Second Fitna

The Second Fitna , or Second Islamic Civil War , was a period of general political and military disorder that afflicted the Islamic empire during the early Umayyad dynasty, following the death of the first Umayyad caliph Muawiyah I . There seems to be a lack of solid consensus on the exact range of years that define the conflict, with several different historians dating the Second Fitna differently. Some see the end of Muawiya's reign in 680 AD as marking the beginning of the period, while the year 683 (following the death of Muawiya's son the Caliph Yazid I ) is cited by others. Similarly, the end is variously dated from 685 (after the ascension of Caliph Abd al-Malik ibn Marwan ) to 692 (following the death of Ibn al-Zubair and the termination of his revolt ). The dates 683-685 seem to be the most commonly used. The Second Fitna was a time of complexity in the Islamic world, involving a number of different occurrences that were seemingly not directly connected with one another. A brief sketch of the major events of the period may however be given as follows. The first Umayyad Caliph Muawiya I was succeeded upon his death in 680 by his son, Yazid I . Yazid's first opposition came from supporters of Husayn ibn Ali , who was the grandson of the Prophet Muhammad and the son of the former Caliph Ali ibn Abi Talib , who had been assassinated. Husayn and many of his closest supporters were killed by Yazid's troops at the Battle of Karbala . This battle is often cited as the definitive break between the Shi'a and Sunni sects of Islam, and until this day it has been commemorated each year by Shi'a Muslims on the Day of Ashura . Following these occurrences, Yazid faced a second revolt from Abd Allah ibn al-Zubayr , who was the son of a former Sahabi , al-Zubayr ibn al-Awwam , who had previously revolted against the caliph Ali at the Battle of Bassorah . Ibn al-Zubayr's rebellion was seen by many as an attempt to return to the pristine values of the early Islamic community, and his revolt was welcomed by a number of parties that were unhappy with the Umayyad rule for various reasons. Following the sudden death of Yazid and his son Mu'awiya II in 683, Ibn al-Zubayr gained widespread recognition as caliph. In Syria Marwan ibn Hakim, a cousin of Mu'awiya I, was declared caliph. Marwan had a short reign dying in 685 but he was succeeded by his able son Abd al-Malik . Ibn al-Zubayr was isolated in the Hejaz region when Kharijite rebels established an independent state in central Arabia in 684. Other Kharijite uprisings followed in Iraq and Iran , while Shiites revolted in Kufa to avenge the death of Husayn and to promote another of Ali's sons as a candidate for caliph. Eventually, order was restored by Syrian forces supporting Abd al-Malik. He was able to defeat all of his various rivals, and his army killed Ibn al-Zubair in 692, bringing this period of exceptional turbulence to an end.

Period of general political and military disorder during the early Umayyad dynasty, following the death of the first Umayyad caliph Muawiyah I Belligerents Umayyads Zubayrids Alids Kharijites Commanders and leaders Yazid I Muslim ibn Uqba Umar ibn Sa'ad (686) † Marwan I Abd al-Malik Ubayd Allah ibn Ziyad (686) † Husayn ibn Numayr (686) † Hajjaj ibn Yusuf Abd Allah ibn al-Zubayr (692) † Mus'ab ibn al-Zubayr (691) † Ibrahim ibn al-Ashtar (691) † Muhallab ibn Abi Sufra (Defected) Husayn ibn Ali (680) † Sulayman ibn Surad (685) † Mukhtar al-Thaqafi (687) † Ibrahim ibn al-Ashtar (Defected) Nafi ibn al-Azraq (685) † Najda ibn Amir al-Hanafi (692) † The Second Fitna was a period of general political and military disorder and conflicts in the Islamic community during the early Umayyad caliphate . It followed the death of the first Umayyad caliph Mu'awiya I in 680 and lasted for about twelve years. The war involved the suppression of two challenges to the Umayyad dynasty , the first by Husayn ibn Ali , as well as his supporters including Sulayman ibn Surad and Mukhtar al-Thaqafi who rallied for his revenge in Iraq , and the second by Abd Allah ibn al-Zubayr . The roots of the civil war go back to the First Fitna . After the assassination of the third caliph Uthman , the Islamic community experienced its first civil war over the question of leadership, with the main contenders being Ali and Mu'awiya. Following the assassination of Ali in 661 and the abdication of his successor Hasan the same year, Mu'awiya became the sole ruler of the caliphate. Mu'awiya's unprecedented move to nominate his son, Yazid , as his heir sparked opposition and tensions soared after Mu'awiya's death. Husayn ibn Ali was invited by the pro- Alids of Kufa to overthrow the Umayyads but was killed with his small company en route to Kufa at the Battle of Karbala in October 680. Yazid's