Umar ibn Hubayra al-Fazari (; ) was a prominent

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 ...

general and

governor A governor is an politician, administrative leader and head of a polity or Region#Political regions, political region, in some cases, such as governor-general, governors-general, as the head of a state's official representative. Depending on the ...

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 ...

, who played an important role in the Qays–Yaman conflict of this period.

Origin and early career

Qays Qays ʿAylān (), often referred to simply as Qays (''Kais'' or ''Ḳays'') were an Arab tribal confederation that branched from the Mudar group. The tribe may not have functioned as a unit in pre-Islamic Arabia (before 630). However, by the ea ...

i from 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 ...

, Umar claimed to belong to the traditional Arab nobility by virtue of his maternal grandfather, who was supposedly chief of the Banu Uday branch of the Fazara tribe. However, the family is unknown from the sources until the emergence of Umar himself in 696, when he served in

under

Sufyan ibn al-Abrad al-Kalbi Sufyan ibn al-Abrad al-Kalbi al-Asamm (; ) was a general of the Umayyad Caliphate who served under caliphs Mu'awiya II (), Marwan I () and Abd al-Malik (). He backed the latter against his own tribesmen during a coup attempt in 689. He was a key f ...

. Umar participated in the campaigns against the

Byzantine Empire The Byzantine Empire, also known as the Eastern Roman Empire, was the continuation of the Roman Empire centred on Constantinople during late antiquity and the Middle Ages. Having survived History of the Roman Empire, the events that caused the ...

in the 710s, and under the command of

Maslama ibn Abd al-Malik Maslama ibn Abd al-Malik (, in Greek sources , ''Masalmas''; – 24 December 738) was an Umayyad prince and one of the most prominent Arab generals of the early decades of the 8th century, leading several campaigns against the Byzantine Empire ...

, commanded the Muslim fleet in 715/716, during the initial stages of the unsuccessful campaign to capture the Byzantine capital,

Constantinople Constantinople (#Names of Constantinople, see other names) was a historical city located on the Bosporus that served as the capital of the Roman Empire, Roman, Byzantine Empire, Byzantine, Latin Empire, Latin, and Ottoman Empire, Ottoman empire ...

. In the next year, Maslama sent him as envoy to the Byzantine emperor,

Leo III the Isaurian Leo III the Isaurian (; 685 – 18 June 741), also known as the Syrian, was the first List of Byzantine emperors, Byzantine emperor of the Isaurian dynasty from 717 until his death in 741. He put an end to the Twenty Years' Anarchy, a period o ...

Governorship of the Jazira and of Iraq

Despite the failure of the campaign, he was appointed governor of the

(in 718 or 720), and, about a year after the accession of

Yazid II Yazid ibn Abd al-Malik ibn Marwan (; — 26 January 724), commonly known as Yazid II, was the ninth Umayyad caliph, ruling from 720 until his death in 724. Although he lacked administrative or military experience, he derived prestige from his ...

(720 or 721), he was named governor of

, replacing his patron Maslama. This was a post of critical importance, encompassing at the time the entire eastern Caliphate, including all of

Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran (IRI) and also known as Persia, is a country in West Asia. It borders Iraq to the west, Turkey, Azerbaijan, and Armenia to the northwest, the Caspian Sea to the north, Turkmenistan to the nort ...

and

Khurasan KhorasanDabeersiaghi, Commentary on Safarnâma-e Nâsir Khusraw, 6th Ed. Tehran, Zavvâr: 1375 (Solar Hijri Calendar) 235–236 (; , ) is a historical eastern region in the Iranian Plateau in West Asia, West and Central Asia that encompasses wes ...

. In Khurasan, on the Caliph's instructions, he appointed first his fellow Qaysi,

Sa'id ibn Amr al-Harashi Sa'id ibn Amr al-Harashi (, ) was a prominent Arab general and governor of the Umayyad Caliphate, who played an important role in the Arab–Khazar wars. Biography Sa'id ibn Amr al-Harashi was a Qaysi from Qinnasrin, Syria.Crone (1980), p. 144 ...

, as deputy governor. Al-Harashi proved a capable commander against the

Soghdia Sogdia () or Sogdiana was an ancient Iranian peoples, Iranian civilization between the Amu Darya and the Syr Darya, and in present-day Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan, Kazakhstan, and Kyrgyzstan. Sogdiana was also a province of the Achaemen ...

n rebels, but too harsh in his dealings with domestic quarrels, even executing prisoners whose life Umar had guaranteed. As a result, he was replaced by

Muslim ibn Sa'id al-Kilabi Muslim ibn Sa'id ibn Aslam ibn Zur'ah ibn Amr ibn Khuwaylid al-Sa'iq al-Kilabi () was governor of Khurasan for the Umayyad Caliphate in 723–724. He is best known for his efforts to conciliate the native population of Transoxiana and for the major ...

