Mohammad Ibn Ba'ith
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Muhammad ibn al-Ba'ith ibn Halbas () (circa early 9th century) also known as Ibn Ba'ith (Son of Ba'ith) was an Arab governor of
Marand Marand () is a city in the Central District of Marand County, East Azerbaijan province, Iran, serving as capital of both the county and the district. Marand is among the major cities of East Azerbaijan province. It is in the northwest of ...
during the Abbasid caliphate.Minorsky, “Marand” in Encyclopaedia of Islam. Edited by: P. Bearman , Th. Bianquis , C.E. Bosworth , E. van Donzel and W.P. Heinrichs. Vol. 6, (1991): pg 504 "According to one of al-Tabari's authorities (iii, 1388), the shaykhs of Maragha who praised the bravery and literary ability (adab) of Ibn Bai'th also quoted his Persian verses (bi'l-fdrisiyya). This important passage, already quoted by Barthold, BSOS, ii (1923), 836-8, is evidence of the existence of the cultivation of poetry in Persian in northwestern Persia at the beginning of the 9th century. Ibn Bai’th must have been Iranicised to a considerable extent, and, as has been mentioned, he relied for support on the non-Arab elements in his Rustakhs (‘Uludj Rasatikhi’)” After the
Arab conquest of Persia As part of the early Muslim conquests, which were initiated by Muhammad in 622, the Rashidun Caliphate conquered the Sasanian Empire between 632 and 654. This event led to the decline of Zoroastrianism, which had been the official religion of ...
, Halbas (his grandfather), who was a mercenary took
Marand Marand () is a city in the Central District of Marand County, East Azerbaijan province, Iran, serving as capital of both the county and the district. Marand is among the major cities of East Azerbaijan province. It is in the northwest of ...
. Muhammad ibn al-Ba'ith built castles in Marand and eventually took
Tabriz Tabriz (; ) is a city in the Central District (Tabriz County), Central District of Tabriz County, in the East Azerbaijan province, East Azerbaijan province of northwestern Iran. It serves as capital of the province, the county, and the distric ...
(815 AD) and Shahi (a place near
Lake Urmia Lake Urmia is an endorheic salt lake in Iran. The lake is located between the provinces of East Azerbaijan and West Azerbaijan in Iran, and west of the southern portion of the Caspian Sea. At its greatest extent, it was the largest lake in th ...
). He started in good terms with the
Khurramite The Khurramites ( , meaning "those of the Joyful Religion") were an IranianW. Madelung, "Khurrammiya" in ''Encyclopaedia of Islam''. Edited by: P. Bearman, Th. Bianchi, C.E. Bosworth, E. van Donzel and W.P. Heinrichs. Brill, 2009. Brill Online. ...
movement of Babak, but later joined the Caliph against the Khurramites by capturing one of Babak's generals. However, his relationship with the Abbasids did not last long and he was imprisoned under the Caliphate of Mutawwakil.
Ibn Khordadbeh Abu'l-Qasim Ubaydallah ibn Abdallah ibn Khordadbeh (; 820/825–913), commonly known as Ibn Khordadbeh (also spelled Ibn Khurradadhbih; ), was a high-ranking bureaucrat and geographer of Persian descent in the Abbasid Caliphate. He is the aut ...
who wrote in 848 AD mentions Marand as being Muhammad ibn al-Ba'iths fiefdom. The historian
al-Tabari Abū Jaʿfar Muḥammad ibn Jarīr ibn Yazīd al-Ṭabarī (; 839–923 CE / 224–310 AH), commonly known as al-Ṭabarī (), was a Sunni Muslim scholar, polymath, historian, exegete, jurist, and theologian from Amol, Tabaristan, present- ...
retells a very graphic expedition sent against the town. Tabari states that there were walls which enclosed Marand, and its garden's was a Farsang in circumference. The forest outside of the town gave the town of Marand further protection. Ibn Ba'ith had collected some 2200 adventurers, reinforced by a number of non-Arab Iranian elements. But this was not enough and he was seized in around 849-850 AD by the forces of the Abbasid caliphate. When he was taken to the court of Mutawwakil, the Caliph ordered Ibn Ba'ith to be beheaded. However, Ibn Ba'ith recited some
Arabic poetry Arabic poetry ( ''ash-shi‘r al-‘arabīyy'') is one of the earliest forms of Arabic literature. Pre-Islamic Arabic poetry contains the bulk of the oldest poetic material in Arabic, but Old Arabic inscriptions reveal the art of poetry existe ...
and Mutawwakil was amazed by his poetic gifts. Subsequently he was only imprisoned and he died in prison. Ibn Ba'ith was also considerably Iranicized and the elders of
Maragha Maragheh () is a city in the Central District of Maragheh County, East Azerbaijan province, Iran, serving as capital of both the county and the district. Maragheh is on the bank of the river Sufi Chay. It is from Tabriz, the largest city ...
praised his bravery and quoted his
Persian poetry Persian literature comprises oral compositions and written texts in the Persian language and is one of the world's oldest literatures. It spans over two-and-a-half millennia. Its sources have been within Greater Iran including present-day ...
.Jamal-Din Ḵalil Šarvāni, Nozhat al-majāles, ed. Moḥammad Amin Riāḥi, Tehran, 2nd ed. Tehran, 1996.Original Arabic from Tabari on this passage: «‌حد ثني انه انشدني بالمراغه جماعه من اشياخها اشعاراً لابن البعيث بالفارسيه و تذكرون ادبه و شجاعه و له اخباراً و احاديث» طبري، محمدبن جرير، تاريخ طبري، جلد 7، چاپ دوم، انتشارات اساطير، 1363. Tabari, the History of Tabari, volume 7, 2nd edition, Asatir Publications, 1993 His Persian poetry also is an evidence of the existence of the cultivation of poetry in Persian in northwest Iran (Azerbaijan) at the beginning of the 9th century.


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{{DEFAULTSORT:Muhammad Ibn al-Ba'ith Azerbaijan under the Abbasid Caliphate 9th-century Persian-language poets 9th-century people from the Abbasid Caliphate Arab rebels Prisoners and detainees of the Abbasid Caliphate Governors of the Abbasid Caliphate 9th-century Arab people