Chapter 3

The Caliphate of the Abbasids · ( First Phase) Abu I Abbas saff ah Abu! Abbas Abdullah Saffah bin Mohammad bin Ali bin Abdullah bin Abbas bin Abdul Muttalib bin Hashim was born and raised at Hamimah in Balqa area in 104 A.H. He succeeded his brother. He was younger than his brother Mansoor. Ibn Jareer says one day the Prophet ~ said to his uncle Abbas ~ , "The Caliphate will come to your descendants", the descendents of Abbas were looking forward to it ever since that time.

Abdullah Saffah enjoyed distinction in his ability to cause bloodshed, competitive generosity and intelligence. His Governors and Officials were also experts at spilling blood. Saffah first deputed his uncle Dawood as Governor of Kufa and then made him the Amir of the Hijaz, Yemen and Yamama and appointed his nephew Isa bin Musa bin Mohammad as Governor of Kufa. When Abu Dawood died in 133 A.H., Saffah made his maternal uncle Yazid bin Obaidullah bin Abdul Madan Harthi and his cousin Mohammad bin Yazid bin Obaidullah bin Abdul Madan the Governors The History of Islam of Hijaz plus Yamama and Yemen respectively. In 132 A.H., Sufyan bin Uyaina Halbi was made the administrator of Basra and then in 133 A.H., he was deposed and ·this office was given to Saffah's uncle Sulaiman bin Ali and the Sultanate of Bahrain and Oman were also annexed to his territory.

In 132 A.H. Saffah's uncle Ismail bin Ali, another uncle Abdullah bin Ali, Abu Aun Abdul Malik bin Yazid and Abu Muslim Khorasani were Governors of Ahwaz, Syria, Egypt and Khorasan with Jabal respectively. Khalid bin Barmak was the Revenue Officer in Khorasan. In 133 A.H., Abu Muslim appointed Mohammad bin Ash' ath the Governor of Persia on his own. At the same time, Saffah sent his uncle Isa bin Ali with the certificate of Governorship for Persia.

Muhammad bin Ash'ath had already been installed there. When Isa bin Ali reached there, Muhammad bin Ash'ath refused to hand over the government of Persia to him and then took a promise from him that he would not deliver the Friday sermon from the pulpit and not to take up sword except to declare [ihad, then he handed over the authority of Persia to him but in fact, he himself remained the ruler. When Mohammad Ash'ath died, Saffah sent his uncle Ismail bin Ali as the Governor of Persia. Then he sent Mohammad bin Sool as the Governor of Mousil. The citizens of Mousil expelled Mohammad bin Saal.

They were against Banu Abbas. Getting angry Saffah sent his brother Yahya bin Mohammad bin Ali with 12,000 warriors. Yahya reached Mousil and stayed at the Governor's headquarters and sent for the leaders of Mousil and had them all killed through treachery. The inhabitants of Mousil were highly agitated because of this. They prepared themselves to fight.

Yahya made a proclamation, saying. "Whosoever enters the Central Mosque will be granted pardon. Hearing it, they rushed towards the Central Mosque. Yahya had his men standing guard at the doors of the Central Mosque. Who ever entered it was killed.

In this way, 11,000 people were killed. Then a general massacre was ordered in the city. When it was night, Yahya heard the lamentations of the women whose husbands, fathers, brothers and sons were unjustly killed. In the morning, he ordered even the women and children to be put to death. For three days in succession, the killing of the citizens was declared to be legal.

With this declaration, the massacre in the city was The Caliphate of the Abbasids (First Phase) enjoined with greater ferocity. There were 4000 black soldiers in Yahya's army. During the slaughter, they turned to raping_ the women. Thousands of women were kidnapped. On the fourth day, Yahya came into the city on horse back for inspection.

A woman gathered her courage and caught hold of the ·reins of his horse and said, "Are you not of Banu Hashim? Are you not the son of the Prophet's ~ uncle? Don't you know that the black soldiers have married the Muslim women by force?" Yahya did not answer and went away. The next day, he sent for all the black soldiers to disburse their salaries and when all of them had assembled, he ordered them to be killed. When Saffah was informed of this, he sent Ismail bin Ali to Mousil and transferred Yahya to Persia.

In 133 A.H., the Roman Emperor took Maltiya and Qaliqala from the Muslims by force. The same year Yazid bin Obaidullah bin Abdul Madan gave an army to Ibrahim bin Hibban Sulami and sent him from Madinah to Yamama where Muthanna bin Yazid bin Omer bin Hubairah had been in power since his father's time. He fought [brahim and was killed. The same year Shareek bin Shaikh Mehri in. Bukhara revolted and gathered 30,000 men.

Abu Muslim sent Zeyad bin Saleh Khazai against Shareek who fought ~nd was killed. Abu Muslim sent Abu Dawood Khalid bin Ibrahim to invade the city of Khatal in 133 A.H. Habsh bin Shibl, the king of Khatal, suffered defeat and escaped to China via Farghana in eastern Uzbekistan. The same year saw the war between the kings of Akhsheed, Farghana and Shash. The Chinese king intervened and sent one hundred thousand man army against them.

