Majzaʾa ibn al-Kawthar ibn Zufar ibn al-Ḥārith al-Kilābī (; died 750), commonly known as Abū al-Ward (also transliterated ''Abūʾl-Ward''), was a mid-8th century

Umayyad The Umayyad Caliphate or Umayyad Empire (, ; ) was the second caliphate established after the death of the Islamic prophet Muhammad and was ruled by the Umayyad dynasty. Uthman ibn Affan, the third of the Rashidun caliphs, was also a membe ...

governor of

Jund Qinnasrin ''Jund Qinnasrīn'' (, "jund, military district of Qinnasrin") was one of five sub-provinces of Bilad al-Sham, Syria under the Umayyad and Abbasid Caliphate, Abbasid Caliphates, organized soon after the Muslim conquest of Syria in the 7th century ...

in Syria. He was a cavalry commander of Umayyad Caliph

Marwan II Marwan ibn Muhammad ibn Marwan (; – 6 August 750), commonly known as Marwan II, was the fourteenth and last caliph of the Umayyad Caliphate, ruling from 744 until his death. His reign was dominated by a Third Fitna, civil war, and he was the l ...

and later the leader of a rebellion against the

Abbasid Caliphate The Abbasid Caliphate or Abbasid Empire (; ) was the third caliphate to succeed the Islamic prophet Muhammad. It was founded by a dynasty descended from Muhammad's uncle, Abbas ibn Abd al-Muttalib (566–653 CE), from whom the dynasty takes ...

in Syria which aimed to reestablish the Umayyad Caliphate in 750.

Biography

Abu al-Ward belonged to the Banu 'Amir ibn Sa'sa'a tribe and was a grandson of the chief,

Zufar ibn al-Harith al-Kilabi Abu al-Hudhayl Zufar ibn al-Harith al-Kilabi (; died ) was a Muslim commander, a chieftain of the Arabian tribe of Banu Amir, and the preeminent leader of the Qays tribal–political faction in the late 7th century. During the First Muslim ...

, who had rebelled against the

caliph

Abd al-Malik ibn Marwan Abd al-Malik ibn Marwan ibn al-Hakam (; July/August 644 or June/July 647 – 9 October 705) was the fifth Umayyad caliph, ruling from April 685 until his death in October 705. A member of the first generation of born Muslims, his early life in ...

(r. 685–705). During the

Third Fitna The Third Fitna (), was a series of civil wars and uprisings against the Umayyad Caliphate. It began with a revolt against Caliph al-Walid II in 744, and lasted until 747, when Marwan II emerged as the victor. The war exacerbated internal tensi ...

, a series of civil wars and uprisings against the Umayyad Caliphate, Abu al-Ward became a strong supporter of Caliph

(r. 744–750). He was appointed the governor of the

district (in modern northern Syria). In 745 Abu al-Ward was dispatched to the

Ghouta Ghouta ( / ALA-LC: ''Ḡūṭat Dimašq'') is a countryside area in southwestern Syria that surrounds the city of Damascus along its eastern and southern rim. Name Ghouta is an Arabic term (''ghuta'') for 'garden'. Geography The Ghouta is an ...

oasis near

Damascus Damascus ( , ; ) is the capital and List of largest cities in the Levant region by population, largest city of Syria. It is the oldest capital in the world and, according to some, the fourth Holiest sites in Islam, holiest city in Islam. Kno ...

to aid the governor of

Jund Dimashq ''Jund Dimashq'' () was the largest of the sub-provinces (''ajnad'', sing. '' jund''), into which Syria was divided under the Umayyad and Abbasid dynasties. It was named after its capital and largest city, Damascus ("Dimashq"), which in the Umayya ...

(Damascus), Zamil ibn Amr and the city's residents counter a siege by Ghouta's inhabitants, led by

Yazid ibn Khalid al-Qasri Yazid ibn Khalid al-Qasri () was a son of the famed Khalid al-Qasri, the longtime (724–738) governor of Iraq for the Umayyads. Due to his father's imprisonment, torture, and death at the hands of al-Walid II's governor of Iraq, Yusuf ibn Uma ...

. Later in 745, Marwan dispatched Abu al-Ward with a large army to suppress a revolt in

Jund Filastin Jund Filasṭīn (, "the military district of Palestine") was one of the military districts of the Umayyad and Abbasid province of Bilad al-Sham (Levant), organized soon after the Muslim conquest of the Levant in the 630s. Jund Filastin, which ...

