ʿAlī ibn Sulaymān al-Hāshimī () was an eighth-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 ...
prince. He served as a governor of several provinces, including the
Yemen
Yemen, officially the Republic of Yemen, is a country in West Asia. Located in South Arabia, southern Arabia, it borders Saudi Arabia to Saudi Arabia–Yemen border, the north, Oman to Oman–Yemen border, the northeast, the south-eastern part ...
, the
Jazirah, and
Egypt
Egypt ( , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a country spanning the Northeast Africa, northeast corner of Africa and Western Asia, southwest corner of Asia via the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to northe ...
.
Career
Ali was a son of
Sulayman ibn Ali, an early Abbasid personage who had held the governorship 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 ...
for several years in the aftermath of the
Abbasid Revolution. He himself was an extended relative of the ruling dynasty, being a first cousin of the first two Abbasid caliphs
al-Saffah
Abu al-ʿAbbās Abd Allāh ibn Muḥammad ibn ʿAlī ibn ʿAbd Allāh ibn al-ʿAbbās (; 721/722 – 8 June 754), known by his laqab, ''laqab'' al-Saffah (), was the first caliph of the Abbasid Caliphate, one of the longest and most impor ...
() and
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 ...
().
During the caliphate of
al-Mahdi
Abū ʿAbd Allāh Muḥammad ibn ʿAbd Allāh al-Manṣūr (; 744 or 745 – 785), better known by his regnal name al-Mahdī (, "He who is guided by God"), was the third Abbasid Caliph who reigned from 775 to his death in 785. He succeeded his ...
() Ali served as governor of the Yemen (777–778) and once or twice as governor of the Jazirah and
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 ...
(). While in the latter position, he reportedly relocated the markets of
Raqqa
Raqqa (, also , Kurdish language, Kurdish: ''Reqa'') is a city in Syria on the North bank of the Euphrates River, about east of Aleppo. It is located east of the Tabqa Dam, Syria's largest dam. The Hellenistic, Roman, and Byzantine city and b ...
to a more central location between that city and
al-Rafiqah, and was instructed by al-Mahdi to rebuild the frontier town of
Hadath
Al-Ḥadath al-Ḥamrā' (Arabic for "Hadath the Red") or Adata () was a town and fortress near the Taurus Mountains (modern southeastern Turkey), which played an important role in the Byzantine–Arab Wars.
Location
The town was located at c ...
after its sacking at the hands of the
Byzantines. Following the collapse of a truce with the Byzantines in 785, he dispatched a cavalry force under
Yazid ibn Badr ibn al-Battal on a raid which resulted in the acquisition of some spoils.
In 786 Ali was appointed as governor of Egypt by
al-Hadi
Abū Muḥammad Mūsā ibn al-Mahdī al-Hādī (; 26 April 764 CE 14 September 786 CE) better known by his laqab al-Hādī () was the fourth Arab Abbasid caliph who succeeded his father al-Mahdi and ruled from 169 AH (785 CE) until his death in 1 ...
, and was re-confirmed in that office after the accession of
Harun al-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 unti ...
later that year. During his tenure in
Fustat
Fustat (), also Fostat, was the first capital of Egypt under Muslim rule, though it has been integrated into Cairo. It was built adjacent to what is now known as Old Cairo by the Rashidun Muslim general 'Amr ibn al-'As immediately after the Mus ...
he embarked on a campaign of
enjoining good and forbidding wrong
Enjoining good and forbidding wrong () are two important duties imposed by God in Islam as revealed in the Quran and Hadith.
This expression is the base of the classical Islamic institution of ''ḥisba'', the individual or collective duty (depe ...
, enacting measures such as prohibitions on musical instruments and wine. He also took action against recently built
Christian
A Christian () is a person who follows or adheres to Christianity, a Monotheism, monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus in Christianity, Jesus Christ. Christians form the largest religious community in the wo ...
churches, including the Church of Mary near
Anba Shendua and those in the Citadel of Constantine, which he demolished despite an offer by the local
Copts
Copts (; ) are a Christians, Christian ethnoreligious group, ethnoreligious group native to Northeast Africa who have primarily inhabited the area of modern Egypt since antiquity. They are, like the broader Egyptians, Egyptian population, des ...
of fifty thousand dinars in exchange for sparing them. He remained in office until 787, when he was dismissed in favor of
Musa ibn Isa ibn Musa al-Hashimi
Mūsā ibn ʿĪsā ibn Mūsā al-Hāshimī () was an 8th-century AD Abbasid prince. The son of Isa ibn Musa, he was posted to various governorships throughout his career, including Kufa, Egypt, Damascus, Mecca, Medina, and Arminiya, and was a le ...
.
Various dates are given for his death, including 788 and 794.
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Notes
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{{Governor of Egypt during Abbasid Caliphate, state=expanded
Abbasid governors of Yemen
Abbasids
8th-century Abbasid governors of Egypt
8th-century Arab people