Al-Hajjaj ibn Yusuf

Al-Hajjaj bin Yousef ( 661 - June , 714 ) (also known as Al Hajjaj bin Yousef Al saqafe ) was an important Arab administrator during the Umayyad caliphate . He was born in Taif . He served as the governor of Iraq during the reigns of Abd al-Malik and al-Walid I of the Umayyad empire. Hajjaj began his career in 691 when he lead troops against the then governor of Iraq, who was outside the Umayyad sphere of influence. After defeating that governor, he was sent to the Hejaz where he laid siege to Mecca and captured the city, killing Ibn Al-Zubayr and putting all of the Muslim empire back under the banner of the Umayyads. While governing the Hejaz, Hajjaj was known for his severe form of rule, and he was then sent to be the governor of Iraq. Even here, his reputation continued and was not helped by his crushing of a Kharijite rebellion. However his tactics also led him to make many enemies, who would come to power after his death. With the ascent of al-Walid I, Hajjaj's reputation grew due to his selection and deployment of numerous successful generals who expanded the Islamic empire. Hajjaj was given these powers due to his high status in the Umayyad government, and he exhibited a lot of control over the provinces that he governed. Among these generals was the teen-aged Muhammad bin Qasim , who in 712 was sent to Sindh in India . Compared to his general Hajjaj was more hardline insisting that pagans (or those who were not people of the book) be killed or enslaved. Qutaibah bin Muslim was sent to conquer Turkestan which he did, even penetrating the borders of China and getting a tribute payment from the Chinese emperor. Perhaps his most successful general was Musa bin Nusair who consolidated control over North Africa and who sent Tariq bin Ziyad to invade Spain. The successes of his generals gave Hajjaj great prestige, which was furthered by his introduction of vowel marks in written Qur'ans , something that would go on to be implemented in the Arabic language . Hajjaj died in 714 in Wasit , Iraq . The year after Hajjaj died, al-Walid died as well, and his brother, Suleiman came to power. Suleiman was indebted to many opponents of Hajjaj for their political support in getting him elected caliph. Thus, he recalled all generals sent by Hajjaj, and had them tortured to death in prison, ignoring their great victories. The relationship between Hajjaj bin Yousef and Muhammad bin Qasim has always been one of great debate. Many classical accounts list Hajjaj as being his uncle, or father in law. But this is debatable, and it seems more likely that they were distant cousins.

Al-Hajjaj ibn Yusuf ( / ALA : al-Ḥajjāj bin Yūsuf (or otherwise transliterated ), also known more fully as al-Hajjaj ibn Yusuf al-Kulayb or al-Hajjaj ibn Yusuf al-Thaqafi ) (early June AD 661 / AH 4 – AD 714 / AH 95) was a controversial Arab administrator and politician of the Umayyad caliphate . Al-Hajjaj is considered to have been tough at best, although he is more often called cruel, draconian or even savage, although modern historical treatments acknowledge the influence of later Abbasid historians and biographers who were opposed to the fiercely loyal and pro-Umayyad al-Hajjaj.

Abū Muhammad al-Ḥajjāj ibn Yūsuf ibn al-Ḥakam ibn ʿAqīl al-Thaqafī ( ; Ta'if 661 – Wasit , 714), known simply as al-Hajjaj ibn Yusuf ( ), was perhaps the most notable governor who served the Umayyad Caliphate . He began his service with the Umayyads under Caliph Abd al-Malik ( r. 685–705 ), who successively promoted him as the head of the caliph's shurta (security forces), the governor of the Hejaz (western Arabia) in 692–694, and the practical viceroy of a unified Iraqi province and the eastern parts of the Caliphate in 694. Al-Hajjaj retained the last post under Abd al-Malik's son and successor al-Walid I ( r. 705–715 ), whose decision-making was highly influenced by al-Hajjaj, until his death in 714. As governor of Iraq and the east, al-Hajjaj instituted key reforms. Among these were the minting of silver dirhams with strictly Muslim religious formulas instead of the coins' traditional, pre-Islamic Sasanian design; changing the language of the dīwān (bureaucracy) of Iraq from Persian to Arabic; and the introduction of a uniform version of the Quran . To revive agricultural production and increase tax revenue, al-Hajjaj expelled non-Arab Muslim converts from the garrison cities of Kufa and Basra to their rural villages of origin and collected from them the jizya (poll tax) nominally reserved for non-Muslim subjects and oversaw large-scale canal digging projects. In 701, al-Hajjaj, with reinforcements from Syria , crushed a mass rebellion led by the Kufan Arab nobleman Ibn al-Ash'ath whose ranks spanned the Arab troops, Muslim converts and religious elites of Iraq. Consequently, al-Hajjaj further tightened control over the province, founding the city of Wasit to house the loyalist Syrian troops whom he thereafter relied on to enforce his rule. A highly capable though ruthless statesman, strict in character, a harsh and demanding master, al-Hajjaj was widely feared by his contemporaries and became a deeply controversial figure and an object of deep-seated enmity among later, pro- Abbasid writers, who ascribed to him persecutions and mass executions.

