Al-Mufaddal ibn al-Muhallab al-Azdi (died 720) was an Umayyad commander and governor of

Khurasan KhorasanDabeersiaghi, Commentary on Safarnâma-e Nâsir Khusraw, 6th Ed. Tehran, Zavvâr: 1375 (Solar Hijri Calendar) 235–236 (; , ) is a historical eastern region in the Iranian Plateau in West Asia, West and Central Asia that encompasses wes ...

in 704/705, during which he conquered

Badghis Bādghīs () is one of the thirty-four provinces of Afghanistan, located in the northwest of the country, on the border with Turkmenistan. It is considered to be one of the country's most underdeveloped provinces, with the highest poverty rate. T ...

and asserted caliphal control of the rebel-held fortress of

Tirmidh Termez ( ) is the capital of Surxondaryo Region in southern Uzbekistan. Administratively, it is a district-level city. Its population is 182,800 (2021). It is notable as the site of Alexander the Great's city Alexandria on the Oxus, as a center ...

. He later became the chief deputy of his brother

Yazid ibn al-Muhallab Yazid ibn al-Muhallab al-Azdi (; 672/673–24 August 720) was a commander and statesman for the Umayyad Caliphate in Lower Mesopotamia, Iraq and Greater Khorasan, Khurasan in the early 8th century. In 720, he led the last of a series of wide scal ...

during the latter's revolt against the Umayyads in Iraq. He became head of the

Muhallabid The Muhallabids () or the Muhallabid dynasty were an Arab family who became prominent in the middle Umayyad Caliphate and reached its greatest eminence during the early Abbasids, when members of the family ruled Basra and Ifriqiya. The founders of ...

family when Yazid was slain but was pursued and soon after killed by Umayyad forces.

Life

Al-Mufaddal was a son of

al-Muhallab ibn Abi Sufra Abū Saʿīd al-Muhallab ibn Abī Ṣufra al-Azdī (; 702) was an Arab general from the Azd tribe who fought in the service of the Rashidun, Umayyad and Zubayrid caliphs between the mid-640s and his death. He served successive terms as the go ...

of the

Azd The Azd (Arabic: أَزْد), or Al-Azd (Arabic: ٱلْأَزْد), is an ancient Tribes of Arabia, Arabian tribe. The lands of Azd occupied an area west of Bisha and Al Bahah in what is today Saudi Arabia. Land of Azd Pre-Islamic Arabia Pre- ...

tribe, who was the leading general in the Iraqi wars against the

Azariqa The Azariqa () were an extremist branch of the Kharijites who followed the leadership of Nafi ibn al-Azraq. Adherents of Azraqism participated in an armed struggle against the rulers of the Umayyad Caliphate, and they declared those who avoided ...

Kharijites The Kharijites (, singular ) were an Islamic sect which emerged during the First Fitna (656–661). The first Kharijites were supporters of Ali who rebelled against his acceptance of arbitration talks to settle the conflict with his challeng ...

in 683–698 and governor of

in 698–704. Al-Mufaddal's mother was an Indian woman named Bahla or Bahalla. His half-brother,

, succeeded their father as governor of Khurasan after his death in 702. Al-Mufaddal was Yazid's field commander when they engaged and defeated the rebels of

Ibn al-Ash'ath Abd al-Rahman ibn Muhammad ibn al-Ash'ath (; died 704), commonly known as Ibn al-Ash'ath after his grandfather, was a prominent Arab nobleman and military commander during the Umayyad Caliphate, most notable for leading a failed rebellion aga ...

's abortive revolt against the Umayyads in Iraq when they fled and set up base in Khurasan. When the latter was dismissed by the Umayyad viceroy of Iraq and the eastern Caliphate,

al-Hajjaj ibn Yusuf Abu Muhammad al-Hajjaj ibn Yusuf ibn al-Hakam ibn Abi Aqil al-Thaqafi (; ), known simply as al-Hajjaj ibn Yusuf (), was the most notable governor who served the Umayyad Caliphate. He began his service under Caliph Abd al-Malik (), who successiv ...

