Abu Yazid
Encyclopedia
Abū Yazīd Mukhallad ibn Kayrād , nicknamed Ṣāhib al-Himār "Possessor of the donkey", was a Kharijite Berber
of the Banu Ifran
tribe who led a rebellion against the Fatimid
s in Ifriqiya
(modern Tunisia
and eastern Algeria
) starting in 944
. Abū Yazīd conquered Kairouan
for a time, but was eventually driven back and defeated by the Fatimid
caliph
al-Mansur
.
Abū Yazīd's father Kayrād was a trans-Saharan trader from Qastilia, where he was born; he grew up in Tozeur
. Abū Yazīd inclined towards the Nakkariyyah branch of Sufri
Kharijism. After he grew up, he went to Tahert
, the Rustamid
capital and the main center of (Ibadi
) Kharijism in the Maghreb
of the time and took up teaching.
However, in 909 the Ismaili Shī‘ī Fatimids conquered the Rustamids and soon after the Sufri state of Sijilmassa to the west. Abū Yazīd moved to Tiqyus and began agitating against Fatimid rule in 928
. When the Fatimid al-Mahdi died in 944
, Abū Yazīd launched a rebellion in the Aures mountains and declared himself Shaykh al-Mu'minīn "Elder of the Believers", seeking aid from the Umayyad
s of Andalus
.
Early in his rebellion, Abū Yazīd was given a gray donkey
which he used to ride, for which he received the nickname "Possessor of the donkey". Abū Yazīd also habitually wore a short woolen jubba
cloak and with his conspicuous frugality, he recalled the Kharijite imam
s of Tahert
and Sijilmassa.
Abū Yazīd was initially notably successful. He took Baghai
, then Tebessa
, Medjana
, and several Tunisian cities including Béja
, where he is said to have massacred the civilian population. The population of Tunis
threw out their governor and let Abū Yazīd in. By the end of the year, he had conquered Kairouan itself, dealing several severe defeats to the Fatimid armies.
In 945, as Abū Yazīd besieged Sousse
, Caliph al-Qā'im
died and was succeeded by his son al-Mansur
. Under al-Mansur's leadership, the Fatimid forces recovered their position, first breaking the siege of Sousse and then driving Abū Yazīd's forces out of Kairouan back into the Aurès Mountains. In 947, the Fatimids finally defeated them in the Kiyana Mountains near what later became Qalaat Beni Hammad.
W. K. R. Hallam, in "The Bayajidda legend in Hausa folklore", Journal of African History VII.1 (1966), argues that the Hausa
culture hero Bayajidda
represents a folk personification of the supporters of Abū Yazīd who fled North Africa after his defeat.
Berber people
Berbers are the indigenous peoples of North Africa west of the Nile Valley. They are continuously distributed from the Atlantic to the Siwa oasis, in Egypt, and from the Mediterranean to the Niger River. Historically they spoke the Berber language or varieties of it, which together form a branch...
of the Banu Ifran
Banu Ifran
The Ifranids, also called Banu Ifran, Ifran, or the children of the Afri , were a Berber tribe prominent in the history of pre-Islamic and early Islamic North Africa....
tribe who led a rebellion against the Fatimid
Fatimid
The Fatimid Islamic Caliphate or al-Fāṭimiyyūn was a Berber Shia Muslim caliphate first centered in Tunisia and later in Egypt that ruled over varying areas of the Maghreb, Sudan, Sicily, the Levant, and Hijaz from 5 January 909 to 1171.The caliphate was ruled by the Fatimids, who established the...
s in Ifriqiya
Ifriqiya
In medieval history, Ifriqiya or Ifriqiyah was the area comprising the coastal regions of what are today western Libya, Tunisia, and eastern Algeria. This area included what had been the Roman province of Africa, whose name it inherited....
(modern Tunisia
Tunisia
Tunisia , officially the Tunisian RepublicThe long name of Tunisia in other languages used in the country is: , is the northernmost country in Africa. It is a Maghreb country and is bordered by Algeria to the west, Libya to the southeast, and the Mediterranean Sea to the north and east. Its area...
and eastern Algeria
Algeria
Algeria , officially the People's Democratic Republic of Algeria , also formally referred to as the Democratic and Popular Republic of Algeria, is a country in the Maghreb region of Northwest Africa with Algiers as its capital.In terms of land area, it is the largest country in Africa and the Arab...
) starting in 944
944
Year 944 was a leap year starting on Monday of the Julian calendar.- Africa :* The city of Algiers is founded by the Zirid king Buluggin ibn Ziri....
