Abu Musa Abd Allah ibn Qays al-Ash'ari(Arabic:أبو موسى عبد الله بن قيس الأشعري,romanized:Abū Mūsā ʿAbd Allāh ibn Qays al-Ashʿarī), better known asAbu Musa al-Ash'ari(Arabic:أبو موسى الأشعري,romanized:Abū Mūsā al-Ashʿarī) (died c. 662 or 672) was acompanion of Muhammadand an important figure in early Islamic history. He was at various times governor ofBasraandKufaand was involved in the earlyMuslim conquest of Persia.
Abu Musa al-Ash'ari | |
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| Birth name | Abū Mūsā 'Abd Allah ibn Qays al-Ash'ari |
| Born | 602 Zabid,Arabia |
| Died | c.662 or 672 CE MeccaorKufa |
| Known for | Being acompanion of the Islamic prophet Muhammad |
| Battles / wars | Muslim conquest of Khuzestan Siege of Shushtar Siege of Gundishapur Battle of Bayrudh |
Life
editAbu Musa came originally fromZabid,in the region ofYemen,where his tribe, the Asha'ir, lived in the pre-Islamic period. He accepted Islam atMeccaprior to thehijraand returned to his native Yemen to propagate the faith. He lived in Habasha for some time until following the conquest of Khaybar in 628, when he came to Muhammad inMedinawith more than fifty converts from Yemen, including his two brothers Abu Ruhm and Abu Burdah.
Following the conquest of Mecca in 629, Abu Musa was named among those sent by Muhammad on the expedition to Awtas.[1]Two years later he was appointed as one of the governors over Yemen, where he remained until the caliphate ofAbu Bakr,whom he joined in fighting the local leader of theridda(lit. apostasy) movement.
During Muhammad's era
editHe was present during theExpedition of Dhat al-Riqa.Some scholars claim that the expedition took place inNejd(a large area of tableland in the Arabian Peninsula) in Rabi‘ Ath-Thani or Jumada Al-Ula, 4 A.H (or beginning of 5AH). They substantiate their claim by saying that it was strategically necessary to carry out this campaign in order to quell the rebellious bedouins in order to meet the exigencies of the agreed upon encounter with the polytheists, i.e. minor Badr Battle in Sha‘ban, 4 A.H. Muhammed received the news that certain tribes ofBanu Ghatafanwere assembling atDhat al-Riqawith suspicious purposes.
Muhammad proceeded towardsNejdat the head of 400 or 700 men, after he had mandatedAbu Dhar- in the Umayyad version, the Umayyad chief:Uthman ibn Affanwas given this honor- to dispose of the affairs ofMadinahduring his absence. The Muslim fighters penetrated deep into their land until they reached a spot called Nakhlah where they came across some bedouins of Ghatfan.[2][3]
The most authentic opinion according to "Saifur Rahman al Mubarakpuri", however, is that Dhat Ar-Riqa's campaign took place after the fall of Khaibar (and not as part of the Invasion of Nejd). This is supported by the fact thatAbu Hurairahand Abu Musa Ashaari witnessed the battle. Abu Hurairah embraced Islam only some days before Khaibar, and Abu Musa Al-Ash‘ari came back from Abyssinia (Ethiopia) and joined Muhammad at Khaibar. The rules relating to the prayer of fear which Muhammad observed at Dhat Ar-Riqa's campaign, were revealed at theAsfan Invasionwhich scholars say, took place after Al-Khandaq (theBattle of the Trench).[3]
After the Caliphate of Abu Bakr
editThe appointments of Abu Musa to the governorates of Basra and Kufa were made during the caliphates ofUmarandUthman,but the exact dates and circumstances are not clear. However, during the period that he was governor of one or the other of the two Muslim garrison towns inIraq,Abu Musa is frequently mentioned in connection with the early Muslim conquest of theSasanianEmpire. In theSiege of Shushtar(642) he distinguished himself as a military commander. The Persian commander, Hormuzan, had withdrawn his forces to the fortified city ofShushtar.The Caliph Umar did not underestimate the strength of the enemy and he mobilized a force to confront Hormuzan. Among the Muslim forces were dedicated veterans likeAmmar ibn Yasir,Al-Baraa ibn Malik al-Ansari,and his brother Anas, Majra'a al-Bakri, and Salamah ibn Rajaa. Umar appointed Abu Musa as commander of the army. Tostar was impossible to take by storm and several unsuccessful attempts were made to breach the walls. However, a Persian defector opened the city's gates from within making way for Abu Musa's army.[4]
