Haroon Rasheed’s Roman Campaigns, Provincial Administration, and Khorasan Rebellion

Other Events of Haroon's Regime

We have reached 187 A.H. in recording conditions and important events of Haroon Rasheed's regime. After the incident of the Barmuk family, Haroon Rasheed sent his son Motamin to the province of Awasim, Motamin invaded Rome and sent Abbas bin Jafar bin Ash'ath to lay siege to the fort of Sanan. The Romans failed to put up any resistance and by returning 320 Muslim prisoners made a settlement with the Muslims. During the same period, the Romans deposed their queen and made a commander Nagfoor their king. Mention has already been made that the Romans, out of fear of the French king Charlemagne after his capture of Italy made peace with Haroon Rasheed. The first thing Nagfoor did after assuming power was to make an agreement with the French King and after settling the matter of jurisdiction with him wrote a letter to Haroon Rasheed:

The Queen, because of her natural weakness and too much pressure, came to terms with you and continued to pay you the Jizya. This was from her foolishness. Now you must repay all the taxes you have collected from us and promise to give payment as a fine or we will punish you with our swords.

When this letter was received and read by Haroon Rasheed, he flew, into such a rage that the officials and ministers around him had no courage to remain sitting there and left the court silently. Haroon wrote on the back of the same letter:

In the name of Allah who is most Beneficent and Merciful. From Amir al-Muminin Haroon Rasheed to the Roman dog. You, the son of unbelief, I read your letter. You will see its reply with your own eyes. You need not read it. That is all.

He wrote the above reply and sent back the letter. The same day he left Baghdad with the army for the Roman territories, arriving there he besieged its capital Herculah. Nagfoor was at a loss and finding himself powerless to resist, begged him to be excused and promised to pay him the Jizya. Having defeated and humiliated him Haroon returned after exacting a promise from him to pay more Jizya than before. He had hardly reached the city of Riqqah when Nagfoor violated the peace treaty and prepared to rebel. He was sure that due to winter the Muslim soldiers would not dare to launch an attack on them. However, as soon as Haroon heard this news he left Riqqah, entered Roman territory and conquered and destroyed many forts. He continued to capture Roman territory until he confronted Nagfoor, who pleaded for forgiveness again. Haroon collected the full amount of tax and brought most parts of the territory under his control.

The same year, 187 A.H. Ibrahim bin Adham died. (Ibrahim Adham was a prince from Balkh who gave up his worldly power and wealth to become an ascetic.) In 188 A.H., the Roman King Nagfoor gave indications that he was going to rebel again. Ibrahim bin Jibrail from Safsaf invaded Rome. The Roman Emperor himself came out to fight. However, he could not stand the pressure, was decisively defeated and left 40,000 Roman soldiers dead while he escaped. The Islamic army returned victorious.

In 189 A.H., Caliph Haroon Rasheed went to Rayy and made adjustments in the administration by deposing and appointing new administrators in the provinces west of Khorasan. He consoled and encouraged Marzaban Delam by sending him a certificate of pardon and safety. The elders and rulers of the border regions visited him and assured him of their loyalty. He made Abdul Malik bin Malik the ruler of Tabristan, Rayy, Qumas, and Hamadan. The same year another exchange of prisoners between the Romans and the Muslims took place. The same year Imam Muhammad bin Hasan Shibani, Abu Hanifa's disciple died at Al-Zambuwith near Rayy and the same day Kisai Nahvi also died. Both had been in the company of Haroon Rasheed. He joined the burial service and when he returned from the graveyard, he said, "We have buried both Fiqah and Nahw today."

In 190 A.H., Haroon Rasheed made his son Mamoon his deputy at Riqqah, handed over to him all the affairs of the government and invaded Rome with 135,000 soldiers following Nagfoor's violation of the peace treaty. He surrounded the fort and after thirty days, he conquered it and captured and killed the Romans. Then he sent Dawood bin Isa bin Musa with 70,000 soldiers to capture other Roman forts. This army shook up the entire Roman Empire. During the same period Sharjeel bin Maan bin Zaidah captured Saqaliah, Dalbashah and other forts. Yazid bin Mukhlid and Abdullah bin Malik conquered the forts of Qauniyah and Mukhallad respectively. Humaid bin Mayuf, the Admiral, repaired the Syrian and Egyptian fleet and invaded Cyprus, defeated the inhabitants and took the entire island as spoils of war and brought 17,000 men as captives. Then Haroon encircled Tawwanah. In short, the Muslims made up their mind to create an upheaval in the Roman Empire, put an end to and settle the frequent battles once and for all. Nagfoor felt helpless he accepted to pay the taxes and sent a sum of 50,000 Asharfis to Haroon on behalf of himself and on behalf of his son and the bishops. He sent an appeal to Haroon requesting him to return a certain woman from among the captives of Herculah for she was betrothed to his son. The caliph granted his request and sent back the said woman. Taking pity upon Nagfoor for his entreaties and humility, he returned his country to him in exchange for 300,000 Asharfis and the normal taxes. Immediately after his return, the Romans revolted again. The same year 190 A.H. Khalid bin Yazid bin Hatim was made Governor of Mousil and Harsimah bin Ayun was entrusted with the task of constructing the fort of Tartoos. 3,000 soldiers of Khorasan and 1,000 soldiers of Masisah and Antakya were busy constructing the fort of Tartoos. It was completed in 192 A.H. The same year Kharmiyah in Azerbaijan revolted. Abdullah bin Malik with 10,000 soldiers was sent to punish him. He defeated the rebels and killed the captives and put an end to the mischief. The same year on 3 Muharram 190 A.H. Yahya Barmuk died in Riqqah in captivity. He was 71. His funeral service was led by his son Fadal bin Yahya.