Abu Muslim sent Zeyad bin Saleh to meet it. The clash with the Chinese army took place along the river of Taraz 50,000 Chinese were killed and 20,000 were captured by the Muslims. In 134 A.H. Bassam bin Ibrahim Bassam, a Khorasani Commander of repute, occupied Maclain. Saffah sent Khazim bin Khizaima to confront Bassam who lost and escaped.

Then Saffah sent Khazim to Oman to face the Khwarij. He defeated them and killed their chief. The same year Abu Dawood Khalid bin Ibrahim invaded Kush, killed its king who was a Dhimmi (Protected non-Muslim subject, this indicates the treachery of Abu Muslim) and sent his head to Abu The History of Islam Muslim in Samarkand. He enthroned the king's brother Tazan and returned to Balkh. At the same time he massacred the civilians of Bukhara and after making Zeyad bin Saleh the ruler of Bukhara and Samarkand and ordering the construction of fortifications for Samarkand, he came back to Merv.

After these happenings, Saffah got the news that Mansoor bin Jamhoor had committed a breach of trust and revolted. Mansoor bin Jamhoor had been the Governor of Iraq and Khorasan for two months during the reign of Yazid the Reducer. He was one of the companions of Abdullah bin Muawiya bin Abdullah bin ]afar. When Abdullah bin Muawiya was defeated by Dawood bin Yazid bin Umar bin Hubairah and Ma'an bin Zaidah near Astakhar, Mansoor bin Jamhoor had fled to Sindh. Abdullah bin Muawiya re~ched Herat where he was killed by its Governor Malik bin Haithan Khazi by order of Abu Muslim as related previously ..

Saffah sent his commander of the police Musa bin Kab to Sindh and deputed Musayab bin Zuhair in his place. Musa and Mansoor clashed along the Indian border. Mansoor had 12,000 fighters but was defeated. He escaped to the desert and died of thirst there. Mansoor's Governor who was in Sindh marched towards the city of Khizr along with the members of his family and belongings.

That same year in Dhul Hijja 134 A.H., Saffah visited Ambar and made it his capital. In 135 A.H. Zeyad bin Saleh, Abu Muslim's Governor of Samarkand and Bukhara, rebelled against him. Abu Muslim left Merv. Abu Dawood Khalid bin Ibrahim, upon receiving this news, sent Nasr bin Rashid to Tirmiz (city in southern Uzbekistan) to protect it from Zeyad.

As soon as he reached there, some persons came from Talqan (Iran bordering the Caspian Sea in the north) and killed him. Abu Dawood then sent Isa bin Mahan to pursue Nasr's killers. Isa punished Nasr's -murderers. Meanwhile Abu Muslim arrived at Amad. He was accompanied by Saba bin Noman Azdi.

The caliph Saffah entrusted the task of murdering Abu Muslim to Zeyad bin Saleh and Saba bin Noman. After his a_rrival at Amad, Abu Muslim somehow came to know about the plot. He at once arrested Saba and giving orders to the Governor to kill him, left for Bukhara. On the way, he came across some of Zeyad bin Saleh' s commanders who rebelled against him and were The Caliphate of the Abbasids (First Phase) coming to join Abu Muslim. When Abu Muslim reached Bukhara, Zeyad hid himself in a local man's house.

The local man killed him and presented his head to Abu Muslim. Abu Muslim informed Abu Dawood of Zeyad's death. Abu Dawood was engaged at the time on the expedition at Talqan. After becoming free from this expedition, he returned to Kush and Isa bin Mahan went to Bassam but without much success. That same year Isa bin Mahan had sent a few letters to Abu Muslims' companions criticizing Abu Dawood.

Abu Muslim sent those letters to Abu Dawood. Abu Dawood ·had Isa beaten up and thrown into captivity. When he was released after a few days, the soldiers mobbed and killed him. Relieved of this situation, Abu Muslim returned to Merv. In 136 A.H., Abdullah bin Ali called on Saffah.

He sent him, along with the troops of Syria and Iraq, to fight the Romans. Saffah' s brother Abu Jafar Mansoor was the administrator of Jazirah. He made up his mind to perform Hajj at Saffah's instance submitted a petition of request asking his permission. Saffah wrote to him, "Come to me and I shall send you as Amir al-Hajj (leader of the pilgrimage). So, Mansoor came to Ambar and Muqatil bin Hakeem was assigned to Harran.

The fact was that Abu Muslim had also sought Saffah' s permission to do Hajj. So, he secretly informed his own brother Mansoor t~ get ready for Hajj and send a petition stating his request to come to Hajj, as all governors were required to do. It is essential to clarify here that Abu Muslim Khorasani contributed the most to making the propagation of the Abbasids a success as the previous events have shown. Now following Saffah's accession to the caliphate and the strengthening of the authority of the Abbasids, he was made the governor of Khorasan and Saffah had sent him the certificate of governorship in his name. However, Abu Muslim never came to the court in person to take the oath.

