Table Of ContentThe
History of al-Tabari
The Collapse of
Sufyanid Authority and
the Coming of the Marwanids
The Collapse of Sufyinid Authority
and the Coming of the Marwanids
Volume XX
Translated by G. R. Hawting
This volume covers the vital early years of the second
Muslim civil war, when the Umayyad caliphate seemed
on the point of extinction. That it survived had much to
do with the vigor of the Umayyad Marwan b. al-Hakam,
whose initial restoration of Umayyad authority is
described here in some detail by al-Tabari's sources. In
the chaos and confusion of the civil war, however,
developments took place that were to prove significant
for the future of the Umayyad caliphate, indeed for the
early history of Islam in general. Among them, the first
manifestations of large-scale tribal divisions among the
Arabs, together with the development of support for the
descendants of the Prophet as the only legitimate rulers,
were particularly important and receive special attention.
For this period, al-Tabari's History is a fundamental
source.
The material collected by al-Tabari frequently makes
lively and colorful reading, and the annotations that
accompany this translation attempt to clarify and make
more explicit the sometimes allusive and compressed
information provided by al-Tabari and his sources.
Since the standard edition of the text was made,
at the_ end of the nineteenth century, a significant
number of other sources have been published, which
often make possible a more exact reading of al-Tabari's
text. For these reasons, it is hoped that this translation
will appeal to those interested in the period but who
have little or no Arabic and will also prove useful to
students and scholars who are capable of reading the
Arabic but will appreciate the suggested textual
amendments and improvements and the elucidatory
comments.
90000
SUNYSeries in Near Eastern Studies
Said Amir Arjomand, Editor
The State University of New York Press 9 `'7808"7'8 0`16"88557 "7
THE HISTORY OF AL-TABARI
AN ANNOTATED TRANSLATION
VOLUME XX
The Collapse of Sufyanid Authority
and the Coming of the Marwanids
THE CALIPHATES OF MU`AWIYAH II AND
MARWAN I AND THE BEGINNING OF
THE CALIPHATE OF `ABD AL-MALIK
A.D. 683-685/A.H. 64-66
16
The History of Al-Tabarl
Editorial Board
Ihsan Abbas, University of Jordan, Amman
C. E. Bosworth, The University of Manchester
Jacob Lassner, Wayne State University, Detroit
Franz Rosenthal, Yale University
Ehsan Yar-Shater, Columbia University (General Editor)
SUNY
SERIES IN NEAR EASTERN STUDIES
Said Amir Arjomand, Editor
The preparation of this volume was made possible in part
by a grant from the National Endowment for the
Humanities, an independent federal agency.
Bibliotheca Persica
Edited by Ehsan Yar-Shater
The History of al-Tabari
(Ta'rfkh al-rusul wa'l muluk)
VOLUME XX
The Collapse of Sufyanid Authority
and the Coming of the Marwanids
translated and annotated
by
G.R. Hawting
School of Oriental and African Studies,
University of London
State University of New York Press
Published by
State University of New York Press, Albany
© 1989 State University of New York
All rights reserved
Printed in the United States of America
No part of this book may be used or reproduced
in any manner whatsoever, without written permission
except in the case of brief quotations embodied in
critical articles and reviews.
For information, address State University of New York
Press, State University Plaza, Albany, N.Y., 12246
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Tabarl, 838?-923•
The collapse of Sufyanid authority and the coming
of the Marwanids.
(The history of al-Tabarl = Ta'rikh al-rusul
wa'l muluk ; v. 20) (SUNY series in Near Eastern
studies) (Bibliotheca Persica)
Translation of extracts from: Ta'rikh al-rusul
wa-al-muluk.
Bibliography: p.
Includes index.
1. Islamic Empire-History-661-750. I. Hawting,
G. R. (Gerald R.), 1944- . 11. Title. III. Series:
Tabari, 838?-923. Ta'rikh al-rusul wa-al-muluk.
English ; v. 20. IV. Series: SUNY series in Near
Eastern studies. V. Series: Bibliotheca Persica
(Albany, N.Y.)
DS38.2.T313 vol.20 (DS38.5) 909'.ls 88-24983
ISBN 0-88706-855-3 1909'.0976711
ISBN o-887o6-857-X (pbk.)
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
(b
Preface
THE HISTORY OF PROPHETS AND KINGS (Ta'rikh al-rusul wa'l-
mull k) by Abu Jacfar Muhammad b. Jarir al-Tabari (839-923;,
here rendered as the History of al-Tabarl, is by common con-
sent the most important universal history produced in the
world of Islam. It has been translated here in its entirety for
the first time for the benefit of non-Arabists, with historical
and philological notes for those interested in the particulars
of the text.
Tabarl's monumental work explores the history of the an-
cient nations, with special emphasis on biblical peoples and
prophets, the legendary and factual history of ancient Iran,
and, in great detail, the rise of Islam, the life of the Prophet
Muhammad, and the history of the Islamic world down to
the year 915. The first volume of this translation will contain
a biography of al-Tabarl and a discussion of the method, scope,
and value of his work. It will also provide information on
some of the technical considerations that have guided the
work of the translators.
