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Abdullah ibn Umayya's Truce with the Second Rutbil

صلح عبد الله بن أمية ورتبيل الثاني

Abd al-Malik gave Khurasan to Umayya ibn Abdallah ibn Khalid ibn Asid, who sent his son Abdullah to Sijistan with covenant while at Kirman. The second Rutbil — king after the slain first — still feared the Muslims and truced Abdullah at Bust for a million; but when gifts and slaves were refused with 'fill this portico with gold or there is no peace', it proved a ruse: Rutbil emptied the land before him, then seized the defiles behind him and pressed him to withdraw taking nothing. Abdullah answered: 'rather take three hundred thousand as sulh, write us a deed, and never raid our land while I govern, nor burn nor ruin' — done; and Abd al-Malik, hearing, dismissed him.

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Era
The Umayyad Period
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Overview

Abd al-Malik ibn Marwan appointed Umayya ibn Abd Allah ibn Khalid ibn Usayd over Khurasan. Umayya sent his son Abd Allah ibn Umayya to Sistan and appointed him over it while he was in Kirman. Rutbil was the king who came after the first Rutbil, who had been killed, and he stood in awe of the Muslims. 1

The first truce

Rutbil made peace with Abd Allah when he arrived at Bust, for a million, and he sent him gifts and slaves. Abd Allah refused to accept it and said: "If he fills this colonnade with gold for me, well; otherwise there is no peace between me and him." 1

The trap and the second truce

The narrator describes him as one who was deluded. Rutbil left the land open to him until he had gone deep into it, and then he seized the mountain passes and narrow defiles. Abd Allah asked that they let him go without taking anything from them, but they refused and said: "Rather, take three hundred thousand dirhams as peace, and write us a document that you will not raid our land while you are governor, nor burn or ruin it." He did so. 1

When this reached Abd al-Malik ibn Marwan, he dismissed him. 1

Needs an additional source: the data gives no date.

Connections

Explore the connections

Had participant
Abdullah ibn Umayya· Rutbil (the Zunbil)

People and things also explored

Abd al-Aziz ibn Abdallah ibn Amir's Sijistan· Ibn al-Ash'ath's End at Sijistan· Ma'n ibn Za'ida's Campaign on Rutbil· Qutayba's Coming to Sijistan· Rutbil's War and al-Rabi' ibn Ziyad· Rutbil's Refusal of the Governors' Tribute· Ubaydallah ibn Abi Bakra's Peace with Rutbil· Ubaydallah ibn Abi Bakra's Second Disaster

Sources

  1. Futuh al-Buldan — al-Baladhuri (Mu'assasat al-Ma'arif edition)
Cite this page

islam.museum contributors. “Abdullah ibn Umayya's Truce with the Second Rutbil”. islam.museum, https://islam.museum/en/event/abdullah-ibn-umayya-rutbil-truce/. CC BY-SA 4.0. Last updated 2026-10-16.

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Abd al-Aziz ibn Abdallah ibn Amir's Sijistan

Abd al-Aziz ibn Abdallah ibn Amir came governing Sijistan for al-Quba' — al-Harith ibn Abdallah ibn Abi Rabi'a al-Makhzumi — in Ibn al-Zubayr's days; they brought him into Zaranj and warred on Rutbil, whom Abu Afra'a Umayr al-Mazini killed as the unbelievers routed. Abdullah ibn Nashira al-Tamimi counselled Abd al-Aziz to take all the treasury and leave — then came himself and entered Zaranj; Waki' ibn Abi Sud alone stood by Abd al-Aziz, got him back in when the gates opened to the Khatiban, and expelled Ibn Nashira, who gathered a host and fought — his horse stumbled and he was killed, mourned in Abu Huzaba's (or Hanzala ibn Arada's) elegy 'no youth after Ibn Nashira the youth'.