive image in later Islamic historiography. He was survived by some fourteen of his sons, including Amr al-Ashdaq, who became the leader of his family until his execution in 689 for revolting against the Umayyad caliph
Abd al-Malik
Abdul Malik ( ar, عبد الملك) is an Arabic (Muslim or Christian) male given name and, in modern usage, surname. It is built from the Arabic words '' Abd'', ''al-'' and '' Malik''. The name means "servant of the King", in the Christian insta ...
(). Nothing is known about his sons from Caliph Uthman's daughters, other than the descendants of Uthman al-Asghar lived in Kufa. Amina was later wed and divorced by the Umayyad prince
Khalid ibn Yazid. Sa'id's sons Yahya and Anbasa were involved in al-Ashdaq's rebellion against Abd al-Malik, but were both pardoned after the intercession of the caliph's brother
Abd al-Aziz
Abd al-Aziz ( ar, عبد العزيز, DMG: ''ʽAbd al-ʽAzīz''), frequently also transliterated Abdul-Aziz, is a male Arabic Muslim given name and, in modern usage, surname. It is built from the words '' ʽAbd'', the Arabic definite article an ...
. Anbasa later became a close aide of the practical viceroy of Iraq,
al-Hajjaj ibn Yusuf
Abu Muhammad al-Hajjaj ibn Yusuf ibn al-Hakam ibn Abi Aqil al-Thaqafi ( ar, أبو محمد الحجاج بن يوسف بن الحكم بن أبي عقيل الثقفي, Abū Muḥammad al-Ḥajjāj ibn Yūsuf ibn al-Ḥakam ibn Abī ʿAqīl al-T ...
. Sa'id's daughter Umm Uthman married, in succession, Sa'id ibn Khalid ibn Amr, a great-grandson of Caliph Uthman, and the Umayyad prince
Abd Allah ibn Yazid
ʿAbd Allāh ibn Yazīd ibn Muʿāwiya ibn Abī Sufyān (), commonly known as al-Uswār, was an Umayyad prince from the Sufyanid line of the dynasty. He was the son of Caliph Yazid I (). After the death of his brother, Caliph Mu'awiya II, in 684, ...
.
Notes
References
Bibliography
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Said ibn As
679 deaths
7th-century Arabs
Banu Umayya
Generals of the Rashidun Caliphate
People from Medina
Rashidun governors of Kufa
Umayyad governors of Medina