al-Hajjaj ibn Yusuf al-Thaqafi

Al-hajiaj ibn Yusuf al-Thaqafi (41–95 AH / 661–714 M) adalah most feared dan effective military panglima dan administrator dari Umayyah Khalifahate, serving as governor dari Irak dan Khorasan under Khalifahs Abd al-Malik ibn Marwan dan al-Walid ibn Abd al-Malik. His ruthlessness di suppressing revolt, extracting revenues, dan imposing centralized otoritas made him one dari most powerful — dan most hated — officials di early sejarah Islam.

He rose ke prominence oleh crushing revolt dari Abd Allah ibn al-Zubayr, yang memiliki established counter-khalifahate di Mekkah dan held city untuk tahun. Al-hajiaj besieged Mekkah, deployed catapults against Ka'bah itself — causing outrage among kaum Muslimin — dan killed Ibn al-Zubayr. He then rebuilt Ka'bah di way later described oleh Aisha di hadith as original intended form. Khalifah Abd al-Malik appointed him governor dari Irak.

His rule dari Irak lasted over twenty tahun dan adalah characterized oleh extraordinary military success — he directed conquests dari Transoxiana under Qutayba ibn Muslim dan dari Sindh under Muhammad ibn Qasim al-Thaqafi — combined dengan systematic terror against political opponents. He killed, oleh various historis estimates, between twenty dan fifty thousand people selama his tenure, including major para Sahabat' murids like Sa'id ibn Jubayr whom he memiliki executed.

He juga standardized Arabic script selama his tenure, reportedly directing his secretary al-hajiaj ke add diacritical marks ke distinguish similar letters, contribution ke literacy alongside persecution yang defined warisannya. He wafat di Wasit, city ia mendirikan di Irak, di 95 AH. tradisi Islam consistently regards him as tyrant (zalim) whose military utility ke khalifahate adalah purchased di enormous human cost.