Ilyas ibn Habib al-Fihri () (died December 755) was an

Arab Arabs (, , ; , , ) are an ethnic group mainly inhabiting the Arab world in West Asia and North Africa. A significant Arab diaspora is present in various parts of the world. Arabs have been in the Fertile Crescent for thousands of years ...

noble of the Oqbid or Fihrid family, and briefly ruler of

Ifriqiya Ifriqiya ( '), also known as al-Maghrib al-Adna (), was a medieval historical region comprising today's Tunisia, eastern Algeria, and Tripolitania (roughly western Libya). It included all of what had previously been the Byzantine province of ...

(North Africa) in 755. Ilyas ibn Habib was a son of the Ifriqiyan military commander Habib ibn Abi Obeida al-Fihri. Ilyas was appointed governor of Tripoli (Tripolitana) by his brother,

Abd al-Rahman ibn Habib al-Fihri ʿAbd al-Raḥmān ibn Ḥabīb al-Fihrī () (died 755) was an Arab noble of the Fihrid family, and ruler of Ifriqiya (North Africa) from 745 through 755 AD. Background Abd al-Rahman ibn Habib was a great-grandson of Uqba ibn Nafi al-Fihri ...

, not long after the latter seized power in

Kairouan Kairouan (, ), also spelled El Qayrawān or Kairwan ( , ), is the capital of the Kairouan Governorate in Tunisia and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The city was founded by the Umayyads around 670, in the period of Caliph Mu'awiya (reigned 661� ...

in 745. In 747, Ilyas tried to crack down on the fledgling

Ibadi Ibadism (, ) is a school of Islam concentrated in Oman established from within the Kharijites. The followers of the Ibadi sect are known as the Ibadis or, as they call themselves, The People of Truth and Integrity (). Ibadism emerged around 6 ...

tes, a puritanical

Kharijite 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 ...

sect strong in the cities of

Djerba Djerba (; , ; ), also transliterated as Jerba or Jarbah, is a Tunisian island and the largest island of North Africa at , in the Gulf of Gabès, off the coast of Tunisia. Administratively, it is part of Medenine Governorate. The island h ...

and Tripoli. The Ibadites, inspired by the success of their brethren in Hadramut and

Oman Oman, officially the Sultanate of Oman, is a country located on the southeastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula in West Asia and the Middle East. It shares land borders with Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Yemen. Oman’s coastline ...

, revolted under the leadership of their imam al-Harith, and seized control of much of Tripolitana, between

Gabès Gabès (, ; ), also spelled Cabès, Cabes, and Kabes, is the capital of the Gabès Governorate in Tunisia. Situated on the coast of the Gulf of Gabès, the city has a population of 167,863, making it the 6th largest city in Tunisia. Located 327 ...

and

Sirte Sirte (; , ), also spelled Sirt, Surt, Sert or Syrte, is a city in Libya. It is located south of the Gulf of Sirte, almost right in the middle between Tripoli and Benghazi. It is famously known for its battles, ethnic groups and loyal ...

, for themselves. The Fihrids recovered Tripolitana in 752, driving the Ibadites south into the

Jebel Nafusa The Nafusa Mountains () () is a mountain range in the western Tripolitania region of northwestern Libya. It also includes the regions around the escarpment formed where the northern end of the Tripolitanian Plateau meets the Mediterranean coasta ...

. After the victory of the

Abbasids 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 i ...

in the east in 750, many members of the

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 ...

clan fled to

, at the invitation of Abd al-Rahman ibn Habib. Ilyas ibn Habib married one of the damsels of the Umayyad clan. Ilyas continued to serve under his brother, defeating various revolts against Fihrid rule, albeit growing increasingly resentful of the lack of honors that resulted. When Abd al-Rahman designated his own son, Habib as his successor, the rift between the brothers grew. Around 755, Abd al-Rahman discovered a plot concocted by several exiled

nobles, and executed the conspirators. Urged on by his vengeful Umayyad wife, Ilyas assassinated his brother Abd al-Rahman ibn Habib in his personal quarters, plunging a dagger into his back while he played with his children. Ilyas ibn Habib assumed power for himself in