When, on behalf of Imam Ibrahim, he was first sent to Khorasan, he had been living there ever since. He himself conquered Khorasan, established his government there and dominated over its rule. When all the enemies were removed, Abdullah bin Saffah thought that it was best not to transfer Abu Muslim to any other government of the province nor could he reduce his power. Abu Muslim considered himself to be the founder of the caliphate of the ' The History of Islam Abbasids and the patron of caliph Saffah. Caliph Saffah consulted him and often acted accordingly but regarding Khorasan, he did not think it necessary to consult Saffah.

Sulaiman bin Katheer was one of the most famous and oldest of the deputies of the Abbasids. Abu Muslim killed him on personal grounds and Saffah could not ask him to explain. Saffah, his uncle and his brother kept overlooking these excesses but found it difficult to tolerate Abu Muslim's autocratic method of ruling. When Saffah sent his brother Abu Jafar Mansoor to Khorasan to take the oath on his behalf and with the certificate of Abu Muslim's governorship, Abu Muslim's attitude to Abu Jafar was not courteous and Abu Jafar felt that all his activities reflected self-conceit and autocracy. That led to an estrangement between the two and when Abu Jafar briefed Saffah with all that transpired, Caliph Saffah was all the more concerned and began to think of ways to reduce Abu Muslim's authority and influence.

He finally decided to do away with him. That was the reasoning behind why he assigned that job to Zeyad bin Saleh and Saba bin Noman Azdi as mentioned earlier. In short, they harbored ill feelings and suspicion in their hearts against each other. As Abu Muslim was highly courageous and a man who loved power when he suspected Saffah, he not only thought it necessary to keep his hold and authority in Khorasan but he also tried to establish his influence in Hijaz and Iraq in order to crush the Abbasids, if necessary. It was not surprising that he was preparing to enhance his popularity in Hijaz, Iraq and all over the Islamic world covertly.

He had contributed most to make the propagation of the Abbasids a success but he forgot the fact that his adversary was the family, which could produce persons like Mohammad bin Ali and Ibrahim bin Mohammad, the founders of the Abbasid movement and they had the ability to ruin the caliphate of Banu Umayyah. Though Abu Muslim contributed to it most, he was after all taught and trained by the Abbasids. He sought permission from Caliph Saffah to perform the Hajj, Saffah permitted him and instructed him that he should not take more than 500 people with him. Abu Muslim wrote back, "There are people who are against me. My life would be in danger if I travel with such a small number." Saffah wrote, "1000 then should be sufficient for you.

Travelling with a large number of people is inconvenient because managing supplies in Makkah might The Caliphate of the Abbasids (First Phase) prove to be difficult." Abu Muslim left Merv with 8,000 men and when he approached the border of Khorasan, he left 7,000 men there and moved towards the capital Ambar with 1000 men. Saffah sent well known and respected commanders to receive him. Saffah honored him royally when he visited the court and said to him. "If my brother Abu Jafar Mansoor had not intended to perform Hajj, I would have made you the leader of the pilgrimage, Amir al-Hajj. Thus, his wish to be the Amir al-Hajj and increase his popularity was thwarted.

Abu Jafar Mansoor and Abu Muslim both left Ambar for Hajj together. Abu Muslim had left Khorasan with a big treasure and he did not like Mansoor' s company because he could not do things, which he wanted to do freely. Nevertheless, he had wells dug to supply water at every stage of the journey. He started th_e work of building inns and making more amenities available to the travelers. He distributed clothes, set up welfare houses, gave away many awards and showed his generosity with gifts, which endeared him to the masses.

In Makkah, he performed the same acts of generosity on a larger scale where people from all over the world could witness his kindness. Before Abu Jafar decided to leave Makkah at the end of the Hajj, Abu Muslim had left already. Abu Muslim had hardly journeyed two stages when he came across the messenger from the capital Ambar who carried the news of Saffah's death and Abu Jafar Mansoor's succession to the caliphate. The messenger was on way to Abu Jafar Mansoor. Abu Muslim kept the messenger with him for two days and then let him go to Mansoor.

Abu Jafar Mansoor was unhappy at Abu Muslim's departure before the proper time. Now he was even more unhappy at the news including the messengers delay, Abu Muslim did not congratulate him on his becoming the caliph nor did he remain encamped to take the oath and continue the journey together although he was expected to so. When Abu Jafar received the news, he left Makkah but Abu Muslim kept moving on until he reached Ambar and after him Mansoor entered the capital. Abu! Abbas Abdullah Saffah lived as caliph for four years and eight months and died on 13 Dhul Hijjah 136 A.H.

