Al-Sindi ibn Shahak (died 819) was a late 8th-century

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

general and administrator who served as the governor of

Syria Syria, officially the Syrian Arab Republic, is a country in West Asia located in the Eastern Mediterranean and the Levant. It borders the Mediterranean Sea to the west, Turkey to Syria–Turkey border, the north, Iraq to Iraq–Syria border, t ...

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 ...

and

Baghdad Baghdad ( or ; , ) is the capital and List of largest cities of Iraq, largest city of Iraq, located along the Tigris in the central part of the country. With a population exceeding 7 million, it ranks among the List of largest cities in the A ...

under

al-Mansur Abū Jaʿfar ʿAbd Allāh ibn Muḥammad al-Manṣūr (; ‎; 714 – 6 October 775) usually known simply as by his laqab al-Manṣūr () was the second Abbasid caliph, reigning from 754 to 775 succeeding his brother al-Saffah (). He is known ...

Harun ar-Rashid Abū Jaʿfar Hārūn ibn Muḥammad ar-Rāshīd (), or simply Hārūn ibn al-Mahdī (; or 766 – 24 March 809), famously known as Hārūn al-Rāshīd (), was the fifth Abbasid caliph of the Abbasid Caliphate, reigning from September 786 until ...

and

al-Amin Abū Mūsā Muḥammad bin Hārūn al-Amīn (; April 787 – 24/25 September 813), better known by just his laqab of al-Amīn (), was the sixth Abbasid caliph from 809 to 813. Al-Amin succeeded his father, Harun al-Rashid, in 809 and ruled unt ...

. As the head of ''

shurta ''Shurṭa'' () is the common Arabic term for police. Its literal meaning is that of a "picked" or elite force. The ''shurṭa'' or police force were established in the early days of the Caliphate, perhaps as early as the caliphate of Uthman (644 ...

'' (military police), he oversaw the destruction and confiscation of properties belonging to the Barmakids during the reign of Harun.

Biography

The origins of al-Sindi are obscure; he was apparently a former slaver from

Punjab Punjab (; ; also romanised as Panjāb or Panj-Āb) is a geopolitical, cultural, and historical region in South Asia. It is located in the northwestern part of the Indian subcontinent, comprising areas of modern-day eastern Pakistan and no ...

who had risen to high status. He was a client (''

mawali ''Mawlā'' (, plural ''mawālī'' ), is a polysemous Arabic word, whose meaning varied in different periods and contexts.A.J. Wensinck, Encyclopedia of Islam 2nd ed, Brill. "Mawlā", vol. 6, p. 874. Before the Islamic prophet Muhammad, the te ...

'') of Abbasid caliph

, and served as governor of Syria during his reign. In 792 or 793, he was sent by Harun al Rashid to quell the revolt of Abū al-Hadhām in

as commander of Khurasani troops, where he is mentioned as governor for Musa ibn Isa. He commanded the garrison of Damascus (''

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 ...

'') for a few years. A decade later, he is mentioned as the governor of Baghdad in 802 (186 H) by

Ibn al-Jawzi Abu al-Faraj Jamal al-Din Abd al-Rahman ibn Abi Hasan Ali Al-Jawzi also known as Ibn al-Jawzi (16 June 1201) was a Muslim jurisconsult, preacher, orator, heresiographer, traditionist, historian, judge, hagiographer, and philologist who played ...

. During the reign of Harun, al-Sindi was the ''

sahib al-shurta ''Shurṭa'' () is the common Arabic term for police. Its literal meaning is that of a "picked" or elite force. The ''shurṭa'' or police force were established in the early days of the Caliphate, perhaps as early as the caliphate of Uthman (644� ...

'', and oversaw the destruction of Barmakids in 802. Shi'a traditions also held him responsible for death of seventh Shia Imam,

Musa al-Kazim Musa al-Kazim (; 745–799) was a descendant of the Prophets and messengers in Islam, Islamic prophet Muhammad and the seventh Twelve Imams, imam in Twelver Shi'ism, Twelver Shia Islam. Musa is often known by the title al-Kazim (), apparently ...

in 799 and Yahya ibn Abdallah, a rebel

Alid The Alids are those who claim descent from Ali ibn Abi Talib (; 600–661 CE), the fourth Rashidun caliph () and the first imam in Shia Islam. Ali was also the cousin and son-in-law of the Islamic prophet Muhammad. The main branches are the ...

leader in 803. However, Musa al-Kazim was probably under house arrest in the mansion of al-Sindi instead of prison. He was treated well, and the sister of al-Sindi reportedly looked after him. Imam had died in his custody in September 799. Al-Sindi was one of the leading supporters of

in his

civil war A civil war is a war between organized groups within the same Sovereign state, state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies.J ...

. Not much is known about him after the defeat and execution of al-Amin in 813.

Family

The family of al-Sindi continued to serve the Abbasid caliphate for multiple decades. His son, Ibrahim ibn al-Sindi, was reportedly a polymath with more than a dozen occupations attributed to him. His friend

al-Jahiz Abu Uthman Amr ibn Bahr al-Kinani al-Basri (; ), commonly known as al-Jahiz (), was an Arab polymath and author of works of literature (including theory and criticism), theology, zoology, philosophy, grammar, dialectics, rhetoric, philology, lin ...

stated him to be a philosopher of '' mutakallimun''. According to Jahiz, he was well-versed in grammar, poetry, astrology and medicine. He was also employed in the intelligence service of caliph

al-Ma'mun Abū al-ʿAbbās Abd Allāh ibn Hārūn al-Maʾmūn (; 14 September 786 – 9 August 833), better known by his regnal name al-Ma'mun (), was the seventh Abbasid caliph, who reigned from 813 until his death in 833. His leadership was marked by t ...

, and served some time as governor of

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 ...

. His another son, Nasr ibn al-Sindi was also renowned as a historian and traditionist. His grandson, Mahmūd ibn al-Hāsan ibn al-Sindi, commonly known as ''Kushajim'' (c. 902 – 970) was a famous court poet and polymath associated with the court of

Sayf al-Dawla ʿAlī ibn ʾAbū'l-Hayjāʾ ʿAbdallāh ibn Ḥamdān ibn Ḥamdūn ibn al-Ḥārith al-Taghlibī (, 22 June 916 – 8 February 967), more commonly known simply by his honorific of Sayf al-Dawla (, ), was the founder of the Emirate of Aleppo, ...

, the emir of Aleppo. Some of his well-known books include ''Adab an-nadīm'' (Etiquette of the Boon-Companion), ''Kitāb al-maṣāyid wa-l-maṭārid'' (The Book of Snares and Game), and ''Khaṣā’iṣ aṭ-ṭarab'' (The Characteristics of Music).

References

Sources

* * * * * * * * * {{cite encyclopedia, encyclopedia=Encyclopaedia of Islam, author-last=Kohlberg, author-first= E., title=Mūsā Al-Kāẓim, edition= Second, editor-first=P., editor-last= Bearman, publisher=Brill Reference Online, year= 2012, doi=10.1163/1573-3912_islam_SIM_5563 , url=http://dx.doi.org/10.1163/1573-3912_islam_SIM_5563, url-access=subscription, editor2-first=Th., editor2-last= Bianquis, editor3-first= C.E., editor3-last= Bosworth, editor4-first= E., editor4-last= van Donzel, editor5-first= W.P., editor5-last= Heinrichs, isbn=9789004161214 819 deaths Abbasid governors of Damascus

Biography

Family

See also

References

Sources