Abdallah ibn Amir

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Abu Abd al-Rahman Abdallah ibn Amir ibn Kurayz^[2] (Arabic: أبو عبد الرحمن عبد الله بن عامر بن كريز‎) was a Rashidun politician and general, serving as governor of Basra from 647 to 656 AD under the reign of Rashidun Caliph Uthman ibn Affan. He was a cousin of the Caliph through his father. He is most well known for his administrative and military prowess; his campaign of reconquest and pacification of former territories of the Persian Empire has left a legacy of Islamization in both Iran and Afghanistan.^[3]

Early life[]

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Abdallah ibn Amir was born in Mecca, Banu Kinanah. He was a member of the Umayyad clan of Quraysh. He was also the son of Amir ibn Kurayz ibn Rabi'ah, the brother of Arwa bint Kurayz, and would be the mother of the to-be-Caliph Uthman ibn Affan. Narratives from Islamic tradition claim that he was a descendant of Utba ibn Rabi'ah, the father of Hind, wife of Abu Sufyan ibn Harb, and mother of Muawiyah I, however, there isn't enough evidence for this to be true.

Appointment as the Governor of Basra[]

In 647 AD, Abu Musa al-Ash'ari was deposed from the governorship of Basra. Uthman appointed Ibn Amir as the Governor of Basra following the deposition. Ibn Amir was twenty-five years old at that time.^[4]

Uthman was aiming to solve tensions in newly-conquered Iraq caused by the sudden influx of Arab tribesmen into garrison towns along the frontlines like Kufa and Basra. He did so by opening new fronts in territories he aimed to conquer. This aimed to consume and channel the tribesmen's energy towards new military expeditions. When Ibn Amir arrived at Basra, he immediately prepared the fronts for new conquests into Persia.^[5][6] Ibn Amir reformed Basra in many ways, including the construction of a new irrigation canal and fixing the water supply infrastructure for the use of Hajj pilgrims passing through.^[7]

Conquests[]

Ibn Amir's expeditions were particularly aimed to quell revolts in former Persian territories.^[8]

First campaign of Kerman[]

In its first conquest of Kerman, the Rashidun caliphate sent two contingents tasked with conquering Kerman, consisting of Ibn Amir and Suhail, who reached Tabasayn. Then, they advanced towards Nishapur. Ibr Amir and Suhail quickly met opposition, with fighting against the Koch o Baloch, resulting in the death of the governor of Kerman.

Re-conquest of Fars[]

The Persian province of Fars was conquered during the reign of Caliph Umar. During Uthman’s reign, the province revolted alongside other Persian provinces. Uthman directed Ibn Amir to crush the rebellion.

Accordingly, Ibn Amir marched his forces into Persepolis, which surrendered and agreed to pay tribute. From there, the army marched to the city of Al j bard, where it encountered small resistance. The resistance was quenched, and its citizens agreed to pay tribute. Afterwards, Ibn Amir advanced to Gor. The Persians fought against his force, but they were defeated and the city was captured. Peace was made in the term of Jizya.^[8] While the army was still in Gor, Persepolis again revolted. Ibn Amir brought his forces to back to Persepolis and laid siege on the city. After a violent battle, Ibn Amir's army was able to regain control of the city. All Persian leaders guilty of instigating the revolt were captured and executed. With the fall of Persepolis, other cities in Fars also surrendered unconditionally. The Uthman-appointed governor of Pars, after analyzing the situation, sent Islamic missionaries to various cities in the region to convert the people to Islam, with the hopes of avoiding future revolts lead by Persian nationalism.

Reconquest of Kerman[]

After suppressing revolts in Fars, ibn Aamir turned towards Kerman, which revolted again in 651-652 AD. He sent a force under the command of Mujasshaa ibn Musa Salmi. Kerman was soon re-conquered with little resistance.^[9]

Re-conquest of Sistan[]

Uthman directed ibn Aamir, who at the time was Governor of Basra, to re-conquer the province. A column was sent to Sistan under Rabeah ibn Ziyad's command. He re-conquered the area up to what is now Zaranj in Afghanistan. Ibn Ziyad was made governor of Sistan, where he remained for years, then left for Basra, whereupon the province broke into revolt once again, this time over a much larger area.

