Al-Sindi ibn Shahak | |
---|---|
Abbasid Governor of Syria | |
In office 792–793 | |
Monarch | Harun ar-Rashid |
Abbasid Governor of Baghdad Sahib al-Shurta | |
In office 802–813 | |
Monarchs | Harun ar-Rashid al-Amin |
Personal details | |
Born | Abbasid Caliphate |
Died | 819 |
Children | Ibrahim ibn al-Sindi (son) Nasr ibn al-Sindi (son) Kushajim (grandson) |
Parent | Shahak |
Military service | |
Allegiance | Abbasid Caliphate |
Years of service | 792–813 |
Battles/wars | Fourth Fitna |
Al-Sindi ibn Shahak (died 819) was a late 8th-century Abbasid general and administrator who served as the governor of Syria,Damascus and Baghdad under al-Mansur,Harun ar-Rashid and al-Amin. As the head of shurta (military police),he oversaw the destruction and confiscation of properties belonging to the Barmakids during the reign of Harun.
The origins of Al-Sindi are obscure, [1] was apparently a former slaver from Punjab who had risen to high status. [2] He was a client ( mawali ) of Abbasid caliph al-Mansur,and served as governor of Syria during his reign. [3] In 792 or 793,he was sent by Harun al Rashid to quell the revolt of Abūal-Hadhām in Damascus as commander of Khurasani troops,where he is mentioned as governor for Musa ibn Isa. [4] [5] He commanded the garrison of Damascus ( Jund Dimashq ) for a few years. [6]
A decade later,he is mentioned as the governor of Baghdad in 802 (186 H) by Ibn al-Jawzi. [7] During the reign of Harun,Al-Sindi was the sahib al-shurta ,and oversaw the destruction of Barmakids in 802. [8] [5] Shi'a traditions also held him responsible for death of seventh Shia Imam,Musa al-Kazim in 799 [9] and Yahya ibn Abdallah,a rebel Alid leader in 803. [10] However,Musa al-Kazim was probably under house arrest in the mansion of Al-Sindi instead of prison. He was treated well,and the sister of Al-Sindi reportedly looked after him. [11] Imam had died in his custody in September 799. [12]
Al-Sindi was one of the leading supporters of al-Amin in his civil war. [5] [13] Not much is known about him after the defeat and execution of al-Amin in 813.
The family of Al-Sindi continued to serve the Abbasid caliphate for multiple decades. His son,Ibrahim ibn al-Sindi,was reportedly a polymath with more than a dozen occupations attributed to him. [14] His friend al-Jahiz stated him to be a philosopher of mutakallimun . [15] According to Jahiz,he was well-versed in grammar,poetry,astrology and medicine. [15] He was also employed in the intelligence service of caliph al-Ma'mun, [3] and served some time as governor of Kufa. [1] His another son,Nasr ibn al-Sindi was also renowned as a historian and traditionist. [16] His grandson,Mahmūd ibn al-Hāsan ibn al-Sindi,commonly known as Kushajim (c. 902 –970) was a famous court poet and polymath associated with the court of Sayf al-Dawla,the emir of Aleppo. Some of his well-known books include Adab an-nadīm (Etiquette of the Boon-Companion),Kitāb al-maṣāyid wa-l-maṭārid (The Book of Snares and Game),and Khaṣā’iṣaṭ-ṭarab (The Characteristics of Music). [17] [18]
AbūJaʿfar Hārūn ibn Muḥammad ar-Rāshīd,or simply Hārūn ibn al-Mahdī,famously known as Hārūn ar-Rāshīd,was the fifth Abbasid caliph of the Abbasid Caliphate,reigning from September 786 until his death in March 809. His reign is traditionally regarded to be the beginning of the Islamic Golden Age. His epithet al-Rashid translates to "the Orthodox","the Just","the Upright",or "the Rightly-Guided".
AbūMūsāMuḥammad ibn Hārūn al-Amīn,better known by his laqab of al-Amin,was the sixth Abbasid caliph from 809 to 813.
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