Zubayr ibn al-Awwam

Al-Zubayr ibn al-Awwam ibn Khuwaylid al-Asadi (; ) was an Arab Muslim commander in the service of the Islamic prophet Muhammad, his first cousin and brother-in-law, and caliphs Abu Bakr and Umar .

An early convert to Islam, Zubayr was a commander in the Battle of Badr in 624, in which the latter was instrumental in defeating the opponent forces of the Quraysh. He participated in almost all of the early Muslim battles and expeditions under Muhammad. In the Battle of the Trench, due to his military service, Muhammad bestowed the title Hawari Rasul Allah ('Disciple of the Messenger of God') upon him. After Muhammad's death, Zubayr was appointed a commander in the Ridda Wars by caliph Abu Bakr. He was involved in the defense of Medina and the Battle of Yamama. During Umar's reign, Zubayr served in the Muslim conquests of Egypt, Levant, Persia, Sudan, and Tripolitania.

After Umar's assassination, Zubayr became an important political figure of the caliphate, being the chief advisor of the Shura that elected the third caliph Uthman. During the latter's caliphate, Zubayr advised the caliph on political and religious issues. After Uthman was assassinated, Zubayr pledged allegiance to the fourth caliph Ali, though later withdrew allegiance, after Ali refused to avenge Uthman's death. Zubayr's forces engaged with Ali's forces in the Battle of the Camel in December 656. In the aftermath, while Zubayr was prostrating in prayer, he was killed by Amr ibn Jarmuz.

Zubayr is generally considered by historians to be one of early Islam's most accomplished commanders. The Sunni Islamic tradition credits Zubayr with being promised paradise. The Shia Islamic tradition views Zubayr negatively. The general's descendants, known as the Zubayrids, are found worldwide.

Ancestry and early life His father was the brother of Khadija, Al-Awwam ibn Khuwaylid of the Asad clan of the Quraysh tribe. His mother was Muhammad's aunt, Safiyya bint Abd al-Muttalib. Hence Zubayr was Muhammad's first cousin and brother-in-law.

Zubayr ibn al-Awwam was born in Mecca in 594. He had two brothers, Sa'ib and Abd al-Kaaba; and two sisters Hind bint al-Awwam, who would later marry Zayd ibn Haritha, and Zaynab bint al-Awwam who will mary her paternal cousin Hakim ibn Hizam. He has also a half-brother, Safi ibn al-Harith, son of Safiyya bint Abd al-Muttalib precedent wedding with Harb ibn Umayya.

Al-Awwam died while Zubayr was still young, the day of Al Ablaa, the third year of the Fijar War. His mother, Safiyya, would beat him severely in order to make him "bold in battle". While he was still a boy, Zubayr fought an adult man and beat him up so fiercely that the man's hand was broken. Safiyya, who was pregnant at the time, had to carry the man home.

Conversion to Islam Zubayr is said to have entered Islam at the age of 16. He was one of the first men to accept Islam under the influence of Abu Bakr, and is said to have been the fourth or fifth adult male convert.

Zubayr was one of the first fifteen emigrants to Abyssinia in 615, The Muslim defenders cheered and praised the sharpness of the sword which Zubayr used, only for Zubayr to reply that it is not his sword which need to be complimented, but the strength of the arm which held the sword. Zubayr caused the enemy horsemen to flee after he defeated a Qurayshi warrior named Hubayr ibn Abi Wahb al-Makhzumi, cutting the entire body of Hubayr into two pieces, along with his horse armour and crupper of Hubayr's horse in a single strike. He then played a critical reconnaissance role when the coalition forces besieged Medina; when Muhammad asked for volunteers to infiltrate and gather intelligence on the betrayals of the Banu Qurayza tribe, Zubayr was the only one who stepped forward multiple times. Recognizing his exceptional bravery and willingness to go when others hesitated, Muhammad praised him, stating: "Every Prophet has a disciple, and my disciple is Al-Zubayr."

After the battle, Muhammad immediately instructed the Muslim army to march without ceasing or resting to the settlement of Banu Qurayza, a Jewish tribe who had reportedly betrayed the Muslims in the previous battle. Banu Qurayza was besieged for several days before the Muslim soldiers, including Zubayr, broke through with a battering ram, and forced the surrender and execution of the garrison.

