Abu Muslim

Abu Muslim (–755 AD) was a Persian revolutionary and military commander who was a central figure in the Abbasid Revolution that brought down the Umayyad Caliphate and established the Abbasid Caliphate.

Enslaved in Kufa during his youth, he came under the influence of Shi'ite activists associated with the Abbasid family when they secured his release and introduced him to anti-Umayyad doctrines. Recognized for his abilities and loyalty, he was tasked with leading Abbasid revolutionary activities in Khorasan and conferred the nom de guerre Abu Muslim.

In 747, Abu Muslim initiated the open phase of the Abbasid revolt, rapidly seizing Merv and rallying broad support among the populations of Khorasan. He subsequently directed the Abbasid advance across the Iranian plateau and into the Levant, culminating in the collapse of Umayyad authority and the proclamation of the Abbasid Caliphate. Thereafter he served as governor of Khorasan and emerged as one of the most powerful figures of the early Abbasid state.

Abu Muslim’s growing prominence provoked concern within the Abbasid leadership. While the first caliph refrained from acting against him, the second caliph, Al-Mansur, ordered his execution in 755, alleging—likely without basis—that he harbored crypto-Zoroastrian sympathies. His death provoked unrest across Greater Iran, where he was subsequently venerated as a quasi-religious figure and martyr for centuries.

Origin and name

According to Gholam-Hosayn Yusofi, "sources differ regarding his original name and his origin. Some make him a descendant of Gōdarz and of the vizier Bozorgmehr and call him Ebrāhīm; some name him Behzādān, son of Vendād Hormoz; and others relate him to the Abbasids or to the Alids. These suggestions are all doubtful". He was most likely of Persian origin, and was born in either Merv or near Isfahan. of the Banu Ijl clan.

Rule of Khurasan and death

thumb|"Abu Muslim chastises a man for telling tales," Folio from the Ethics of Nasir ([[Akhlaq-i Nasiri) by Nasir al-Din Tusi. Copy created in Lahore between 1590 and 1595]]

After the establishment of the Abbasid regime, Abu Muslim remained in Khurasan as its governor. al-Mansur then signaled five of his guards behind a portico to kill him. Abu Muslim's mutilated body was thrown in the river Tigris, and his commanders were bribed to acquiesce to the murder.

Allegations of Crypto-Zoroastrianism

Abu Muslim's eventual downfall and execution on charges of heresy have contributed to doubts cast on the sincerity of his Islamic faith. In particular this includes his close relationship with the mobad Sunpadh and his repeated praise of Zoroastrianism.

Following his successful campaign in Gorgan, there is a report of a tribesman being able to bypass Abu Muslim's line and relay news of the Umayyad's destruction by shaving his beard, donning a kushti, and pretending to be a Zoroastrian (tassabbaha bi'l-majus), which suggests his ranks were of Zoroastrian origin.

Furthermore, there are records indicating that Abu Muslim planned to execute all Arabic speakers in Khorasan, By the orders of Ibrahim al-Imam.<blockquote>Whenever he was alone with Zoroastrians, he would say, "According to one of the books of the Sasanians which I have found, the Arab empire is finished. I shall not turn back until I have destroyed the Kaaba, for this has been [wrongly] substituted for the sun; we shall make the sun our qibla as it was in olden time"

Legacy

His murder was not well received by the residents of Khurasan, and there was resentment and rebellion among the population over the brutal methods used by Al-Mansur.

Books

At least three epic romances were written about him:

Notes

References

Citations

Sources

Malikov Azim. "The Cult of Abu Muslim and His Companions" in Central Asia: Variants of Mythologization in Etnograficheskoe obozrenie №3, 2020, pp. 141–160.