Ubayd Allah ibn Abi Bakra

Ubayd Allah ibn Abi Bakra (عبيد الله بن أبي بكرة, died c. 698-699 CE) was an Umayyad Caliphate governor of Sijistan, and military commander. He was the son of Abu Bakra, an Ethiopian/ Abyssinian slave and mawla who had been a companion of the Prophet, and converted to Islam in 630 CE.[1][2][3][4] Ubayd Allah ibn Abi Bakra himself, although his mother was Arab, was described as having "a dark and swarthy complexion".[1]

Ubayd Allah ibn Abi Bakra
عبيد الله بن أبي بكرة
Coin issued by Ubayd Allah ibn Abi Bakra, at the time of the fifth Umayyad caliph Abd al-Malik ibn Marwan (647–705 CE). Dated AH 65-86 / 685-705 CE. Arab-Sasanian type. Minted in Sijistan. Dated AH 80 in Pahlavi (698/9 CE). Crowned Sasanian-style bust right; bismillah and rabbi in Arabic in outer margin / Fire altar flanked by attendants; star and crescent flanking flames; pellet after mint signature.
Diedc.698-699 CE
Bust, Sijistan
AllegianceUmayyad Caliphate
Years of service630–698
Battles/warsUmayyad campaign against the Zunbīls

Governorship and military activities

He was Governor of Sistan from 671 CE, first under the authority of Ziyad ibn Abihi.[1][4] During the early reign of Abd al-Malik ibn Marwan (ruled 685–705 CE) Ubayd Allah ibn Abi Bakra supported the pro-Umayyad faction in Basra against Mus'ab ibn al-Zubayr.[4] He bacame Governor of Sistan a second time in 697/698 CE, under the authority of Al-Hajjaj ibn Yusuf.[1]

In 698 CE, he was asked by Governor Al-Hajjaj ibn Yusuf to lead an 'Army of Destruction' of 20,000 men against the Zunbils in modern-day Afghanistan.[3] This corresponded to a resurgence of Islamic expansionism, following the second civil war from which the Abassids had emerged.[3] His mission was to raid eastern Afghanistan, and restore the payment of tribute by the Zunbils.[1]

Trapped in the mountainous relief of Afghanistan, he was defeated through starvation and Zunbil attacks, and was forced to offer a large tribute, give hostages including three of his sons and take an oath not to invade Zunbil again.[1][5][3][6][7][5] He then retreated, with only 5,000 men remaining, to the city of Bust.[3]

Ubayd Allah ibn Abi Bakra died soon after these events.[3] He was briefly succeded as Governor of Sijistan by his son Abū Bardhā, who held the post for one or two years and is known to have minted coinage as well.[8]

About 700 Ibn al-Ash'ath was tasked with a new offensive, but after some initial successes he reached an agreement with the Zunbils (who agreed to return the hostages captured from Ibn Bakra, and resume paying tribute at the old rate),[9] and turned his troops against his superior Al-Hajjaj ibn Yusuf.[3]

These events were recounted in detail by the Arab historian al-Tabari.[10]

Coinage

Before Ubayd Allah ibn Abi Bakra, the coinage of Arab coinage Sijistan was remarkably consistent in respecting former Sasanian designs. On the contrary, the coinage of Ubayd Allah ibn Abi Bakra in Sijistan is characterized with a rather erratic design, with important iconographical changes. This attests to the deterioration of standard Sasanian iconography.[11]

References
  1. Bosworth, C.E. (1986). Encyclopedia of Islam. p. 761.
  2. Pipes, Daniel (1980). "Black Soldiers in Early Muslim Armies" (PDF). The International Journal of African Historical Studies. 13 (1): 90. doi:10.2307/218374. ISSN 0361-7882.
  3. Marozzi, Justin (13 May 2021). The Arab Conquests. Head of Zeus Ltd. p. 141. ISBN 978-1-83893-341-8.
  4. Crone, Patricia (30 October 2003). Slaves on Horses: The Evolution of the Islamic Polity. Cambridge University Press. p. 140. ISBN 978-0-521-52940-2.
  5. Hoyland, Robert G. (2015). In God's Path: The Arab Conquests and the Creation of an Islamic Empire. Oxford University Press. pp. 151–152. ISBN 978-0-19-991636-8.
  6. Hugh Kennedy (2010). The Great Arab Conquests: How the Spread of Islam Changed the World We Live In. Hachette UK. p. 128. ISBN 9780297865599.
  7. Lari, Suhail Zaheer (1994). A History of Sindh. Oxford University Press. p. 26. ISBN 978-0-19-577501-3. Also available in Pdf, page 17
  8. Sears, Stuart D. (1989). "A HYBRID IMITATION OF EARLY MUSLIM COINAGE STRUCK IN SIJISTAN BY ABȖ BARDHĀ'A". American Journal of Numismatics (1989-). 1: 160. ISSN 1053-8356.
  9. Sears, Stuart D. (1989). "A HYBRID IMITATION OF EARLY MUSLIM COINAGE STRUCK IN SIJISTAN BY ABȖ BARDHĀ'A". American Journal of Numismatics (1989-). 1: 156. ISSN 1053-8356.
  10. al-Tabari (19 June 2015). The History of al-Tabari Vol. 22: The Marwanid Restoration: The Caliphate of 'Abd al-Malik A.D. 693-701/A.H. 74-81. SUNY Press. p. 183. ISBN 978-1-4384-1813-1.
  11. Sears, Stuart D. (1989). "A HYBRID IMITATION OF EARLY MUSLIM COINAGE STRUCK IN SIJISTAN BY ABȖ BARDHĀ'A". American Journal of Numismatics (1989-). 1: 149–151. ISSN 1053-8356.
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