His uncle Isa led the funeral service and he was buried at Ambar. Before dying, he had written a testament that Abu Jafar Mansoor and after him, Isa bin Musa would be caliph. He rolled it in a cloth and put the seal of the The History of Islam Prophet's family on it and gave it to Isa. Since Mansoor was absent, Isa bin Musa took the oath from the people as his deputy and sent the messenger to M~kkah to inform Abu Jafar Mansoor. Abdullah Saffah made use of money to establish and strengthen his caliphate in the same way in which the founder of the caliphate of Banu Umayyah Amir Muawiya ~ had done.

Amir Muawiya ~ had stopped public oppos.ition and support of his opponents the Alawiites with generosity and succeeded in winning their favor. Similarly, the Alawiites were claimants for the caliphate against the founder of the Abbasids, Saffah. T~ey ruined Banu Umayyah in collision with the Abbasids and once again were disappointed when the caliphate went to Banu Abbas. Ab~ullah Saffah also gave large sums to the Alawiites as Amir Muawiya ~ had done. When Saffah was made caliph, Abdullah bin Hasan Muthanna bin Hasan bin Ali and other Alawiites came to Kufa and accused them of usurping the caliphate to which they were entitled.

This is the same Abdullah bin Hasan Muthanna whose son Mohammad was chosen caliph by the Abbasids and the Alawiites at the meeting in the month of Dhul Hijjah in 131 A.H. All the people present at that meeting including Abu Jafar Mansoor had taken the oath for him. Saffah presented one million dirhams to Abdullah bin Hasan Muthanna though the amount was not available with him at the time. He had borrowed it from Ibn Muqrin. In the same way, he gave money to each Alawiite and let them go on their way.

Abdullah bin Hasan Muthanna had hardly left Saffah when a messenger arrived with the news of Marwan bin Mohammad's death with a large amount of precious jewels and ornaments as spoils of war. Saffah immediately ordered the messenger to take all the jewels and ornaments and sell them. A trader purchased them from him for 80,000 dinars. If Abdullah bin Saffah had neglected payment to the Alawiites they would have surely stood up against him and most of the influential deputies might have joined them making the saving of their caliphate extremely difficult for the Abbasids. Saffah's greatest achievement lies in the fact that he silenced all the Alawiites with his money and did not let them stand against him.

Immediately after Saffah's death, the Alawiites prepared to revolt but by then the caliphate of the Abbasids had become very powerful. The Caliphate of the Abbasids (First Phase) Abu ]afar Mansoor Abu Jafar Mansoor Abdullah bin Mohammad bin Ali bin Abdullah bin Abbas bin Abdul Muttalib' s mother Salameh was a Berber slave girl. He was born in 95 A.H. while his grandfather was still alive. According to another narrative, he was born in 101 .

He was known for his bravery, pride, ability to instill awe, intelligence and particular point of view. He abhorred sports and fun. He was a great scholar of literature and the science of applying Islamic law. He imprisoned Imam Abu Hanifa where he died for his refusal to accept the post of chief justice. Some say that Abu Hanifa delivered an authorized legal opinion for bearing arms against Mansoor and Mansoor had him poisoned to death.

Mansoor was a very eloquent orator. He is accused of greed and miserliness. Abdur Rahman bin Muawiya bin Hisham bin Abdul Malik Umayyah had become the ruler of Spain in 138 A.H., during the reign of Mansoor's caliphate. Since Mansoor was born of a Berber woman, it was said that the Islamic rule had become part Berber. Ibn Asakir writes that when Mansoor was wandering through out the Islamic territories in pursuit of knowledge, he arrived at a place where the guards demanded two dirhams as tax from him and said, "Unless you pay the tax, you will not be allowed to stay here." Mansoor said, "I belong to Banu Hashim.

Excuse me. I am one of the sons of the Prophet's * uncle." Even then, they did not allow him. Mansoor said, "I know the Quran. Excuse me." Again, they did not budge. Mansoor said, "I am a scholar of Islamic law and the religious obligations." Again, the guard looked adamant.

At last, Mansoor had to part with two dirhams and on that day, he made up his mind to accumulate -yvealth. Once he instructed his son Mahdi saying, "A king cannot live without the obedience of the subjects and the subjects cannot obey without justice. The best man is he who despite being powerful forgives and the greatest fool is he who does injustice and oppression. Orders must not be passed without deliberation for deliberation is a mirror in which a man observes his own beauty and ugliness. Always be'thankful for Allah's gifts and blessings, forgive as much as possible, expect obedience through encouragement and be humble and kind in victory.

The History of Islam The Revolt of Abdullah bin Ali Abdullah Saffah had sent Mansoor's uncle Abdullah bin Ali to Saifah with the Khorasani and Syrian armies before his death. In Muharram 137 A.H., Mansoor reached Ambar and became caliph. Isa bin Musa had informed Abdullah bin Ali about Saffah's death and had written that Saffah had left a will making Mansoor caliph after him. Abdullah bin Ali assembled the people and said to them, "When Saffah wanted to send the army on the Harran expedition, none dared to accept it. Then he said that whoever went there, would be caliph after him.

