The Origins of the Islamic State/Part 1/Chapter 21

by Aḥmad ibn Yaḥyá al-Balādhurī

CHAPTER XXI

Al-Aswad al-ʿAnsi and those in al-Yaman who
apostatized with him

Al-Aswad al-ʿAnsi claims to be a prophet. Al-Aswad ibn-Kaʿb ibn-ʿAuf al-ʿAnsi played the soothsayer [Ar. kâhin] and claimed to be a prophet. He was followed by the ʿAns tribe which was named after Zaid ibn-Mâlik ibn-Udad ibn-Yashjub ibn-ʿArîb^[1] ibn-Zaid ibn-Kahlân ibn-Saba, who was the brother of Murâd ibn-Mâlik, Khâlid ibn-Mâlik and Saʿd al-ʿAshîrah ibn-Mâlik, together with others outside the ʿAns tribe. Al-Aswad took for himself the name of "Raḥmân [the merciful of] al-Yaman," as Musailimah had taken the name of " Raḥmân al-Yamâmah."^[2] He had a trained donkey that would bow on hearing his injunction, "Bow before thy Lord," and that would kneel on hearing "Kneel". Therefore, al-Aswad was called "dhu-l-Ḥimâr^[3] [he of the donkey]. Others say he was called "dhu-l-Khimâr" [the veiled one] because he always appeared with a veil and turban.^[4] I was told by others from al-Yaman that he was called al-Aswad because the color of his face was black, his proper name being ʿAihalah.

The Prophet invites him to Islâm. In the year in which the Prophet died, he sent Jarîr ibn-ʿAbdallâh al-Bajali, who had in that same year accepted Islâm, against al-Aswad, inviting him to Islâm. But al-Aswad refused. Other reports deny that the Prophet sent Jarîr to al-Yaman.

Al-Aswad as governor of Ṣanʿâʾ. Al-Aswad moved against Ṣanʿâʾ and reduced it, driving Khâlid ibn-Saʿîd ibn-al-ʿAsi from it. Others say he rather drove al-Muhâjir ibn-abi-Umaiyah, and took quarters with Ziyâd ibn-Labîd al-Bayaḍi, with whom he remained until he received a message from abu-Bakr ordering him to go to the aid of Ziyâd. When the work of Ziyâd and al-Aswad was done, abu-Bakr conferred on the latter the governorship of Ṣanʿâʾ and its provinces. Al-Aswad, however, was haughty and he oppressed al-Abnâʾ, i. e., the descendants of the Persians who were originally sent to al-Yaman by Kisra in the company of ibn-dhi-Yazan and under the leadership of Wahriz. Al-Aswad made them serve him and compelled them to do things against their will. Moreover, he married al-Marzubânah, the wife of Bâdhâm their king, who was their governor under Abarwiz.^[5] This made the Prophet direct against him Ḳais ibn-Hubairah-l-Makshûḥ al-Murâdi (called al-Makshûḥ because he was cauterized on his side on account of a disease) instructing him to win over to his side al-Abnâʾ. With al-Makshûḥ, the Prophet sent Farwah ibn-Musaik al-Murâdi. No sooner had they arrived at al-Yaman, than the news of the death of the Prophet reached them. Ḳais left on al-Aswad the impression that he concorded with his opinion, and so he got his consent to enter Ṣanʿâʾ. Accordingly, Ḳais entered Ṣanʿâʾ with a group of men including among others men of [the clan of] Madhḥij and some from Hamdân. He then won over to his side one of al-Abnâʾ, Fairûz ibn-ad-Dailami, who had accepted Islâm. Ḳais and Fairûz then brought the chief of al-Abnâʾ (whose name according to some was Bâdhâm, and according to others, Bâdhâm was dead by this time and his successor was one Dâdhawaih.^[6] The latter view is more authentic). Dâdhawaih accepted Islâm.

Al-Aswad slain. Ḳais met Thât ibn-dhi-l-Ḥirrah^[7]-l-Ḥimyari and won him over to his side. Many missionaries were sent by Dâdhawaih among al-Abnâʾ who accepted Islâm and conspired to take al-Aswad unawares and slay him. They plotted with his wife who hated him, and she pointed out a gutter leading to his place. Through this they entered before daybreak. Some say they dug a hole through the wall of his house, through a crack,^[8] and found him sleeping under the influence of drink. Ḳais slew him and he began to bellow like a bull, so much so that his guard scared by the noise asked, "What is the matter with Raḥmân al-Yaman?'" "The inspiration," answered his wife, "is upon him." Thus they were quieted. Ḳais severed his head, and, early in the morning, climbed the city wall and shouted, "Allah is great! Allah is great! I testify that there is no god but Allah and that Muḥammad is the Prophet of Allah, and that al-Aswad, the false Prophet, is the enemy of Allah!" As the followers of al-Aswad gathered, Ḳais cast the head to them and they dispersed with the exception of a few. At this the men of Ḳais opened the door and put the rest of the followers of al-ʿAnsi to the sword, and none escaped except those who accepted Islâm.

According to some reports, however, it was Fairûz ibn-ad-Dailami who killed al-Aswad, Ḳais only giving the last stroke and severing his head. Certain scholars assert that the death of Ḳais took place five days before the expiration of the Prophet, who on his death-bed said: "Allah has brought about the death of al-Aswad al-ʿAnsi through the righteous man Fairûz ibn-ad-Dailami," and that the news of the conquest came to abu-Bakr ten days after he had been proclaimed caliph.

Bakr ibn-al-Haitham from an-Nuʿmân ibn-Burzuj, one of al-Abnâʾ:—The Prophet's ʿâmil, whom al-Aswad drove out of Ṣanʿâʾ, was Abân ibn-Saʿîd ibn-al-ʿÂṣi; and the one who killed al-Aswad was Fairûz ibn-ad-Dailami.^[9] When both Ḳais and Fairûz at al-Madînah claimed having killed him, ʿUmar pointed to Fairuz saying, "It was this lion who killed him!"

Ḳais suspected of the murder of Dâdhawaih. Ḳais was charged with having killed Dâdhawaih, and abu-Bakr received the information that he was intent on expelling al-Abnâʾ from Ṣanʿâʾ. Abu-Bakr's anger was thereby aroused, and he wrote to al-Muhâjir ibn-abi-Umaiyah at his entry to Ṣanʿâʾ as abu-Bakr's ʿâmil, instructing him to bring Ḳais before him. When Ḳais was brought before abu-Bakr, he was requested by him to swear fifty oaths near the Prophet's pulpit that he did not kill Dâdhawaih. This he did, and was consequently set free by abu-Bakr, who directed him to Syria with those of the Moslems summoned for the invasion of the Greeks.^[10]

Footnotes

1. Wüstenfeld, Register, p. 86.
2. Hishâm, p. 200, line 3.
3. Masʿûdi, at-Tanbîh, pp. 276–277.
4. Diyârbakri, vol. ii, p. 173.
5. "Barwîz" in Caetani, vol. iv, p. 490.
6. "Dâdhûwaih " in Nawâwi, p. 232.
7. Ḥajar, vol. i, p. 345: "Bâb ibn-dhi-l-Jirrah".
8. Caetani, vol. ii, p. 683; Ṭabari, vol. i, p. 1865; Fida, vol. i, p. 155; Diyârbakri, vol. ii, p. 173.
9. Mirkhondi, Rauḍat aṣ-Ṣafa, vol. ii, p. 679.
10. Ar. ar-Rûm = the East Romans, the Byzantines.