Umayyad governor and viceroy (c.661-714) Abu Muhammad al-Hajjaj ibn Yusuf ibn al-Hakam ibn Abi Aqil al-Thaqafi ( ; c. 661–714 ), known simply as al-Hajjaj ibn Yusuf ( ), was the most notable governor who served the Umayyad Caliphate . He began his service under Caliph Abd al-Malik ( r. 685–705 ), who successively promoted him as the head of the Caliph's shurta (select troops), the governor of the Hejaz (western Arabia) in 692–694, and the practical viceroy of a unified Iraqi province and the eastern parts of the Caliphate in 694. Al-Hajjaj retained the last post under Abd al-Malik's son and successor al-Walid I ( r. 705–715 ), whose decision-making was heavily influenced by al-Hajjaj, until his death in 714. As governor of Iraq and the east, al-Hajjaj instituted key reforms. Among these were the minting of silver dirhams with strictly Muslim religious formulas instead of the coins' traditional, pre-Islamic Sasanian design; changing the language of the diwan (tax registers) of Iraq from Persian to Arabic; and the introduction of a uniform version of the Quran . To revive agricultural production and increase tax revenue, al-Hajjaj expelled non-Arab, Muslim converts from the garrison cities of Kufa and Basra to their villages of origin and collected from them the jizya (poll tax) nominally reserved for non-Muslim subjects, and oversaw large-scale canal digging projects. In 701, al-Hajjaj, with reinforcements from Syria , crushed a mass rebellion led by the Kufan Arab nobleman Ibn al-Ash'ath whose ranks spanned the Arab troops, Muslim converts and religious elites of Iraq. Consequently, al-Hajjaj further tightened control over the province, founding the city of Wasit to house the loyalist Syrian troops whom he thereafter relied on to enforce his rule. Al-Hajjaj was a highly capable though ruthless statesman, strict in character, and a harsh and demanding master. Widely feared by his contemporaries, he became a deeply controversial figure and an object of deep-seated enmity among later, pro- Abbasid writers, who ascribed to him persecutions and mass executions.

Umayyad governor and viceroy (c.661-714) For other people named al-Hajjaj, see Hajjaj . Abu Muhammad al-Hajjaj ibn Yusuf ibn al-Hakam ibn Abi Aqil al-Thaqafi ( Arabic : أبو محمد الحجاج بن يوسف بن الحكم بن أبي عقيل الثقفي , romanized : Abū Muḥammad al-Ḥajjāj ibn Yūsuf ibn al-Ḥakam ibn Abī ʿAqīl al-Thaqafī ; c. 661–714 ), known simply as al-Hajjaj ibn Yusuf ( Arabic : الحجاج بن يوسف , romanized : al-Ḥajjāj ibn Yūsuf ), was the most notable governor who served the Umayyad Caliphate . He began his service under Caliph Abd al-Malik ( r. 685–705 ), who successively promoted him as the head of the Caliph's shurta (select troops), the governor of the Hejaz (western Arabia) in 692–694, and the practical viceroy of a unified Iraqi province and the eastern parts of the Caliphate in 694. Al-Hajjaj retained the last post under Abd al-Malik's son and successor al-Walid I ( r. 705–715 ), whose decision-making was heavily influenced by al-Hajjaj, until his death in 714. As governor of Iraq and the east, al-Hajjaj instituted key reforms. Among these were the minting of silver dirhams with strictly Muslim religious formulas instead of the coins' traditional, pre-Islamic Sasanian design; changing the language of the diwan (tax registers) of Iraq from Persian to Arabic; and the introduction of a uniform version of the Quran . To revive agricultural production and increase tax revenue, al-Hajjaj expelled non-Arab, Muslim converts from the garrison cities of Kufa and Basra to their villages of origin and collected from them the jizya (poll tax) nominally reserved for non-Muslim subjects, and oversaw large-scale canal digging projects. In 701, al-Hajjaj, with reinforcements from Syria , crushed a mass rebellion led by the Kufan Arab nobleman Ibn al-Ash'ath whose ranks spanned the Arab troops, Muslim converts and religious elites of Iraq. Consequently, al-Hajjaj further tightened control over the province, founding the city of Wasit to house the loyalist Syrian troops whom he thereafter relied on to enforce his rule. Al-Hajjaj was a highly capable though ruthless governor, strict in character, and a harsh and demanding master. Widely feared by his contemporaries, he became a deeply controversial figure and an object of deep-seated enmity among later, pro- Abbasid writers, who ascribed to him persecutions and mass executions.