The Barmuk Family’s Downfall: Political Rivalry, Conspiracy, and Betrayal

The Reality Behind the Extermination of the Barmuks

Power and kingdoms are objects that create enmity between two brothers and between father and son. The histories of governments and kingdoms bear witness to this. The Abbasids killed without any hesitation anyone whom they thought to be harmful to their authority. When Caliph Mansoor saw that Abu Muslim wanted to capture power, he put him to death at once. Sometimes the companions and officials of kings and rulers take advantage of this habit and nature and they attempt to prove a man, who they want to be harmed by the king, to be a rebel. The officer of Mansoor's bodyguards was Rabi bin Yunus who descended from Uthman bin Affan's servant Kisan. He was the greatest confidant of Mansoor and he also was his advisor.

He wielded much power and authority during Mansoor's regime. It was Rabi who is said to have advised him to kill Abu Muslim. Mansoor made Abu Ayub his minister in place of Khalid Barmuk but in 153 A.H., he appointed Rabi bin Yunus instead. At Mansoor's death, it was he who managed the oath of Mahdi's caliphate. During Mahdi's caliphate, he retained his post as minister but since he was known as the Hajib (literally the covering or in the political sense one who speaks for the caliph without actually involving him), Mahdi made Abu Abdullah Muawiya bin Yasar his minister also and assigned to him most of the departments of the government. After some time, Rabi had Abu Abdullah censured, deposed and jailed. Then Mahdi appointed Yaqub bin Dawood. He was also censured and removed after some time.

Then he selected for the job Faiz bin Abi Saleh who came from a Christian family in Nishapur. In short, Rabi bin Yunus did not let any minister succeed and he remained the only important minister. When Hadi's caliphate was established after Mahdi's, authority reached its pinnacle because Hadi had invested him with all powers. It was at his insistence that Khaizran was distanced from dabbling in state affairs. Hadi and Rabi died almost at the same time. Rabi's son Fadal bin Rabi expected to be appointed to a high post but soon after coming into power Haroon handed over the entire administration of the caliphate to Yahya bin Khalid. Yahya bin Khalid belonged to Abu Muslim's group as has been mentioned above. He hated Rabi bin Yunus because it was he who was instrumental in having Abu Muslim murdered and doubt cast upon Yahya's father Khalid bin Barmuk and had him deposed as minister and had his own friend Abu Ayub appointed.

Yahya bin Khalid did not let Fadal bin Rabi get a post and by retaining the post of Hajib for himself, he snatched away all his powers and reduced him to being totally ineffectual. It is clear that there existed old and strong enmity between the Barmuk family and Fadal bin Rabi. With the rise of the Barmuk's power, Fadal bin Rabi's enmity and hatred also increased. However, since Haroon fully relied upon the Barmuks, Fadal could not harm them. In such a situation, there was only one alternative for Fadal and that was to find real proof of the Barmuks' disloyalty, betrayal and rebellion and then guide the Caliph against them and thus serve his purpose. Since Barmuk was very experienced, clever and alert, Fadal bin Rabi could not find any opportunity to have him accused but he continued to study all his activities minutely.

The Barmuks had collected so many supporters by virtue of their generosity and endowments of wealth that Fadal bin Rabi found it difficult to find a confidant. Haroon wanted to give him a post in view of his old and ancestral connections but since his mother Khaizran was angry with Fadal and his father Rabi for trying to limit her influence in the time of Hadi, she insisted that her son stop trying to assist Fadal bin Rabi and. Yahya supported her on this point. When she died in 174 A.H. Haroon recruited him as the head clerk of his accounts office and then Fadal bin Rabi had a bit more influence than before.

When Yahya bin Abdullah came from Delan with Fadal bin Jafar, Haroon Rasheed wanted to imprison him despite the treaty he had written. First, he sought a fatwa (religious decision) from some scholars. Hearing this the Barmuks recommended Yahya bin Abdullah to the Caliph because the latter shared Abu Muslim Khorasani's faith and supported the partisans of the Prophet's family internally. Haroon Rasheed put Yahya bin Abdullah under Jafar bin Yahya's charge and asked him to keep him under his custody. Jafar kept him with respect and comfort.

When Haroon Rasheed sent Ali bin Isa as the governor of Khorasan in 180 A.H., Yahya bin. Khalid as stated earlier, opposed that appointment. That was perhaps Haroon Rasheed's first act that he did in defiance of Yahya bin Khalid's intentions and wishes. As Yahya, his sons and relatives had been dominating all the countries, the Barmuks did not give Ali bin Isa any rest. Yahya's son Musa bin Yahya pooled up all his resources and started inciting rebellions and breaches of the law one after another. Ali bin Isa came upon it by chance as to who engineered all the disturbances in Khorasan.

He dispatched a letter to Haroon briefing him on the situation and complaining against Musa bin Yahya. This complaint and the contrary complaint of Yahya's created a doubt in Haroon Rasheed's mind. As a result when news after news regarding Ali bin Isa's preparation for revolt started pouring into the caliph's court, Haroon Rasheed did not send any Amir or commander to him. Rather he himself marched to Khorasan with his army. He encamped at Rayy in 186 A.H. He had a slight doubt and he never doubted the Barmuks. He did know that the Barmuks disliked Ali bin Isa living in Khorasan. When Ali bin Isa sent letters against Musa bin Yahya and Yahya bin Khalid's other sons and relatives that they created mischief in Khorasan, Haroon Rasheed's attention was seriously drawn towards the problem of Khorasan. He did not disclose to the Barmuks nor could they know by themselves how curiously and minutely the Caliph was watching them.

They had the letters of complaints against Ali sent to Haroon Rasheed. Had they realized that Haroon Rasheed was casting doubtful eyes towards them, they would never have sent them and would never have accused Ali bin Isa of revolt. When Haroon Rasheed arrived at Rayy, Ali bin Isa paid a respectful visit to him and told him in detail about the situations in Khorasan. He informed him that the whole of Khorasan and all its provinces were in the grip of the Barmuks and they were completely ready to avenge Abu Muslim Khorasani's death. Understanding this one can well imagine how seriously Haroon Rasheed was affected by this shocking news. Knowing how dependant he was on the Barmuks and realizing the implications of their activities in Khorasan was a nightmarish scenario for him to contemplate. He encouraged Ali bin Isa and sent him to Rayy and he returned with his emotions fully suppressed and buried in his heart. After Ali bin Isa had left, Fadal bin Rabi, who finally had concrete evidence against Jafar Barmuk, communicated the shocking news to Haroon Rasheed that Jafar Barmuk had released Yahya bin Abdullah who had gone somewhere to prepare to lead a revolt.