. Abū Yazīd conquered Kairouan
Kairouan
Kairouan , also known as Kirwan or al-Qayrawan , is the capital of the Kairouan Governorate in Tunisia. Referred to as the Islamic Cultural Capital, it is a UNESCO World Heritage site. The city was founded by the Arabs around 670...
for a time, but was eventually driven back and defeated by the Fatimid
Fatimid
The Fatimid Islamic Caliphate or al-Fāṭimiyyūn was a Berber Shia Muslim caliphate first centered in Tunisia and later in Egypt that ruled over varying areas of the Maghreb, Sudan, Sicily, the Levant, and Hijaz from 5 January 909 to 1171.The caliphate was ruled by the Fatimids, who established the...
caliph
Caliph
The Caliph is the head of state in a Caliphate, and the title for the ruler of the Islamic Ummah, an Islamic community ruled by the Shari'ah. It is a transcribed version of the Arabic word which means "successor" or "representative"...
al-Mansur
Al-Mansur
Al-Mansur, Almanzor or Abu Ja'far Abdallah ibn Muhammad al-Mansur was the second Abbasid Caliph from 136 AH to 158 AH .-Biography:...
.
Abū Yazīd's father Kayrād was a trans-Saharan trader from Qastilia, where he was born; he grew up in Tozeur
Tozeur
Tozeur is an oasis and a city in south west Tunisia. The city is located North West of Chott el-Djerid, in between this Chott and the smaller Chott el-Gharsa. It is the capital of the Tozeur Governorate....
. Abū Yazīd inclined towards the Nakkariyyah branch of Sufri
Sufri
The Sufris were a Khariji sect of Islam that existed in the 7th and 8th centuries. They established the Midrarid state at Sijilmassa.In Algeria , the Banu Ifran were Sufri Berbers who opposed Umayyad, Abbasids and Fatimid rule, most notably under resistance movements led by Abu Qurra and Abu...
Kharijism. After he grew up, he went to Tahert
Tahert
Tiaret is a large town in the central Algeria, that gives its name to the wider farming region of 'Wilaya de Tiaret' province. Both the town and region lie south-west of the capital of Algiers in the western region of the central highlands, in the Tell Atlas, and about from the Mediterranean coast...
, the Rustamid
Rustamid
The Rustamid dynasty of Ibāḍī Kharijite imām that ruled the central Maghreb as a Muslim theocracy for a century and a half from their capital Tahert in present Algeria until the Ismailite Fatimid Caliphs destroyed it. The dynasty had a Persian origin...
capital and the main center of (Ibadi
Ibadi
The Ibāḍī movement, Ibadism or Ibāḍiyya is a form of Islam distinct from the Sunni and Shia denominations. It is the dominant form of Islam in Oman and Zanzibar...
) Kharijism in the Maghreb
Maghreb
The Maghreb is the region of Northwest Africa, west of Egypt. It includes five countries: Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya, and Mauritania and the disputed territory of Western Sahara...
of the time and took up teaching.
However, in 909 the Ismaili Shī‘ī Fatimids conquered the Rustamids and soon after the Sufri state of Sijilmassa to the west. Abū Yazīd moved to Tiqyus and began agitating against Fatimid rule in 928
928
Year 928 was a leap year starting on Tuesday of the Julian calendar.- Asia :* Dao Kang Di succeeds Gong Hui Di and is followed in the same year by Tai Zu, all of the Dali Gu Dynasty in southeast China.* Jayavarman IV succeeds Isanavarman II in the Khmer Empire, and moves the capital north from...
. When the Fatimid al-Mahdi died in 944
944
Year 944 was a leap year starting on Monday of the Julian calendar.- Africa :* The city of Algiers is founded by the Zirid king Buluggin ibn Ziri....
, Abū Yazīd launched a rebellion in the Aures mountains and declared himself Shaykh al-Mu'minīn "Elder of the Believers", seeking aid from the Umayyad
Umayyad
The Umayyad Caliphate was the second of the four major Arab caliphates established after the death of Muhammad. It was ruled by the Umayyad dynasty, whose name derives from Umayya ibn Abd Shams, the great-grandfather of the first Umayyad caliph. Although the Umayyad family originally came from the...
s of Andalus
Andalus
Al-Andalus Ensemble is an award-winning husband and wife musical duo that performs contemporary Andalusian music. The ensemble features Tarik Banzi playing oud, ney and darbuka, and Julia Banzi on flamenco guitar...
