View source for Al-Saffah

{{Short description|Abbasid caliph from 748 to 754}}
{{lowercase title}}
{{for|the archaeological site in Oman|al-Saffah, Oman}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}}
{{Infobox royalty
| name         = al-Saffāḥ<br/>{{lang|ar|السفّاح}}
| title        = {{ubl|{{transliteration|ar|[[Amir al-Mu'minin]]}}|{{transliteration|ar|[[List of Caliphs|Khalifat Rasul Allah]]}}}}
| image        = Balami - Tarikhnama - Abu'l-'Abbas al-Saffah is proclaimed the first 'Abbasid Caliph (cropped).jpg
| caption      = as-Saffah's proclamation as caliph, from a 14th-century illustrated manuscript of [[Balami]]'s ''[[Tarikhnama]]''
| succession   = 1st [[Abbasid Caliph]]
| reign        = 25 January 750 – 8 June 754
| coronation   = 
| predecessor  = ''Position established''<br />[[Marwan II]] as [[Umayyad dynasty|Umayyad caliph]]
| successor    = [[al-Mansur]]
| birth_date   = {{circa|721}}
| birth_place  = [[Humayma|al-Humayma]], Jordan
| death_date   = 8 June 754 (aged 33)
| death_place  = [[Anbar (town)|al-Anbar]], Iraq
| burial_place = Anbar
| spouse       = [[Umm Salama bint Ya'qub al-Makhzumi]]
| issue        = {{plainlist|
* Muhammad
* al-Abbas
* [[Rayta bint al-Saffah|Rayta]]}}
| full name    = '''[[Kunya (Arabic)|Kunya]]''': Abu'l-Abbas<br/>'''[[Given name]]''': Abd Allah<br/>'''[[Laqab]]''': al-Saffah<br/>'''[[Arabic name#Nasab نسب|Nasab]]''': Abd Allah [[wiktionary:ibn|ibn]] Muhammad ibn Ali ibn Abd Allah ibn al-Abbas ibn Abd al-Muttalib ibn Hashim
| dynasty      = [[Abbasid dynasty|Abbasid]]
| father       = [[Muhammad ibn Ali ibn Abdallah|Muḥammad]] ibn [[Ali ibn Abd Allah ibn al-Abbas|ʿAlī]] ibn [[Ibn Abbas|ʿAbd Allāh]]
| mother       = Rayta bint Ubayd Allah
| religion     = [[Sunni]] [[Islam]]
}}

'''Abu al-ʿAbbās Abd Allāh ibn Muḥammad ibn ʿAlī ibn ʿAbd Allāh ibn al-ʿAbbās''' ({{langx|ar|أبو العباس عبد الله ابن محمد ابن علي}}&lrm;; 721/722 – 8 June 754),{{sfn|Kennedy|2016|p=55}} known by his ''[[laqab]]'' '''al-Saffah''' ({{langx|ar|السفّاح|links=no}}), was the first caliph of the [[Abbasid Caliphate]], one of the longest and most important [[caliphate]]s in [[Islamic history]].

His {{transliteration|ar|[[laqab]]}} ''al-Saffāḥ'' means "the Blood-Shedder". It may refer to his ruthless tactics, or perhaps it was used to intimidate his enemies. It was during his inaugural homage as [[Caliph]], delivered in the [[Great Mosque of Kufa]], that he called himself "''al-Saffah''" ("the Blood-Shedder"), and this title has deservedly stuck to him due to his hunting down and massacre of the [[Umayyad Caliphate|Umayyads]] in cold blood.<ref>{{cite book |last=Nicholson |first=Reynold Alleyne |title=A Literary History of the Arabs |publisher=T. Fisher Unwin |year=1907 |page=253 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=WNolAAAAMAAJ&pg=PA253 }}</ref> 

==Family origins and earlier history==
Al-Saffāḥ, born in [[Humeima]] (modern-day [[Jordan]]), was the head of one branch of the [[Hashemite|Banu Hāshim]] from Arabia, a subclan of the [[Quraysh tribe]] who traced its lineage to [[Hashim ibn 'Abd Manaf|Hāshim]], a great-grandfather of [[Muhammad]] via [[‘Abbas ibn ‘Abd al-Muttalib|'Abbās]], an uncle of Muhammad, hence the title "Abbasid" for his descendants' caliphate. This indirect link to Muhammad's larger clan formed sufficient basis for al-Saffah's claim to the position of ''caliph''.