Therefore, I went on that expedition and it was I who defeated Marwan bin , Mohammad and the other Umayyah leaders." All confirmed his statement and took the oath at his hands. Then Abdullah bin Ali returned from Dalook, and besieged Muqatil bin Hakeem at Harran. He continued with the siege for forty days. During the siege, he became suspicious of the Khorasani men and killed several of them. He deputed Humaid bin Qahtaba as the governor of Halab and gave him a letter in the name of Zafar bin Asim, the governor of Halab and then left.

The letter said that as soon as Humaid arrived he should be put to death. Humaid opened and read it on the way and turned to Iraq instead of Halab. When Mansoor arrived in Ambar, Abu Muslim had already arrived there. Abu Muslim took the oath at Mansoor's hands and Mansoor treated him with great respect and praise. Meanwhile the news came that Abdullah bin Ali had rebelled.

Mansoor said to Abu Muslim. "I apprehend great danger from Abdullah bin Ali." Abu Muslim loved such adventures. He got ready at once in order to oblige Mansoor. He was deputed to fight against Abdullah bin Ali. Ibn Qahtaba, who coming to Iraq was displeased with Abdullah bin Ali, joined Abu Muslim.

Abdullah bin Ali gave a pardon to Muqatil bin Hakeem and he surrendered Harran to Abdullah bin Ali. He sent Muqatil to Uthman bin Abdul Aala, the governor of Rakka, with a letter. Uthman killed him as soon as he reached him and arrested both his sons. After seeing, Abu Muslim had off, Mansoor sent for Mohammad bin Sul from Azerbaijan and dispatched him to deceive Abdullah bin Ali witl a fabricated story. Mohammad bin Sul called on Abdullah bin Ali an said to him, "I have heard Saffah say that after his death his successo The Caliphate of the Abbasids (First Phase) would be his uncle Abdullah." Abdullah bin Ali said, "You are a liar and I understand your fraud." Saying this he chopped off his head.

Then he left Harran and stayed at Nasiban where he dug trenches and made fortifications. Before sending Abu Muslim, Mansoor had already written to Hasan bin Qahtaba, the governor of Armenia, to come and join Abu Muslim and he joined him at Mousil. When Abu Muslim and his army arrived at Nasiban, he camped in the direction of Syria and made it known that he had nothing to do with Abdullah bin Ali and that he had been made the governor of Syria and was on his way there. Abdullah bin Ali's men who were Syrians were nervous when they heard this. They said to Abdullah bin Ali, "Our families will come under the wheel-of his tyranny.

We better stop him from going to Syria." Abdullah bin Ali tried his utmost to argue with them that Abu Muslim had come to fight with them and that he would not go to Syria but no one believed him. At last, he left the camp and was on the way to Syria when Abu Muslim at once shifted to Abdullah bin Ali's camp which was more strategically located and Abdullah bin Ali had to camp where Abu Muslim had been ca,mped. Thus, Abu Muslim secured a more strategic position. Then both the armies clashed, which continued for several months. Finally, on Wednesday 7 Jumad-al-Thani 137 A.H.

Abdullah bin Ali was defeated and Abu Muslim was vjctorious, he immediately sent the news to Mansoor. Abdullah bin Alt fled and took refuge with his brother Sulaiman bin Ali in Basra and remained there in hiding. Death of Abu Muslim When Mansoor heard that Abdullah bin Ali was defeated and Abu Muslim looted his camp and took a large amount of spoils of war, he sent his servant Abu Khaseeb to record the valuables. Abu Muslim was annoyed that Mansoor did not rely upon him and sent his own men for the purpose of accounting. When Mansoor was informed of Abu Muslim's displeasure, he felt concerned that he might go to Khorasan.

So, he ·wrote a certificate of governorship of Syria and Egypt in Abu Muslim's name and sent it to him:Abu Muslim was aggrieved from this even more and he thought that he was being separated from Khorasan in order to make him · helpless and powerless. So, he left Jazirah and went to Khorasan. When he found The History of Islam out about Abu Muslim's movement, Mansoor left Ambar and went to Maclain and sent for him. Abu Muslim refused to come to him, saying, "I shall obey you from a distance. I have subdued all your enemies.

Now that all your dangers are over you do not need me. If you leave me alone, I shall keep obeying you and shall remain committed to my oath. But if you pursue me, I shall announce the cancellation of the oath and oppose you." After going through the letter Mansoor wrote to Abu Muslim very softly and affectionately, "I have no doubts about your loyalty and obedience. You are very efficient and worthy of reward. The devil has poured poison of suspicion into your heart.

Purge yourself of all these suspicions and temptations and come over to me." Mansoor dispatched the letter through his liberated slave Abu Humaid and instructed him to induce and entreat him to visit Mansoor and threaten him with Mansoor's anger in case of refusal. When the letter reached him, he consulted Malik bin Haitham. He said, "Don't go to Mansoor. He will kill you." But Mansoor had already persuaded Abu Dawood Khalid bin Ibrahim in exchange for the governorship of Khorasan to convince Abu Muslim to come to him at any cost. Due to Abu Dawood's advice Abu Muslim prepared himself to go to Mansoor.

