List of caliphal governors of Medina explained

In early Islamic history, the governor of Medina was an official who administered the city of Medina and its surrounding territories.

During the era of the Rashidun, Umayyad and early Abbasid caliphates, the governor was generally appointed by the caliph, and remained in office until he died or was dismissed. The governorship was one of the chief administrative positions in the Hijaz and carried with it certain symbolic privileges, including the opportunity to lead the annual Muslim pilgrimage.

Rashidun governors

Known in pre-Islamic times as Yathrib, Medina (Arabic: المدينة, meaning simply "The City") became the residence of the Islamic prophet Muhammad following his Hijrah from Mecca in 622 AD. Under Muhammad and the first three Rashidun caliphs, Medina acted as the capital of a rapidly increasing Muslim Empire, but its remoteness from the emerging power centers of Syria and Iraq eventually undermined its political importance. Following the assassination of the third caliph Uthman ibn Affan in July 656 and the outbreak of the First Fitna or civil war, his successor Ali ibn Abi Talib was compelled to depart from Medina in order to assert his authority in Iraq, and the city lost its status as the capital of the Islamic state.[1]

With the departure of Ali from Medina, administration of the city was delegated to a number of representatives appointed by him. These representatives remained in control of Medina until 660, when an army dispatched by the Umayyad Mu'awiya ibn Abi Sufyan arrived at the city and forced Ali's governor to flee to Iraq.[2]

width=22% Namewidth=8% Yearswidth=10% Nature of
Termination		width=60% Notes
Sahl ibn HunaifFrom 657DismissedGovernor for Ali[3]
Tamman ibn AbbasDismissedGovernor for Ali[4]
Abu Ayyub al-AnsariTo 660FledGovernor for Ali[5]

Umayyad governors

Following the ascendency of the Umayyads in 661, Medina's loss of its political significance became permanent. The Umayyad caliphs, who were firmly based in the region of Syria, had few incentives to relocate to the Hijaz, and they generally made their residence in the area of Damascus. Although Medina continued to retain its religious importance as one of the Holy Cities of Islam, it became something of a political backwater under the Umayyads and its old elites, the Ansar, were reduced to acting as a "pious opposition" to the new regime.[6]

As the Umayyads had no interest in returning the capital to Medina, they instead dispatched governors to administer the city on their behalf. Governors were normally selected by the caliph and remained in office until they died or were dismissed in favor of a replacement candidate. In addition to Medina itself, they were sometimes (though not always) given jurisdiction over Mecca and al-Ta'if, and were often selected by the caliphs to act as leader of the annual pilgrimage to Mecca. In an effort to ensure that Umayyad interests were fully represented in the city, the caliphs usually selected blood or marital relatives for the position, but a few governors, such as with the Ansari Abu Bakr ibn Muhammad ibn Amr ibn Hazm, were exceptions to this rule.[7]

Governors assigned to Medina during this period played no role in the Muslim conquests due to the lack of active military fronts near the Hijaz,[8] but they were occasionally forced to deal with internal challenges to Umayyad rule. During the Second Fitna the Medinese threw off their allegiance to Yazid ibn Mu'awiya and expelled all of the Umayyads then in the city; this attempt to regain their old power, however, came to an end with their defeat at the Battle of al-Harrah in August 683, and the city was pillaged by the victorious Syrian troops in retaliation for its disobedience. Shortly afterwards Medina came under the nominal control of the anti-caliph Abdallah ibn al-Zubayr, but the Umayyads took back the city near the end of the Fitna and their hold on it was thereafter generally secure until the last years of their rule.[9]

Umayyad control of Medina came to an end during the period of the Third Fitna; the city was lost temporarily to Ibadi rebels in 747, and was then lost permanently with the overthrow of the dynasty by the Abbasid Revolution in 750.[10]