Al-Saffah was the son of [[Muhammad ibn Ali ibn Abdallah|Muhammad ibn Ali]] and his mother, Rayta, was the daughter of a certain Ubayd Allah ibn Abd Allah.{{Sfn|Houtsma|1993|p=74}}

As narrated in many [[hadith]], many believed that in the end times a great leader or ''[[mahdi]]'' would appear from the family of Muhammad, to which Ali belonged, who would deliver [[Islam]] from corrupt leadership. The half-hearted policies of the late [[Umayyad]]s to tolerate non-Arab Muslims and [[Shi'a]]s had failed to quell unrest among these minorities.

During the reign of the Umayyad caliph [[Hisham ibn Abd al-Malik]], this unrest led to a revolt in [[Kufa]] in southern [[Iraq]], mainly by the town's slaves. Shi'ites revolted in 736 and held the city until 740, led by [[Zayd ibn Ali]], a grandson of [[Hussein ibn Ali|Husayn]] and another member of the Banu Hashim. Zayd's rebellion was put down by Umayyad armies in 740. The revolt in Kufa indicated both the strength of the Umayyads and the growing unrest in the Muslim world.

During the last days of the Umayyad caliphate, Abu al-‘Abbās and his clan chose to begin their rebellion in [[Greater Khorasan|Khurasān]], an important, but remote military region comprising eastern [[Iran]], southern parts of the modern Central Asian republics of [[Turkmenistan]], [[Uzbekistan]], [[Tajikistan]], [[Kyrgyzstan]] and northern [[Afghanistan]]. In 743, the death of the Umayyad caliph [[Hisham ibn Abd al-Malik|Hishām]] provoked a rebellion in the east. Abu al-`Abbās, supported by Shi'as and the residents of Khurasān, led his forces to victory over the Umayyads. The civil war was marked by [[Millenarianism|millennial]] prophecies encouraged by the beliefs of some Shi'as that al-Saffāḥ was the ''mahdi.'' In Shi'ite works such as the ''[[Al-Jafr (book)|al-Jafr]],'' faithful Muslims were told that the brutal civil war was the great conflict between good and evil. The choice of the Umayyads to enter battle with white flags and the Abbasids to enter with black encouraged such theories. The color of white, however, was regarded in much of [[Persia]] as a sign of mourning.{{Citation needed|date=June 2024}}

==Family tree==
The [[Abbasid]] [[Caliphate]] was established by a dynasty descended from [[Muhammad in Islam|Muhammad]]'s uncle, [[Abbas ibn Abdul-Muttalib]] (566–653 [[Common Era|CE]]), from whom the [[dynasty]] takes its name.{{sfn|Hoiberg|2010|p=10}}

{{tree chart/start|style=font-size:80%;}}
{{tree chart| | | | | | FTM | |FTM='''[[Hashim ibn Abd Manaf|Hashim ibn Abd-Manaf]]'''}}
{{tree chart| | | | | | |!| | | | | | | | | |}}
{{tree chart| | | | | | FTM | | | | | | | | |FTM='''[[Abd al-Muttalib]]'''}}
{{tree chart| | | | | | |!| | | | | | | | | |}}
{{tree chart| | | | | | FTM | | | | | | | | |FTM='''[[Abbas ibn Abd al-Muttalib|al-Abbas]]''' ([[Muhammad|Prophet's]] uncle)}}
{{tree chart| | | | | | |!| | | | | | | | | |}}
{{tree chart| | | | | | FTM | | | | | | | | |FTM='''[[Ibn Abbas|Abdallah ibn Abbas]]'''}}
{{tree chart| | | | | | |!| | | | | | | | | |}}
{{tree chart| | | | | | FTM | | | | | | | | |FTM='''[[Ali ibn Abdallah ibn al-Abbas|Ali ibn Abdallah]]'''}}
{{tree chart| | | | | | |!| | | | | | | | | |}}
{{tree chart| | | | | | FTM | | | | | | | | |FTM='''[[Muhammad ibn Ali ibn Abdallah|Muhammad ibn Ali]]'''}}
{{tree chart| | |,|-|-|-|+|-|-|-|.| | | |}}
{{tree chart| | NIZ | | MUH | | MUS | | | | | | | | | |NIZ='''[[Ibrahim al-Imam|Ibrahim]]'''|MUS='''[[al-Mansur]]'''|MUH='''as-Saffah'''}}
{{tree chart/end}}