In 191 A.H., Haroon Rasheed made Muhammad bin Fadal bin Sulaiman the governor of Mousil. The Governorship of Makkah was given to Fadal bin Abbas.

Rebellion in Khorasan

It has already been mentioned that when Ali bin Isa was appointed governor of Khorasan, the Barmuks incited Wahab bin Abdullah and Hamza bin Atrak to revolt. Wahab was killed but Hamza survived and escaped and he continued to plunder in the area. Ali bin Isa, the Amir of Khorasan, deputed Yahya bin Ash'ath the Administrator of Samarkand and Mawaraunnehr. There was a famous chief in the army of Mawaraunnehr named Rafe bin Laith bin Nasr bin Sayyar who was linked with the organization of the Barmuk family. He hated Caliph Haroon and Ali bin Isa. Yahya bin Ash'ath married a certain woman and Rafe bin Laith became involved with her and she wanted to be divorced from Yahya but he would not divorce her. Rafe suggested a way out saying, "Announce that you have become an atheist and present two witnesses. Your marriage with him will automatically be terminated. Embrace Islam after that and then I shall marry you." She acted upon his advice and by this trickery married Rafe. It was a technique to annul the marriage, this was probably the first time this legal trick was used. Yahya bin Ash'ath sent a detailed report about all these events to Haroon Rasheed. He wrote to Ali bin Isa the governor of Khorasan, to separate the woman from Rafe, and exercise the Islamic law concerning his case, mount him on a donkey and display him in Khorasan. So, in compliance he was separated from her and sent to jail in Samarkand. One day he escaped from the jail and went to Ali bin Isa, the governor, in Balkh. Ali bin Isa wanted to execute him but his son made a recommendation for him and Ali bin Isa ordered him to be sent to Yahya bin Ash'ath in Samarkand. Rafe arrived there and killed the administrator and occupied Samarkand.

At this news Ali bin Isa sent his son Isa bin Ali to Samarkand. Isa bin Ali was killed in the fighting. Then Ali bin Isa, taking his army, left Balkh and came to Merv before Rafe could capture it. This occurred in 191 A.H. Caliph Haroon Rasheed heard about Rafe's crimes, deposed Ali bin Isa from the governorship of Khorasan and deputed Harsimah bin Ayun in his place. The fact was that all the chiefs of the Khorasan army and the members of the Barmuk's group had joined Rafe. Harsimah bin Ayun arrived in Samarkand and besieged Rafe. Rafe's defense continued for a long time.

Haroon Rasheed’s Fall of the Barmuk Family: Conspiracy and Execution

 

When meeting Jafar and in the course of their talk, Haroon Rasheed asked Jafar about Yahya bin Abdullah. Jafar told him that he was still under house arrest. Haroon Rasheed asked him whether he could say that under oath. This made Jafar extremely nervous and he realized that the secret was out. He steadied and said, "Yahya bin Abdullah has been living under my care for a long time and I did not apprehend any danger from him. So I did not see any harm in releasing him." This was the most critical point for Haroon Rasheed. If he had shown his displeasure at that moment, the Barmuks would have never come under his control and would then have made use of all those resources, which they had made available both materially and morally.

Confrontation with the Barmuks was no easy job for Haroon Rasheed and probably they would not have given him breathing time and would not have let him make a sign indicative of distress, because 25 persons among Yahya bin Khalid's sons and grandsons were men of letters and sword who remained present at his palace in different posts on the grounds. They had under their possession the keys to the administration and provisions for all territories. All the military commanders were appointed by them and they were all loyal to them. All the administrative officers and high officials were their appointees.

The Scholars, Legal Experts and spiritual leaders were not out of their control because they served them much and obliged them. All the poets were their admirers. They were popular with their subjects by virtue of their generosity and so from the west to the east they had become liked by the people at large. They had made such large scale and fool proof preparations that several Haroon Rasheed would not have succeeded. But Haroon Rasheed steadied himself and after hearing about Yahya bin Abdullah's release from Jafar said carelessly, "I simply asked you about him by the way. That you have let him go is very good. I was myself about to ask you to release him right now."

It is easy to imagine that the release of a person like Yahya bin Abdullah was in reality a shock to Haroon Rasheed. The Alawiites' revolt did not give the Abbasids any rest throughout their reign and Yahya bin Abdullah was not an ordinary man whose freedom from captivity could be insignificant to Haroon Rasheed. Anyway, Haroon Rasheed succeeded on this occasion and concealed his feelings. At that same time, another incident took place. On the occasion of some feast, the officials of the government and Iranian chiefs were present.

Somebody said, "How intelligently Abu Muslim transferred the rule from one dynasty to another." Jafar said, "It was not a praiseworthy piece of work because he did it by killing 600,000 people. It would have been more admirable if it was done quietly." There was someone at the party who heard and narrated the incident to Haroon Rasheed who was sure that Jafar was the man who wanted to do it himself. Then in order to put the Barmuks off their guard he started drafting the documents for distributing the powers of succession and territory among his sons. This was the kind of work that was not expected to be taken up by a caliph who was aware of a serious conspiracy against him.

This was the greatest allusion and trap that Haroon Rasheed led the Barmuks into. He could neither spend much time in the affairs nor could he put the Barmuks off their guard for long. So, in 186 A.H. he came back to Rayy, took bay'at for Motamin's succession, prepared the deed of distribution and had the treaty written and duly signed by Ameen and Mamoon. Then he went for Hajj, gave alms to the needy, came to Madinah, gave away rewards and alms and returned. He then arrived at Ambar and suddenly on the last night of Muharram, he killed Jafar, put his father and brother into captivity and did not give anyone a chance to move against him.