army assaulted anti-government rebels in Medina in August 683 and subsequently besieged Mecca , where Ibn al-Zubayr had established himself in opposition to Yazid. After Yazid died in November, the siege was abandoned and Umayyad authority collapsed throughout the caliphate except in certain parts of Syria ; most provinces recognized Ibn al-Zubayr as caliph. A series of pro-Alid movements demanding revenge for Husayn's death emerged in Kufa beginning with Ibn Surad's Penitents movement , which was crushed by the Umayyads at the Battle of Ayn al-Warda in January 685. Kufa was then taken over by Mukhtar. Though his forces routed a large Umayyad army at the Battle of Khazir in August 686, Mukhtar and his supporters were slain by the Zubayrids in April 687 following a series of battles. Under the leadership of Abd al-Malik ibn Marwan , the Umayyads reasserted control over the caliphate after defeating the Zubayrids at the Battle of Maskin in Iraq and killing Ibn al-Zubayr in the Siege of Mecca in 692. Abd al-Malik made key reforms in the administrative structure of the caliphate, including increasing caliphal power, restructuring the army and Arabizing and Islamizing the bureaucracy. The events of the Second Fitna intensified sectarian tendencies in Islam and various doctrines were developed within what would later become the Sunni and Shi'a denominations of Islam. There are <ref group=note> tags on this page, but the references will not show without a template (see the help page ).

Umayyad-era Muslim civil war (680–692) Belligerents Umayyad Caliphate Zubayrid Caliphate Alids Kharijites Commanders and leaders Yazid I Muslim ibn Uqba Umar ibn Sa'ad (686) † Marwan I Abd al-Malik Ubayd Allah ibn Ziyad (686) † Husayn ibn Numayr (686) † Hajjaj ibn Yusuf Abd Allah ibn al-Zubayr (692) † Mus'ab ibn al-Zubayr (691) † Ibrahim ibn al-Ashtar (691) † Muhallab ibn Abi Sufra (Defected) Husayn ibn Ali (680) † Sulayman ibn Surad (685) † Mukhtar al-Thaqafi (687) † Ibrahim ibn al-Ashtar (Defected) Nafi ibn al-Azraq (685) † Najda ibn Amir al-Hanafi (691/92) † The Second Fitna was a period of general political and military disorder and civil war in the Islamic community during the early Umayyad Caliphate . It followed the death of the first Umayyad caliph Mu'awiya I in 680, and lasted for about twelve years. The war involved the suppression of two challenges to the Umayyad dynasty , the first by Husayn ibn Ali , as well as his supporters including Sulayman ibn Surad and Mukhtar al-Thaqafi who rallied for his revenge in Iraq , and the second by Abd Allah ibn al-Zubayr . The roots of the civil war go back to the First Fitna . After the assassination of the third caliph , Uthman , the Islamic community experienced its first civil war over the question of leadership, with the main contenders being Ali and Mu'awiya. Following the assassination of Ali in 661 and the abdication of his successor Hasan the same year, Mu'awiya became the sole ruler of the caliphate. Mu'awiya's unprecedented move to nominate his son Yazid as his heir sparked opposition, and tensions soared after Mu'awiya's death. Husayn ibn Ali was invited by the pro- Alids of Kufa to overthrow the Umayyads but was killed with his small company en route to Kufa at the Battle of Karbala in October 680. Yazid's army assaulted anti-government rebels in Medina in August 683 and subsequently besieged Mecca , where Ibn al-Zubayr had established himself in opposition to Yazid. After Yazid died in November the siege was abandoned, and Umayyad authority collapsed throughout the caliphate except in certain parts of Syria ; most provinces recognized Ibn al-Zubayr as caliph. A series of pro-Alid movements demanding revenge for Husayn's death emerged in Kufa, beginning with Ibn Surad's Penitents movement , which was crushed by the Umayyads at the Battle of Ayn al-Warda in January 685. Kufa was then taken over by Mukhtar. Though his forces routed a large Umayyad army at the Battle of Khazir in August 686, Mukhtar and his supporters were slain by the Zubayrids in April 687 following a series of battles. Under the leadership of Abd al-Malik ibn Marwan , the Umayyads reasserted control over the caliphate after defeating the Zubayrids at the Battle of Maskin in Iraq and killing Ibn al-Zubayr in the siege of Mecca in 692. Abd al-Malik made key reforms in the administrative structure of the caliphate, including increasing caliphal power, restructuring the army, and Arabizing and Islamizing the bureaucracy. The events of the Second Fitna intensified sectarian tendencies in Islam, and various doctrines were developed within what would later become the Sunni and Shi'a denominations of Islam. There are <ref group=note> tags on this page, but the references will not show without a template (see the help page ).