==Caliphate==
In early October 749 (132 AH), Abu al-'Abbās al-Saffāh's rebel army entered [[Kufa]], a major Muslim center in Southern [[Iraq]]. Al-Saffah had not been yet declared caliph. One of his priorities was to eliminate his [[Umayyad caliphate|Umayyad]] rival, caliph [[Marwan II]]. The latter was defeated in February 750 at a battle on the [[Battle of the Zab|(Great) Zab river]] north of [[Baghdad]], effectively ending the Umayyad Caliphate, which had ruled since 661 CE. Marwan II fled back to [[Damascus]], which didn't welcome him, and was ultimately killed on the run in Egypt that August.<ref>Kennedy, H. (2004). ''The prophet and the age of the caliphates.'' 2nd ed.</ref> Al-Saffah would go on to become the first Abbasid caliph, but he did not come forward to receive the pledge of allegiance from the people until after the Umayyad caliph<ref name=ox25>[https://books.google.com/books?id=9HUDXkJIE3EC&dq=umayyad+abbasid+non+muslim+support&pg=PA25 The Oxford History of Islam], p. 25. Ed. [[John Esposito]]. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1999. {{ISBN|9780199880416}}</ref> and a large number of his princes were already killed.<ref name=ox25/>

In one far-reaching, historic decision, as-Saffāh established [[Kufa]] as the new capital of the caliphate, ending the dominance of Damascus in the Islamic political world, and [[Iraq]] would now become the seat of the [[Abbasids|Abbasid]] power for many centuries.
[[File:Dirhem of al-Saffah, AH 132-136.jpg|thumb|right|[[Dirham]] of as-Saffah, [[Kufa]] minted, Dated (133 [[Hijri year|AH]]) 751 CE]]
Later tales recount that, concerned that there would be a resurgence of Umayyad power, al-Saffāh invited all of the remaining members of the Umayyad family to a dinner party where he had them clubbed to death before the first course, which was then served to the hosts.<ref>Roberts,  J: ''History of the World''. Penguin, 1994.</ref> The only survivor, [[Abd al-Rahman ibn Mu'awiya]], escaped to the province of [[al-Andalus]] (Spain), where the Umayyad dynasty would endure for three more centuries in the form of the [[Emirate of Córdoba]] and the subsequent [[Caliphate of Córdoba]]. Another version is that al-Saffāḥ's new governor to Syria, [[Abdallah ibn Ali|'Abd Allāh ibn 'Ali]], hunted down the last of the family dynasty, with only Abd al-Rahmān escaping. Ultimately, 'Abbasid rule was accepted even in Syria, and the beginning of the new Islamic dynasty was considered "free from major internal dissensions."<ref>Kennedy, H. (2004). ''The prophet and the age of the caliphates.'' 2nd ed. Page 129.</ref>

Al-Saffāh's four-year reign was marked with efforts to consolidate and rebuild the caliphate. His supporters were represented in the new government, but apart from his policy toward the Umayyad family, al-Saffāh is widely viewed by historians as having been a mild victor. [[Jews]], [[Nestorian Christians]], and Persians were well represented in his government and in succeeding Abbasid administrations. Education was also encouraged, and the first [[paper mill]]s, staffed by skilled [[Chinese people|Chinese]] prisoners captured at the [[Battle of Talas]], were set up in [[Samarkand]].{{Citation needed|date=April 2018}}

Equally revolutionary was al-Saffāh's reform of the army, which came to include non-Muslims and non-Arabs in sharp contrast to the Umayyads who refused any soldiers of either type. Al-Saffāh selected the gifted [[Abu Muslim]] as his military commander, an officer who would serve until 755 in the Abbasid army.{{citation needed|date=July 2022}}