, al-Mufaddal was installed in his place. He served for nine months, during which he asserted Arab rule over the areas of

, Akharun and Shuman in Khurasan. He also dislodged and killed the independent Arab ruler of

, Musa ibn Abdallah ibn Khazim al-Sulami. Al-Hajjaj dismissed and imprisoned al-Mufaddal with Yazid and their brothers

Habib Habib (; ; also romanized as Habeeb) is an Arabic masculine given name, occasional surname, and honorific, with the meaning "beloved" or "my love", or "darling". It also forms the famous Arabic word ''"Habibi"'' which is used to refer to a friend ...

and Abd al-Malik. They all escaped in 708 or 709 and found asylum with the Umayyad prince and governor of

Palestine Palestine, officially the State of Palestine, is a country in West Asia. Recognized by International recognition of Palestine, 147 of the UN's 193 member states, it encompasses the Israeli-occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and th ...

. Yazid was made governor of Iraq and Khurasan by Sulayman in 715, but was dismissed and imprisoned again by his successor, Caliph

Umar II Umar ibn Abd al-Aziz ibn Marwan (; February 720) was the eighth Umayyad caliph, ruling from 717 until his death in 720. He is credited to have instituted significant reforms to the Umayyad central government, by making it much more efficient and ...

, in 717. When the latter died in 720, Yazid escaped and attempted to reestablish himself in the family stronghold of

Basra Basra () is a port city in Iraq, southern Iraq. It is the capital of the eponymous Basra Governorate, as well as the List of largest cities of Iraq, third largest city in Iraq overall, behind Baghdad and Mosul. Located near the Iran–Iraq bor ...

. There the governor Adi ibn Artat al-Fazari imprisoned al-Mufaddal, Abd al-Malik and Habib as hostages. Yazid took the city and freed his brothers and afterward rallied an Iraqi revolt against the Umayyads. Al-Mufaddal was Yazid's main lieutenant as the Muhallabids advanced on

Wasit Wasit (, ) was an early Islamic city in Iraq. It was founded in the 8th century by the Umayyad viceroy of Iraq, al-Hajjaj ibn Yusuf, to serve as the region's seat and as the garrison of the Syrian troops who enforced Umayyad rule there. It was ...

and toward

Kufa Kufa ( ), also spelled Kufah, is a city in Iraq, about south of Baghdad, and northeast of Najaf. It is located on the banks of the Euphrates, Euphrates River. The estimated population in 2003 was 110,000. Along with Samarra, Karbala, Kadhimiya ...

. The Umayyad army of

Maslama ibn Abd al-Malik Maslama ibn Abd al-Malik (, in Greek sources , ''Masalmas''; – 24 December 738) was an Umayyad prince and one of the most prominent Arab generals of the early decades of the 8th century, leading several campaigns against the Byzantine Empire ...

defeated and killed Yazid, causing al-Mufaddal to retreat to Basra where he was chosen as the Muhallabid family's new head. He led them by boat to

Kerman Kerman (; ) is a city in the Central District (Kerman County), Central District of Kerman County, Kerman province, Kerman province, Iran, serving as capital of the province, the county, and the district. History Kerman was founded as a def ...

where reports vary as to the place of his slaying by pro-Umayyad forces, including at Kerman,

Qandabil Gandavah is a town that serves as the headquarters of Jhal Magsi District of Pakistan's Balochistan province. Located on a small hill in the middle of the Kach Gandava plain, Gandava is inhabited by a mix of Sindhi, Baloch, Pathan, Brahui, and ...

, and

Sistan Sistān (), also known as Sakastān (, , current name: Zabol) and Sijistan (), is a historical region in south-eastern Iran and extending across the borders of present-day south-western Afghanistan, and south-western Pakistan. Mostly correspond ...

References

Bibliography

* *{{cite book , last1=Ulrich , first1=Brian , title=Arabs in the Early Islamic Empire: Exploring al-Azd Tribal Identity , date=2019 , publisher=Edinburgh University Press , location=Edinburgh , isbn=978-1-4744-3682-3 , url=https://books.google.com/books?id=uHYxEAAAQBAJ 720 deaths 8th-century Arab people Muhallabids Medieval Arabs killed in battle Prisoners and detainees of the Umayyad Caliphate Umayyad governors of Khurasan Year of birth unknown