Ibn Aamir sent Abd al Rahman/Abdur Rahman ibn Sumra to implement the operation. Ibn Sumra led the Muslim forces to Zaranj. Once Zaranj was captured. Abd al Rahman marched into Afghanistan and conquered it northward up to Kabul. After this campaign ibn Aamir set his eyes toward Khorasan.

Re-conquest of Khorasan[]

Khorasan, a province of the Persian Empire was conquered during the reign of Caliph Umar, under command of Ahnaf ibn Qais. After Caliph Umar's death, Khorasan broke into series of which first happened when revolt under Persian Emperor Yazdegerd III, but before he could lead the Persians against the Muslims, he was betrayed and killed in 651. Caliph Uthman in 651, sent ibn Aamir, governor of Basra, to re-conquer Khorasan. Ibn Aamir marched with large forces from Basra to Khorasan outstripping another contingent of Said Ibn Al-Aas, who departed from Kufa together with Hudzaifah Ibn Al-Yaman, Husayn ibn Ali, Hasan ibn Ali and other companions.^[10]

After capturing the main forts in Khorasan he sent many columns to various directions into Khorasan in order to prevent the Persians from gathering into a large force.^[8] The town of Bayak, in modern Afghanistan, was taken by force, with a Muslim commander falling in the battle. After Bayak, the Muslims marched towards Tabisan, which was captured with little resistance. The Muslim army captured the city of Nishapur after a long siege. The Muslim army continued capturing other small and big towns in the Khorasan region. Afterward, they consolidated their position in Khorasan. The Muslims then marched towards Herat in Afghanistan, which surrendered to Muslims peacefully. After gaining control of the region the Muslims marched towards the city of Merv in modern Turkmenistan. The city surrendered along with other towns of the region except for one, Sang, which was later taken by force. The campaign in Khorasan ended with the conquest of Balkh (Afghanistan) in 654.

However, the second uprising was broken again in Khorasan after the wake of The First Muslim civil war when Muawiya was appointed as Caliph replacing Ali, this time happened in Herat and Balkh. Abdullah was appointed once again to give reprisal of this revolt. This time the retaliation was fierce and swift where the famous Zoroastrian temple of Nobahar was destroyed.^[11]

Because of the continuous campaign in Khorasan, there's an unavoided effect of Arabizations of this area under the military operations of Abdullah. it was described the structure of the army of Abdullah Ibn Amir during the reconquest of Khorasan was composed of the army from Basra which recruited from tribes which have Hijra (emigrated) to a Misr (garrison town) and enlisted in Diwan. It was natural that these tribesmen carrying on their old tribal traditions, bearing the name of their original clan('Ashira) with whom they might have severed their relationship by emigrating to the Misri. Each clan or even a tribal grouping from related clans would have its chief as commander. This is the military system which latter will standardize in the era of the Umayyad Caliphate^[12]

Campaign in Transoxiana[]

After consolidating Muslim forces in Khorasan, Abdullah ibn Aamir crossed the Oxus River or more known to the Muslims as the Amu Darya and invaded Uzbekistan in southern Transoxiana. Details of these campaigns are little known but it is known that a greater part of southern Transoxiana submitted to the suzerainty of the Rashidun Caliphate.^[8]

Death of Caliph Uthman and its aftermath[]

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After the successful completion of his campaigns, Abdallah ibn Amir donned the Ahram in Nishapur, and made a pilgrimage to Mecca to perform the Hajj and offer thanks to God. After performing the Hajj, Abdallah ibn Amir proceeded to Madinah to see Uthman. Before Abdallah ibn Amir reached Medina, Uthman had been martyred. That was a great shock for Abdallah ibn Amir. When Zubayr ibn al-Awwam, Talha and Ayesha raised the call for the vengeance for the blood of Uthman from the rebels, Abdallah ibn Amir suggested them to come with him to Basra because of his greater influence in the city. The confederates succeeded in capturing Basra because of the influence that Abdallah ibn Amir commanded over the people of Basra. Along with Talha and Zubayr ibn al-Awwam, Abdallah ibn Amir arrested and killed around 4000 suspected rebels in connection with the murder of Caliph Uthman. In the Battle of the Camel in December 656, the confederates were defeated and Basra was captured by Caliph Ali.