Pledge of the Tree

In March 628 CE (6 AH), Muhammad set out for Mecca to perform the ritual pilgrimage of Umrah. The Quraysh denied the Muslims entry into the city and posted themselves outside Mecca, determined to offer resistance even though the Muslims did not have any intention or preparation for battle, which caused Muhammad to send Uthman ibn Affan as his envoy to meet with the leaders of Quraysh and negotiate their entry into the city. The Quraysh had Uthman stay longer in Mecca than they originally planned, which caused Muhammad to believe that Uthman had been killed. In response, Muhammad gathered his nearly 1,400 Sahaba and called them to pledge to fight until death and avenge the death of Uthman. After the pledge, verses were revealed in the Qur'an commemorating and appreciating the pledge and those who made it:

Due to this verse, the pledge is also known as the Pledge of Acceptance as it was believed in Islam to be a cause for God's blessing towards those who took pledge, including Zubayr, while at the same day, the ratification of treaty of Hudaybiyyah also occurred.

Battle of Khaybar In 628, Zubayr participated in the Battle of Khaybar, defeating the Jewish champion Yasir in single combat. Afterward, the Muslims commented on how sharp his sword must have been; Zubayr replied that it had not been sharp but he had used it with great force. who had been killed in the battle a few days earlier. Then, after the rebels retreated from the outskirt of Medina, the caliph went further to the north to crush another Bedouin rebellion in Dumat al-Jandal.

According to Ibn Hisham on secondhand testimony, as Khalid ibn al-Walid engaged the biggest rebel faction led by Musaylima, Zubayr participated in the Battle of al-Yamama while bringing the ten-year old Abd Allah ibn al-Zubayr on his horse. Hisham ibn Urwah has recorded that when the Muslim army faced a dire situation in the battle, while one of Zubayr brother, Sa'ib ibn al-Awwam had also fallen during the battle, Zubayr gave a rousing speech towards the Muslims to reinvigorate their spirit, which then followed with the Muslims pushing back until they gained the upper hand in the battle.

Campaign in Levant

During the Rashidun invasion of the Levant, after Abu Ubayda ibn al-Jarrah had pacified the area in Moab, he sent Zubayr and Fadl ibn Abbas to subdue the city of Amman. Then Zubayr managed to kill the Byzantine commander Nicetas and subdued the city of Amman.

Battle of the Yarmuk Later, Zubayr participated in the Battle of the Yarmuk in 636. In the battle, Zubayr was placed on the left wing commanded by Yazid ibn Abi Sufyan, leading his personal squadron among ten other squadrons of the left wing. Zubayr twice charged alone against the row of Byzantine soldiers, breaking up their ranks and suffering a heavy shoulder injury in the process. Abd Allah ibn al-Zubayr, who at that time was still a child and was carried on his father's chest, testified that his father was doing the salah prayer on top of his camel while fighting the enemy at the same time. At some point, Zubayr fought side by side with Khalid ibn al-Walid and Hashim ibn Utba (also known as Hashim al-Marqal) until the three of them reached the tent of Vahan, commander of the Armenian division of the Byzantines, causing the chaotic retreat of the Armenian ranks. Zubayr's brother, Abd al-Rahman al-Zubayr, died in the battle.

After the battle at Yarmuk, Zubayr continued to accompany the Muslim army in the Levant and captured the coastal city of Ayla (modern-day Aqaba). After Jerusalem had been subdued, Zubayr accompanied caliph Umar to visit the city.

Campaign in Persia In 635–636, Caliph Umar assembled his council, including Zubayr, Ali, and Talha, to determine the strategy for facing the Sassanid army at Qadisiyyah. Although Umar initially considered leading the campaign himself, the council urged him to remain in the capital and appoint a field commander; they ultimately agreed upon Sa'd ibn Abi Waqqas, who subsequently secured victory at the Battle of al-Qadisiyyah.