.
Early in his rebellion, Abū Yazīd was given a gray donkey
Donkey
The donkey or ass, Equus africanus asinus, is a domesticated member of the Equidae or horse family. The wild ancestor of the donkey is the African Wild Ass, E...
which he used to ride, for which he received the nickname "Possessor of the donkey". Abū Yazīd also habitually wore a short woolen jubba
Jubba
Jubba is a Persian and South Asian ankle-length garment, usually with long sleeves, and similar to a robe. It is synonymous to the thawb....
cloak and with his conspicuous frugality, he recalled the Kharijite imam
Imam
An imam is an Islamic leadership position, often the worship leader of a mosque and the Muslim community. Similar to spiritual leaders, the imam is the one who leads Islamic worship services. More often, the community turns to the mosque imam if they have a religious question...
s of Tahert
Tahert
Tiaret is a large town in the central Algeria, that gives its name to the wider farming region of 'Wilaya de Tiaret' province. Both the town and region lie south-west of the capital of Algiers in the western region of the central highlands, in the Tell Atlas, and about from the Mediterranean coast...
and Sijilmassa.
Abū Yazīd was initially notably successful. He took Baghai
Baghai
Baghai is a town and commune in Khenchela Province, Algeria. According to the 1998 census it has a population of 6,414.-References:...
, then Tebessa
Tébessa
Tébessa is the capital city of Tébessa Province, Algeria, 20 kilometers west from the border with Tunisia. Nearby is also a phosphate mine. The city is famous for the traditional Algerian carpets in the region, and is home to over 161,440 people.-History:...
, Medjana
Medjana
Medjana is a town and commune in Bordj Bou Arréridj Province, Algeria. According to the 1998 census it has a population of 16,112.-References:...
, and several Tunisian cities including Béja
Béja
Beja is a town in Tunisia, Africa. It is the capital of the Béja Governorate. It is located 105 km from Tunis, between the Medjerdah River and the Mediterranean, against the foothills of the Khroumire, the town of Beja is situated on the sides of Djebel Acheb, facing the greening meadows,...
, where he is said to have massacred the civilian population. The population of Tunis
Tunis
Tunis is the capital of both the Tunisian Republic and the Tunis Governorate. It is Tunisia's largest city, with a population of 728,453 as of 2004; the greater metropolitan area holds some 2,412,500 inhabitants....
threw out their governor and let Abū Yazīd in. By the end of the year, he had conquered Kairouan itself, dealing several severe defeats to the Fatimid armies.
In 945, as Abū Yazīd besieged Sousse
Sousse
Sousse is a city in Tunisia. Located 140 km south of the capital Tunis, the city has 173,047 inhabitants . Sousse is in the central-east of the country, on the Gulf of Hammamet, which is a part of the Mediterranean Sea. The name may be of Berber origin: similar names are found in Libya and in...
, Caliph al-Qā'im
Muhammad al-Qa'im Bi-Amrillah
Muhammad al-Qaim Bi-Amrillah was the second Caliph of the Fatimids in Ifriqiya and ruled from 934 to 946. He is the 12th Imam according to Isma'ili Fatemi faith.- History :...
died and was succeeded by his son al-Mansur
Al-Mansur
Al-Mansur, Almanzor or Abu Ja'far Abdallah ibn Muhammad al-Mansur was the second Abbasid Caliph from 136 AH to 158 AH .-Biography:...
. Under al-Mansur's leadership, the Fatimid forces recovered their position, first breaking the siege of Sousse and then driving Abū Yazīd's forces out of Kairouan back into the Aurès Mountains. In 947, the Fatimids finally defeated them in the Kiyana Mountains near what later became Qalaat Beni Hammad.
W. K. R. Hallam, in "The Bayajidda legend in Hausa folklore", Journal of African History VII.1 (1966), argues that the Hausa
Hausa people
The Hausa are one of the largest ethnic groups in West Africa. They are a Sahelian people chiefly located in northern Nigeria and southeastern Niger, but having significant numbers living in regions of Cameroon, Ghana, Cote d'Ivoire, Chad and Sudan...
culture hero Bayajidda
Bayajidda
Bayajidda is a character from the tradional history of the Hausa people of Nigeria and the central figure of the Bayajidda Legend. The various versions of the legend differ on major points, but generally agree that early immigrants came to the western region of Lake Chad from the Near East.Most...
represents a folk personification of the supporters of Abū Yazīd who fled North Africa after his defeat.