Umayyad invasions of Egypt (657–658)
| Umayyad invasions of Egypt | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of First Fitna | |||||||||
| |||||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||||
|
Rashidun Caliphate Pro-Alids |
Umayyad Caliphate Uthmaniyya | ||||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||||
|
Ali ibn Abi Talib Muhammad ibn Abi Bakr † Malik al-Ashtar X Muhammad ibn Abi Hudhayfa †[1] Kinana ibn Bishr al-Tujibi † Al-Harith ibn Juhman al-Jufi † Ibn Mudahim al-Kalbi † |
Mu'awiya I Amr ibn al-As Mu'awiya bin Hudayj al-Sakuni Abu al-A'war al-Sulami Maslama ibn Mukhallad al-Ansari Busr ibn Abi Artat Yazid ibn al-Harith al-Kinani | ||||||||
| Strength | |||||||||
| 2,500+ | 6,000+ | ||||||||
The Umayyad invasions of Egypt (657–658) were a series of raids and military expeditions ordered by Mu'awiya I and led by Amr ibn al-As, against the fourth Rashidun caliph Ali ibn Abi Talib's control over Egypt, which was being ruled by his governor Muhammad ibn Abi Bakr. The Umayyad forces swiftly defeated the forces of Ali, led by Muhammad, resulting in the annexation of Egypt by Mu'awiya and the reinstatement of Amr as its governor.
Political instability in Egypt
In 658 CE, Egypt was embroiled in significant political instability as a result of the First Fitna (656–661), the first civil war among the Muslims triggered by the assassination of the third Rashidun caliph Uthman ibn Affan. Following his death, Ali ibn Abi Talib, the son-in-law and cousin of the Islamic prophet Muhammad, took over the leadership of the Caliphate. Ali's authority was rejected by several supporters of Uthman, including by Mu'awiya ibn Abi Sufyan, the long-time governor of the Levant. To consolidate his power, Ali appointed his foster son Muhammad ibn Abi Bakr, who was also the son of the first Rashidun caliph Abu Bakr, as his governor of Egypt.[2][3]
Muhammad's appointment proved unpopular, particularly amongst the supporters of Uthman. This led to tensions between factions which supported Ali and those who sought revenge for Uthman’s death. The situation further deteriorated when Muhammad was unable to suppress the growing resistance from the local Uthmanids, who considered Ali's leadership to be illegitimate. The turmoil in Egypt resulted from a lack of popular support for Ali’s rule and Muhammad’s governorship, paving the way for the Uthmanids to gain support for their agenda.[4]
As the conflict intensified, Mu'awiya I sought to carry out a military intervention in support of the Uthmanids and annex Egypt from Ali's control. Mu'awiya sent his Syrian forces, led by his top general Amr ibn al-As, to launch an offensive against Ali's forces in Egypt. Amr, who was the conqueror of Egypt and its first Arab governor, gathered support from the Uthmanids. The Umayyad forces swiftly defeated the troops led by Muhammad. After their victory, Amr ibn al-As restored himself as the governor of Egypt, pledging allegiance to Mu'awiya and bringing Egypt under Umayyad control.
Expeditions against the Uthmanids
The Uthmanids, led by Yazid ibn al-Hārith who was bolstered by his ties to Muhammad's predecessor Qays ibn Sa'd, gathered at Kharbita. Muhammad ibn Abi Bakr first sent al-Harith ibn Jumhan al-Ju‘fi to lead an offensive against them, but al-Harith was killed in the engagement. He then dispatched Ibn Mudahim al-Kalbi in a second expedition, which also failed to defeat the Uthmanids.[5]
Invasion of Egypt (658)
The failure of Muhammad in quelling the growing resistance of the local Uthmanids laid the groundwork for Mu'awiya, who led the opposition to Ali's rule over the Caliphate, to takeover Egypt. The local Egyptian forces were split between the supporters of Ali, and the supporters of Uthman, who were backed by the Syrian forces sent by Mu'awiya under Amr ibn al-As for the invasion of Egypt.
The Umayyad forces were documented to be around 6,000 troops, while the forces of Ali, led by Muhammad ibn Abi Bakr, were approximately 2,500. The military engagement resulted in the defeat of Ali's forces and the establishment of Umayyad authority over Egypt with Amr ibn al-As as its governor. The conflict was a turning point during the civil war that led towards the establishment of the Umayyad Caliphate.[6][7][8][9]
See also
- Battle of Siffin
- Ali's Eastern Campaigns
- Mu'awiya I's Southern Campaigns (658-661)
- Banu Najiyah revolt
References
- ^ al-Tabari (1998). The History of the Prophets and Kings, vol. 17. State University of New York Press. p. 160.
- ^ Sermons from Imam Ali, Nahj ul Balagha. Sohale Sizar.
- ^ Calder, Norman; Mojaddedi, Jawid Ahmad; Rippin, Andrew (2013). Classical Islam: A Sourcebook of Religious Literature. Routledge. ISBN 978-0-415-50507-9.
- ^ Calder, Lecturer in Arabic and Islamic Studies Norman; Calder, Norman; Mojaddedi, Jawid Ahmad; Mojaddedi, Jawid; Rippin, Andrew; Rippin, Associate Professor of Religious Studies Andrew (March 2004). Classical Islam: A Sourcebook of Religious Literature. Routledge. ISBN 978-1-134-55171-2.
- ^ Madelung, Wilferd (1996-08-29). The Succession to Muhammad: A Study of the Early Caliphate. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-1-107-39357-8.
- ^ Mirwaisi, Hamma (2020-03-24). The History of the Kurdish People. Hamma Mirwaisi.
- ^ Lev, Yaacov (2020-03-02). Administration of Justice in Medieval Egypt: From the 7th to the 12th Century. Edinburgh University Press. ISBN 978-1-4744-5926-6.
- ^ Mikaberidze, Alexander (2011-07-22). Conflict and Conquest in the Islamic World: 2 volumes [2 volumes]. Bloomsbury Publishing USA. ISBN 978-1-59884-337-8.
- ^ Muir, William (2024-02-28). Annals of the Early Caliphate. From Original Sources. BoD – Books on Demand. ISBN 978-3-385-35713-6.