, with the support of his younger brother Abd al-Wareth ibn Habib and his uncle Muhammad ibn Abi Obeida. To secure his hold, he immediately restored the name of the

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 ...

caliph

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 ...

in the prayers. But Ilyas's other brother, Amran ibn Habib, then in command of

Tunis Tunis (, ') is the capital city, capital and largest city of Tunisia. The greater metropolitan area of Tunis, often referred to as "Grand Tunis", has about 2,700,000 inhabitants. , it is the third-largest city in the Maghreb region (after Casabl ...

, refused to recognize the fratricidal coup. Amran gave shelter to Abd al-Rahman's fugitive son, Habib ibn Abd al-Rahman, and together, they waged war against Ilyas and Abd al-Wareth. The armies met south of Tunis in late 755. But before battle was enjoined, an agreement was reached to partition

between the Fihrid family. Amran was to be assigned the government of

and environs, the young Habib the government of southerly

Gafsa Gafsa (; ; ') is the capital of Gafsa Governorate in Tunisia. With a population of 120,739, Gafsa is the ninth-largest Tunisian city and is 335 km from the country's capital, Tunis. Overview Gafsa is the capital of Gafsa Governorate, in ...

and Nafzawa, allowing Ilyas to hold on to the remainder of

and overlordship of the

Maghreb The Maghreb (; ), also known as the Arab Maghreb () and Northwest Africa, is the western part of the Arab world. The region comprises western and central North Africa, including Algeria, Libya, Mauritania, Morocco, and Tunisia. The Maghreb al ...

. The settlement made, Habib proceeded to Kairouan, while Ilyas accompanied Amran back to Tunis. But once in Tunis, Ilyas suddenly turned on his brother and ordered the arrest of Amran and his coterie. Amran was dispatched in chains to

al-Andalus Al-Andalus () was the Muslim-ruled area of the Iberian Peninsula. The name refers to the different Muslim states that controlled these territories at various times between 711 and 1492. At its greatest geographical extent, it occupied most o ...

, where they would be handed over to

Yusuf ibn Abd al-Rahman al-Fihri Yusuf ibn Abd al-Rahman al-Fihri () was an Umayyad governor of Narbonne in Septimania and the governor of al-Andalus from 747 to 756, ruling independently following the collapse of the Umayyad#Umayyad Caliphs at Damascus, Umayyad Caliphate in 750 ...

, governor of

. Returning to

, Ilyas pressured the young Habib to also leave for al-Andalus. But before the ship could depart, Habib was seized by the partisans of his late father

Abd al-Rahman Abdelrahman or Abd al-Rahman or Abdul Rahman or Abdurrahman or Abdrrahman ( or occasionally ; DMG ''ʿAbd ar-Raḥman'') is a male Arabic Muslim given name, and in modern usage, surname. It is built from the Arabic words '' Abd'', ''al-'' and '' ...

, who promptly proclaimed Habib emir of

and raised an army in his name. The two armies met in the environs of Laribus. But before battle was enjoined, Habib challenged Ilyas to resolve the quarrel in single combat. At first hesitant, Ilyas finally consented, at the urging of his own commanders. Habib defeated and killed Ilyas, carrying his head as a trophy in a procession back to

. This took place in December 755.Ibn Khaldun (1852: p.369) Hearing of Ilyas's defeat, Abd al-Wareth and remaining partisans of Ilyas fled south and took shelter among the Warfajuma Berbers, from where they would plot their comeback.

References

Sources

*Ibn Khaldun, ''Histoire des Berbères et des dynasties musulmanes de l'Afrique'', 1852 transl. Algiers. *Julien, Charles-André, ''Histoire de l'Afrique du Nord, des origines à 1830'', édition originale 1931, réédition Payot, Paris, 1961 * Mercier, E. (1888) ''Histoire de l'Afrique septentrionale, V. 1'', Paris: Leroux. Repr. Elibron Classics, 2005.

References

Sources

See also