| Abd al-Malik | |
| Caliph of the Umayyad dynasty | |
| Reign | 685 – 705 |
|---|---|
| Full name | Abd al-Malik ibn Marwan |
| Born | 646 |
| Died | 705 |
| Predecessor | Marwan I |
| Successor | Al-Walid I |
| Dynasty | Umayyad |
| Father | Marwan I |
Abd al-Malik ibn Marwan (646-705) (Arabic: عبد الملك بن مروان) was the 5th Umayyad Caliph. The Caliph is the Head of state in a Caliphate, and the title for the leader of the Islamic Ummah, an Islamic community ruled by the Shari'ah Events By Place Byzantine Empire Justinian II succeeds Constantine IV as Emperor of the Byzantine Empire Alternate meanings Area code 705; Project 705; Life 705 Events By Place Asia February 20 Events An edict of the Taika Reforms is promulgated in Japan Alexandria is recaptured by the Arabs after a Byzantine Alternate meanings Area code 705; Project 705; Life 705 Events By Place Asia February 20 Marwan ibn al-Hakam (623 - 685 (مروان بن الحكم was the fourth Umayyad Caliph, who took over the dynasty after Muawiya II abdicated in Al-Walid ibn Abd al-Malik ( الوليد بن عبد الملك or Al-Walid I (668 - 715 was a wise and powerful Umayyad Caliph who ruled from 705 Marwan ibn al-Hakam (623 - 685 (مروان بن الحكم was the fourth Umayyad Caliph, who took over the dynasty after Muawiya II abdicated in Events An edict of the Taika Reforms is promulgated in Japan Alexandria is recaptured by the Arabs after a Byzantine Alternate meanings Area code 705; Project 705; Life 705 Events By Place Asia February 20 Arabic (ar الْعَرَبيّة (informally ar عَرَبيْ) in terms of the number of speakers is the largest living member of the Semitic language The Caliph is the Head of state in a Caliphate, and the title for the leader of the Islamic Ummah, an Islamic community ruled by the Shari'ah Abd al-Malik was a well-educated man and capable ruler, despite the many political problems that impeded his rule. Ibn Khaldun states: “Abdul Malik Ibn Marwan is one of the greatest Arab and Muslim Caliphs. Ibn Khaldūn or Ibn Khaldoun (full name أبو زيد عبد الرحمن بن محمد بن خلدون,, ( May 27, 1332 AD/732 AH &ndash March 19 He followed in the footsteps of `Umar Ibn Al-Khattab, the Commander of the Believers, in regulating state affairs. ”
In his reign, all important records were translated into Arabic, and for the first time a special currency for the Muslim world was minted, which led to war with the Byzantine Empire under Justinian II. Arabic (ar الْعَرَبيّة (informally ar عَرَبيْ) in terms of the number of speakers is the largest living member of the Semitic language Justinian II (Ιουστινιανός Β΄ Ioustinianos II; 669&ndashDecember 711 known as Rinotmetos or Rhinotmetus (Ρινότμητος The Byzantines were led by Leontios at the Battle of Sebastopolis in 692 in Asia Minor and were decisively defeated by the Caliph after the defection of a large contingent of Slavs. Leontios or Leontius (Λεόντιος LEONTIVS (d 705 was Byzantine emperor from 695 to 698 The Battle of Sebastopolis was fought near the eastern shores of the Black Sea in 692 between the Byzantine Empire and Umayyads. The Islamic currency was then made the only currency exchange in the Muslim world. Also, many reforms happened in his time as regards agriculture and commerce.