Following this, Sassanid forces from across the empire gathered at Nahavand to counter the Arab invasion. Umar convened a war council—consisting of Zubayr, Ali, Uthman ibn Affan, Talha, Sa'd ibn Abi Waqqas, Abd al-Rahman ibn Awf, and Abbas ibn Abd al-Muttalib—to devise a response. Acting on Ali's advice, Umar delegated command to Al-Nu'man ibn Muqrin and dispatched a force including Zubayr, Tulayha, Amr ibn Ma'adi Yakrib, Abd Allah ibn Amr, and Al-Ash'ath ibn Qays to Nahavand. The Arabs achieved a decisive victory, hailed as Fatih al-Futuh, against the Sassanid army which suffered casualties exceeding half of its 150,000-man strength. Records specifically document Zubayr's involvement in the engagement.

Following the siege of Shushtar, the Sassanid chief commander Hormuzan was captured. Zubayr successfully urged Caliph Umar to grant him a pardon.

Campaign in North Africa

After the conquest of Jerusalem caliph Umar stayed for while in Jerusalem, Amr ibn al-As, who at that time was in Egypt besieging a Byzantine fortress, sent a message to Umar asking for reinforcements of exactly 8,000 soldiers. However, since at the moment the available manpower of the caliphate was strained, the caliph was only able to send 4,000 soldiers, led by four commanders. The four commanders were two veteran Muhajirun, Zubayr and Miqdad ibn Aswad, and two Ansari commanders named Maslama ibn Mukhallad and Ubadah ibn al-Samit. However, Al-Baladhuri records that the four commander were Zubayr, Busr ibn Abi Artat, Umayr ibn Wahb, and Kharija ibn Hudhafa.

There are differing opinions regarding the number of soldiers which Zubayr brought: some say 12,000, others only 8,000. Military historian Khalid Mahmud supports the view that the force with Zubayr numbered 4,000 fighters, as it is similar to the number of soldiers in previous reinforcements at the battles of the Yarmuk, al-Qadisiyyah and later to the battle of Nahavand. The second reason was the abrupt request for aid from Egypt only allowed for a small number of soldiers.

As they arrived in Egypt, Zubayr immediately helped the Rashidun army capture the city of Faiyum. After the fall of Faiyum, Zubayr march to Ain Shams to assist 'Amr in besieging the Byzantine fortress at Heliopolis, which had been besieged before by 'Amr unsuccessfully for months. At Heliopolis Zubayr helped repel a surprise Byzantine counterattack at night against the Rashidun forces. The Byzantines eventually surrendered and the prefect of the city Al-Muqawqis, agreed to pay 50,000 gold coins. 'Amr delegated Khalid ibn al-Walid to lead Zubayr and a Muslim army of 10,000 under his command to invade the city, where they faced Sudanese Christian auxiliaries of the Byzantine-Beja coalition in the Battle of Darishkur.

Before the battle, the Rashidun army camped in a place which called Dashur. Benjamin Hendrickx reported that the African Christians mustered around 20,000 symmachoi (black Sudanese auxiliary units of Byzantine), 1,300 war elephants with howdahs housing archers, and anti-cavalry units named al-Quwwad armed with iron staffs, all of them commanded by a patrician named Batlus. Al-Maqrizi and Waqidi stated in this conflict, Zubayr alongside Miqdad, Dirar ibn al-Azwar, and Uqba ibn Amir each led 500 Rashidun cavalry to fight against the elephant corps of Batlus, by using spears soaked in santonin plants and sulfur which then ignite their spears with flames to drive the elephants back in terror. while the elephant riders were toppled from the elephant's back and crushed underfoot on the ground. Meanwhile, the Quwwad warriors who used iron staffs were routed by the Rashidun cavalry soldiers who used a seized chain weapons on their hands to disarm the Quwwad staff weapons from their hands. It was narrated by Rafi' ibn Malik that the final phase of this battle occurred when Zubayr and several other commanders led a night raid with 1,000 Rashidun cavalry, which routed the enemy encampments and seized many spoils, including numerous sheep. They camped in a village which was later renamed as Qays village, in honor of Qays ibn al-Harith, the overall commander of the Rashidun cavalry. The Byzantines and their Coptic allies showered the Rashidun army with arrows and stones from the city wall,#tag:ref|Waqidi recorded that around 5,000 Sahabah fell during the battle.