Umayyad governors
width=22% Namewidth=8% Yearswidth=10% Nature of
Termination		width=60% Notes
Marwan ibn al-Hakam662–669DismissedSubsequently became caliph in 684. Appointed by the caliph Mu'awiya ibn Abi Sufyan[11]
Sa'id ibn al-As669–674DismissedCousin of Mu'awiya, who appointed him[12]
Marwan ibn al-Hakam674–677/8DismissedRe-appointed by Mu'awiya[13]
Al-Walid ibn Utba ibn Abi Sufyan677/8–680DismissedNephew of Mu'awiya, who appointed him[14]
Amr ibn Sa'id ibn al-As680–681DismissedSon of Sa'id ibn al-As. Appointed by the caliph Yazid ibn Mu'awiya[15]
Al-Walid ibn Utba ibn Abi Sufyan681–682DismissedRe-appointed, this time by Yazid ibn Mu'awiya[16]
Uthman ibn Muhammad ibn Abi Sufyan682–683ExpelledCousin of Yazid ibn Mu'awiya, who appointed him[17]
None683n/aRevolt of the Ansar, Qurayshis and non-Qurayshi Muhajirun in Medina[18]
Zubayrid interregnum
width=22% Namewidth=8% Yearswidth=10% Nature of
Termination		width=60% Notes
Ubayda ibn al-Zubayr684-685DismissedBrother of Abdallah ibn al-Zubayr, who appointed him.[19] Jabir ibn al-Aswad ibn Awf and Abbas ibn Sahl ibn Sa'd al-Ansari are also mentioned as governors during this period[20]
Mus'ab ibn al-Zubayr685-686Moved to IraqBrother of Ibn al-Zubayr, who appointed him[21]
Jabir ibn al-Aswad ibn Awf687-690Dismissed(Re-)Appointed by Ibn al-Zubayr[22]
Talha ibn Abdallah ibn Awf690-691FledAppointed by Ibn al-Zubayr[23]
Umayyad governors (restored)
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Termination		width=60% Notes
Tariq ibn Amr691/2-693DismissedRe-established Umayyad control over Medina; confirmed as governor by the caliph Abd al-Malik ibn Marwan[24]
al-Hajjaj ibn Yusuf693-694DismissedAppointed by Abd al-Malik ibn Marwan[25]
Yahya ibn al-Hakam ibn Abi al-As694-695ResignedUncle of Abd al-Malik ibn Marwan, who appointed him[26]
Aban ibn Uthman695-702DismissedSon of Uthman ibn Affan. Appointed by Abd al-Malik ibn Marwan[27]
Hisham ibn Isma'il al-Makhzumi702-706DismissedFather-in-law of Abd al-Malik ibn Marwan, who appointed him[28]
Umar ibn Abd al-Aziz706-712DismissedSubsequently became caliph in 717. Appointed by the caliph al-Walid ibn Abd al-Malik[29]
Uthman ibn Hayyan al-Murri712-715DismissedAppointed by al-Walid ibn Abd al-Malik[30]
Abu Bakr ibn Muhammad ibn Amr ibn Hazm715-720DismissedAppointed by the caliph Sulayman ibn Abd al-Malik[31]
Abd al-Rahman ibn al-Dahhak ibn Qays al-Fihri720-723DismissedAppointed by the caliph Yazid ibn Abd al-Malik[32]
Abd al-Wahid ibn Abdallah al-Nasri723-724DismissedAppointed by Yazid ibn Abd al-Malik[33]
Ibrahim ibn Hisham ibn Isma'il al-Makhzumi724-732DismissedSon of Hisham ibn Isma'il. Appointed by the caliph Hisham ibn Abd al-Malik[34]
Khalid ibn Abd al-Malik ibn al-Harith ibn al-Hakam732-736/7DismissedAppointed by Hisham ibn Abd al-Malik[35]
Muhammad ibn Hisham ibn Isma'il al-Makhzumi736/7-743DismissedBrother of Ibrahim ibn Hisham. Appointed by Hisham ibn Abd al-Malik[36]
Yusuf ibn Muhammad ibn Yusuf al-Thaqafi743-744DismissedAppointed by the caliph al-Walid ibn Yazid[37]
Abd al-Aziz ibn Abdallah ibn Amr ibn Uthman744DismissedGreat-grandson of Uthman ibn Affan. Appointed by the caliph Yazid ibn al-Walid[38]
Abd al-Aziz ibn Umar ibn Abd al-Aziz744-747DismissedAppointed by Yazid ibn al-Walid[39]
Abd al-Wahid ibn Sulayman ibn Abd al-Malik747FledAppointed by the caliph Marwan ibn Muhammad[40]
None747-748n/aIbadi occupation of Medina[41]
Muhammad ibn Abd al-Malik ibn Marwan748[42]
Al-Walid ibn Urwah al-Sa'di748-750DismissedAppointed by his uncle Abd al-Malik ibn Muhammad ibn Atiyyah[43]
Yusuf ibn Urwah al-Sa'di750Last governor for the Umayyads. Appointed by Marwan ibn Muhammad[44]

Abbasid governors

The administrative situation of Medina was initially little changed by the coming of the Abbasids, who were generally centered in the region of Iraq. Governors of Medina continued to be appointed by the caliph and were selected to lead several of the annual pilgrimages. Like their predecessors, the Abbasid caliphs frequently chose members of their own dynasty for the governorship, but they also often appointed individuals from other families who were related to the Abbasids in some capacity.[45]

