Talib Al-Haqq
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Abu Yahya Abdallah ibn Yahya ibn Umar ibn al-Aswad ibn Abdallah ibn al-Harith ibn Mu'awiya ibn al-Harith al-Kindi, better known by his
laqab Arabic names have historically been based on a long naming system. Many people from Arabic-speaking and also non-Arab Muslim countries have not had given name, given, middle name, middle, and family names but rather a chain of names. This system ...
of Talib al-Haqq (, ), was the leader of an
Ibadi revolt The Ibadi revolt was an Ibadi Kharijite uprising that occurred in ca. 747–748 against the Umayyad Caliphate. It established the first Ibadi imamate, a short-lived state located in the Arabian Peninsula. Taking place during the tumultuous last ...
against the
Umayyad Caliphate 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 member o ...
in southern Arabia during the
Third Fitna 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 ...
.


Life

Very little information is preserved about his life. He was born Abdallah ibn Yahya was of Kindaite origin, and had originally been appointed by the Umayyad governor of Yemen as a judge () in the eastern
Hadramawt Hadhramaut ( ; ) is a geographic region in the South Arabia, southern part of the Arabian Peninsula which includes the Yemeni Governorates of Yemen, governorates of Hadhramaut, Shabwah Governorate, Shabwah and Al Mahrah Governorate, Mahrah, D ...
region. In this capacity he became renowned for his piety and strict interpretation of
Islamic law Sharia, Sharī'ah, Shari'a, or Shariah () is a body of religious law that forms a part of the Islamic tradition based on scriptures of Islam, particularly the Qur'an and hadith. In Islamic terminology ''sharīʿah'' refers to immutable, intan ...
, and won the sympathies of local anti-Umayyad elements. Abdallah was encouraged to rise up by Abu Ubayda Muslim ibn Abi Karima, the leader of the
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 ...
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 ...
movement in
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 ...
, who sent him money and arms, as well as two of his disciples, Abu Hamza al-Mukhtar and Balj ibn Uqba al-Azdi, for the purpose. In late 745, as Umayyad authority was shaken by the outbreak of the Third Fitna, he proclaimed himself
caliph A caliphate ( ) is an institution or public office under the leadership of an Islamic steward with Khalifa, the title of caliph (; , ), a person considered a political–religious successor to the Islamic prophet Muhammad and a leader of ...
. He secured the support from the Ibadis of neighbouring
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 ...
, seized control of Hadramawt, and in 747 captured the Yemeni capital,
Sana'a Sanaa, officially the Sanaa Municipality, is the ''de jure'' capital and largest city of Yemen. The city is the capital of the Sanaa Governorate, but is not part of the governorate, as it forms a separate administrative unit. At an elevation ...
. There he distributed the provincial treasury to the local inhabitants and, while keeping the previous personnel in place, instituted a regime marked by its mildness and honest. As Ibadis from neighbouring regions flocked to his banner, he received the
oath of allegiance An oath of allegiance is an oath whereby a subject or citizen acknowledges a duty of allegiance and swears loyalty to a monarch or a country. In modern republics, oaths are sworn to the country in general, or to the country's constitution. For ...
as imam of the Ibadis, with the title of Talib al-Haqq. His followers are said to have numbered 30,000, although that figure may be just a conventional number indicating a large multitude rather than an accurate count. In mid-747, an Ibadi army under Abu Hamza al-Mukhtar occupied the two Islamic holy cities of
Mecca Mecca, officially Makkah al-Mukarramah, is the capital of Mecca Province in the Hejaz region of western Saudi Arabia; it is the Holiest sites in Islam, holiest city in Islam. It is inland from Jeddah on the Red Sea, in a narrow valley above ...
and
Medina Medina, officially al-Madinah al-Munawwarah (, ), also known as Taybah () and known in pre-Islamic times as Yathrib (), is the capital of Medina Province (Saudi Arabia), Medina Province in the Hejaz region of western Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, ...
, and even Basra for a while swore allegiance to Talib al-Haqq as imam. The expansion of the Ibadi uprising worried the Umayyad caliph
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 victor of the civil war. In January 748 Marwan sent his general, Abd al-Malik ibn Atiyya, to suppress it with 4,000 troops. The Umayyads defeated and killed Abu Hamza at Medina and retook control of the
Hejaz Hejaz is a Historical region, historical region of the Arabian Peninsula that includes the majority of the western region of Saudi Arabia, covering the cities of Mecca, Medina, Jeddah, Tabuk, Saudi Arabia, Tabuk, Yanbu, Taif and Al Bahah, Al-B ...
, and in mid-748 invaded Yemen. Talib al-Haqq moved out of Sana'a and confronted the Umayyads at Jurash. In the ensuing battle, he was defeated and killed. His remaining followers fled to
Shibam Shibam (), officially the Old Walled City of Shibam (), is a town in Wadi Hadhramaut in eastern Yemen with about 7,000 inhabitants. It is the seat of the Shibam District in the Hadhramaut Governorate. It is known for its mudbrick-made high-ri ...
, while the severed head of the rebel leader was sent to Marwan. Abd al-Malik ibn Atiyya completed the re-establishment of caliphal authority in Yemen, but as he was recalled soon after, was also forced to recognize the authority of the Ibadi remnants over Hadramawt under Aballlah ibn Sa'id al-Hadhrami. While ultimately unsuccessful, the Ibadi uprising also diverted crucial manpower away and facilitated Marwan's defeat in the Abbasid Revolution.


References


Sources

* * * {{The History of al-Tabari, volume=27 748 deaths 8th-century Arab people 8th-century caliphs 8th century in Yemen Kinda People of the Third Fitna Ibadi Muslims Yemen under the Umayyad Caliphate Rebellions against the Umayyad Caliphate People killed in action