Haroon Rasheed reached Ambâr and one night he sent for his Hajib Masroor and said to him, "Take a reliable body of Sarhangis and go to Jafar's tent, call him to the door and cut off his head and come back." Masroor was horrified to hear it. But Haroon Rasheed said to him silently, "This order of mine must be complied with without any delay." Masroor left at once, went to Jafar's tent and came back with his head. That same night Caliph Haroon Rasheed put Jafar's father and brothers into jail and at once issued an order that Jafar's, Fadal's and Yahya's property wherever it was must be confiscated. Then all the members of the Barmuk dynasty were arrested and sent to jail, and all their appointees were removed from all responsible posts in the government.

Thus, Haroon Rasheed in a single night succeeded in warding off the danger of the Barmuks and heaved a sigh of relief. He achieved this feat in such a manner that no one had time to create any opposition. He very much relied on Yahya bin Khalid's brother Mohammad bin Khalid Barmuk's loyalty and it is possible that he might have revealed some secrets to Haroon Rasheed. He was not arrested. On the other hand a respectable member of Haroon Rasheed's family Abdul Malik bin Saleh bin Ali bin Abdullah bin Abbas who was his grandfather, entered into the conspiracy with the Barmuks because he was promised to be made caliph.

After taking the Barmuks captive, Haroon Rasheed held Abdul Malik bin Saleh captive. Abdul Malik bin Saleh's son Abdur Rahman stood witness against his father and Abdul Malik remained in captivity. Mamoon set him free during his regime. Ibrahim bin Uthman bin Naheek was also an accomplice in the conspiracy and was put to death. Yahya Barmuk and Fadal Barmuk died in captivity in 190 A.H. and 193 A.H. respectively.

As the Barmukis gave money to the people thoughtlessly and patronized the poets, the people in general who were unaware of the reality, felt shocked and they declared Haroon Rasheed a tyrant. The poets wrote elegies, the storytellers narrated their generosity and qualities with exaggeration. Haroon Rasheed did not make any discussion about the conspiracy public and issued strict orders against the Barmuks. During his regime, the public in general never found out the real cause of the removal of the Barmuks.

Had the public come to know about the betrayal and conspiracy of the Barmuks, Haroon Rasheed and the government of the Abbasids would have lost their hold and it would have given rise to new conspiracies. It was his foresight that he did not make any public statement about them and by so doing kept the people terror stricken, overawed and puzzled and this was most suited to keeping the rule of the Abbasids intact. If the common people were allowed to air their views about the fall of the Barmuks, their supporters and admirers who were present everywhere in great numbers might have opened their mouths and the wind of opposition might have started blowing against the Abbasids. In this particular case, no other strategy was more suitable than the one he adopted.

The Barmuks claimed to be the lovers of the Prophet's family and supporters of the descendants of Abi Talib. The Alwiites took their ruin as a personal loss and even today, the partisans of Ali and partisans of Husain are found mourning over their death and destruction. Their love for knowledge and patronage of the scholars is narrated exaggeratedly and colorfully although that Zoroastrian family did not do any extraordinary or significant service to Islam and the Muslims. The cause of their death and destruction is quite evident and there is no room for doubt, in order to save his sultanate Haroon Rasheed killed the Barmuks as a king who destroys his enemies to safeguard his kingdom. He held also grand father a captive with Barmeeks. There is no need to mix speculative and nonsensical theories with a matter that is clear.

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.

The Truth Behind Jafar Barmuk’s Death and Abbasah Marriage Controversy

The Advent of Nadir Khan in India

When Nadir Shah Irani landed on Indian soil and the Indian king brought him to Delhi as a dear guest with peace and friendship, someone in an intoxicated state at a bar said, "Ha! What a magnificent work Mohammad Shah has done by bringing Qazalbash into the fort and having him killed by female guards!" This mindless group with these words let the heads of the Iranians in Delhi get chopped off. At last being compelled Nadir Shah ordered a general massacre in Delhi and it was of such a magnitude that Delhi had not seen the like of it until date. So, it is in the same vein that someone has narrated the cause of Jafar Barmuk's death and said:

"Haroon Rasheed Abbasi had a sister named Abbasah bint Mahdi. He loved her very much. Similarly Jafar bin Yahya, the Prime Minister was also his companion and friend who always lived with him. Haroon used to drink with Jafar and Abbasah. Just as he wanted his sister to participate in drinking, similarly he wished his Prime Minister Jafar to keep company with him. So, he had Abbasah married to Jafar so that their meeting and seeing each other without a veil might be lawful. But Jafar and Abbasah were sternly warned that they should not establish physical relations with each other. But they failed to abide by it. When Haroon came to know of it he had him murdered and thus ruined his entire family."

When the novelists and educated ignorant of our times laid their hands on such nonsense, they polished it and propagated this falsehood so much that he who reads these books reposes more faith in it than Quranic verses and Hadith and does not like to hear anything to the contrary.

This canard was authored hundred of years after Jafar's death and Tabri has mentioned it in his book. As the incident contains novelty and was uniquely narrated, wonder loving minds were inclined to it and no one has missed recording this rumor since and we too unfortunately have to refer to this unpleasant story. Tabri and other historians have given other causes as well. But few of them have tried to use wisdom and common sense by discriminating and selecting genuine incidents.