In the first decades of Abbasid rule Medina was occasionally the scene of Alid rebel movements, but these were generally minor affairs and were easily put down by the government. The short-lived revolt of Muhammad al-Nafs al-Zakiyya in 762, which was briskly defeated despite having had strong support from among the Medinese elite, particularly served as a demonstration as to how far the city had declined in terms of actual political influence, and Muhammad's choice to base the rebellion in Medina was specifically criticized by Muslim historians for prioritizing the city's religious significance over any sound strategic considerations. A later revolt by Muhammad's nephew al-Husayn ibn Ali al-Abid was also brief and ended in failure at the Battle of Fakhkh near Mecca in 786, while the seizure of Medina by a lieutenant of the pro-Alid rebel Abu al-Saraya al-Sari ibn Mansur in 815 during the Fourth Fitna was likewise temporary and the city was soon restored to Abbasid control.[46]

Two major sources for the identities of governors of Medina, the annalists Muhammad ibn Jarir al-Tabari and Khalifah ibn Khayyat, give regular updates down to the mid-780s, but provide only sporadic information after that time. The cessation of coverage, as well as available numismatic evidence, indicate that Medina may have been declining in importance during this period, and that it was gradually being superseded by Mecca as the primary administrative center of the Hijaz. In the ninth and tenth centuries the Hijaz was also affected by a general economic downturn and Medina began to be threatened by brigand raids, of which at least one was serious enough to prompt the central government to send an expedition to restore order.[47]

With the collapse of the Abbasids' political power in the early tenth century, the Ikhshidid ruler of Egypt Muhammad ibn Tughj al-Ikhshid was granted jurisdiction over Mecca and Medina by the caliph al-Radi in 935.[48] Later that century, the descendants of Husayn ibn Ali gained local control of Medina, and they thereafter ruled the Emirate of Medina under Egyptian suzerainty down nearly to the Ottoman conquest in 1517.[49]