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Campaigns in Iraq and Hejaz
Abd al-Malik became caliph after the death of his father Marwan I in 685. Marwan ibn al-Hakam (623 - 685 (مروان بن الحكم was the fourth Umayyad Caliph, who took over the dynasty after Muawiya II abdicated in Events By Place Byzantine Empire Justinian II succeeds Constantine IV as Emperor of the Byzantine Empire Within a few years, he dispatched armies, under al-Hajjaj bin Yousef, on a campaign to reassert Umayyad control over the Islamic empire. Al-Hajjāj ibn Yūsuf ( Arabic: الحجاج بن يوسف, also known as Hajjāj ibn Yūsuf ath-Thaqafī) born in early June 661 in aţ-Ţā’if A caliphate (from the Arabic خلافة or khilāfa) is the political leadership of the Muslim community in classical and medieval Islamic history Hajjaj first defeated the governor of Basra and then led his forces into Hejaz, where Ibn Zubayr was killed - ending his short claim to the caliphate. Basra ( BGN: AlBasrah also called Basorah Abillah and Uruk or IRAQ The name that British colony has adopted for Basra al-Hejaz (also Hijaz, Hedjaz; الحجاز al-Ḥiǧāz, literally "the barrier" is a region in the west of present-day Saudi Arabia Abd Allah al-Zubayr or Ibn Zubayr or Abdullah ibn az-Zubayr' (624 - 692 (عبد الله بن الزبير was a Sahabi whose father was Zubayr ibn al-Awwam The Siege of Mecca in 692CE started with Hajjaj at the head of about 2000 Syrians he set out against Abd-Allah ibn al-Zubayr, the caliph of Hejaz at Mecca. Events By Place Asia The Arabs conquer Armenia. Leontios leading a substantial Byzantine army Syria Greater Syria, a historical region of the Levant Roman Syria Ottoman Syria Abd Allah al-Zubayr or Ibn Zubayr or Abdullah ibn az-Zubayr' (624 - 692 (عبد الله بن الزبير was a Sahabi whose father was Zubayr ibn al-Awwam al-Hejaz (also Hijaz, Hedjaz; الحجاز al-Ḥiǧāz, literally "the barrier" is a region in the west of present-day Saudi Arabia Mecca ˈmɛkə also spelled Makkah ˈmækə (in full Makkah Al-Mukarramah (Arabic mækːæ(t ælmʊkarˑamæ مكّة المكرمة, literally Honored He advanced unopposed as far as his native Taif, which he took without any fighting and used as a base. Ta’if ( ar الطائف) is a city in the Mecca Province of Saudi Arabia at an elevation of 1700 metres on the slopes of the Al-Sarawat The caliph had charged him first to negotiate with Abd-Allah ibn al-Zubayr and to assure him of freedom from punishment if he capitulated, but, if the opposition continued, to starve him out by siege, but on no account to let the affair result in bloodshed in the Holy City. Since the negotiations failed and al-Hajjaj lost patience, he sent a courier to ask Abd al-Malik for reinforcements and also for permission to take Mecca by force. He received both, and thereupon bombarded the Holy City using catapults from the mountain of Abu Qubays. The bombardment continued during the Pilgrimage or Hajj. The Hajj (حج is a pilgrimage to Mecca (Makkah It is the largest annual pilgrimage in the world A sudden thunderstorm, in which the uneasy soldiers detected a warning of Divine punishment, he was able to convince them that it was a sign of victory. After the siege had lasted for seven months and 10,000 men, among them two of Abdullah Ibn al-Zubair 's sons, had gone over to al-Hajjaj, Abd-Allah ibn al-Zubayr with a few loyal followers, including his youngest son, were killed in the fighting around the Kaaba (Jumadah I 73/October 692)
Hajjaj's success led Abd al-Malik to assign him the role of governor of Iraq and give him free rein in the territories he controlled. The Kaaba ( Arabic: ar الكعبة; 'kɑʕbɑ or 'kæʕbæ "Cube" is a Cuboidal building in Mecca, Saudi Arabia, and is the For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Iraq topics. Hajjaj arrived when there were many deserters in Basra and Kufa. Kufa ( Arabic, ar الكوفة) is a city in modern Iraq, about 170 km south of Baghdad, and 10 km northeast of Najaf. He promptly and forcefully impelled them to return to combat. Hajjaj, after years of serious fighting, quelled religious disturbances, including the rebellion launched by Salih ibn Musarrih and continued after Salih's death by Shabib. These rebels repeatedly defeated more numerous forces and at their height entered Kufah. Kufa ( Arabic, ar الكوفة) is a city in modern Iraq, about 170 km south of Baghdad, and 10 km northeast of Najaf. However, Abd al-Malik's Syrian reinforcements enabled Hajjaj to turn the tide.