During Caliph Ali’s reign[]

The reign of Caliph Ali was full of turbulence. Though Abdallah ibn Amir, did not take part in the Battle of Siffin, fought between the forces of Caliph Ali and Muawiyah, he supported the vengeance of Caliph Uthman's murder. After the murder of Caliph Ali in 661, his eldest son Hassan ibn Ali became the caliph. He was pressured by the Syrian governor Muawiyah to resign as caliph. Avoiding another civil war, Hassan ibn Ali resigned in the favor of Muawiyah six months later. During this Abdallah ibn Amir supported the caliphate of Muawiyah.^[8]

During Muawiyah’s reign[]

The caliphate of Muawiyah founded the Umayyad dynasty, dissolving the Rashidun empire of Rashidun Caliphs. Abdallah ibn Amir remained the governor of Basra under the Umayyad dynasty for some time, though later Muawiyah disposed him from the governorship of Basra presumably due to his growing influence in Basra.

During a brief rule in Basra under Muawiyah, he had struck Sassanian style of coinage which was printed with the portrait of Khusraw Parviz of the Sassanid, as mentioned in the Muwatta Imam Malik by Malik ibn Anas.^[13]

Nevertheless, in the wake of civil wars in early 660s, crimes and insecurities were growing rampant in Basra. His successor al-Harith ibn Abd Allah al-Azdi failed to maintain public order. When Ziyad ibn Abihi arrived in 665 as governor, he recruited private watchmen who were hired by wealthy people fearing crimes in the city. However, Ziyad established "al-Shurta" which consisted of four thousand infantry and cavalry, imposed curfews and set some draconian laws to behead anyone on the street after the evening praying time. He also re-established order in outside roads of Basra by appointing chiefs of Tamim and Bakr clan as the security forces of those roads.^[13]

Death[]

Abdallah ibn Amir protested against his dismissal. Abdallah left Basra for Madinah and died there in the year 678.^{[citation needed]}

Legacy[]

Abdullah ibn Aamir’s reign as a governor of province of Basra for 9 years (647 – 656) was extremely successful. Caliph Uthman was accused of nepotism, appointing his cousin Abdullah ibn Aamir, a young man of twenty-five years, as the Governor of Basra. but the Apologetic resume from Susiyanto, an Indonesian Islamic Historian citing many medieval sources and modern Contemporary historical References indicates that the appointing of Abdullah ibn Aamir was in fact because his capabilities proved to be the most successful of Caliph Uthman's governors, as no other governor was able to make conquests on as large a scale. Susiyanto marked that the people of Basra themselves unsatisfied with the rule of Abu Musa so they want Uthman to appoint Abdullah ibn Aamir unanimously, who though not very well known, was proven as one of the top-ranking generals and capable Governor of Islamic history, just like another famous Uthman's Cousin, Muʿāwiyah ibn ʾAbī Sufyān.^[4]

Another legacy he left were probably the introduction of a system where a garrison town of which formed by the basis tribal system consisting of Arabs who migrate to Persia, would be originally intended for military function which probably was the basis of Arabic diaspora in the land of Iran for later era.^[12]

He is also mentioned as the chain narrators of Hadith attributed to his father, Amir ibn Kurayz who compiled in Jami` at-Tirmidhi Sahih compilation.^[14]

See also[]

• Rashidun Caliphs
• Rashidun Empire
• Rashidun army
• Khalid ibn Walid
• Muslim conquest of Persia
• Military campaigns under Caliph Uthman

References[]