Not all Muslims accept the legitimacy of his caliphate, however. According to later [[Shia Islam|Shi'ites]], al-Saffāh turned back on his promises to the partisans of the [[Alids]] in claiming the title [[caliph]] for himself. The Shi'a had hoped that their ''[[imam]]'' would be named head of the caliphate, inaugurating the era of peace and prosperity the millennialists had believed would come. The betrayal alienated al-Saffāh's Shi'a supporters, although the continued amity of other groups made Abbasid rule markedly more solvent than that of the Umayyads.{{citation needed|date=July 2022}}

Caliph Abu al-`Abbās `Abdu’llāh al-Saffāḥ died of [[smallpox]] on 8 June 754 (13 [[Dhu al-Hijja]] 136 AH), only four years after taking the title of caliph. Before he died, al-Saffah appointed his brother [[al-Mansur|Abu Ja'far al-Mansur]]{{sfn|Kennedy|2016|p=55}} and, following him, the caliph's nephew [[Isa ibn Musa]] as his successors; ibn Musa, however, never filled the position.{{citation needed|date=July 2022}}

==Abbasid Military Activities==
{{main|Battle of Talas}}

During his reign a great battle took place in 751 known as the Battle of Talas or ''Battle of Artlakh'' was a military engagement between the [[Abbasid Caliphate]] along with their ally the [[Tibetan Empire]] against the Chinese [[Tang dynasty]]. In July 751 CE, Tang and Abbasid forces met in the valley of the [[Talas River]] to vie for control over the [[Syr Darya]] region of central Asia. After several days of stalemate, the [[Karluks|Karluk Turks]] originally allied to the Tang defected to the Abbasids and tipped the balance of power, resulting in a Tang rout.

The defeat marked the end of Tang westward expansion and resulted in Muslim control of [[Transoxiana]] for the next 400 years. Control of this region was economically beneficial for the Abbasids because it was on the [[Silk Road]]. Historians debate whether or not Chinese prisoners captured in the aftermath of the battle brought paper-making technology to the Middle East, where it eventually spread to Europe.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b04kf8ps|title=The Battle of Talas, In Our Time |website=BBC Radio 4|access-date=2016-10-23}}</ref>

The numbers of combatants involved in the Battle of Talas are not known with certainty; however, various estimates exist. The Abbasid army (200,000 Muslim troops according to Chinese estimates, though these numbers may be greatly exaggerated) which included contingents from their [[Tibetan Empire|Tibetan]] ally met the combined army of 10,000 Tang Chinese and 20,000 Karluk mercenaries (Arab records put the Chinese forces at 100,000 which also may be greatly exaggerated).<ref>The strength of Arabs is not recorded for this battle, but the armies to the east of [[greater Khorasan|Khorasan]] controlled by the Arabs later were estimated by the Chinese in 718 with 900,000 troops available to respond according to [[Bai Shouyi]], Bai however never estimate any Abbasid army figures. (Bai 2003, pp. 225–26).</ref>

In the month of July 751, the Abbasid forces joined in combat with the Tang Chinese force (the combined army of Tang Chinese and Karluk mercenaries) on the banks of the Talas river.

[[File:Talas River.jpg|thumb|right|Modern view of Talas River, which starts in the mountains of Kyrgyzstan and winds down into Kazakhstan. On the right side of the river is the city of [[Taraz]].]]
The Tang army was subjected to a devastating defeat. The Tang dynasty's defeat was due to the defection of [[Karluks|Karluk]] [[Mercenary|mercenaries]] and the retreat of [[Fergana Valley|Ferghana]] allies who originally supported the Chinese. The Karluk mercenaries, two-thirds of the Tang army, defected to the Abbasids during the battle; Karluk troops attacked the Tang army from close quarters while the main Abbasid forces attacked from the front. The Tang troops were unable to hold their positions, and the commander of the Tang forces, [[Gao Xianzhi]], recognized that defeat was imminent and managed to escape with some of his Tang regulars with the help of [[Li Siye]]. Out of an estimated 10,000 Tang troops, only 2,000 managed to return from Talas to their territory in Central Asia. Despite losing the battle, Li did inflict heavy losses on the pursuing Arab army after being reproached by [[Duan Xiushi]]. After the battle, Gao was prepared to organize another Tang army against the Arabs when the devastating [[An Shi Rebellion]] broke out in 755. When the Tang capital was taken by rebels, all Chinese armies stationed in Central Asia were ordered back to [[China proper]] to crush the rebellion.<ref>Bai, pp. 226–28.</ref>