Under Hajjaj, Arab armies put down the revolt of Abd al-Rahman ibn Muhammad ibn al-Ash'ath in Iraq from 699 to 701 CE, and also took most of Turkestan. Turkestan (literally meaning "Land of the Turks" is a region in Central Asia, which today is largely inhabited by Turkic peoples. Abd al-Rahman rebelled following Hajjaj's repeated orders to push further into the lands of Zundil. After his defeat in Iraq, again achieved through Abd al-Malik's dispatch of Syrian reinforcements to Hajjaj, Abd ar Rahman returned east. There one city closed its gates to him and in another he was seized. However, Zundil's army arrived and secured his release. Later, Abd ar Rahman died and Zundil sent his head to Hajjaj who sent it to Abd al-Malik. These victories paved the way for greater expansions under Abd al-Malik's son Al-Walid.
Campaigns in North Africa
Caliph Abd al-Malik was effective in increasing the size of the empire. In Maghreb (western North Africa) in 686 CE a force led by Zuhayr ibn Qais won the Battle of Mamma over Byzantines and Berbers led by Kusaila, on the Qairawan plain, and re-took Ifriqiya and its capital Kairouan. The Maghreb (المغرب العربي al-Maġrib al-ʿArabī) also rendered Maghrib (or rarely Moghreb) meaning "place of Sunset Events By Place Europe The Kingdom of Kent is attacked and conquered by West Saxons under Caedwalla. Berbers are the indigenous peoples of North Africa west of the Nile Valley. Kusaila (? - 690 (also spelled Kusayla, Kosaila, Koceila in French spelling or Kasila (the preferred pronunciation by modern researchers Kairouan ( Arabic القيروان (also known as Kirwan, Al Qayrawan) is a Muslim holy city which ranks after Mecca, Medina In medieval history, Ifriqiya or Ifriqiyah (إفريقية was the area comprising the coastal regions of what are today western Libya, Tunisia Kairouan ( Arabic القيروان (also known as Kirwan, Al Qayrawan) is a Muslim holy city which ranks after Mecca, Medina
In 695 Hasan ibn al-Nu'man captured Carthage and advanced into the Atlas Mountains. Events By Place Byzantine Empire The people of Byzantium revolt against Justinian II. Hasān ibn an-Nu'mān al-Ghassānī (حسن ابن النعمان الغساني (d Carthage (Καρχηδών Karkhēdōn, Carthago from the Phoenician קרת חדשת phn-Latn Qart-ḥadašt meaning new town) refers The Atlas Mountains ( Kabyle: Idurar n leṭles جبال الأطلس) is a Mountain range across a northern stretch of Africa extending about 2400 A Byzantine fleet arrived, retook Carthage but in 698 Hasan ibn al-Nu'man returned and defeated Tiberios III at the Battle of Carthage. Hasān ibn an-Nu'mān al-Ghassānī (حسن ابن النعمان الغساني (d Tiberios III or Tiberius III ( Greek: Τιβέριος Γ' (d The Battle of Carthage was fought in 698 CE between a Byzantine expeditionary force and the armies of the Umayyad Caliphate. The Byzantines withdrew from all of Africa except Ceuta. Ceuta is an autonomous city of Spain located on the Mediterranean, on the North African side of the Strait of Gibraltar, which
Hasan met trouble from the Zenata tribe of Berbers under al-Kahina. Berbers are the indigenous peoples of North Africa west of the Nile Valley. al-Kāhinat ( Classical Arabic for "female seer" modern Maghreb Arabic l-Kahna, commonly romanised as Kah(ina, also known as They inflicted a serious defeat on him and drove him back to Barqa. Barqah ( Arabic: برقه transliterated as Barqah, Barqa or Barka with the first two variants being more accurate than the last However, in 702 Abd al-Malik strongly reinforced him. Now with a large army and the support of the settled population of North Africa, Hasan pushed forward. North Africa or Northern Africa is the Northernmost Region of the African Continent, separated by the Sahara from Sub-Saharan He decisively defeated the Zenata in a battle at Tabarka, 85 miles west of Carthage. He then developed the village of Tunis ten miles from the destroyed Carthage. Tunis ( Arabic: تونس Tūnis) is the Capital of the Tunisian Republic and also the Tunis Around 705 Musa ibn Nusayr replaced Hasan. Musa bin Nusair also Musa ben Nusair or Musa Ibn Nusayr (موسى بن نصير 640—716 was a Syrian Muslim who served as a governor and general under He pacified much of North Africa, though he failed to take Ceuta.
