Ibrahim ibn al-Ashtar

Ibrāhīm ibn Mālik al-Ashtar ibn al-Ḥārith al-Nakhaʿī (died October 691) was an Arab commander who fought in the service of Caliph Ali (r. 656–661) and later served the pro-Alid leader al-Mukhtar al-Thaqafi. He led al-Mukhtar's forces to a decisive victory at the Battle of Khazir (686) against the Umayyads under Ubayd Allah ibn Ziyad, who was personally slain by Ibn al-Ashtar. He later defected to the Zubayrids after they killed al-Mukhtar in 687. About four years later, while fighting for the Zubayrids at the Battle of Maskin, Ibn al-Ashtar was killed by the Umayyad army and his corpse was set alight.

Family and early life

Ibrahim was the son of Malik al-Ashtar ibn al-Harith al-Nakha'i, a commander in the Rashidun army and partisan of Caliph Ali ibn Abi Talib.^[1] The family belonged to the Banu Nakha', hence their epithet al-Nakha'i.^[2] The Banu Nakha' was part of the larger tribe of Madh'hij.^[2] Ibrahim had a brother from the same mother but different father named Abd al-Rahman ibn Abdallah al-Nakha'i, who also was a warrior.^[2] Like his father, Ibrahim is also said to have fought alongside Ali against the Banu Umayya at the Battle of Siffin in 657.

Career

Ibn al-Ashtar's prominence rose after he entered the service of the pro-Alid and anti-Umayyad leader al-Mukhtar al-Thaqafi.^[1] The latter took over Kufa in 685/86 and was soon after confronted by an invading Umayyad army from Syria under the command of Ubayd Allah ibn Ziyad. Al-Mukhtar charged Ibn al-Ashtar with command over his mostly Persian mawali troops from Kufa to prevent the Umayyad advance into Iraq.^[1] Ibn al-Ashtar marched northward with his forces and fought the Umayyads at the Battle of Khazir east of Mosul.^[1] He inflicted a disastrous defeat on the Umayyads, personally slaying Ubayd Allah, while other senior Umayyad commanders, such as Husayn ibn Numayr al-Sakuni, were also slain.^[1] He had their heads sent to al-Mukhtar, who in turn sent them to the anti-Umayyad caliph of Medina and Iraq, Abdullah ibn al-Zubayr.^[1]

By 687, al-Mukhtar had appointed Ibn al-Ashtar governor of Mosul, which came under al-Mukhtar's control following the Umayyad rout at Khazir.^[1] That same year, al-Mukhtar and his retinue were besieged in Kufa by Abdullah ibn al-Zubayr's brother Mus'ab, and al-Mukhtar was killed in the ensuing clashes.^[1] Afterward, Ibn al-Ashtar defected to the Zubayrids, despite the efforts of Umayyad caliph Abd al-Malik to woo him to the Umayyad side.^[1] Ibn al-Ashtar was ultimately killed fighting alongside Mus'ab at the Battle of Maskin in October 691, during which the Umayyads defeated the Zubayrids and subsequently conquered Iraq.^[1] After the battle's conclusion, Ibn al-Ashtar's body was confiscated and burned by the Umayyad forces.^[1]

Assessment

Ibn al-Ashtar is referred to as the "most talented commander Kufa produced during the Marwanid period" (684–750) by historian Hugh N. Kennedy.^[3]

References

Bibliography