1.     Haroon Rasheed is the fifth caliph among the Abbasids. The Abbasids prided themselves on being superior to all Arabs in respect of family honor and race. The entire Arab world recognized their ancestral superiority. It was their family honor that propelled them to rise against Banu Umayyah and they met with success. When they came into power as ruler and caliph of the entire Islamic world, their pride of race increased even more. Arab prejudice and the sense of respect were deeply ingrained in them. In this case, how was it possible for a caliph like Haroon Rasheed to have his sister married to a man that he regarded as a Zoroastrian slave's son and grandson of a man of an unknown father? Admitted, he addressed Jafar as his brother and his father as "respected father" because he was his tutor. But at the time of marrying his sister, he could not overlook nation. family and race. If he had turned liberal minded in respect of marriage like the modern people, his relatives who had a single lineage and were in good numbers, could not remain mute spectators at this familial dishonor. Similarly, Abbasah too could not have tolerated such humiliation.

2.     It is beyond comprehension that a religious minded man like Haroon Rasheed who went on Hajj and Jihad every alternate year and who was the chief and caliph of the Islamic world could have held drinking parties. If a caliph in Banu Umayyah had taken date juice wine, it created a stir in the whole world and historians have continued to mention this evil act in particular until the present. However, Haroon Rasheed who visited the meetings of the scholars and Allah-fearing devotees while alone and sat on tattered mats and wept bitterly while listening to their sermons, how could he have anything to do with wine an impure and dirty thing like urine? Elders like Fudail bin Ayad, Ibn Sammak and Sufyan Thauri were his friends and companions. A man who performs his Salat five times a day with great regularity, with humility and piety especially the pre-dawn prayer which is performed an hour and a half before sunrise, coupled with hundreds of supererogatory prayers daily, how shameless and injustice it is to call such a man drinker of wine. How can a man who attended a wine party in the night participate in the pre-dawn prayer? How can humility and piety be found in the prayer of a man who is in the habit of taking wine?

3.     The scholars in Iraq had given a fatwa about the legality of nabeedh, a mixture of dates and water, and some wealthy people used it but it cannot be connected with the intoxication found in wine. It has never been proved that Haroon Rasheed ever used date-juice or held such a party as mentioned in these false narratives. Until Haroon Rasheed's regime the simplicity and military life of the Arabs persisted which did not include taking wine. The Arab nobility claimed by Haroon Rasheed always condemned wine as an evil so much so that the nobles in the days of ignorance (the period before Islam) never touched it nor did they consider it a proper act of the nobility. That was why the Prophet, Abu Bakr and many others of the nobility of the Arabs never touched it even during the days before Islam. Haroon Rasheed could not accept this lowness and depravity in violation of the Islamic instruction.

4.     Even in the present irreligious condition nobody, however mean and low and addicted to taking wine in public he might be, would like his sister to drink with him. The drinkured people even they would not like to start a drinking session with other men taking their sisters with them. How could Haroon Rasheed Abbasi who had Tabiyyen, (those who were with the companions of the Prophet) and Taba-Tabiyeen, (those who were with the Tabiyyen,) at his court have committed such a shameless act without dying of shame?

5.     Those who are addicted to adultery, theft and drinking, generally try to prevent their relatives from doing such things. If Haroon Rasheed had been habituated to it, he could not have persuaded his sister to follow suit. Probably his beloved wife Zubaidah, whom he loved very much, would have been the first to partake it with him. But none has indicated anything of this kind about her and her life is impeccable on this matter. How surprising is it that there were regular and constant recitations of the Qur'an at her palace while her dear husband was drowned in wine?

6.     The historians have written with confidence that there was a Jewish doctor named Jibrail at Haroon Rasheed's court. He partook a meal with the caliph and when he saw harmful things, he stopped him from eating it. Once fish was served to the caliph and he wanted to eat it but the doctor requested him not to and asked the cook to take it away. By chance, one of the caliph's servants found Jibrail eating the same fish at his residence. Then it was suggested that the doctor himself wanted to eat it and so prevented the caliph from consuming it. The servant communicated this to Haroon. It was a small incident and Haroon Rasheed could have said nothing to him except laugh it off. When the doctor came to know that the caliph was informed of the incident, he put three pieces of the fish into three separate bowls. He put meat and other things eaten by the caliph into a bowl and mixed them. He put ice water in the second bowl. He then poured wine in the third bowl. Then he presented the three bowls before the caliph and said, "The first two bowls contain what you have eaten and the third contains what I have eaten." When he looked into them, he found that the contents had rotted and were giving off a bad smell. However, the bowl that contained the wine and fish had not rotted. The doctor saved himself from being put to shame and explained to the caliph, "As I take wine, the fish was not harmful to me. And as you do not take wine, I stopped you from eating it." This episode bears proof that Haroon Rasheed abstained from wine.

7.     Actually, Abbasah was married to Mohammad bin Sulaiman. When he died and she became a widow, she was then married to Ibrahim bin Saleh bin Ali who was Haroon Rasheed's close relative and descendent from Abbas. To attribute such a falsehood to such a noble and pious lady is a proof of the lowness of the liar. He who tries to prove falsehood to be a fact is certainly a man of devilish nature. The strangest point in this allegation is that Haroon took care of following the Islamic law in finding a legal way to allow Jafar and Abbasah to look at each other but he forgot the Islamic law concerning drinking.

