Commander Abu Hamza A’Shari: Al-Mukhtar ibn Awf Al-Sulaimi Al-Azdi

Commander Abu Hamza Al-Mukhtar ibn Awf Al-Sulaimi Al-Azdi Al-Omani A’Shari

Who is Commander Abu Hamza A’Shari?

He is Abu Hamza Al-Mukhtar ibn Awf ibn Abdullah ibn Najd ibn Maun ibn Mahamin ibn Salamah ibn Malik ibn Fahm Al-Azdi (Jumada II 130-748), who was from Majz in Oman in the state of Sohar.

The sources did not specify the date of his birth and his early life in Oman. He learned from the springs of the People of Righteousness and heard about the center of the people of Dawa in Basra. He traveled to this city to join the study circles of Abu Ubaidah Muslim ibn Abi Karima (145-762), the second Imam of Ibadhi Muslims. He made progress in his sessions until he became one of the people of great power and influence. He was a sober scholar and an exemplary role model in religion, a courageous leader and a brilliant orator. His sheikh Abu Ubaida said to Abdullah ibn Yahya Al-Kindi (Talib Al-Haqq): "We sent you a man with his gospel in his chest."

However, he was a very poor person who has nothing to ride on, and when he wanted to go for pilgrimage , wealthy people gave charity to him and to people like him to ride to Hijaz.

How did the Shurat¹ enter Makkah?

Al-Mukhtar ibn Awf lived in the same period of the sessions of Abu Ubaida and his companions at the end of the third decade of the second century of emigration (Hijra). They planned to establish the imamate of A’zuhur (manifestation) and to overthrow the Umayyad rule because they suffered from the oppression of their governors of Basra and their prisons.

And to achieve the purpose, mobilization was done in Basra by provoking the route of A’shira’, based on that the Shari can not return to normal life; either victory or martyrdom, and by collecting funds to prepare for the revolution in a suitable place where the number of supporters was guaranteed by the companion of Abu Hamza, Abu Maudud Hajib Al-Tai.

In fact, Dawa center in Basra planned for this. It sent advocates to the boarders of the country away from Damascus, the capital of the Caliphate and away from Basra and its vicinity, because the control and power of the governors were there. Thus, that was in the Maghreb, starting from Egypt to Middle Maghreb, Yemen and the two Holy Masjids.

As for Abu Hamza's relation with the two Holy Masjids, it was an annual one. "At the beginning, Abu Hamza used to go to Makkah every year, calling on people to disagree with Marwan ibn Mohammed and the Marwan family," Al-Tabari said.

Abu Hamza would not be able of such movement without the solid Ibadhi core that was established in Makkah, which was sponsored by Abu Al-Hurr Ali ibn Al-Husayn, especially during the pilgrimage season, to connect the supporters of the people of righteousness in the East and the West, and to introduce all the pilgrims about the Dawa.

The sources agree that Talib Al-Haqqq was of a good conduct in Yemen, but the interest of the people of Dawa was not in Yemen.

It is a general Islamic Dawa aimed at fighting injustice, either achieving the great Imamate that unites the Islamic world, or the martyrdom for the sake of Allah.

The order was issued by Imam Talib Al-Haqq in agreement with the Dawa Center in Basra to achieve the desired purpose. The army's senior command assigned 1,100 volunteers to Abu Hamza Al-Mukhtar ibn Awf with the appointment of two assistants, Balj ibn Oqba and Abraha ibn Al-Sabah.

The army headed towards Makkah through Tai’f and Al-Mukhtar ibn Awf declared the revolution on the ninth of Dhu Al-Hijjah 129/746 on Mount Arafat with the sight and hearing of pilgrims coming from the different parts of the Islamic world.

And he was joined by Al-Hijaz Ibadhi led by the jurist and Ibadhi advocate Abu Al-Hurr Ali ibn Al-Husayn, who was calling for the Ibadhi in secret, and had connections with Imam Abu Ubaidah Muslim. His followers were about four hundred men. This fighter-preacher had a significant impact on the entry of the Ibadhi movement and spread in Hijaz. Abu Al-Hurr was an example of the believing preacher who used his money in the service of Dawa. These funds came from his property in Basra. His home was a center where the Ibadhis met during the pilgrimage season. Because of his increasing activity in Hijaz, he angered the Umayyad authority. Marwan ibn Mohammed attributed the responsibility for this activity to him. He was arrested and confined with iron, and was taken to Al-Sham. They were followed by a group of Abadhi commandos of about fourteen men led by Isa ibn Abi Amr. They managed to save him from the Umayyad soldiers and returned him to Makkah in the month of Dhu Al-Hijjah in 129 AH.