Despite this he took precautions by first sending his minister Abu Ishaq Khalid bin Uthman to Mansoor to get more acquainted with the conditions and situation there. Abu Muslim had a deep trust in Abu Ishaq. When he reached the caliph's court, all the leaders of Banu Hashim and noblemen of the court came to receive him. Mansoor treated him with great respect and love and won his heart with his soft speech, then he said to him, "Prevent Abu Muslim from going to Khorasan and convince him to come to me. In exchange I shall give you the governorship of Khorasan." Abu Ishaq yielded.

He came to Abu Muslim and persuaded him to visit Mansoor. So, he left his army under the command of Malik bin Haitham at Hal wan and with 3,000 men moved to Maclain. When he reached Maclain, a man visited him at Mansoor's instance and said to him, "Please recommend me to Mansoor and ask him to give me the governorship of Kaskar (in the Northwest Frontier Province of present day Pakistan). Also, Mansoor is very displeased with his minister Abu A yyub. Please say a few words in his favor." Abu Muslim was pleased to oblige him and all doubts about danger that he harbored in The Caliphate of the Abbasids (First Phase) his heart vanished.

He entered the court with honor and went back to his resting place with equal honor. When he visited the court the next day, Mansoor had already hidden Uthrnan bin Naheek, Shabeeb bin Rawah, Harb bin Qais and others, behind a veil and instructed them that when he clapped, they should come out and kill him. Abu Muslim came to the court and Caliph Mansoor in the course of conversation inquired of him about the two swords he had taken from Abdullah bin Ali. Abu Muslim had one of those two swords at his side. He at once handed it over to Mansoor.

He kept looking at it for a while and then he put it under his thigh and began to complain to Abu Muslim about his actions then he mentioned the death of Sulaiman bin Katheer and said to him, "Why did you kill him though he has been loyal to me since before you had joined this work." First Abu Muslim offered excuses in a humble and flattering manner but when he found that Mansoor' s rage was rising moment by moment and that he was no longer secure he courageously answered, "Do what you may. I fear none except Allah." Mansoor abused Abu Muslim and clapped his hands. On hearing the clapping Uthman bin Naheek and the others came out and killed him. This occurred in 25 SHibban 137 A.H. After Abu Muslim's death, the minister went out and sent back Abu Muslim's men saying, "Your Amir will remain with the Amir al-Muminin at present.

You may go back." Then Isa bin Musa came to the caliph's court and inquired about Abu Muslim. When he understood he was dead, he exclaimed J ~\J o..)l Lll J 1 Ll). This touched Mansoor and he said, "No one was a greater enemy to you than Abu Muslim." Then Mansoor sent for Jafar bin· Hanzla and consulted him about killing Abu Muslim. Jafar advised him to kill him and Mansoor said, "May Allah give you a good reward!" and then pointed to the dead body of Abu Muslim. As soon as he saw it he said, "Amir al-Muminin you are caliph with effect from today." Mansoor simply smiled and kept quite.

Abu Nasr Malik bin Haitham to whom Abu Muslim had handed over his wealth, left Hal wan and was on his way to Khorasan planning on going to Hamadan. Then he came back to Mansoor. Mansoor reprimanded him, saying, "You advised Abu Muslim not to come to me." He said, "As long as I was with him, I gave advice. Now that I The History of Islam have come to you, I shall keep trying to do good for you." Mansoor sent him as the ruler of Mousil. The Revolt of Sinbad After becoming free from the matter of Abu Muslim, Mansoor obviously could relax to some degree but even after that, he had to face many difficulties.

Among Abu Muslim's men there was a Zoroastrian named Firoz who was popularly known as Sinbad. He had converted Islam and joined Abu Muslim's army. Following Abu Muslim's murder, he rose up and demanded compensation for his murder. The inhabitants of mountain area supported him. He conquered Nishapur and Rayy and took possession of all the money and provisions that Abu Muslim had left there.

He looted the people's wealth and goods and made them slaves. Then he turned apostate and announced that he was going to pull down the Ka'bah. For the new Iranian Muslims this much instigation was sufficient and those who knew nothing about Islam saw one of their countrymen revolt against the Islamic authority and they joined him. When Mansoor was informed of this new evil, he sent Jamhoor bin Murar Ajli to punish Sinbad. They clashed at a place between Hamadan and Rayy.

Jamhoor defeated Sinbad and about 7,000 of Sinbad's men lost their lives. Sinbad fled and took refuge in Tabristan. A servant of the governor of Tabristan killed him. Mansoor wrote to the governor of Tabristan to send Sinbad's wealth and goods but he refused. Mansoor then sent an army to discipline him.

He fled from Tabristan and went to Dailam. When Jamhoor had defeated Sinbad, he captured most of his goods and all his treasure and Abu Muslim's treasure aliio came under his possession. He did no.t. SE;nd it to Mansoor. He went to Rayy, entered the fort and announced his cancellation of his oath to Mansoor and rebelled against him.