(Palestine) by Thabit ibn Nu'aym, the commander of the Umayyad army in Palestine. Thabit's army reached

Tiberias Tiberias ( ; , ; ) is a city on the western shore of the Sea of Galilee in northern Israel. A major Jewish center during Late Antiquity, it has been considered since the 16th century one of Judaism's Four Holy Cities, along with Jerusalem, Heb ...

, the capital of

Jund al-Urdunn Jund al-Urdunn (, translation: "The military district of Jordan") was one of the five districts of Bilad al-Sham (Islamic Syria) during the early Islamic period. It was established under the Rashidun and its capital was Tiberias throughout its r ...

(the Military district of Jordan), which they besieged. As Abu al-Ward departed Damascus on his way to Tiberias, word of his approach spurred the inhabitants of Tiberias, led by governor al-Walid ibn Mu'awiya ibn Marwan, a nephew of the deceased Umayyad caliph Abd al-Malik, to break Thabit's siege, oust his army from the vicinity and capture his camp. Abu al-Ward arrived later and pursued Thabit, who had withdrawn to Palestine and assembled his kinsmen and rallied his army. In the ensuing battle, Abu al-Ward defeated Thabit's forces, prompting Thabit to flee once more. Three of his sons, Nu'aym, Imran and Bakr, were wounded and captured by Abu al-Ward. They were sent to Marwan who had them treated for their wounds. Thabit was eventually captured and sent to Marwan, who had him and his sons' limbs chopped off and their bodies hung on the gate of the

Umayyad Mosque The Umayyad Mosque (; ), also known as the Great Mosque of Damascus, located in the old city of Damascus, the capital of Syria, is one of the largest and oldest mosques in the world. Its religious importance stems from the eschatological reports ...

Revolt against Abbasids

In early 750, following the Abbasids' rout of Marwan's army at the Battle of Zab, Abu al-Ward surrendered to the newly appointed Abbasid governor of

Bilad al-Sham Bilad al-Sham (), often referred to as Islamic Syria or simply Syria in English-language sources, was a province of the Rashidun, Umayyad, Abbasid, and Fatimid caliphates. It roughly corresponded with the Byzantine Diocese of the East, con ...

(Syria), Abd Allah ibn Ali. By surrendering he was able to secure a position for himself and his Qaysi confederation in the Abbasid army. Despite declaring his allegiance to the Abbasids, Abu al-Ward defected and took up the cause of the Umayyads, with whom he had ties of loyalty and kinship. Abu al-Ward made his decision after hearing that the Abbasid army's Khorasani contingent at Balis had allegedly insulted the descendants of Maslama and assaulted their women. He assembled an army of his Qaysi loyalists and kinsmen and attacked the Khorasani officer who was headquartered in Maslama's old fort near Balis, raising the white flag of the Umayyads over the fort and instructed his loyalists at

Qinnasrin Qinnašrīn (; ; ; ), was a historical town in northern Syria. The town was situated southwest of Aleppo on the west bank of the Queiq (historically, the Belus) and was connected to Aleppo with a major road during Roman times. Some scholars p ...

near Aleppo to raise the Umayyads' flag. Abu al-Ward was soon joined by an Umayyad family member, Abu Muhammad al-Sufyani and his Yamani loyalists. Abu al-Ward assumed command over the revolt's military operations, while Abu Muhammad assumed its political leadership. Abu al-Ward's unification of the Qaysi and Yamani tribal groups, who were traditional rivals, together with Abu Muhammad's cultivated image as a messianic Islamic figure, represented a powerful combination but the revolt was suppressed relatively quickly. After Abu al-Ward's forces defeated Abbasid troops near Qinnasrin, the Abbasid army intercepted his army in the vicinity of Homs.Cobb 2001, p. 48. Abu al-Ward was killed along with 500 of his kinsmen and Qaysi soldiers. The Abbasids proceeded to defeat the rebels at

Palmyra Palmyra ( ; Palmyrene dialect, Palmyrene: (), romanized: ''Tadmor''; ) is an ancient city in central Syria. It is located in the eastern part of the Levant, and archaeological finds date back to the Neolithic period, and documents first menti ...

and Abu Muhammad fled Syria.

References

Bibliography

* * * {{refend 750 deaths Banu Kilab Generals of the Umayyad Caliphate Umayyad governors of Qinnasrin 8th-century Arab people