Reforms
Abd al-Malik instituted many reforms such as: making Arabic the official language of government across the entire empire, instituting a mint that produced a uniform set of aniconic currency, expansion and reorganization of postal service, repairing the damaged Kaaba and beginning the tradition of weaving a silk cover for the Kaaba in Damascus. Arabic (ar الْعَرَبيّة (informally ar عَرَبيْ) in terms of the number of speakers is the largest living member of the Semitic language The Kaaba ( Arabic: ar الكعبة; 'kɑʕbɑ or 'kæʕbæ "Cube" is a Cuboidal building in Mecca, Saudi Arabia, and is the Damascus ( دمشق,, also commonly known as الشام ash-Shām) is the capital and largest city of Syria.
Art and Architecture
He also built the Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem, but parts of that city were also destroyed when Abd al-Malik's armies put down an uprising there. The Dome of the Rock ( Arabic: مسجد قبة الصخرة translit Jerusalem (יְרוּשָׁלַיִם, he-Latn Yerushaláyim; Arabic: ar القُدس, ar-Latn al-Quds) is the The Muslim scholar al-Wasiti reports this incidence:
| “ | When Abd al-Malik intended to construct the Dome of the Rock, he came from Damascus to Jerusalem. The Dome of the Rock ( Arabic: مسجد قبة الصخرة translit Damascus ( دمشق,, also commonly known as الشام ash-Shām) is the capital and largest city of Syria. Jerusalem (יְרוּשָׁלַיִם, he-Latn Yerushaláyim; Arabic: ar القُدس, ar-Latn al-Quds) is the He wrote, "Abd al-Malik intends to build a dome (qubba) over the Rock to house the Muslims from cold and heat, and to construct the masjid. The Foundation Stone ( Hebrew: אבן השתייה translit Even haShetiya) or Rock ( Arabic: translit A "mosque" in English refers to all types of buildings dedicated for Islamic worship although there is a distinction in Arabic between the smaller privately owned mosque and the larger But before he starts he wants to know his subjects' opinion. " With their approval, the deputies wrote back, "May Allah permit the completion of this enterprise, and may He count the building of the dome and the masjid a good deed for Abd al-Malik and his predecessors. " He then gathered craftsmen from all his dominions and asked them to provide him with the description and form of the planned dome before he engaged in its construction. So, it was marked for him in the sahn of the masjid. He then ordered the building of the treasury (bayt al-mal) to the east of the Rock, which is on the edge of the Rock, and filled it with money. He then appointed Raja' ibn Hayweh and Yazid ibn Salam to supervise the construction and ordered them to spend generously on its construction. Raja Ibn Haywah al-Kindi was a leading Islamic jurist and Arabic calligraphist who is probably best known as the likely artist responsible for the detailed inscriptions He then returned to Damascus. Damascus ( دمشق,, also commonly known as الشام ash-Shām) is the capital and largest city of Syria. When the two men satisfactorily completed the house, they wrote to Abd al-Malik to inform him that they had completed the construction of the dome and al-Masjid al-Aqsa. They said to him "There is nothing in the building that leaves room for criticism. " They wrote him that a hundred thousand dinars was left from the budget he allocated. He offered the money to them as a reward, but they declined, indicating that they had already been generously compensated. Abd al-Malik orders the gold coins to be melted and cast on the Dome's exterior, which at the time had a strong glitter that no eye could look straight at it. [1][2] | ” |