Mansoor sent Mohammad bin Ash'th to fight against him. Jamhoor left Rayy and went to Isfahan. Jamhoor conquered Isfahan and Mohammad bin Ash'th occupied Rayy. Then Mohammad invaded Isfahan. Jamhoor fought but lost after a pitched battle and fled to Azerbaijan.

A friend of Jamhoor's killed him and sent his head to Mansoor. This happened in 138 A.H. In 139 A.H., Mansoor deposed his uncle Sulaiman from the The Caliphate of the Abbasids (First Phase) governorship of Basra and recalled him. He wrote to him to bring Abdullah bin Ali (who after losing to Abu Muslim, had gone to his brother Sulaiman in Basra) with him by giving him a pardon. When he brought Abdullah bin Ali to court, Mansoor imprisoned him and later on killed him.

The sect of Ravindiyeh Ravandiyeh is considered as one of the sects of the Shiites. It was in fact a sect consisting of the ignorant people of Iran and Khorasan, which lived in Ravaind. It originated from recruits of Abu Muslim's army. The sect, which he had made, had nothing to do with religion and they were always guided by political considerations. The Ravaindiyeh believed in transmigration and embodiment.

They believed that Mansoor was the embodiment of Allah. So they took him to be Allah and to obtain a sight of him amounted to worship. It was their belief that Adam's soul entered Uthman bin Naheek's body and the angel Gabriel's soul entered Haitham bin Muawiya's body. They visited the capital and made public their faith and deeds. Mansoor caught 200 of them besides those, there were 500 or 600 more.

They reacted to the arrest of their co-religionists, stormed the jaiLand freed their brethren. Then they besieged Mansoor's palace. It is really surprising that they considered Mansoor to be their god and yet they were ready to fight with him. It is worth recording here that among Yazid bin Hubairah's friends Ma'an bin Zaidah was still alive. And when lbn Hubariah fought with the Abbasids, Ma' an bin Zaidah was among his leaders.

Ma' an bin Zaidah went into hiding in the capital of Hashimites after Ibn Hubairah's defeat, Mansoor had been searching for him and wanted to have him arrested and killed. When the Ravandiyehs surrounded Mansoor's palace, Mansoor came out on foot. He started attacking and removing them although he had only a small number of men with him. In the capital there was no army or other power to match the rioters' strength. It was a very critical moment for Mansoor.

He was on the point of losing the capital, the caliphate and his life and opening the way for occupation by the Ravandiyahs. Ma' an bin Zaidah, taking advantage of the situation, came to his defense unhesitatingly and fell upon the rioters. Meanwhile others also rallied around Mansoor but it-was Ma'an bin The History of Islam Zaidah's attacks that proved most effective. Mansoor watched with his own eyes the heroic deeds of the stranger. At last, Ma' an bin Zaidah himself began to command the men that ultimately led to the defeat of the rioters.

Other civilians also rose in support of Mansoor and did away with all the rioters. After the battle, Mansoor made inquires about the stranger who had done the most to stamp out the evil disorder. He was informed that it was none other than Ma'an bin Zaidah. He granted him pardon excused his past crimes and promoted him to a higher rank. Abu Dawood Khalid bin Ibrahim Dhahli was the administrator of Balkh and the new governor of Khorasan.

In 140 A.H. a rebellion broke out in his army and the soldiers surrounded his house. He climbed on the roof to have a look at the rebels. He slipped, fell and died the same day. After that his commander Hosam put down the rebellion, took over the reign of Khorasan and informed Mansoor who sent Abdul Jabbar bin Abdur Rahman as the governor of Khorasan. Abdul Jabbar's Revolt and Death Immediately after taking over the reign of Khorasan, Abdul Jabbar began to depose, humiliate ~;d kill Abu Dawood' s administrators.

He created a commotion in the country by slaying his leaders on the slightest suspicions. Mansoor found out that Abdul Jabbar was killing the supporters of the Abbasids but he was hesitant how to make Abdul Jabbar leave Khorasan for he feared he might revolt against him. At last, Mansoor wrote to him, "Send the majority of the army for jihad against the Romans." The purpose was quite obvious. When a greater portion of the army was separated from Khorasan, it would be quite easy to depose and replace him with another man. Abdul Jabbar wrote back in reply, "The Turks have begun to attack.

If you shift the army to any other place than Khorasan, I am afraid, Khorasan will go out of our hands." At the receipt of the reply Mansoor wrote to him, "I love Khorasan most. It is very essential to protect it. If the Turks have started invading, I will send a huge army for its defense. Don't worry about it." Seeing the letter, Abdul Jabbar immediately sent the reply, "The revenue of Khorasan can not stand such a major expense. Please don't send any large army." This reply convinced Mansoor that Abdul The Caliphate of the Abbasids (First Phase) Jabbar was bent upon revolt.

