Al-Mundhir VI ibn al-Nu'man explained

King of the Lakhmid state
Reign:8 months, starting from 633 CE
Predecessor:Azadbeh
Successor:Position abolished
Royal House:Lakhmids
Father:Al-Nu'man III ibn al-Mundhir
Death Place:Jawatha, now modern day Al-Ahsa Governorate, Saudi Arabia
Manner Of Death:Killed in battle
Religion:Nestorian Christianity (possibly)

Al-Mundhir VI ibn al-Nu'man (Arabic: المنذر بن النعمان) also known by the title al-Ma'rur was the final member of the Lakhmid dynasty to exert power and rule over the ancient city of Al-Hira. He was a son of Al-Nu'man III ibn al-Mundhir and succeeded the Persian governor Azadbeh, hence temporarily restoring the rule of Al-Hira to Lakhmid control. His reign was short, about merely 8 months.

Biography

Childhood

Al-Mundhir was a son of Al-Nu'man III ibn al-Mundhir. He also held the title al-Ma'rur. He is from the family of the Lakhmids, and not much is known from his early life.[1]

Temporary rule and death

The Persian governor, Azadbeh, fled from his rule over Al-Hira in 633 CE after the city faced invasions from the Muslim armies of the Rashidun Caliphate.[2] The rule returned to the family of Lakhm, with Al-Mundhir assuming power.[3] However, his reign lasted for only eight months before the Muslim armies led by Khalid ibn al-Walid advanced on his territories. According to the historian Muhammad ibn Habib al-Baghdadi, Al-Mundhir was killed in a battle against the Muslims at a place known as Jawatha (present-day Al-Ahsa Governorate).[4]

Legacy

Al-Mundhir was the last Lakhmid ruler of Al-Hira. His death signified the end of the ruling dynasty. Muslims would rule Al-Hira and other areas of Mesopotamia after the Battle of Hira in 633 CE, the same year of his death.[5]

Religious affiliation

Al-Mundhir VI might have been a Nestorian Christian, as the Lakhmids themselves were Nestorians.[6] However, Ibn Habib mentioned in the Kitāb al-Muḥabbar that Al-Mundhir was an "apostate" which implies he may have converted to Islam and then left the faith afterwards.

See also

Notes and References

  1. Book: Barru, Taufique . Tarikh al-Arab al-Qadim . Dar Al Fikr . 2001 . 2nd . Cairo, Egypt . Arabic.
  2. Encyclopedia: ĀZĀḎBEH B. BĀNEGĀN . Bosworth . C. E. . Richard N. Frye . Encyclopaedia Iranica, Vol. III, Fasc. 2 . 177 . 1987 .
  3. Mubarakpuri, Saifur Rahman (2008). The Sealed Nectar: Biography of the Noble Prophet. Dar-us-Salam Publications.
  4. Book: al-Baghdadi, Ibn Habib . Kitāb al-Muḥabbar . Maṭba'at al-Ma'ārif al-'Uthmāniyah . 1942 . Hyderabad, India . Arabic.
  5. Book: The Cambridge history of Iran. 4: The period from the Arab invasion to the Saljuqs / ed. by R. N. Frye . 1975 . Cambridge Univ. Pr . 978-0-521-20093-6 . Frye . Richard Nelson . 6. print . Cambridge.
  6. Fisher . Greg . Wood . Phillip . 2016 . Writing the History of the "Persian Arabs": The pre-Islamic perspective on the "Nasrids" of al-Hirah . Iranian Studies . 49 . 2 . 247–290 . Cambridge University Press.