Abu Sa'id Masrur ibn al-Walid ibn Abd al-Malik (أبو سعيد مسرور بن الوليد بن عبد الملك) was an

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 ...

prince and 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 ...

(military district of northern

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 ...

) during the reign of his brother, Caliph

Yazid III Yazid ibn al-Walid ibn Abd al-Malik (; 701 – 3/4 October 744), commonly known as Yazid III, was the twelfth Umayyad caliph, ruling from 744 until his death months later. Birth and background Yazid was the member of the influential Umayyad d ...

(). He played a role in the

Third Muslim Civil War 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 ...

as a commander for

against rebels from

Homs Homs ( ; ), known in pre-Islamic times as Emesa ( ; ), is a city in western Syria and the capital of the Homs Governorate. It is Metres above sea level, above sea level and is located north of Damascus. Located on the Orontes River, Homs is ...

Life

Masrur was a son of the

caliph

al-Walid I Al-Walid ibn Abd al-Malik ibn Marwan (; – 23 February 715), commonly known as al-Walid I (), was the sixth Umayyad caliph, ruling from October 705 until his death in 715. He was the eldest son of his predecessor, Caliph Abd al-Malik (). As ...

() and one of his slave concubines. Masrur had several half-brothers and at least one full brother, Bishr. He was married to a daughter of

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 ...

, the powerful viceroy of his father. During the

(744–750), Caliph

al-Walid II Al-Walid ibn Yazid ibn Abd al-Malik (; 70917 April 744), commonly known as al-Walid II, was the eleventh Umayyad caliph, ruling from 743 until his assassination in 744. He succeeded his uncle, Hisham ibn Abd al-Malik. Birth and background Al-W ...

() was assassinated and his cousin and opponent,

, a half-brother of Masrur, became caliph. In protest the troops of

revolted under Mu'awiya ibn Yazid al-Sakuni and were supported by the districts governor, the Umayyad prince Marwan ibn Abdallah ibn Abd al-Malik. Yazid III dispatched Masrur and their nephew al-Walid ibn Rawh ibn al-Walid against them. They encamped at nearby

Huwwarin Huwwarin (, also spelled Hawarin, Huwarin or Hawarine) is a village in central Syria, administratively part of the Homs Governorate, south of Homs. Situated in the Syrian Desert, the village is adjacent to the larger town of Mahin to its south and ...

, whereupon their cousin,

Sulayman ibn Hisham Sulaymān ibn Hishām ibn ʿAbd al-Malik (; ) was an Arab general, the son of the Umayyad Caliph Hisham ibn Abd al-Malik (). He is known for his participation in the expeditions against the Byzantine Empire as well as his prominent role in the c ...

, took command of the troops. The Homs rebels made for Damascus and were confronted by Sulayman and Masrur and were ultimately defeated by the intervention of another Umayyad cousin, Abd al-Aziz ibn al-Hajjaj ibn Abd al-Malik. Yazid III appointed Masrur or Bishr governor of

. The caliph died before the end of the year and was succeeded by another half-brother of Masrur, Ibrahim, whose rule was opposed by a distant Umayyad relative, the powerful general of the

Jazira Jazira, al-Jazira, Jazeera, al-Jazeera, etc. are all transcriptions of Arabic language, Arabic meaning "the island" or "the peninsula". The term may refer to: Business *Jazeera Airways, an airlines company based in Kuwait Locations * Al-Jazir ...

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 ...

. The latter marched on Syria. When he came upon Qinnasrin, its sympathetic troops surrendered Masrur and Bishr to Marwan II, who had them imprisoned. Nothing is heard of them afterward and they are presumed to have died in prison.

References

Bibliography

* * * * *{{EI2, article=Bishr b. al-Walīd , last=Vaglieri , first=L. Veccia , authorlink=Laura Veccia Vaglieri , volume=1 , page=1244 8th-century Arab people Sons of Umayyad caliphs People of the Third Fitna Prisoners and detainees of the Umayyad Caliphate Umayyad governors of Qinnasrin