Sa'id ibn al-'As

Sa'id ibn al-As ibn Abi Uhayha (; died 678/679) was the Arab Muslim governor of Kufa under Caliph Uthman and governor of Medina under Caliph Mu'awiya I . Like the aforementioned caliphs, Sa'id belonged to the Umayyad clan of the Quraysh.

During his governorship of Kufa, Sa'id led military campaigns in Azerbaijan and near the Caspian Sea. However, he had to contend with dissent from some of the Kufan elite, led by Malik al-Ashtar. The dissent was largely driven by Sa'id and Uthman's policy of consolidating ownership of the productive Sawad lands of Iraq into the hands of the Quraysh and Muslim veterans from Medina. Sa'id had the dissidents exiled; however, in 655, while Sa'id was summoned to Medina for official consultations regarding the state of the caliphate, Kufan rebels led by Malik al-Ashtar seized control of the city and prevented his return.

After his ouster from Kufa, Sa'id aided in the defense of Uthman's house from attack by Egyptian rebels, but Uthman was killed nonetheless and Sa'id was wounded. He declined to fight alongside the Banu Umayya and A'isha against Caliph Ali (r. 656–661) during the First Fitna, an act for which he was favorably remembered in Islamic historiography. He was appointed governor of Medina by the Umayyad caliph Mu'awiya I in 669, but replaced by Marwan ibn al-Hakam in 674. Sa'id then retired to his estate outside the city where he died. One of his sons, al-Ashdaq, succeeded him as leader of his clan.

Origins and early life Sa'id was the only son of his father, al-As ibn Sa'id ibn al-As ibn Umayya, a pagan warrior of the Quraysh who was killed by Ali ibn Abi Talib as an unbeliever during the Battle of Badr in 624. Sa'id was only a young child when his father was slain, and by the time of the death of the Islamic prophet Muhammad in 632, he was approximately nine years old. The family belonged to the A'yas grouping within the Banu Umayya (Umayyads), a sub-clan of the Quraysh. His grandfather Abu Uhayha Sa'id ibn al-As (d. 622/23) was a ruler in Mecca and, in deference to his status among the Quraysh, was referred to as (owner of the crown) and no Meccan wore a turban the same color as his, though he was not a formal king. Sa'id's mother, Umm Kulthum bint Amr, was also a Qurayshite, and his maternal grandmother Umm Habib bint al-As was the sister of Abu Uhayha.

According to the historian Clifford Edmund Bosworth, Sa'id "speedily achieved great prestige in Islam not only as the leader of an aristocratic family group, but also for his liberality, eloquence and learning". He gained particular favor under his kinsman, Caliph Uthman . Probably around 652–654, Uthman appointed Sa'id to help canonize the modern-day Qur'an, a task he shared with Abd Allah ibn al-Zubayr, Abd al-Rahman ibn al-Harith and Zayd ibn Thabit. Sa'id married two of Uthman's daughters, Maryam al-Sughra and Umm Amr. From the latter, he had his sons Dawud, Sulayman al-Akbar, Uthman al-Asghar, Mu'awiya and daughter Amina, while from Maryam al-Sughra he had his son Sa'id. He also married Umm al-Banin bint al-Hakam, a sister of Marwan ibn al-Hakam, another member of the Banu Umayya, who bore him his eldest son, Uthman al-Akbar, and sons Amr al-Ashdaq, Muhammad, Umar, Abd Allah al-Akbar and al-Hakam.

Governor of Kufa In 649/650, Sa'id was appointed governor of Kufa, replacing al-Walid ibn Uqba. During his tenure, his military reputation was boosted by campaigns in Azerbaijan and near the Caspian Sea. However, from the start, he faced issues with the Kufan elite, which comprised Arab tribal settlers, veterans of the Arab conquest of Mesopotamia, and the religious class known as the Qurra (Quran reciters). Many among the elite were incensed by Uthman's seizure of the conquered lands of the Sasanian royals and nobility in Iraq, which he planned to distribute to the tribesmen of Quraysh and certain men from Medina, in exchange for their properties in the Arabian Peninsula. Those two groups made up the early settlers in Kufa, who took part in the conquest of Iraq. By the time of Uthman, a large influx of newcomers from Arabia moved to Kufa and the Sawad, reducing the collective profits of the early settlers and prompting Sa'id to send a complaint about the crisis to Uthman in 651. Uthman's policy was meant to be a solution to this situation and stood in stark contrast to Caliph Umar , under whom the Sawad lands were collectively held by the Muslim community. The newcomers were not able to benefit from the proposed land exchange since most did not own property elsewhere.