The Barmuk Dynasty’s Rise, Political Power, and Growing Influence

 

He had cleverly positioned himself to be the tutor of Mahdi. He survived Mahdi's accession to the throne and Mansoor's death. This added more to his honor and status. He died during Mahdi's regime, in 163 A.H., at the age of 77. The second half of his life was spent in watching the birth and death of caliphates and he had himself worked as a dominant figure in ruining caliphates and founding new ones. At the time of his death, his son Yahya was 54 or 50 and he had also seen all these games and disturbances soon after he came of age.

He had inherited from his father all thoughts, wishes, precautions and had heard with reverence and sadness the stories of the ruin of his ancestors, the honor of his family and the Iranian empire. He regarded himself as the representative and religious leader of his nation. He knew it fully that a slight error on his part might put an end to the respect and influence he commanded in the Islamic caliphate and bring him down to total destruction. On the other side, he and his father were fully conversant with the internal and family affairs of the caliph. The constant participation in the Caliph's court had kept his heart from being overawed and shattered by the awe of authority.

Khalid Barmuk's deepest plot was this that in 161 A.H. he advised Mahdi to make Yahya the tutor to Haroon Rasheed. As Mahdi himself had remained under his tutelage, he thought it natural to give his son to Khalid's son to be coached and trained. Even before that when Haroon Rasheed was born of Khaizrân at Rayy, Khalid was with Mahdi there.

It was Khalid again who was instrumental in making Haroon Rasheed his foster grandson, Yahya's son Fadal, foster brothers by letting him suck Yahya's wife's milk and Fadal suck Khaizrân's milk. If all these wise steps of Khalid are studied deeply it becomes apparent that he was able to protect his family very intelligently and beautifully for he wanted to achieve a grand feat, that is, to avenge Abu Muslim's murder and bring the ruling power back to the Iranians.

Yahya bin Khalid had educated and trained Haroon. He had impressed Haroon so much that even after being caliph he used to address him as "Respected father" and was shy of talking informally in his presence. Caliph Hadi's caliphate was not in consonance with the plans of the Barmuk family and Yahya had limited influence on Hadi. Yahya thought out such a diabolical plan that Hadi's own mother Khaizrân turned against him. Their mother wishing to save.

Haroon's life along with Yahya did away with Hadi by joining together and Hadi was only able to rule for a little more than a year. Yahya's bid for having Haroon accede to the throne was naturally a bid in his own interest. As expected soon after being caliph, Haroon made Yahya his Prime Minister and in charge of all the expeditions. Yahya was not a fool to keep Haroon's mother Khaizrân displeased. He began to do everything in consultation with her and always consulted her on every issue. After a short time, she died and Yahya no longer had to perform even that formality. He worked with so much concentration, sincerity and efficiency in the affairs of the caliphate and expeditions that his love and respect in Haroon's heart kept growing. He took great care and precaution not to make Haroon feel constrained in any way in the expression of his free mind and fulfillment of his heart's desire. It appeared that Yahya's only duty was to try his best to see Haroon's wish and intention fulfilled and that was all.

The greatest strategic move he made was that he appointed and assigned quite imperceptibly his relatives, brothers, nephews and like-minded Iranians to responsible posts in the important states of the provinces and appointed many of them to be leaders of the army. He had managed to make his sons Fadal and Jafar brothers to Haroon Rasheed and Haroon called them his brothers and loved them very much. Haroon had put his sons under the guardianship and protection of Fadal and Jafar and when Yahya grew old in 174 A.H. he made his son Fadal his assistant in the ministry of expeditions.

When Yahya bin Abdullah rebelled in 176 A.H. at Delam, it was Fadal bin Yahya who settled it and had landed estates given to him. Haroon entrusted Yahya bin Abdullah to Jafar bin Yahya to keep him under his custody. Haroon had also made Fadal the governor of Khorasan, Tabristan, Rayy and Hamdân in 178 A.H. He had made Fadal the tutor to his son Ameen. During his governorship of Khorasan Yahya prepared a strong and well-armed Iranian army of 500,000 men. After a year, Haroon recalled him from there and appointed him Prime Minister. Yahya was always consulted in all important matters, that is, he continued to partake in all expeditions of the government.

Yahya's second son Jafar had been Haroon Rasheed's chief companion and a very close friend. He always accompanied him at home and on journeys. He was very sweet-tempered and methodical. In 176 A.H., he was entrusted with the governorship of Egypt in addition to his being the inspector of Police of the royal palaces. Jafar sent Imran bin Mehrân to govern Egypt on his behalf and he lived in the service of Haroon. When rebellions broke out in Damascus and Syria, it was Jafar who went and put them down. Then Haroon made him the governor of Khorasan. Hardly a month had passed when he was made governor and city Magistrate of Baghdad itself.

Jafar entrusted this task to Harsimah bin Ayun and he himself continued to be Haroon's companion. Haroon Rasheed sent for Yahya bin Khalid and said to him, "Please tell Fadal to hand over the portfolios of the prime minister to Jafar because I feel shy to tell Fadal to hand over the job of prime minister to Jafar." So, Yahya, their father, conveyed Haroon's intention to Fadal and thus Jafar became Prime Minister. This shows how much hold this family had on Haroon.

During the period of his ministry Jafar bin Yahya dominated over all the posts and departments of the government so much that he came to be regarded as the real owner and ruler of the government. All the police and palaces of Baghdad were under him. It was he who had brought and appointed the administrators of the states, governors of the provinces and the commanders of the armies. He was the master and superintendent of the treasury to such an extent that when Haroon required money he used to ask Jafar for it. Yahya bin Khalid had other sons too who were officers in the army. He and his sons took great advantage of their authority and influence seamlessly and intelligently.