Also in 751, the [[List of Byzantine emperors|Byzantine Emperor]] [[Constantine V]] led an invasion across the frontier of the Caliphate. The Byzantines captured Theodosiopolis ([[Erzurum]]) and Melitene ([[Malatya]]), which was demolished. There was no serious attempt to retain control of the captured cities, except for [[Camachus|Camachum]] (modern [[Kemah, Erzincan]]), which was garrisoned.<ref>Treadgold (1997), pp. 360, 362</ref><ref>Bonner, p. 107</ref>

==Succession==
Al-Saffah died after a five-year reign and [[al-Mansur]] took on the responsibility of establishing the Abbasid caliphate by holding on to power for nearly 22 years, from Dhu al-Hijjah 136 AH until Dhu al-Hijjah 158 AH (754 – 775).<ref name= Al-Masudi>Sanders, P. (1990). The Meadows of Gold: The Abbasids by MAS‘UDI. Translated and edited by Lunde Paul and Stone Caroline, Kegan Paul International, London and New York, 1989 {{ISBN|0 7103 0246 0}}. Middle East Studies Association Bulletin, 24(1), 50–51. doi:10.1017/S0026318400022549</ref><ref name=Axworthy>[[Michael Axworthy|Axworthy, Michael]] (2008); ''A History of Iran''; Basic, USA; {{ISBN|978-0-465-00888-9}}. p. 81.</ref> Al-Mansur was proclaimed Caliph on his way to [[Mecca]] in the year 753 (136 AH) and was inaugurated the following year.<ref name=Aikin1747>{{cite book|last1=Aikin|first1=John|title=General biography: or, Lives, critical and historical, of the most eminent persons of all ages, countries, conditions, and professions, arranged according to alphabetical order|date=1747|publisher=G. G. and J. Robinson|location=London|isbn=1333072457|page=201}}</ref> Abu Ja'far Abdallah ibn Muhammad took the name al-Mansur ("the victorious") and agreed to make his nephew [[Isa ibn Musa]] his Heir to the Abbasid caliphate. This agreement was supposed to resolve rivalries in the Abbasid family, but al-Mansur's right to accession was particularly challenged by his uncle [[Abdullah ibn Ali]]. Once in power, caliph al-Mansur had his uncle imprisoned in 754 and killed in 764.<ref>{{Cite book|title=Rituals of Islamic Monarchy: Accession and Succession in the First Muslim Empire: Accession and Succession in the First Muslim Empire|last= Marsham|first=Andrew |date=2009|publisher=Edinburgh University Press |isbn=9780748630776|page=192}}</ref>