Sa'id pursued Uthman's policy and was reported to have stated that "the Sawad [of Iraq] is the garden of Quraysh", i.e. that the land was to be owned by his tribe. According to 8th-century historian Sayf ibn Umar, troubles came to a head when a certain young man of the Banu Asad, Abd al-Rahman ibn Hubaysh, remarked in the presence of Sa'id and the Kufan elite that Sa'id should take possession of the Sawad's lands. This aroused the anger of Malik al-Ashtar and the qurra. The young man's father insisted the remark was innocent, but Malik believed Sa'id had the event staged to justify the impending property confiscations. Ibn Hubaysh and his father were severely beaten, prompting the Banu Asad to besiege Sa'id's residence demanding retribution. Sa'id calmed the tribesmen and strongly condemned the actions of the qurra. With Uthman's sanction, the ten leading Kufan dissenters, including Malik, were exiled to Syria.

Uthman summoned Sa'id to Medina for consultations regarding the state of the caliphate in 655. During his absence, the qurra led by Malik al-Ashtar seized control of Kufa, preventing Sa'id from returning at the end of the year. Forced to return to Medina, he was replaced by Abu Musa al-Ash'ari, who was favored by the rebels.

Later Life and legacy Sa'id took part in the defense of Uthman's house when it was besieged by Egyptian rebels in 656, sustaining wounds during the assassination. Although initially set to join A'isha, Talha ibn Ubayd Allah and Zubayr ibn al-Awwam in their pursuit of vengeance, he refused to fight against Caliph Ali at the Battle of the Camel and retired to Mecca. His neutral stance further facilitated his relations with the Banu Hashim; notably, he was chosen to lead the funeral prayer for Hasan ibn Ali upon the latter's death. Later, Caliph Mu'awiya I appointed him governor of Medina from 669 to 674.

Sa'id spent his final years at his estate in Wadi al-Aqiq, where he died in 678/679. His reputation remained unique among the Umayyads due to his refusal to fight Ali and his generally amicable relations with the family of Muhammad and Ali, earning him a favorable depiction in later Islamic historiography. His descendants remained prominent in the political landscape of the late 7th century: his son Amr al-Ashdaq became the family head before being executed in 689 for rebelling against Abd al-Malik. Sa'id's sons Yahya and Anbasa were also involved in this rebellion but were pardoned; Anbasa later served as a close aide to the viceroy al-Hajjaj ibn Yusuf.

Family and descendants

Sa'id maintained a large family and established significant marriage alliances with the Qurayshite elite, most notably with the house of Caliph Uthman. He married two of Uthman's daughters, Maryam al-Sughra and Umm Amr, and also wed Umm al-Banin bint al-Hakam, a sister of the future caliph Marwan ibn al-Hakam.

Wives In addition to his aforementioned spouses, Sa'id’s recorded marriages included Umm Habib bint Jubayr ibn Mut'im, Juwayriyya bint Sufyan, al-Aliyya bint Salama, and A'isha, a daughter of Jarir ibn Abd Allah al-Bajali. He also married Umayma bint Amr al-Bajaliyya, a woman identified as Bint Salama ibn Qays, Umm Habib bint Buhayr, and Umm Salama bint Habib. Beyond his free-born wives, Sa'id fathered children with various unnamed ummahat awlad (slave women).

Descendants Sa'id was survived by a large progeny who integrated into the Umayyad political order. His sons included Amr al-Ashdaq, who eventually emerged as the head of the family, as well as Uthman al-Akbar, Muhammad, Umar, Abd Allah al-Akbar, al-Hakam, Dawud, Sulayman al-Akbar, Uthman al-Asghar, Mu'awiya, Aban, Khalid, al-Zubayr, Abd Allah al-Asghar, Yahya, Ayyub, Sulayman al-Asghar, Ibrahim, Anbasa, Utba, and Jarir. His numerous daughters included Amina, Umm Sa'id, Umayma, Umm Uthman, Ramla, A'isha al-Kabira, Hafsa, A'isha al-Saghira, Umm Habib al-Kabira, Umm Habib al-Saghira, Sara, and Humayda. Specialized prosopographical studies provide further insight into the family's later influence, such as the branch of Uthman al-Asghar that settled in Kufa and the strategic marriage alliances formed by daughters like Umm Uthman and Amina.