The Origins of the Islamic State/Part 1/Chapter 16

by Aḥmad ibn Yaḥyá al-Balādhurī

CHAPTER XVI

ʿUmân

The Prophet sends abu-Zaid al-Anṣâri to ʿUmân. The al-Azd were in ascendency in ʿUmân,^[1] although it had in its deserts^[2] a many other peoples. In the early part of the year 8, the Prophet delegated to them abu-Zaid al-Anṣâri of al-Khazraj, who was one of those who compiled the Koran in the time of the Prophet. His [full] name, according to al-Kalbi, was Ḳais ibn-Sakan ibn-Zaid^[3] ibn-Ḥarâm; according to some Baṣrah philologists, his name was ʿAmr ibn-Akhṭab, the grandfather of ʿUrwah ibn-Thâbit ibn-ʿAmr ibn-Akhṭab; and according to Saʿîd ibn-Aus al-Anṣâri, it was Thâbit ibn-Zaid. The Prophet also sent ʿAmr ibn-al-ʿÂṣi as-Sahmi with a letter to ʿAbd^[4] and Jaifar, the two sons of al-Julanda, calling them to Islâm.^[5] The Prophet said, "If these people accept the witness of truth and pledge obedience to Allah and his Prophet, ʿAmr will be the commander and abu-Zaid will officiate in prayer, propagate Islâm, and teach the Koran and the institutes of the Prophet."

On the arrival of abu-Zaid and ʿAmr at ʿUmân, they found that ʿAbd and Jaifar were at Ṣuḥâr on the sea-coast. They carried the letter of the Prophet to them, and they both accepted Islâm and invited the Arabs to it. The Arabs then responded and showed special interest in it. ʿAmr and abu-Zaid stayed in ʿUmân until the death of the Prophet. It is said by some, however, that abu-Zaid returned to al-Madînah before that.

Al-Azd and other tribes apostatize. Consequent upon the death of the Prophet, al-Azd apostatized from Islâm under the leadership of Laḳîṭ ibn-Mâlik dhu-at-Tâj and left for Dabba^[6] (some say for Damma in Dabba), Abu-Bakr, thereupon, dispatched against them Ḥudhaifah ibn-Miḥṣan al-Makhzûmi, who in a battle with Laḳîṭ and his companions killed him and took from the people of Dabba many captives whom they sent to abu-Bakr. At this, al-Azd returned to Islâm. Other clans from ʿUmân, however, apostatized and went as far as ash-Shiḥr. These ʿIkrimah followed and overpowered, carrying away a large booty and killing many of their number. Then some of the tribe of Mahrah ibn-Ḥaidân ibn-ʿAmr ibn al-Ḥâfi ibn-Ḳuḍâʿah massed a body of men, against whom ʿIkrimah came; but they offered no resistance and paid ṣadaḳah.

Ḥudhaifah made governor. Abu-Bakr assigned Ḥudhaifah ibn-Miḥṣan as governor over ʿUmân. When abu-Bakr died, Ḥudhaifah was still over it; but he was later dismissed and sent to al-Yaman.

ʿÎsa ibn-Jaʿfar abuses the people. The state of ʿUmân continued in a fair way, its people paying ṣadaḳah on their property, and poll-tax being taken from those among them who were dhimmis until the caliphate of ar-Rashîd who made ʿÎsa ibn-Jaʿfar ibn-Sulaimân ibn-ʿAli ibn-ʿAbdallâh ibn-al-ʿAbbâs its ruler. The latter left for ʿUmân with some troops from al-Baṣrah, who began to violate women, and rob the people, and make public use of musical instruments.^[7] The people of ʿUmân, who were mostly Shurât,^[8] having learned that, fought against him and held him back from entering the city. Finally, they succeeded in killing and crucifying him. Then they broke with the caliph^[9] and refused to do him homage, making one of their own their ruler.

Some assert that the Prophet sent abu-Zaid carrying his letter to ʿAbd and Jaifar, the two sons of al-Julanda of al-Azd, in the year 6, and sent ʿAmr in the year 8, a short time after his conversion to Islâm, which took place, together with the conversion of Khâlid ibn-al-Walîd and ʿUthmân ibn-Ṭalḥah-l-ʿAbdi in Ṣafar, year 8. ʿAmr had come from Abyssinia to the Prophet.^[10] The Prophet said to abu-Zaid, "From the Moslems, take ṣadaḳah; but from the Magians, take poll-tax."

The letter of ʿUmar ibn-ʿAbd-al-ʿAzîz to ʿAdi. Abu-l-Ḥasan al-Madâʾini from al-Mubârak ibn-Fuḍâlah:—The following is what ʿUmar ibn-ʿAbd-al-ʿAzîz wrote to ʿAdi ibn-Arṭât al-Fazâri, his ʿâmil in al-Baṣrah:

"Greetings! I have previously written to ʿAmr ibn-ʿAbdallâh asking him to distribute whatever he received in ʿUmân as date or grain tithes among the poor of its inhabitants, the nomadic people who may descend on it and those whom need, poverty, or obstruction of the way may compel to stay in it. Regarding this, he wrote to me that having asked thy representative who came before him to ʿUmân about those articles of food and dates, he was told that thy representative had sold them and delivered the price to thee. Return to ʿAmr, therefore, what thy representative in ʿUmân had carried to thee as the price of dates and grains, that ʿAmr may invest it where I instructed him, and spend it as I told him. May this be the will of Allah, and peace be unto thee!"

Footnotes

1. 1 Yâḳût, vol. iii, p. 717.
2. 2 Ar. bâdiyah; see MFO, vol. iv, p. 98.
3. Hishâm, p. 504, gives "Ḳais ibn-Zaʿûra " for Zaid.
4. Hishâm, p. 971: "ʿIyâdh"; adh-Dhahabi, al-Mushtabih, p. 133: "ʿAbbâd"; cf. Athîr, vol. ii, p. 177.
5. Yaʿḳûbi, vol. ii, p. 85; Sprenger, vol. iii, p. 382.
6. Ṭabari, vol. i, p. 1981: "Daba".
7. Cf. Salil ibn-Râziḳ, History of Imâms and Seyyids of Oman, tr. Badger, p. 11.
8. Schismatics commonly known as Khawârij. They say that they owe their name to Koran, 2: 203.
9. The word used is sulṭân.
10. Hishâm, pp. 716–717.