When Basra was established during 'Umar's period, he started building some canals for conveying drinking water and for irrigation. Al-Tabari reports that 'Utba ibn Ghazwan built the first canal from the Tigris River to the site of Basra when the city was in the planning stage. After the city was built, 'Umar appointed Abu Musa al-Ash'ari as the first governor. Al-Ash'ari governed during the period 17-29/638-650. He began building two important canals linking Basra with the Tigris River. These werethe al-Ubulla Riverand the Ma'qil River. The two canals were the basis for the agricultural development of the whole Basra region and were used for drinking water. 'Umar also devised the policy of cultivating barren lands by assigning such lands to those who undertook to cultivate them. This policy continued during the Umayyad period and it resulted in the cultivation of large areas of barren lands through the construction of irrigation canals by the state and by individuals.[5]
During the time of Caliph Uthman, Abu Musa al-Ash'ari was replaced byAbdullah ibn Aamiras governor of Basra. Abu Musa al-Ash'ari didn't show resentment about his replacement, instead he praised Abdullah Ibn Aamir as his worthy and adequate successor.[6]
Following the assassination of Uthman
editThere are many unresolved issues regarding theFirst Fitna(literally "trial" ) period of dissension andcivil war,which split the Muslim community following the assassination of the Caliph Uthman. When Ali arrived inKufain 656 seeking support againstAisha bint Abi Bakrand the Basrans it is agreed that Abu Musa (then the governor of Kufa), urged his subjects not to support Ali and avoid participation in the upcoming battle. When his advice was rejected and the people of Kufa supported Ali, Abu Musa was forced to leave and Ali disposed him from his Governorate.
However, the next year Abu Musa was named as the arbitrator (hakam) chosen by defactors in Ali's party by the terms agreed between Ali and Muawiyah after the battle of Siffin. There are many historical versions of the result of the arbitration court. According to academic research done by Khalid Kabir Alal at the University of Algeria, the most authentic version is that both Abu Musa and'Amr ibn al-'As,the arbitrator appointed byMuawiyah I,decided that Muawiyah will be deposed, and the fate of the murderers of Uthman will be decided by the remaining ofThe Ten Promised Paradise.[7]
After this Abu Musa died inMeccaand some say inKufa.[8]There are several different dates given for his death, the most common being 662 and 672.[9]
Contributions to Islamic learning
editDespite Abu Musa's reputation as a soldier and politician, he was also praised for his beautiful recitation of theQur'an,and he is associated with one of the early versions (mashahef), which was superseded by Uthman's recension. Some of the variants of Abu Musa's version have been preserved.[10]He was also a respected faqih and was regarded among the leading judges in early Muslim history. People used to say: "The judges in thisummahare four: Umar,Ali ibn Abi Talib,Abu Musa, andZayd ibn Thabit."Abu Musa is also credited with narrating numerous hadith, as well as being the ancestor of the founder of theAsh'aritheological school within Islam,Abu al-Hasan al-Ash'ari(d.935).
See also
editNotes
edit- ^Waqedi,Mughazi,pp.915-16, London 1966
- ^Muir, William (1861),The life of Mahomet,Smith, Elder & Co, p. 224
- ^abRahman al-Mubarakpuri, Saifur (2005),The Sealed Nectar,Darussalam Publications, p. 240,ISBN9798694145923
- ^Tabari, Abu Jafar Muhammad ibn Jarir, I, p. 2601
- ^"History of Science and Technology in Islam".
- ^Murrad, Mustafa (1 February 2009).Kisah Hidup Utsman ibn Affan.Serambi Ilmu Semesta.ISBN9789790241374– via Google Books.
- ^Alal, Dr Khalid Kabir (2002).The Arbitration Issue In The Battle Of Siffin Between Truths And Untruths(in Arabic) (1st ed.). Algeria: Balagh.,page 10.
- ^Ibn Kathir, Al-Bidaya wa'l-Nihaya, vol. 8, p. 65
- ^Muhammad Ibn Saad, IV/I, p.86
- ^A. Jeffery,Materials for the History of the Text of the Quran,Leiden, pp. 209-11, Leiden 1937
External links
edit- Sunni viewArchived2013-03-06 at theWayback Machine
- Abu Musa al-Ashari