That is, they spent government money lavishly and generously on gifts and rewards besides giving big revenues from estates and setting salaries. Consequently, his generosity made him as popular as Hatim. (This is in reference to Hatim Tai who is considered the proverbial example of generosity in Arabic culture. Editor) There was no one who was not an admirer and supporter of the Barmuk family. They earned large amounts of money and spent the same lavishly in purchasing their reputation and fame until not only in Khorasan and Iraq but also in Syria, Egypt, Arabia, Yemen and far-off countries the people eulogized their generosity and gifts in their odes.

The honor, popularity and power of the Barmuk dynasty had touched the zenith. Except for the fact that they had no accession to the throne of caliphate, they had all the rest at their disposal. But in spite of all this, they could not do anything against the intention of Haroon Rasheed. Haroon Rasheed and his supporters had no chance to question their power and grandeur. However, if hidden under this handling of power was an evil design or rebellion, then there would be no enemy greater and more formidable for them than Haroon Rasheed.

In the beginning of 187 A.H., it was suddenly witnessed that Haroon Rasheed meted out to the dynasty of Barmuk the treatment which is generally meted out to enemies. So we must observe and try to find out whether the Barmuk family had really starting hatching a conspiracy against his caliphate or not and whether Haroon Rasheed came to know about it or not. If the Barmuk family had really an evil intention against Haroon Rasheed and the Abbasid caliphate then however he treated them in the end was absolutely right and lawful. But if the Barmuk family was the same both internally and externally and they were sincerely loyal to him, then none can be a worse judge and tyrant than Haroon. For those who are accustomed to probe superficially, the ruin of the Barmuks may be insoluble and they have covered this knotty problem with the babblings of the inebriated and propped it up to look like a reality.

The Barmuk Family: Origins, Rise, and Early Political Influence

The Barmuk Family and Their Downfall

While recording the conditions of Caliph Haroon Rasheed's caliphate, we have reached 187 A.H. In the beginning of this year, Haroon Rasheed had his minister killed and his brother Fadal and father Yahya imprisoned. In the lives of kings and caliphs killing a minister and imprisoning their family is not an extraordinary or unusual event. The histories of kings are replete with such incidents. The feats of kings are written in blood. The ordinary events of the downfall of the Barmuk family and Jafar's murder have assumed ugly proportions due to the machinations of the lovers of tumult, tellers of false tales, novelists and the ignorant worshippers of fantasies. Because there are many educated yet misinformed persons and many fools giving the impression of being wise who have misunderstand Mahmood Ghaznavi and Aurangzeb Alamgir and lead others to follow them and in the process damage the cause of Islam, it is necessary to expose the falsehoods about Mahmood and Alamgir and present the facts. Similarly false propaganda against the murder of Jafar and the downfall of the Barmuk family should be narrated in detail in order to separate reality from fantasy. Therefore, a detailed narration of the events of 187 A.H. is in order. First of all a short history of the Barmuk family will be followed by those false and unfounded narratives which have found publicity among the ignorant and misinformed, which have been quoted by and alluded to by many educated people and then finally the real facts will be given.

The Barmuk Family

The oldest religion of the Iranians was Mah-âbâdi, which entailed worship of the stars more than fire-worship. A number of reformers as revivers came one after another after Mah-âbâd. The last of them was Zoroaster. The religious legal system, which he brought into practice, Allah alone knows. But from what is gathered, it shows that his religion contained five-worship more than worship of stars. In his lifetime, his religion became the royal religion and spread to most parts of Iran. Asfandyar's wrestling spread it to Afghanistan and the Punjab. The greatest of the Indian scholars Sangrachah Biyas visited.

Zoroaster in Balkh, took an oath of obedience, returned to India and started propagating fire-worship, which survives among the Hindus in the form of hawan even today. Zoroaster's and his true devotee and the renouncer of his kingdom, King Lahrasab's, final resting place was Balkh. Balkh is as important in relation to Zoroastrianism as Jerusalem is in relation to Christianity or Buddhism is to Gaya (in India). Alexander of Greece destroyed Astkhar, Samarkand, Kangrah, Karachi and Kabul by assault and plunder. This area was part of the Zoroastrian kingdom of the Kyani family and it was this region where fire-worship was in practice. The influx of Greeks not only put an end to the Kyani kingdom but it also put out fire-worship. After some hundreds of years the Iranians were able to shake off the Greek yoke and Sâsân I unified the multiple kingships and anarchy of Iran, picked the sparks out of the Zoroastrian ashes and lighted its hearths. Balkh had been made desolate by the Chinese during Zoroaster's time but it was repopulated very soon and remained their holy city and their direction of prayer.

Alexander's flood had diminished the markets of Balkh but it remained the place of hope of the steadfast Zoroastrians. It regained its youth again during the regime of the Sasanids. When the Sasanids breathed their last on the battlefields of Qadsiyah and Nahawand, the light of the hearths of Balkh increased all the more because the defeated emperor of Iran and the rest of the escaping leaders' place of assembly was in Balkh and it was to Balkh they turned and worshipped Yezdân in the hearth known as Naubahar. The spiritual leader of a hearth was called Mugh and the chief of the Mughs, the superintendent of all hearths of his province and the Mugh of this central hearth was known as Barmugh. Mugh the great spiritual leader of the Naubahar hearth at the sight of the ruin and helplessness of the greatest patron of fire-worship, the Iranian emperor, must have been moved and thought that the religion of which he was one of the leaders, was about to be humiliated and ruined and with it he and the honor of his family would vanish.

