Ustadh Sis (also spelled: Ustad Sis, or Ostad Sis, ) was a Persian heresiarch and anti-Abbasid rebel leader. It is speculated that he was once a governor of Khorasan and possibly father to Al-Ma'mun’s Iranian mother, Marajil, which would make him Ma'mūn's maternal grandfather. Based in the eastern fringe of Khorasan, in the mid-8th-century he claimed he was a

prophet In religion, a prophet or prophetess is an individual who is regarded as being in contact with a divinity, divine being and is said to speak on behalf of that being, serving as an intermediary with humanity by delivering messages or teachings ...

God In monotheistic belief systems, God is usually viewed as the supreme being, creator, and principal object of faith. In polytheistic belief systems, a god is "a spirit or being believed to have created, or for controlling some part of the un ...

and managed to gain followers among the villagers in that area. Many were previously followers of Bihafarid, whom the

Abbasid The Abbasid Caliphate or Abbasid Empire (; ) was the third caliphate to succeed the prophets and messengers in Islam, Islamic prophet Muhammad. It was founded by a dynasty descended from Muhammad's uncle, Abbas ibn Abd al-Muttalib (566–653 C ...

commander, Abu Muslim, had crushed militarily.

Reinvigoration of Bihafarid's movement

Ustadh Sis launched a rebellion in 767, purportedly with 300,000 fighting men. His initial base was the mountainous region of Badghis, and he soon occupied Herat and

Sistan Sistān (), also known as Sakastān (, , current name: Zabol) and Sijistan (), is a historical region in south-eastern Iran and extending across the borders of present-day south-western Afghanistan, and south-western Pakistan. Mostly correspond ...

before marching towards

Merv Merv (, ', ; ), also known as the Merve Oasis, was a major Iranian peoples, Iranian city in Central Asia, on the historical Silk Road, near today's Mary, Turkmenistan. Human settlements on the site of Merv existed from the 3rd millennium& ...

. He initially defeated an Abbasid army under the command of al-Ajtham of

, but was then defeated in a bloody battle against an army led by Muhammad ibn Abdallah, the son of the

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 ...

al-Mansur Abū Jaʿfar ʿAbd Allāh ibn Muḥammad al-Manṣūr (; ‎; 714 – 6 October 775) usually known simply as by his laqab al-Manṣūr () was the second Abbasid caliph, reigning from 754 to 775 succeeding his brother al-Saffah (). He is known ...

(and a future Caliph). According to al-Tabari, 70,000 of Ustadh Sis's followers were killed in the battle and 14,000 were taken captive. Ustadh Sis managed to flee to the mountains, but Abbasid general Khazim ibn Khuzayma al-Tamimi followed him and was able to capture him. Ustadh Sis was sent in chains to

, who ordered his execution. Later,

al-Mahdi Abū ʿAbd Allāh Muḥammad ibn ʿAbd Allāh al-Manṣūr (; 744 or 745 – 785), better known by his regnal name al-Mahdī (, "He who is guided by God"), was the third Abbasid Caliph who reigned from 775 to his death in 785. He succeeded his ...

gave an amnesty to the 30,000 captives.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ustadh Sis Year of birth missing Year of death missing 8th-century Iranian people Iranian religious leaders Iranian prophets Rebels from the Abbasid Caliphate Khurasan under the Abbasid Caliphate 8th-century executions by the Abbasid Caliphate Neo-Zoroastrianism

Reinvigoration of Bihafarid's movement

See also

References