So immediately he sent a large army under the command of his son Mahdi. Mahdi arrived at Rayy and asked Khazim bin Khuzaima to go ahead and fight with Abdul Jabbar. There was a fierce battle resulting in Abdul Jabbar's defeat and flight. Mahshar bin Muzahim captured and presented him to Khazim bin Khuzaima who, in turn, made him put on a woolen gown and sit on a camel with his face towards its tail and after making a public display of him, sent him and all his men to Mansoor. Mansoor jailed them and in 142 A.H. ordered Abdul Jabbar's hands and feet to be cut off.

After defeating Abdul Jabbar, Mahdi took over the reign of Khorasan and continued in the capacity of its governor until 149 A.H. Uyainah bin Musa bin Kab Musa bin Kab was the administrator of Sindh and after him his son Uyaimah succeeded him as the governor of Sindh. He revolted against Mansoor. When Mansoor found out, he left the capital and went to Basra, and from there he gave the certificate of the governorship of Sindh and India to Omar bin Hafs bin Abi Safwah Atki and appointed him for the expedition against Uyaimah. Omar bin Hafs arrived in Sindh and declared war against Uyaimah and ultimately captured Sindh in 142 A.H.

In the meantime, the administrator of Tabristan also rebelled. Khazim bin Khuzaima and Ruh bin Hatim were sent there. They conquered it and its administrator, a new Iranian Muslim, committed suicide. The arrest and captivity of the Alawiites It has already been mentioned that during the end of the caliphate of Banu Umayyah an assembly was held in Makkah which discussed the nomination and election of the new caliph. Mansoor who was also present there voted for Mohammad bin Abdullah bin Hasan Muthanna bin Hasan bin Ali.

All were unanimous on this point and took the oath at Mohammad bin Abdullah's hands. Mansoor also took the oath for him. Saffah kept the Alawiites quiet during his reign by giving them gifts and cash and thus preventing them from revolting. When Mansoor took over as caliph, he did not let the generosity of Saffah' s times continue and constantly thought of Mohammad bin The History of Islam .Abdullah. Mohammad bin Abdullah's father Abdullah bin Hasan has also found mention above.

He visited Saffah who gave him a large sum of money and sent him away. When Mansoor became caliph, Abdullah bin Hasan hid his sons Mohammad and Ibrahim so that Mansoor would not kill them. Mohammad bin Abdullah who Mansoor took the oath for was also known as Mohammad Mahdi. He will be referred to in the following as Mohammad Mahdi. When Mansoo.r went on Hajj in 136 A.H. and heard the news of Saffah's death, he first made queries about Mohammad Mahdi.

He was not present there at the time. The people were suspicious of him and so he and his brother Ibrahim went into hiding. After becoming caliph, Mansoor always was trying to find out where he was. He made so many inquiries about him that everybody knew that he wanted Mohammad Mahdi badly. When Abdullah bin Hasan Mutha1ma was pressurized to make his sons appear, he consulted Mansoor's uncle Sulaiman bin Ali.

Sulaiman said that if Mansoor had been accustomed to granting forgiveness, he would have forgiven his uncle and he would not have let atrocities be perpetrated upon him. Hearing this Abdullah bin Hasan became all the more careful in keeping his sons in hiding. At last, Mansoor spread his spies throughout the Hijaz and had fake letters sent to Abdullah bin Hasan in order to find out Mohammad Mahdi's whereabouts. Mohammad Mahdi and his brother Ibrahim continued. to remain in hiding in the Hijaz. Mansoor went for Hajj but was actually looking for them.

Both brothers left the Hijaz and went to Basra and stayed with Banu Rahib and Banu Murrah. When Mansoor found out about that, he went to Basra immediately. However, they had left Basra before he arrived there. From Basra, they went to Aden and Mansoor left for the capital. When the two brothers could not find peace even in Aden, they went to Sindh.

After living for a short time in Sindh, they went to Kufa and started hiding again. Afterwards, they went to Madinah. Mansoor again went to Hajj in 140 A.H. The two brothers also visited Makkah for Hajj. Ibrahim wanted to kill Mansoor but his brother Mohammad Mahdi forbade him to do so.

This time Mansoor failed to find them again. He called their father to him and forced him to bring them into his presence. When he expressed his ignorance of where they were, Mansoor wanted to imprison him but on the guarantee of the The Caliphate of the Abbasids (First Phase) administrator of Madinah, Zeyad, he was let off. Because Zeyad made the guarantee for him, Mansoor came to harbor ill feelings against him also. After coming to the capital he appointed Mohammad bin Khalid bin Abdullah Qasri as the administrator of Madinah and brought Zeyad and his friends back to the capital and arrested them and put them into prison.

After taking over as the administrator of Madinah, Mohammad bin Khalid tried his best to find Mohammad Mahdi and spent all the money of the treasury on it. Mansoor deposed Mohammad binAKhalid for his extravagance and failure and replaced him with Rabah bin Uthman bin Hayyan Muzani. Rabah reached Madinah and harassed Abdullah bin Hasan and created a great commotion there and arrested and imprisoned the following Alawiites.