After the conquest of Egypt and Sudan, Zubayr followed 'Amr to the west. The Muslim army under Amr continued their campaign toward Tripolitania. It is recorded during the lengthy siege of Tripoli, seven or eight Muslim soldiers from the Madhlij tribe of Kinanah accidentally spotted an unguarded side of Tripoli and managed to slip into the city unnoticed. Caught off guard, the confused Byzantine garrison was thrown in panic by the intruders and fled with their ships anchored in the harbor. These Madhlij warriors used this opportunity to open the town gate and inform Amr, who led the Muslim army to enter the city unopposed. After they subdued Tripoli, Libda, and Sirte in 643 AD (22 AH), Amr sent Zubayr to besiege Sabratha in advance, before 'Amr joined him. In 644, after Zubayr and Amr had stormed Sabratha, they conquered Sharwas, a city in the Nafusa Mountains.

However, further conquests in Africa came to halt after caliph Umar instructed them to restrain from advancing and consolidate the pacified region first. In 642, Zubayr settled in a house adjacent to the Mosque of Amr ibn al-As, neighboring the homes of other Sahabah such as Abd Allah ibn Amr ibn al-As, Abu Ayyub al-Ansari, Abu Dharr al-Ghifari, Abd Allah ibn Umar, and Ubadah.

At some point during Umar's reign, when Zubayr was in Medina, he along with Miqdad and the caliph's son, Abd Allah ibn Umar, went to Khaybar to collect their share of the profits from properties and plantations in Khaybar in which they held a stake. These properties were managed and worked by the Jewish tribes of Khaybar, who has been subdued during the time of Muhammad.

Reign of caliph Uthman Later, as caliph Umar was dying in 644, he selected Zubayr and five other men to elect the next caliph. Zubayr personally gave his own vote to nominate Ali as caliph. After this, Zubayr officially served as a member of Majlis al-Shura, which was responsible for the elections of the caliph and functioned as a governmental advisory council regarding the law.

Later, in the year of 27 AH, during the Muslim conquest of North Africa, Zubayr and his son, Abd Allah were sent by caliph Uthman as reinforcements for Abd Allah ibn Sa'd when fighting a Byzantine splinter group under Gregory the Patrician. During this battle, Zubayr's son, Abd Allah ibn al-Zubayr, played a pivotal role as he led an attack that caught Gregory off guard when the two forces were still in stalemate, and decapitated the Byzantine general, causing the resistance of the Byzantine army to crumble as their morale plummeted.

When Abd Allah ibn Mas'ud died, Zubayr petitioned caliph Uthman to give Abd Allah's pension to his heirs, which was granted by the caliph. Later, when Miqdad ibn Aswad, one of Zubayr's fellow veterans, died of an illness, Miqdad left a message for Zubayr to manage and sell one of his estates, from which the proceeds would given to Hasan ibn Ali and Husayn ibn Ali, with each receiving 18,000 dirhams from the endowment, while from the rest he asked Zubayr to give each of Muhammad's wives 7,000 dirhams.

Zubayr's engagement in caliph Uthman's policy of land exchange resulted in him gaining lands in Egypt, such as Fustat and Alexandria, in return for lands in Arabia.

First civil war and Zubayr's death

Uthman was assassinated in 656. Zubayr had reason to hope that he would be elected as the next caliph, although he knew that his old ally Talha was also a strong contender. However, Ali was elected, to the consternation of Muhammad's widow Aisha. Thereupon Zubayr met with Aisha and Talha in Mecca, claiming that he had only given allegiance under duress to Ali at swordpoint. putting to death everyone who had been implicated in the assassination of Uthman. When they were challenged over why they now cared about Uthman, when they had shown him so much hostility during his lifetime, they claimed: "We wanted Uthman to meet our demands. We didn't want him to be killed."

According to Adrian Brocket's translation of Tabari, Ali behaved like a man who suspected hostility towards himself, for he soon entered Basra with a professional army of 20,000. For several days, there were negotiations, as both sides asserted they wanted only to see justice done. But on 7 December 656, hostilities erupted as Aisha's warriors killed Ali's messenger-boy, and Ali responded, "Battle is now justified, so fight them!"