The hearth of Naubahar was one of the four central hearths. This hearth commanded the greatest popularity and grandeur for Balkh was considered to be the place of Lahrasap's slaughter, Zoroaster's place of residence and the center of Zoroastrians. The Barmugh of Naubahar commanded the greatest respect among the fire-worshipers and the Iranians. In 31 A.H., the flood of the Muslim victors moved on to Merv sweeping the plain and rolling off the mountains until they reached Balkh and the fire, which was said to have been burning for thousands of years became extinct. Neither the fire-worshippers survived nor the fireplace was needed any more. No group was there to honor Barmugh nor was there income for his luxuries. However, they maintained their title, Barmugh and the victorious Arabs pronounced it as Barmuk.

It is incorrect to conclude that the Arabs put a stop to the fire worshipper’s prayer and converted them to Islam by force by demolishing Naubahar. Had the Muslims converted the fire worshippers to Islam by force, they would have first converted Barmuk. They did not disturb him rather the fire worshippers kept renouncing their religion and embracing Islam by themselves. It was due to this conversion that the Muslims scored victories wonderfully fast. Their arrival in Balkh meant the arrival of Islam there and consequently, it led to the ruin of the hearth of Naubahar and its Barmugh. Because Barmuk was the religious leader, he did not accept Islam for the advent of Islam in the country had damaged him in all respects. He looked on the Muslims in anger.

The Mongols and Turkish tribes along the Chinese border, who had nothing to do with the Iranian nation and their religion but were terrified of attacking Balkh, now began to raid. Consequently, the same Mongol chiefs who promised to pay Jizyah to the Muslims began to rule over Balkh and later on proved inconvenient to the Muslims when they gained power. The Mongols removed all traces of fire worship from Balkh and brought the Barmuk family to the level of the lowest section of the society by dishonoring it. The Arabs did not stay there long and internal quarrels did not let them turn their attention to the borders much and thus Balkh remained the target of attacks by the Mongols. The Barmuk who had seen the good and prosperous days of Naubahar hearth and the Zoroastrian kingdom, died.

His son, who was a follower of Zoroaster, came to be known by the same name. Barmuk II had not seen the golden days of Naubahar. In 86 A.H. when Qutaiba bin Muslim, the governor of Khorasan, invaded Balkh, a few women were brought into captivity and became slaves. Barmukh II's wife was among those who came into the share of Qutaiba bin Muslim's brother Abdullah bin Muslim. After a short time there was reconciliation with the people of Balkh, all the women and captives were returned. So, Abdullah bin Muslim had also to return the women. At the time of her departure she said to him, "I have been made pregnant by you." When she reached Barmuk, she gave birth to a child who was Ja'far Barmuk's grandfather named Khalid.

This narration may also be lumped with the same fictitious and imaginary stories which are generally written by wonder loving and wonder worshiping authors. However, Khalid was born at the residence of Barmuk II either in 86 or 87 A.H. In 124 A.H., Imam Ibrahim Abbasi sent Abu Muslim Khorasani as the officer and superintendent of his propagation. Abu Muslim enrolled Khalid bin Barmuk in his group when he was forty. Abu Muslim loved him very much and paid special attention to his training and raising his status. When Abu Muslim sent a man from Khorasan and had Abu Salmah Khâlal alias minister to the family of Mohammad murdered, he wrote to Saffah to make Khâlid Barmuk his minister. Khalid Barmuk remained in that capacity until Saffah's death. After Saffah when Mansoor Abbasi succeeded to the throne, he retained him as his minister. In the first year of his caliphate, Mansoor had Abu Muslim who was Khalid's patron, killed. Khalid did not show his resentment or sorrow at his death.

But Mansoor taking precautionary measures sent him out on the plea of stamping out a rebellion and appointed Abu Ayub as his minister. Since Khalid did not show his stubbornness and disloyalty in any respect, Caliph Mansoor did not neglect to utilize the services of such an efficient and capable man. Khalid's future actions and attitude satisfied Mansoor. Khalid had the experience of being a true disciple of a conspiring and courageous man like Abu Muslim and was well versed in political matters. He harbored dedication and love for Iran in his heart, he had seen with his own eyes the end of Abu Muslim and while his heart was shedding tears of blood, he assumed the posture of a man deeper than Abu Muslim and succeeded in concealing his real intentions from an alert and discerning man like Caliph Mansoor. He remained the ruler of the state of Mousil and the tutor to Mansoor's son. He maintained his status until the end of his life. To be the tutor of Caliph Mahdi proved highly beneficial to him and to his family.

Haroon Rasheed’s Reign, Ibrahim Aghlab’s Rise, Succession Plans, and Barmakid Downfall

Ibrahim bin Aghlab and the city of Abbasia

It has been stated above that Haroon Rasheed sent Mohammad bin Muqatil bin Hakam as governor after Harsima bin Ayun's resignation. Muhammad bin Muqatil was Haroon's foster brother. He put down the rebellion in Africa, which was caused by Harsima bin Ayun's departure from Africa. Mohammad bin Muqatil cleverly and intelligently disciplined them into obedient subjects but their silence and obedience was under compulsion. They were ready to revolt at any time, displeased as they were with Muqatil. The main cause of rebellion was that he always consulted the administrator of the state of Zâb, Ibrahim bin Aghlab, who was in a secret conspiracy with the chiefs of the rebels and helped them and misguided Muqatil. Due to the repeated rebellions in North Africa, 100,000 dinars from the Egyptian treasury had to be spent annually on the upkeep, expenses and defense of the North African government. Africa, instead of creating revenue, had become a liability with the expenditure of 100,000 dinars per annum. Though Mohammad bin Muqatil restored peace expenses to the Egyptian treasury continued as usual. Now Ibrahim bin Aghlab requested Haroon Rasheed to make him the governor of North Africa and in exchange not only would he eliminate the 100,000 dinars per annum expense but would also send him 400,000 dinars per tax. He consulted his advisors. Harsimah bin Ayun said that there was no harm in making him the governor of Africa. So, Haroon Rasheed sent the certificate of governorship to Ibrahim in Muharram 184 A.H. Soon after arriving in North Africa he arrested all the ring leaders of the rebels who he knew well and sent them to Baghdad. That put an end to all disturbances at once. Then he founded a city near Qirwân and called it Abbasia. He made it the capital. His descendants continued to rule over it, which will be recorded later on in the narrative.

