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The battle of al-Rabad

وقعة الربض

c. 818 CE · c. 202 AH

Cordoba

The Rabad revolt: Cordoba's learned and pious rose against al-Hakam I in his dissolute early years; he crushed the western suburb, razed its houses and mosques and scattered its people to Fez and Alexandria — whence Abdallah b. Tahir expelled them to Crete, where they held the island until the Franks took it 1.

Depth

At a glance

Era
The Early Abbasid Caliphate
Region
al-Andalus & Europe
Review
Draft Completeness 2/5 · Help complete it

In time

810820830 c.
The Early Abbasid Caliphate

In space

Cordoba

Map: Natural Earth, public domain · places and route from the graph

Overview

Al-Maqqari in "Nafh al-Tib" relates that the people of learning and piety in Cordoba, among them Yahya ibn Yahya al-Laythi, rose against al-Hakam ibn Hisham at the start of his rule. Al-Hakam defeated them and demolished their houses and mosques. Al-Maqqari dates the second revolt to 202 AH, citing Ibn Idhari. 1

The revolt

Al-Maqqari says that al-Hakam indulged in his pleasures, so the people of learning and piety in Cordoba gathered, rose against him, deposed him and gave their allegiance to one of his relatives. They were in the western suburb of Cordoba, a quarter connected to his palace. Al-Hakam fought them and defeated them. 1

After the defeat

Al-Hakam demolished their houses and mosques, and they joined Fez and Alexandria. Then they rose in Alexandria, and Abd Allah ibn Tahir, governor of Egypt for al-Ma'mun, marched against them and defeated them. He ferried them to the island of Crete, where they stayed until the Franks took it from them. 1

Note

The same event has another entry, the battle of the suburb, and the two need to be reviewed and merged.

Connections

Explore the connections

Had participant
Yahya ibn Yahya al-Laythi
Occurred at
Cordoba

People and things also explored

The Rabad fitna in Cordoba· Great Mosque of Córdoba· Library of the Córdoba Palace· The battle of al-Arak (Alarcos)· Conquest of Cordoba· Alfonso's Siege of Cordoba and Its Submission to the Almohads· The enemy's capture of Cordoba· The Berbers enter Cordoba by storm

Sources

  1. Nafh al-Tib min Ghusn al-Andalus al-Ratib — al-Maqqari , p. 375-376
Cite this page

islam.museum contributors. “The battle of al-Rabad”. islam.museum, https://islam.museum/en/event/rabad-revolt-202/. CC BY-SA 4.0. Last updated 2026-10-22.

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The Rabad fitna in Cordoba

The famous revolt of the Rabbaḍ of Cordoba under al-Hakam ibn Hisham: the scholars of learning and piety — Yahya ibn Yahya al-Laythi, Malik's companion and Muwatta transmitter, the faqih Talut and others — rose against him, deposed him and gave bay'a to a kinsman; al-Hakam crushed them, demolished their houses and mosques, and the exiles went to Fez and Alexandria — where they revolted again until Abdallah ibn Tahir expelled them to Crete, which they held until the Franks took it.