Meanwhile, Ibn Kathir in his book al Bidaya wa Nihaya recorded a more detailed version that the side of Zubayr, Aisha, and Talha were in the way of agreement with Ali as through negotiation of al-Qa'qa ibn Amr as arbitrator. However, suddenly Abd Allah ibn Saba', Malik al-Ashtar and Shurayh ibn Awfa al-Absi incited a riot within the ranks of Ali's soldiers during the negotiations, plunging both sides into confusion and thus inciting the start of the combat.

Aside from his inclusion in the hadith about ten companion who guaranteed paradise, scholars also exalted Zubayr for these six particular events:

His migration from Mecca to Medina, for their perseverance and willingness to leave worldly possessions in favor of mass migration due to the instruction of Muhammad. The Battle of Badr, at which he won an honorific title of Al-Badri. The Battle of Uhud, for which he received the title of Al-Uhudi. The Battle of Hamra al-Asad The Battle of the Trench, for which Muhammad himself bestowed upon him the special title of Hawari Rasulullah for his distinguished service. The Pledge of the Tree.

Shia Muslims generally view Zubayr negatively, as he is considered a heretic for his involvement in the Battle of the Camel.

Prayer and ethics

Hadith and law

population in 2009. Four main Sunni Madhhabs in modern era were greatly influenced by Zubayr's Jurisprudence

As one of principal companions of Muhammad who followed him from the beginning of Islam, many hadith are attributed to Zubayr. However, there are very few hadith from Zubayr in comparison with other companions of Muhammad, as he was reluctant to tell many hadith about Muhammad even though he had been constantly in his company. As he explained to his son Abd Allah, "I heard Allah’s Messenger say, ‘Anyone who tells a lie about me should take a seat in the Fire.'"

In his exegesis, Zubayr emphasized the importance of sunnah and tradition as guidance, as opposed to the more analytical qiyas method of Ahl al-Ra'y. Thus, Sunni Islam Madhhab scholars have accepted hadith and exegesis from Zubayr as the source of Islam jurisprudence.

Zubayr's ruling on Islamic law have been influential to the Shafi'i, Hanbali, Hanafi, and Zahiri schools.

Contemporary Muhammad ibn al-Uthaymeen (far left), 20th century Salafi scholar and Saudi Permanent Committee of Fatwa member.

In the modern era, Permanent Committee for Scholarly Research and Ifta in Saudi Arabia used the practice of Zubayr as one of their source of fatawa, such as an act of government to spying any endangering act from enemy of the state, such as criminal behavior, alleged terrorism, and other illegal conduct. The committee based this ruling of espionage from the act of Zubayr of spying on Banu Qurayza for their alleged betrayal during the Battle of the Trench on the instruction of Muhammad.

In Egypt, Zubayr's jurisprudence has had a widespread legacy. The Grand Mufti of Egypt, Muhammad Sayyid Tantawy, noted that because of the extended stays of both Zubayr and Amr ibn al-As in the region, Egyptian Muslims and jurists traditionally base many of their legal verdicts and rulings on the precedents Zubayr established during his military and administrative tenure in North Africa.

Rules of war Zubayr's conduct has been influential on Islamic interpretation of the rules of war, such as the use of military deception, the division of spoils of war at the Battle of the Yarmuk, and the treatment of prisoners of war.

Entrepreneurship

Zubayr was known to be very wealthy as a result of his business career. His practice of offering loans with no interest became widespread in the Islamic world.

Manumission of slaves

Zubayr owned at least a thousand slaves and reportedly freed one each day. Some of his ex-slaves became prominent in their own right, including Yarba ibn Rabban Mawla al-Zubayr, who became a scholar of hadith. Another slave who gained prominence was Abu Yahya Mawla al-Zubayr. Daniel Pipes argued that the practice of early Muslims such as Zubayr and Uthman ibn Affan of owning massive number of slaves and casual manumissions was the first indication of Mamluk, an Islamic military slave system.