. In 721, Umar led a campaign into the Byzantine province of Armenia IV, where he seized 700 prisoners. Yazid II's accession marked a renewed ascendancy of the Qaysi party at court, and a return to the oppressive policies of the notorious

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 ...

, interrupted only by the brief reformist reign of Umar II. In the wake of the suppression of

Yazid ibn al-Muhallab Yazid ibn al-Muhallab al-Azdi (; 672/673–24 August 720) was a commander and statesman for the Umayyad Caliphate in Lower Mesopotamia, Iraq and Greater Khorasan, Khurasan in the early 8th century. In 720, he led the last of a series of wide scal ...

's rebellion in Iraq, the province was held down in virtual occupation by the regime's trusted Qaysi

Syro ''Syro'' () is the sixth studio album by the British electronic music artist and producer Aphex Twin, Richard D. James under the alias of Aphex Twin. It was released on 19September 2014 through Warp Records. It was James's first album under th ...

-Jaziran troops, and Umar appointed almost exclusively his fellow north Arab Qaysis to provincial governorships, virtually excluding the south Arab (Yamani) tribes, traditionally dominant in Iraq, from power. His partisanship was so blatant that the contemporary Iraqi poet

al-Farazdaq Hammam Ibn Ghalib Al-Tamimi (; born 641 AD/20 AH died 728– 730 AD/110-112 AH), more commonly known as Al-Farazdaq () or Abu Firas (), was a 7th-century Arab poet and orator who was born in the Rashidun Caliphate of Umar and flourished durin ...

called him the "glory and supreme support" of the northern Arabs. Indeed, when Caliph

Hisham ibn Abd al-Malik Hisham ibn Abd al-Malik ibn Marwan (; 6 February 743) was the tenth Umayyad caliph, ruling from 724 until his death in 743. Early life Hisham was born in Damascus, the administrative capital of the Umayyad Caliphate, in AH 72 (691–692 CE). Hi ...

came to power in 724, one of his first acts was to dismiss Umar from his post, and replace him with

Khalid al-Qasri Khālid ibn ʿAbdallāh al-Qasrī (; died 743) was an Arab who served the Umayyad Caliphate as governor of Mecca in the 8th century and of Iraq from 724 until 738. The latter post, entailing as it did control over the entire eastern Caliphate, mad ...

, whose tribal origin made him neutral in the Qays–Yaman conflict. Umar was tortured and freed only after giving up a considerable part of his fortune. His followers arranged for him to flee to Syria, where he was given shelter by Maslama and later by Caliph Hisham himself. He died sometime between 724 and 726.

Legacy

The Islamic scholar Jean-Claude Vadet assesses Umar's governorship thus: "Harsh in his treatment of those he conquered, Ibn Hubayra seems to have governed in the name of Arabism and Islam, regarded as a religion of the sword. His methods of governing, however, were not above reproach, although in fact this great Arab nobleman, proud of belonging to the

Ghatafan The Ghaṭafān () were an Arab tribal confederation originally based northeast of Medina. The main branches of the Ghatafan were the tribes of Banu Abs, Banu Dhubyan and Ashja'. They were one of the Arab tribes that interacted with Muhammad. Th ...

, was accused more of cynicism than of corruption." The historian Hugh Kennedy calls him a "Qaysi thug", and "violent and brutal" in his persecution of Yamani leaders. As a result of his fervent championship of the Qays in the Qays–Yaman conflict, both he, and his son,

Yazid Yazīd (, "increasing", "adding more") is an Arabic name and may refer to: Given name * Yazid I (647–683), second Umayyad Caliph upon succeeding his father Muawiyah * Yazid II (687–724), Umayyad caliph * Yazid III (701–744), Umayyad caliph ...

, who would serve as governor of Iraq under

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 ...

, receive a very negative treatment in the sources. The only exception are a series of more intimate anecdotes preserved by

Ibn Asakir Ibn Asakir (; 1105–c. 1176) was a Syrian Sunni Islamic scholar, who was one of the most prominent and renowned experts on Hadith and Islamic history in the medieval era. and a disciple of the Sufi mystic Abu al-Najib Suhrawardi. Ibn Asakir was ...

, showing Umar dealing with poets and religious scholars, as well as showing mercy to enemies. It is unclear, however, whether this material is contemporary or represents later attempts to rehabilitate his legacy.

Notes

References

Sources

* * * * * {{Authority control 7th-century births 720s deaths 7th-century Arab people 8th-century Arab people 8th-century people from the Umayyad Caliphate Arab generals Generals of the Umayyad Caliphate Ghatafan Admirals of the medieval Islamic world Umayyad governors of Iraq Umayyad people of the Arab–Byzantine wars Prisoners and detainees of the Umayyad Caliphate