The governor of Al-Hijaz Abdul Wahid ibn Sulaiman ibn Abdul Malik was surprised by the rise of the Ibadhi on Mount Arafat, and he did not find any other option than to negotiate with them, especially, he was not prepared militarily and some of the followers of the senior followers intervened to avoid a clash on the base that the Umayyad governor leave Makkah immediately after the pilgrimage. Actually he left in Dhu Al-Hijjah of the year 129 AH, and the Ibadhis entered Makkah without fight.

The peaceful nature of Dawa, wherever it may have been, as it used to be, such as its attitudes in its entry into Hadramout and Yemen. An evidence is the famous speech of Abu Hamza, the leader, of which is still the books of history and literature transmitting for its fluency and eloquence, in which he explained the speech and approach of Dawa people.

In spite of the hostile attitude of the people of Makkah for tribal considerations, because most of them were Qureshi, the Ibadhi policy had taken a friendly attitude in order to get closer to them. Abu Hamza caller called for four days announcing the safety of all people except warriors. This attitude reminds us of the attitude of Talib Al-Haqq towards the people of Sanaa, and his tolerance with them.

The Capture of Tai’f

After Abu Hamza settled in Makkah, he directed a group of his army to take over Tai’f. When the people of Ta'if learned of his arrival, they left it and brought out the women to face the Ibadhi Shurat. After the commander gave the safety to its people, they returned to it. The Qureshi who gathered in Medina to protest against Abu Hamza did not forgive Tai’f people, and considered this attitude as a betrayal of them. They threatened them if they overpower them, they would captivate their women. Hence, another attitude is clear to us that reflects the tolerance of the people of Dawa, their attitude towards their Muslim brethren, which contrasted the attitude of the Qureshi, who threaten to captivate the women of their brothers and their people, and they did not liberate themselves.

Battle of Qadeed and Capture of Medina

Abu Hamza's and his assistants, Balj and Abraha’s desire was not to fight the people of Medina, but they requested them to leave them cross to Al-Sham.

But Obaid Al-Aziz ibn Abdullah ibn Amr ibn Othman ibn Affan, who was used by the governor Abdul Wahid ibn Suleiman to the people, did not accept this request, so there was the battle of Qadeed that ended with the victory of Abu Hamza.

When Abu Hamza entered Medina, its people were laughing at him and his companions. They said, "These are inexperienced young men of limited understanding." Abu Hamza came to the pulpit of the Prophet, and he put his face where the Prophet was putting his feet, and cried for a long time until his beard was full with tears, saying, "Oh how many feet disobeying Allah, violating his sanctities, stepping on his rules stepped on the place of the prophet feet, peace be upon him. I sacrifice my father and mother for him.” And then he raised one step in the pulpit, as a modest for the position of prophecy, and the position of the Rightly Guided Caliphate, and delivered his famous historical speech, about which says Imam Malik ibn Anas: « Abu Hamza in Medina addressed a speech in which he stabbed the clairvoyant and returned the suspicious ».

Once the news of the defeat reached Marwan ibn Mohammed in the center of the Caliphate, he prepared a military army of four thousand fighters led by Abdul Malik ibn Attia.

There was fierce battles between a fully armed army with new ways based on shields and between a small army that depended on the speed of movement and maneuver. The victory of the Umayyad army in the Valley of Al-Qura was against Balj ibn Oqba, whose head was placed on the spear and was taken by a rover around the outskirts of the country.

Then came the battle of Makkah and after two violent confrontations, Ibn Attiyah was able to capture the heads of the army, namely Abu Hamza and Abraha ibn Al-Sabah, Abu Al-Hurr Ali ibn Al-Husayn, and two of their companions. All of them were crucified at the beginning of the gate of Khaif ³ and remained crucified until the matter was gone to Bani Al-Abbas. 

After this fierce battle on Hijaz, this region returned to the Umayyad rule after Abu Hamza and his companions established the principles of the people of righteousness about seven months, starting from entering Makkah on the ninth of Dhu Al-Hijjah 129/746 until the moment that most of them were killed in the battle of Makkah, which was in Jumada II 130/748.

This is Abu Hamza A’Shari. He was not Khariji, instead, he lived a good life and died as a martyr in order to revive the Imamate of justice, and whenever the Shurat are mentioned, he is regarded as one of its most important symbols.

After this calamity in Hijaz, followed by the calamity of Yemen⁴, Ibadhi had changed their direction towards Oman and the country of Maghreb.

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¹ Shurat (pl. of Shari): those who have sold their souls for the cause of God.

²A’shira: The action of sacrificing one’s life in the cause of Allah to attain Paradise. 

³ I.e. Valley.

⁴ That is, the battle in which martyrdom of Talib Al-Haqq was martyred.

References:

Ibadhi Figures; by Farahat Al-Ja’biri

Theological Thoughts of Ibadhis, by Musallam Al-Wahibi

Al-Ibadhiyah Approach on Dawah; by Dr. Muhammed Salih Nasser

Notice:

This article was prepared by Bint Ibadh and translated by Um Mohammed Al-Aghbari. All rights are reserved!