Descendants Zubayr's status as an early Muslim hero and model of religious piety prompted many ethnic communities across the world to claim themselves as his descendants. particularly in Hejaz and Egypt. The Zubairi community which dwells in India and Pakistan also claims Zubayr as their ancestor, as descendant clans of Zubayr allegedly migrated from their homeland to the Indian subcontinent during the Umayyad campaigns in India in the 7th century AD.

The descendants of Zubayr, known as Zubayrids, were influential in Iraq and Iran.

Personal characteristics Zubayr is described as of medium height, lean, dark-complexioned, and hairy, though with a thin beard. His hair hung down to his shoulders, and he did not dye it after it turned white. One report described him as having had blue eyes. Other reports consider him burly and tall. Much of his body was covered with battle scars from his many military engagements. He was said to possess extraordinary physical strength, as he was reported of being able to split an adult man body perfectly into two with a single blow of his sword.

Zubayr owned many horses, and established a high quality pedigree which was bred by his descendants for generations. He possessed a large number of properties, many slaves, and vast wealth, though he was said to be generous.

Family

+ Legend descent adoption marriage spouse order

Zubayr married eight times and had twenty children.

Asma bint Abi Bakr. They were married before the Hijra of 622 and divorced when Urwa was young, around 645. Abd Allah Al-Mundhir Asim Al-Muhajir Khadija the Elder Umm Al-Hasan Aisha Urwa Umm Kulthum bint Uqba of the Umayya clan. They were married in 629, but she disliked him, and they were divorced in a matter of months. After their daughter was born, Umm Kulthum married Abd al-Rahman ibn Awf. Zaynab Al-Halal bint Qays of the Asad tribe. Khadija the Younger Umm Khalid Ama bint Khalid of the Umayya clan. She was one of the emigrants who returned from Abyssinia in 628. Khalid Amr Habiba Sawda Hind Al-Rabbab bint Unayf of the Kalb tribe. Mus'ab Hamza Ramla Atika bint Zayd of the Adi clan, a widow of Umar. Tumadir bint Al-Asbagh of the Kalb tribe, a widow of Abd al-Rahman ibn Awf. Al-Zubayr divorced her only seven days after the wedding. She used to tell other women, "When one of you marries, she should not be deceived by seven days after what Al-Zubayr has done to me." She did not, however, enlarge on the nature of the "deception". Umm Ja'far Zaynab bint Marthad of the Banu Tha'labah. Ubayda Ja'far

There were reports from Zubayr's wives that he had "some harshness towards women". Atika only agreed to marry him on the condition that he would never beat her. However, contemporary writer Abdo Khal questioned the validity of this narration as he viewed the stories as based on unverified laymen interpretations in modern social media.

Zubayr gave his male children the names of the Sahaba who died as Shahid (martyrs): Abd Allah ibn Jahsh who died in the Battle of Uhud for Abd Allah ibn al-Zubayr Urwah ibn Masʽud, who was killed by people of Taif, for Urwa ibn al-Zubayr Mus'ab ibn Umayr for Mus'ab ibn al-Zubayr Khalid ibn Sa'id, who died in Battle of Marj al-Saffar for Khalid ibn al-Zubayr Amr ibn Sa'id ibn al-As, who was killed during Battle of Yarmouk, for Amr ibn al-Zubayr. Muhajir ibn Ziyad, who was killed during the Siege of Shushtar Muhajir ibn al-Zubayr. Al-Mundhir ibn Amr, who was killed during the tragedy of Bir Ma'una for Munhdir ibn al-Zubayr.

The two most notable of his sons were Abd Allah ibn al-Zubayr, who claimed the caliphate during the reign of Yazid ibn Mu'awiya, along with Zubayr's youngest son from Asma', Urwa ibn al-Zubayr, member of the most influential group of jurists known collectively as The Seven Fuqaha of Medina, prominent hadith scholar, and the first writer of Seerah or Maghazi.

One of Zubayr's daughters, Ramlah bint al-Zubayr, married the Umayyad prince Khalid ibn Yazid, despite the fact that Khalid was also the one who had killed Ramlah's brother Mus'ab ibn al-Zubayr in the Battle of Maskin in 691. Ibn Asakir recorded that Ramlah was famous for her extraordinary beauty.