Umayyad-era Muslim civil war (680–692) Belligerents Umayyad Caliphate Zubayrid Caliphate Alids Kharijites Commanders and leaders Yazid I # Marwan I Abd al-Malik ibn Marwan Abd Allah ibn al-Zubayr (692) † Husayn ibn Ali (680) † Mukhtar al-Thaqafi † Nafi ibn al-Azraq (685) † Najda ibn Amir al-Hanafi (691/692) † The Second Fitna was a period of general political and military disorder and civil war in the Islamic community during the early Umayyad Caliphate . It followed the death of the first Umayyad caliph Mu'awiya I in 680, and lasted for about twelve years. The war involved the suppression of two challenges to the Umayyad dynasty , the first by Husayn ibn Ali , as well as his supporters including Sulayman ibn Surad and Mukhtar al-Thaqafi who rallied for his revenge in Iraq , and the second by Abd Allah ibn al-Zubayr . The roots of the civil war go back to the First Fitna . After the assassination of the third caliph , Uthman , the Islamic community experienced its first civil war over the question of leadership, with the main contenders being Ali and Mu'awiya. Following the assassination of Ali in 661 and the abdication of his successor Hasan the same year, Mu'awiya became the sole ruler of the caliphate. Mu'awiya's unprecedented decision to nominate his son Yazid as his heir sparked opposition, and tensions soared after Mu'awiya's death. Husayn ibn Ali was invited by the pro- Alids of Kufa to overthrow the Umayyads but was killed with his small company en route to Kufa at the Battle of Karbala in October 680. Yazid's army assaulted anti-government rebels in Medina in August 683 and subsequently besieged Mecca , where Ibn al-Zubayr had established himself in opposition to Yazid. After Yazid died in November the siege was abandoned, and Umayyad authority collapsed throughout the caliphate except in certain parts of Syria ; most provinces recognized Ibn al-Zubayr as caliph. A series of pro-Alid movements demanding revenge for Husayn's death emerged in Kufa, beginning with Ibn Surad's Penitents movement , which was crushed by the Umayyads at the Battle of Ayn al-Warda in January 685. Kufa was then taken over by Mukhtar. Though his forces routed a large Umayyad army at the Battle of Khazir in August 686, Mukhtar and his supporters were slain by the Zubayrids in April 687 following a series of battles. Under the leadership of Abd al-Malik ibn Marwan , the Umayyads reasserted control over the caliphate after defeating the Zubayrids at the Battle of Maskin in Iraq and killing Ibn al-Zubayr in the siege of Mecca in 692. Abd al-Malik made key reforms in the administrative structure of the caliphate, including increasing caliphal power, restructuring the army, and Arabizing and Islamizing the bureaucracy. The events of the Second Fitna intensified sectarian tendencies in Islam, and various doctrines were developed within what would later become the Sunni and Shi'a denominations of Islam. There are <ref group=note> tags on this page, but the references will not show without a template (see the help page ).