Sayyid ''Sayyid'' is an honorific title of Hasanid and Husaynid lineage, recognized as descendants of the Islamic prophet Muhammad through his daughter Fatima and Ali's sons Hasan ibn Ali, Hasan and Husayn ibn Ali, Husayn. The title may also refer ...

Muhsin bin Hassan bin Ali bin Idris (; 1878–1961), better known as Muhsin Abu-Tabikh (), was a prominent Iraqi nationalist and one of the leaders of the 1920 Iraqi Revolt.

Biography

He was born in 1878 in

Ghammas Ghammas or Al Ghammas () is a town in Al-Shamiya District, Al-Qādisiyyah Governorate, Iraq. It is located on the Al-Shamiya branch of the Euphrates The Euphrates ( ; see #Etymology, below) is the longest and one of the most historically impo ...

, a district of Diwaniyah Governorate in southern

Iraq Iraq, officially the Republic of Iraq, is a country in West Asia. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to Iraq–Saudi Arabia border, the south, Turkey to Iraq–Turkey border, the north, Iran to Iran–Iraq border, the east, the Persian Gulf and ...

. Known for his contribution to the Iraqi revolution against

British occupation The British Empire comprised the dominions, colonies, protectorates, mandates, and other territories ruled or administered by the United Kingdom and its predecessor states. It began with the overseas possessions and trading posts establishe ...

. He fought with the Ottoman army against Britain in 1915. On October 6, 1920, it was decided by revolutionaries that a national government must be formed through an elected revolutionary council to oversee the areas liberated from the

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. * British national identity, the characteristics of British people and culture ...

. Abu-Tabikh was appointed the head of the new government, the administration was set up temporarily in

Karbala Karbala is a major city in central Iraq. It is the capital of Karbala Governorate. With an estimated population of 691,100 people in 2024, Karbala is the second largest city in central Iraq, after Baghdad. The city is located about southwest ...

. Celebrations took place in the city hall in the midst of crowds that exceeded tens of thousands, where he raised the first

i flag in modern history.

After the revolution

Abu-Tabikh was one of the members of the Iraqi delegation that arrived in Mecca on March 9, 1921, to meet with

Sharif Hussein Hussein bin Ali al-Hashimi ( ; 1 May 18544 June 1931) was an Arab leader from the Banu Qatadah branch of the Banu Hashim clan who was the Sharif of Mecca, Sharif and Emir of Mecca from 1908 and, after proclaiming the Great Arab Revolt against ...

and ask him to appoint his son as king of Iraq. He accompanied Fasil I when he first arrived in Basra on June 23, 1921. After the formation of the

Iraqi government The government of Iraq is defined under the current Constitution, approved in 2005, as a democratic, parliamentary republic with Islam as the official state religion. The government is composed of the executive, legislative, and judicial branche ...

, he moved his residence to

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 ...

and married Saniyah Al-Sandoq, the sister of Iraqi archaeologist Izz al-Din Al-Sandoq. Under the

monarchy A monarchy is a form of government in which a person, the monarch, reigns as head of state for the rest of their life, or until abdication. The extent of the authority of the monarch may vary from restricted and largely symbolic (constitutio ...

, he was a member of the Iraqi senate until it was overthrown by the 1958 revolution. He stopped his political activity after the 1958 revolution, which had seized most of the agricultural lands that belonged to his family as part of agrarian reform law at that time. However, the republican revolutionaries had a great deal of respect and appreciation for him, and he remained a respected and honored figure in his old age. Muhsin Abu-Tabikh died in

in 1961.

Name and family lineage

According to Jawad al-Shahristani he was the descendant of Sayyid Idris, who is considered the first to become known by the title “Abu-Tabikh” for feeding masses of people of his region in the Middle

Euphrates The Euphrates ( ; see #Etymology, below) is the longest and one of the most historically important rivers of West Asia. Tigris–Euphrates river system, Together with the Tigris, it is one of the two defining rivers of Mesopotamia (). Originati ...

. "Tabikh" means food, which is rice with meat in "the year of famine", he and his descendants became famous for this event and were given the title "Abu-Tabikh".

Works

He authored the book ''Principles and Men'' and several memoir manuscripts which were collected by his son Jamil Abu-Tabikh into one book, the book was published under the title ''Memoirs of Sayyid Muhsin Abu-Tabikh 1910-1960, fifty years of Iraq's modern political history'' in which he described the 1920 revolution as "a sacred revolution; a great revolution that influenced history in a significant way." His evidence is that the revolution gave birth to the Iraqi state, which was the revolution's "highest goal".

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Abu Tabikh, Mushin 1878 births 1961 deaths 20th-century Iraqi politicians Iraqi revolt of 1920 People from Al-Qādisiyyah Governorate

Biography

After the revolution

Name and family lineage

Works

See also

References