Opposition Claims Against The Umayyads: “Al-Harith Ibn Surayj, Abdullah Ibn Muawiyah”
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.37812/josse.v4i2.2177Keywords:
Rebellion, Khorasan, Mawali, Shiites, Murji'ah, Transmigration of Souls, Qays and YemenAbstract
This study examines two major opposition movements that emerged during the final phase of the Umayyad dynasty’s decline: the movements led by Al-Harith ibn Surayj and Abdullah ibn Mu‘awiyah. Both movements are analyzed as significant contributors to political fragmentation and the eventual collapse of Umayyad rule. Rather than focusing solely on political or military dimensions, the study explores the intellectual and philosophical foundations of each movement by analyzing the declared narratives and underlying objectives articulated by their leaders.Al-Harith ibn Surayj presented his movement as a reformist call rooted in adherence to the Qur’an and the Sunnah, emphasizing justice and resistance to Umayyad oppression. While this discourse attracted broad popular support, the study reveals that his movement was shaped by a theological orientation closely linked to extremist Murji’ah thought. This doctrinal background influenced both the ideological framework and political strategy of his movement, shaping his stance toward Umayyad authority and affecting the reception of his call among various social groups. In contrast, Abdullah ibn Mu‘awiyah exploited widespread social dissatisfaction and political instability to launch his rebellion. However, his movement was grounded in heterodox intellectual doctrines, including beliefs in the transmigration of souls and claims to divine attributes. Furthermore, the heterogeneous composition of his followers comprising Zaydi Shiites, maw?l?, and Abbasid sympathizers proved to be a structural weakness. The lack of a coherent ideological foundation ultimately undermined the sustainability of his movement. The study concludes that, despite their differing ideological orientations, both movements significantly weakened Umayyad authority, facilitating the dynasty’s collapse and the rise of Abbasid rule.
References
Al-Baladhuri, A. A. Y. (n.d.). Ansāb al-ashrāf. Beirut: Dār al-Fikr.
Al-Baladhuri, A. b. Y. (n.d.). Ansab al-ashraf (Vol. 9).
Al-Dhahabi, S. al-D. (n.d.). Tarikh al-Islam (Vol. 20).
Al-Hanbali, U. b. M. (1418 H). Al-ibanah ‘an shari‘ah al-firqah al-najiyah wa-mujabatat al-madhmumah (Vol. 1, 2nd ed.). Dar al-Rayah.
Al-Mas‘udi, A. H. (n.d.). Murūj al-dhahab wa ma‘ādin al-jawhar. Beirut: Dār al-Andalus.
Al-Qasimi al-Dimashqi, J. al-D. (1979). Al-Jahmiyyah wa al-Mu‘tazilah (1st ed.). Al-Risala Foundation.
Al-Shahrastani, M. b. A.-K. (n.d.). Al-milal wa al-nihal (Vol. 1).
Al-Tabari, M. i. J. (n.d.). Tarikh al-umam wa al-muluk (Vol. 4).
Al-Tabari, M. J. (n.d.). Tārīkh al-rusul wa al-mulūk. Beirut: Dār al-Turāth.
Al-Zahrani, M. b. M. (1411 H). Mawqif ahl al-ahwa’ wa al-firaq min al-sunnah al-nabawiyyah wa ruwatiha (1st ed.). Al-Siddiq Library.
Brockelmann, C. (n.d.). Tarikh al-shu‘ub al-islamiyya.
Crone, P. (1980). Slaves on horses: The evolution of the Islamic polity. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511582159
Crone, P. (2001). Al-shura. Quaderni di Arabi, 19.
Crone, P. (n.d.-a). Al-rida.
Crone, P. (n.d.-b). Qays and Yemen.
Donner, F. M. (2010). Muhammad and the believers: At the origins of Islam. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.
Gottschalk, L. (1969). Understanding history: A primer of historical method (2nd ed.). New York, NY: Alfred A. Knopf.
Halm, H. (2010). Al-gnostiyyah fi al-Islam (R. Al-Basha, Trans.; 2nd ed.). Al-Jamal Publications.
Hawting, G. R. (n.d.). The first dynasty of Islam: The Umayyad caliphate AD 661–750.
Howell, M. C., & Prevenier, W. (2001). From reliable sources: An introduction to historical methods. Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press.
Ibn al-Athir, A. i. M. (n.d.). Al-kamil fi al-tarikh (Vol. 4).
Ibn al-Athir, A. K. (n.d.). Al-kāmil fī al-tārīkh. Beirut: Dār Ṣādir.
Ibn al-Jawzi, A. R. i. A. (n.d.). Al-muntazam fi tarikh al-muluk wa al-umam (Vol. 4).
Ibn Hazm al-Andalusi, A. b. A. (1999). Al-fasl fi al-milal wa al-ahwa’ wa al-nihal (Vols. 3–4, 2nd ed.). Dar Al-Kutub Al-‘Ilmiyyah.
Ibn Kathir, I. i. U. (n.d.). Al-bidaya wa al-nihaya (Vol. 13).
Ibn Kathir, I. U. (n.d.). Al-bidāyah wa al-nihāyah. Beirut: Dār al-Fikr.
Kennedy, H. (2004). The prophet and the age of the caliphates: The Islamic Near East from the sixth to the eleventh century (2nd ed.). London: Pearson Longman.
Khalifa bin Khayyat. (n.d.). Tarikh Khalifa bin Khayyat.
Lapidus, I. M. (2014). A history of Islamic societies (3rd ed.). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Madelung, W. (1997). The succession to Muhammad: A study of the early caliphate. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511583095
Mas‘udi, A. i. al-H. (n.d.). Muruj al-dhahab wa ma‘adin al-jawhar (Vol. 3).
Ramli, A. (n.d.). The Umayyad succession.
Saadi Abu Jib. (1982). Marwan bin Muhammad wa asbab suqut al-dawla al-Umawiyyah (1st ed.). Dar Al-Fikr.
Shaaban, M. A. (n.d.). The beginning of Islam.
Shaban, M. A. (1971). Islamic history: A new interpretation (Vol. 2). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Vloten, G. van. (n.d.). Arab domination.
Wellhausen, J. (n.d.). Das arabische Reich und sein Sturz.
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2025 Mohamed Elnakep
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