The two engineers Yazid ibn Salam, a Jerusalemite, and Raja' ibn Hayweh, from Baysan, were ordered to spend generously on the construction. Raja Ibn Haywah al-Kindi was a leading Islamic jurist and Arabic calligraphist who is probably best known as the likely artist responsible for the detailed inscriptions In his Book of the Geography, al-Maqdisi reported that seven times the revenue of Egypt was used to build the Dome. This article is about the country of Egypt For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Egypt topics. During a discussion with his uncle on why the Caliph spent lavishly on building the mosques in Jerusalem and Damascus, al-Maqdisi writes:
| “ | O my little son, thou has no understanding. Jerusalem (יְרוּשָׁלַיִם, he-Latn Yerushaláyim; Arabic: ar القُدس, ar-Latn al-Quds) is the Damascus ( دمشق,, also commonly known as الشام ash-Shām) is the capital and largest city of Syria. Verily he was right, and he was prompted to a worthy work. For he beheld Syria to be a country that had long been occupied by the Christians, and he noted there are beautiful churches still belonging to them, so enchantingly fair, and so renowned for their splendour, as are the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, and the churches of Lydda and Edessa. Syria ( سوريّة or) officially the Syrian Arab Republic (Arabic ar الجمهورية العربية السورية A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, a monotheistic Religion centered on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth The Church of the Holy Sepulchre (Sanctum Sepulchrum also called the Church of the Resurrection, ( Greek: Ναός της Αναστάσεως Naos tis Anastaseos So he sought to build for the Muslims a mosque that should be unique and a wonder to the world. And in like manner is it not evident that Caliph Abd al-Malik, seeing the greatness of the martyrium of the Holy Sepulchre and its magnificence was moved lest it should dazzle the minds of Muslims and hence erected above the Rock the dome which is now seen there. The Church of the Holy Sepulchre (Sanctum Sepulchrum also called the Church of the Resurrection, ( Greek: Ναός της Αναστάσεως Naos tis Anastaseos The Foundation Stone ( Hebrew: אבן השתייה translit Even haShetiya) or Rock ( Arabic: translit [3] | ” |
The last years of his reign were generally peaceful. Abd al-Malik wanted to appoint his son al-Walid I as his successor, ignoring his father's orders to appoint Abd al-Malik's brother, Abd al-Aziz. Al-Walid ibn Abd al-Malik ( الوليد بن عبد الملك or Al-Walid I (668 - 715 was a wise and powerful Umayyad Caliph who ruled from 705 However, Abd al-Malik accepted advice not to create disturbances by carrying out this design. It turned out to be unnecessary, as Abd al-Aziz died before Abd al-Malik. Abd al-Malik then had his sons al-Walid and Sulayman, in that order, accepted as heirs to the throne.
References
- ^ Abu-Bakr al-Wasiti, Fada'il Bayt al-Maqdis, pp. 80-81, vol 136.
- ^ Nasser Rabbat, The Dome of the Rock Rvisited: Some Remarks on al-Wasiti's Accounts, Muqaranas, Vol. 10, Essays in Honor of Oleg Grabar, pp. 66-75, 1993
- ^ Shams al-Din al-Maqdisi, Ahsan al-Taqasim fi Mar'rifat al-Aqalim, 2nd ed. (Leiden, 1967) pp. 159-171.
Bibliography
- Muhammad ibn Jarir al-Tabari v. Abu Ja'far Muhammad ibn Jarir al-Tabari (838-923 أبو جعفر محمد بن جرير الطبري was one of the earliest most prominent and famous Persian Historians 21 "The Victory of the Marwanids," transl. Michael Fishbein, SUNY, Albany, 1990; v. 22 "The Marwanid Restoration," transl. Everett K. Rowson, SUNY, Albany, 1989; v. 23 "The Zenith of the Marwanid House," transl. Martin Hinds, SUNY, Albany, 1990.
- John Bagot Glubb The Empire of the Arabs, Hodder and Stoughton, London, 1963
| Preceded by Marwan I | Caliph 685–705 | Succeeded by Al-Walid I |
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