The History has been divided here into 38 volumes, each
of which covers about two hundred pages of the original Arabic
text in the Leiden edition. An attempt has been made to draw
the dividing lines between the individual volumes in such a
way that each is to some degree independent and can be read
as such. The page numbers of the original in the Leiden edition
appear on the margins of the translated volumes.
vi Preface
Al-Tabari very often quotes his sources verbatim and traces
the chain of transmission (isndd)to an original source. The chains
of transmitters are, for the sake of brevity, rendered by only
a dash (-) between the individual links in the chain. Thus,
according to Ibn Humayd-Salamah-Ibn Ishaq means that
al-Tabarl received the report from Ibn Humayd who said that
he was told by Salamah, who said that he was told by Ibn
Ishaq, and so on. The numerous subtle and important differ-
ences in the original Arabic wording have been disregarded.
The table of contents at the beginning of each volume gives
a brief survey of the topics dealt with in that particular volume.
It also includes the headings and subheadings as they appear
in al-Tabari's text, as well as those occasionally introduced by
the translator.
Well-known place names, such as, for instance, Mecca, Bagh-
dad, Jerusalem, Damascus, and the Yemen, are given in their
English spellings. Less common place names, which are the
vast majority, are transliterated. Biblical figures appear in the
accepted English spelling. Iranian names are usually transcribed
according to their Arabic forms, and the presumed Iranian
forms are often discussed in the footnotes.
Technical terms have been translated wherever possible, but
some, such as dirham and imam, have been retained in Arabic
forms. Others that cannot be translated with sufficient pre-
cision have been retained and italicized as well as footnoted.
The annotation aims chiefly at clarifying difficult passages,
identifying individuals and place names, and discussing textual
difficulties. Much leeway has been left to the translators to
include in the footnotes whatever they consider necessary and
helpful.
The bibliographies list all the sources mentioned in the
annotation.
The index in each volume contains all the names of persons
and places referred to in the text, as well as those mentioned
in the notes as far as they refer to the medieval period. It
does not include the names of modern scholars. A general
index, it is hoped, will appear after all the volumes have been
published.
For further details concerning the series and acknowledg-
ments, see Preface to Volume I.
Ehsan Yar-Shater
fb
Contents
9
Preface / v
Abbreviations / ix
Translator's Foreword / xi
The Events of the Year 64 (cont'd) (683/684) / i
The Caliphate of Mu-awiyah b. Yazid / i
°Ubaydallah b. Ziyad and the People of al-Bagrah Following
the Death of Yazid / 6
The Deposition of cAmr b. Hurayth by the People of al-
KiUfah and Their Appointment of cAmir b. Masud as
Governor over Them / 38
The Rendering of Allegiance to Marwan b. al-Hakam in
Syria / 47
The Battle at Marj Rahil between al-I?al l ak b. Qays and
MarwAn b. al-Hakam and Its Immediate
Consequences / 56
The Disturbances in Khurasan Associated with °Abdallah b.
Khazim / 70
The Beginnings of the Movement of the Penitents (aI-
Tawwdbun) in al-KUfah / 8o
The End of the Kharijites' Support for cAbdallah b. al-
Zubayr in Mecca and the Dissensions among Them / 97
viii Contents
The Arrival of al-Mukhtir in al-Kufah / 105
Ibn al-Zubayr's Demolition of the Kacbah / 122
The Events of the Year 65 (684/685) / 124
The Departure of the Penitents from al-Kufah and Their
Destruction by the Syrian Army at the Battle of
°Ayn al-Wardah / 124
Marw3n's Designation of His Two Sons cAbd al-Malik and
cAbd al-cAz1z as His Heirs Apparent / 16o
The Death of Marw3n / 16o
The Failure of the Syrian Expedition against
Medina / 162
The Plague of al-JArif in al-Bagrah / 163
The Threat to al-Ba$rah from N3fic b. al-Azraq and the
Kh3rijites and al-Muhallab b. Abi $ufrah's Victory over
Them / 164
Ibn al-Zubayr's Dismissal and Appointment of Governors in
al-Kufah and Medina / 175
Ibn al-Zubayr's Rebuilding of the Kacbah / 176
The Continuation of Tribal Warfare in Khur3san under
cAbdallAh b. Khazim / 177
The Events of the Year 66 (685/686) / 182
Al-Mukhtar's Revolutionary Movement in al-Kufah and His
Appeal to the Sh1°ah There / 182
Bibliography of Cited Works / 227
Index / 231
Description:This volume covers the vital early years of the second Muslim civil war, when the Umayyad caliphate seemed on the point of extinction. That it survived had much to do with the vigor of the Umayyad Marwan b. al-Hakam whose initial restoration of Umayyad authority is described here in some detail by a