width=22% Namewidth=8% Yearswidth=10% Nature of
Termination		width=60% Notes
Dawud ibn Ali750Died in officeUncle of the caliph al-Saffah, who appointed him[50]
Ziyad ibn Ubaydallah ibn Abdallah ibn Abd al-Madan al-Harithi750-758DismissedUncle of al-Saffah, who appointed him[51]
Muhammad ibn Khalid ibn Abd Allah al-Qasri758-760/1DismissedAppointed by the caliph al-Mansur[52]
Riyah ibn Uthman al-Murri760/1-762ImprisonedSon of Uthman ibn Hayyan. Appointed by al-Mansur[53]
None762n/aAlid occupation of Medina[54]
Kathir ibn al-Husayn al-Abdi762-763DismissedAppointed by Isa ibn Musa[55]
Abdallah ibn al-Rabi al-Harithi763DismissedAppointed by al-Mansur[56]
Ja'far ibn Sulayman ibn Ali763-766/7DismissedFirst cousin of al-Mansur, who appointed him[57]
al-Hasan ibn Zayd ibn al-Hasan ibn Ali ibn Abi Talib766/7-772DismissedAppointed by al-Mansur[58]
Abd al-Samad ibn Ali772-776DismissedUncle of al-Mansur, who appointed him[59]
Muhammad ibn Abdallah al-Kathiri776DismissedAppointed by the caliph al-Mahdi[60]
Ubaydallah ibn Muhammad ibn Abd al-Rahman ibn Safwan al-Jumahi776-777Died in officeAppointed by al-Mahdi[61]
Muhammad ibn Abdallah al-Kathiri777DismissedRe-appointed by al-Mahdi[62]
Zufar ibn Asim al-Hilali777-780DismissedAppointed by al-Mahdi[63]
Ja'far ibn Sulayman ibn Ali780-783DismissedRe-appointed, this time by al-Mahdi[64]
Ibrahim ibn Yahya ibn Muhammad783-784Died in officeFirst cousin of al-Mahdi, who appointed him[65]
Ishaq ibn Isa ibn Ali784-785ResignedFirst cousin once removed of al-Mahdi, who appointed him[66]
Umar ibn Abd al-Aziz ibn Abdallah ibn Abdallah ibn Umar ibn al-Khattab785-786DismissedAppointed by the caliph al-Hadi[67]
Ishaq ibn Sulayman ibn AliFrom 786First cousin twice removed of the caliph Harun al-Rashid, who appointed him[68]
Abd al-Malik ibn Salih ibn AliFirst cousin twice removed of Harun al-Rashid, who appointed him[69]
Muhammad ibn Abdallah al-Raba'iFrom 789Appointed by Harun al-Rashid[70]
Musa ibn Isa ibn MusaSecond cousin of Harun al-Rashid, who appointed him[71]
Ibrahim ibn Muhammad ibn IbrahimAppointed by Harun al-Rashid[72]
Ali ibn Isa ibn MusaSecond cousin of Harun al-Rashid, who appointed him[73]
Muhammad ibn IbrahimAppointed by Harun al-Rashid[74]
Abdallah ibn Mus'ab al-Zubayri796/7Appointed by Harun al-Rashid[75]
Bakkar ibn Abdallah al-Zubayri797808/9Appointed by Harun al-Rashid[76]
Abu al-Bakhtari Wahb ibn Wahb808-809Appointed by Harun al-Rashid[77]
Isma'il ibn al-Abbas ibn Muhammad810Appointed by the caliph al-Amin[78]
Dawud ibn Isa ibn Musa al-Hashimi811-815FledSecond cousin once removed of al-Amin, who appointed him. Later switched his allegiance to the rival caliph al-Ma'mun[79]
None815n/aOccupation of Medina on behalf of the pro-Alid rebel Abu al-Saraya al-Sari ibn Mansur[80]
Harun ibn al-MusayyabFrom 815Dispatched by the general Ali b. Abi Sa'id[81]
Ubaydallah ibn al-Abbas ibn Ubaydallah ibn al-AbbasAppointed by al-Ma'mun[82]
Ubaydallah ibn al-Hasan ibn Ubaydallah ibn al-Abbas ibn Ali ibn Abi TalibFrom 820Appointed by al-Ma'mun[83]
Quthm ibn Ja'far ibn Sulayman ibn Ali ibn Abdallah ibn al-AbbasFrom 823DismissedAppointed by al-Ma'mun[84]
Muhammad ibn Fulan ibn al-Husayn ibn ZaydDismissedAppointed by al-Ma'mun[85]
Sulayman ibn Abdallah ibn Sulayman ibn AliFrom 828Appointed by al-Ma'mun[86]
Muhammad ibn Salih ibn al-AbbasFrom 843Appointed by the caliph al-Wathiq[87]
Salih ibn Ali ibn IsaTo 861[88]
Ali ibn al-Husayn ibn Isma'ilFrom 861[89]
Ishaq ibn Muhammad ibn Yusuf al-Ja'fariTo 879Died in office[90]
Musa ibn Muhammad ibn Yusuf al-Ja'fari879KilledBrother of Ishaq ibn Muhammad[91]
Ahmad ibn Muhammad ibn Isma'il ibn al-Hasan ibn Zayd879DismissedInitially a Zaydi rebel; subsequently legitimized by the central government[92]
Muhammad ibn Abi al-SajFrom 879Dismissed[93]
Al-Fadl ibn al-Abbas al-Abbasifl. 883[94]
Ahmad ibn Muhammad al-Ta'iFrom 885[95]
Harun ibn Muhammad ibn Ishaq al-Hashimifl. 890[96]

See also

References

Notes and References

  1. .
  2. .
  3. .
  4. . mentions Tamman but presents a different arrangement for the governors of this period.
  5. ; .
  6. ; ; .
  7. ; .
  8. , notes that Western Arabia in general had no active military fronts at this time.
  9. ; .
  10. .
  11. ; . says that he was appointed in 661.
  12. ; . says that he was appointed in 668.
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  24. ; ., citing al-Baladhuri's Ansab al-Ashraf, states that a certain Tha'laba was the first governor of Medina in the post-Zubayrid period.
  25. ; ., claims that al-Hajjaj was appointed in the previous year.
  26. ; .
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  33. ; ; . Both al-Tabari and al-Ya'qubi refer to his nisbah as "al-Nadri."
  34. ; . has Muhammad ibn Hisham ibn Isma'il al-Makhzumi as governor instead.
  35. ; .
  36. generally lists Muhammad as governor during this period, but claims Ibrahim was governor around the same time as the revolt of Zayd ibn Ali in 740. claims that Muhammad ibn Ibrahim ibn Hisham was in charge of Medina during this time. notes that Hisham ibn Isma'il was governor in 743. See also ; .
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  58. ., only includes him in his list of Medinan qadis and ignores him in his governors list.
  59. ; .
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  61. . claims that he was dismissed.
  62. . Not listed by Khalifah ibn Khayyat.
  63. . Not listed by Khalifah ibn Khayyat.
  64. ; .
  65. .
  66. . calls him Ishaq ibn Yahya.
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