==Legacy==
Al-Saffah was the first caliph of the [[Abbasid dynasty]]. He nominated his brother [[al-Mansur|Abu Ja'far Abdallah]] as [[Wali al-Ahd|heir]], because his own son was too young to succeeded to the Caliphate. His brother nominated his son (al-Saffah's nephew) as heir. Al-Saffah's nephew nominated his two sons as heir. Even though al-Saffah's son never ascended to Caliphate, his children remained influential. In 761, his nephew Muhammad (future caliph [[al-Mahdi]]) married [[Rayta bint al-Saffah|Rayta]] as his first wife after his return from Khurasan.{{sfn|Abbott|1946|p=25}} She gave birth to two sons, [[Ubaydallah ibn al-Mahdi|Ubaydallah]] and Ali.{{sfn|Abbott|1946|p=25}}<ref>{{harvnb|Al-Khatib al-Baghdadi|2011|p=310}}; {{harvnb|Ibn Hazm|1982|p=22}}.</ref> His elder grandson, Ubaydallah was appointed as governor of [[Arminiya]]h and the northwestern provinces in 788/9.<ref>{{harvnb|Bosworth|1989|p=103}}; {{harvnb|Al-Baladhuri|1916|p=330}}. Numismatic evidence for this appointment is summarized by {{harvnb|Bates|2019|p=20}}. [[Al-Ya'qubi]] ({{harvnb|Gordon|Robinson|Rowson|Fishbein|2018|p=1178}}) does not note Ubaydallah's governorship, saying instead that Ibn Mazyad was succeeded by [[Abd al-Kabir ibn Abd al-Hamid]]. [[Łewond]] ({{harvnb|Bedrosian|2006|loc=ch. 41}}), claims that following a conflict between Harun and Ubaydallah the empire was split in two, with Ubaydallah receiving the northern provinces of [[Atrpatakan|Atropatene]], Armenia, [[Bagratid Iberia|Iberia]]/[[Kingdom of Abkhazia|Georgia]], and [[Caucasian Albania#Islamic era|Aghuania]]; this assertion is however disputed by {{harvnb|Bonner|1988|pp=88–89}}, who notes that the Arabic sources from the period make no reference to any sort of conflict between the two brothers. {{harvnb|Ibn Qutaybah|n.d.|p=380}}, refers to Ubaydallah as a governor of the [[Al-Jazira (caliphal province)|Jazira]].</ref> He was later appointed to two brief stints as governor of Egypt, in 795 and 796.<ref>{{harvnb|Al-Kindi|1912|pp=137–38}}; {{harvnb|Ibn Taghribirdi|1930|pp=93, 101}}; {{harvnb|Khalifah ibn Khayyat|1985|pp=463–64}} (noting only one appointment to Egypt). During his first governorship he was placed in charge of both prayers/security (''[[salah]]'') and finances (''[[kharaj]]''); in his second administration he is mentioned as only being in charge of the ''salah.''</ref> His second grandson, Ali was the uncle and father-in-law of sixth Abbasid caliph al-Amin through his daughter [[Lubana bint Ali ibn al-Mahdi|Lubana]].

==See also== 
* [[al-Mahdi]], nephew and son-in-law of al-Saffah.
* [[Ubaydallah ibn al-Mahdi]], Abbasid prince and grandson of al-Saffah.
* [[Sulayman ibn Ali al-Hashimi]], Abbasid governor of Basra from 750 to 755.
* [[Battle of the Zab]], a battle that took place on 25 January 750. It led to the collapse of the Umayyads and the rise of the Abbasids
* [[Abbasid Revolution]], the overthrow of the last Umayyad caliph Marwan II by the Abbasids under al-Saffah.

==References==
<references/>

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==External links==
{{wikiquote}}
* {{wikisource author-inline}}

{{S-start}}
{{s-hou|branch=Clan|name=as-Saffah|[[Banu Hashim]]||{{circa}} 721 [[Common Era|CE]]||{{circa}} 8 June 754 [[Common Era|CE]]|[[Quraysh (tribe)|Banu Quraish]]}}
{{S-rel|sh}}
{{S-bef|before = [[Ibrahim al-Imam|Ibrahim "al-Imām"]] ibn [[Muhammad ibn Ali ibn Abdallah|Muhammad]]}}
{{S-ttl|title = Eighth [[Imamah (Shia doctrine)|Imam]] of the [[Hashimiyya]]|years = ? – 8 June 754}}   
{{S-aft|after = [[al-Mansur|Abu Ja'far Abdallah]]}}
{{s-bef| before=[[Marwan II]]|as=caliph of the [[Umayyad Caliphate]]}}
{{s-ttl| title = [[List of Abbasid caliphs|Caliph]] of the [[Abbasid Caliphate]]| years = 25 January 750 – 8 June 754}}
{{s-aft| after = [[al-Mansur]]}}
{{S-end}}

{{Abbasids}}
{{Abbasid Caliphate topics}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Saffah}}
[[Category:720s births]]
[[Category:754 deaths]]
[[Category:Arab Muslims]]
[[Category:Deaths from smallpox]]
[[Category:8th-century Abbasid caliphs]]