That same year 184 A.H. Haroon Rasheed handed over the governorship of Yemen and Makkah to Hammâd Berberi and sent Dawood bin Yazid bin Hatim as the governor of Sindh. Similarly, he gave the governorship of Qahistan and Tabristan to Yahya Huraishi and Maharaya Razi respectively.

In 185 A.H., the inhabitants of Tabristan attacked and killed Maharaya. Then In his place Abdullah bin Sayeed Huraishi was sent. The same year saw the death of the governor of Azerbaijan and Armenia, Yazid bin Mizyad Shebani. His place was taken by his son Asad bin Yazid.

As has already been stated, Ali bin Isa was able to stamp out all rebellions in Khorasan and restore peace after Wahab bin Nisai's death in 186 A.H. Ali bin Isa was not lucky enough to enjoy peace for long. A new intrigue was created against him in Khorasan. The Khorasanis continuously sent letters of complaints to the Caliph's court. Yahya bin Khalid was not pleased with Ali bin Isa as the governor of Khorasan. Yahya's younger sons Musa and Mohammad who commanded respect and influence in Khorasan had incited Wahab bin Abdullah and Hamza Khwarji to rebel. And it was due to their covert activities that Khorasan continued to reel under the impact of unrest and riots for years. During this period Haroon Rasheed's attention was drawn by Yahya and Jafar to the necessity of removing Ali bin Isa from the governorship of Khorasan. But he did not listen to them on this point. When peace was restored, paper horses started running. It was the result of instigation by the Barmuk family that the Khorasanis began to write letters of grievances against Ali bin Isa. When these letters became countless and the complaints started pouring in that he not only crossed all limits by torturing and persecuting civilians, he also was busy trying to topple the caliphate. Haroon Rasheed, under compulsion, left Baghdad and camped at Rayy. Hearing of the Caliph's arrival Ali bin Isa left Merv with gifts and reached Rayy and called on him and offered proof of his loyalty and sincerity. Being pleased, Haroon Rasheed retained him as the governor of Khorasan and included Rayy, Tabristan, Nahawand, Qomas and Hamdân under his jurisdiction.

Motamin as Crown Prince

The same year, in 186 A.H. Caliph Haroon Rasheed made his third son Qasim as the third heir apparent. He took the oath from the people that Qasim would succeed Mamoon as caliph and on that occasion, he honored him with the title Motamin. While making Motamin the third successor following Mamoon, the condition included in the oath was that if Motamin proved himself capable, he would succeed Mamoon otherwise Mamoon would be entitled to remove him and make someone else the successor. He handed over the reins of Iraq, Syria and the Arab countries to the first crown prince. Mamoon was given the Eastern countries and Qasim was entrusted with Saghoor, Jazirah and the Province of Awasim. Ameen, the first crown prince, was made to write an agreement that read:

"I shall fulfil my commitments to Mamoon" Similarly he made Mamoon write one: I shall fulfill my commitments to Ameen." These arrangements were duly signed by men of repute, the elders, leaders of the army, officials of the government and the elders of Madinah and Makkah and it was hung on Ka'bah. They were made to swear to remain content with what they were given and avoid usurping the other brother's territories. This was an order only concerning the matter of succeeding to the caliphate.

First Ameen would be the caliph of the Muslims and Mamoon would obey him. But Ameen would not have any authority to remove him from the governorship of those territories, which were chosen by Haroon. Mamoon would become caliph after Ameen and so on.

There were clarifications of these agreements, which were duly signed by Ameen, Mamoon and the others, which were also hung up on Ka'bah. Thus by dividing his sultanate among his sons Haroon Rasheed wanted to rule out the possibility of any quarrel among them in future. But this was not a wise step on his part and it probably was his paternal affection that compelled him to do such a thing, which was fated to end in failure.

A Remarkable Hajj of Haroon Rasheed

Caliph Haroon Rasheed was very fond of performing Hajj. He never missed any except under the most compelling circumstances. It was his regular practice to go for Hajj and Jihad every alternate year.

No caliph ever performed Hajj as many times as he did but the Hajj he performed in 186 A.H. is specifically remarkable because it was during this pilgrimage that the particular agreement mentioned above was hung on the Ka'bah, and it was after this Hajj that he destroyed the power of Barmuk family.

Haroon left Ambâr for Makkah with the intention to perform Hajj. He was accompanied by his three sons Ameen, Mamoon and Motamin. Jafar bin Yahya, the Prime Minister, was also with him. Finishing the Hajj, he left Makkah for Madinah. He enriched the people of both the places with gifts and rewards. He distributed 10,500,000 dinar (gold coins) as charity on behalf of himself and his sons. He returned from Madinah and camped at Ambâr. At this place, he had Jafar bin Yahya Barmuk killed at the end of Muharram 187 A.H.