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The revolt of 'Abd Allah ibn Mu'awiya ibn 'Abd Allah ibn Ja'far in Kufa

خروج عبد الله بن معاوية بن عبد الله بن جعفر بالكوفة

c. 744 CE · 127 AH

In 127 'Abd Allah ibn Mu'awiya ibn 'Abd Allah ibn Ja'far ibn Abi Talib called people to himself in Kufa and fought its governor there, 'Abd Allah ibn 'Umar ibn 'Abd al-'Aziz. He had come to Kufa as a visitor seeking his stipend, with no intention of rising, and married the daughter of Hatim ibn al-Sharqi. When factional partisanship broke out, the people of Kufa told him to call for himself, since the Banu Hashim had a better right to the affair than the Banu Marwan. The cause was that Ibn 'Umar gave great gifts to Mudar and Rabi'a but did not give Ja'far ibn Nafi' and 'Uthman ibn al-Khayyar of the Yemenis the like. They grew angry, he had them pushed out, and they went out shouting 'O Rabi'a!', and Rabi'a rose to them. When the partisans saw Ibn 'Umar's weakness, they pressed upon him and called for Ibn Mu'awiya, and they rose up amid the rabble until they reached the mosque and gathered there. The people gave their allegiance to 'Abd Allah ibn Mu'awiya, and they drove him out of the house of al-Walid ibn Sa'id until they brought him into the palace. He remained in Kufa for several days while people gave him their allegiance; pledges came to him from al-Mada'in and Qumm al-Nil. He went out to al-Mada'in, where they gave him their allegiance, and then he prevailed over Hulwan, the mountains, al-Mahin, Hamadhan, Qumis, Isfahan and Rayy 1.

Depth

At a glance

Era
The Umayyad Period
Region
Levant & Iraq · Persia & Central Asia
Review
Draft Completeness 2/5 · Help complete it

In time

730740750760 c.
The Early Abbasid Caliphate · The Umayyad Period

Civil wars and revolts

Overview

In 127 AH Abd Allah ibn Mu'awiya ibn Abd Allah ibn Ja'far called the people to himself in Kufa, and fought its governor Abd Allah ibn Umar ibn Abd al-Aziz. 1

The causes

In al-Tabari's account, Ibn Mu'awiya had come to Kufa as a visitor seeking the favour of Ibn Umar, and had no intention of rising. When the partisan strife arose, the people of Kufa said to him: call people to yourself, for the Banu Hashim have a better claim to the matter than the Banu Marwan. One of its causes was that Ibn Umar gave great gifts to Mudar and Rabi'a, and gave two men of Yemen nothing like them, so they became angry. 1

Allegiance and expansion

The people rose until they gathered in the mosque, pledged allegiance to Ibn Mu'awiya, and brought him into the palace. The pledge came to him from al-Mada'in. He then prevailed over Hulwan, the Jibal, Hamadhan, Qumis, Isfahan and al-Rayy. 1

The Gregorian date is derived.

Connections

Explore the connections

Had participant
'Abd Allah ibn Mu'awiya ibn Ja'far· Abdallah ibn Umar ibn Abd al-Aziz

People and things also explored

al-Dahhak ibn Qays Takes Kufa and Agrees a Division with Ibn Umar· عمر بن عبد العزيز· 'Abd Allah ibn Mu'awiya ibn Ja'far· Abdallah ibn Umar ibn Abd al-Aziz· Abu Muslim Enters Marw and His Partisans Fall upon Mudar· The Akhlat fitna and massacre (604 AH)· Ali declines to keep Muawiya in office· Letters between Ali and Muawiya after the Camel

Sources

  1. Tarikh al-Rusul wa'l-Muluk — al-Tabari, part two (Maktabat Khayyat, Beirut) , p. 607-611
Cite this page

islam.museum contributors. “The revolt of 'Abd Allah ibn Mu'awiya ibn 'Abd Allah ibn Ja'far in Kufa”. islam.museum, https://islam.museum/en/event/revolt-of-ibn-muawiya-127/. CC BY-SA 4.0. Last updated 2026-10-27.

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al-Dahhak ibn Qays Takes Kufa and Agrees a Division with Ibn Umar

In 127, when Marwan ibn Muhammad had secured Syria and appointed Yazid ibn Umar ibn Hubayra as governor of Iraq, bringing with him the armies of al-Jazira, Abdallah ibn Umar ibn Abd al-Aziz, governor of Kufa, made terms with al-Dahhak ibn Qays al-Shaybani, leader of the Kharijites, on the basis that al-Dahhak would hold what he had seized of Kufa and its countryside, while Ibn Umar would keep what he held of Wasit, Maysan, Tustar, the districts of al-Jiddah, al-Ahwaz and Fars. Al-Dahhak surged forward and drove Marwan out to Kafr Tutha in the Jazira, having taken Mosul in Dhu al-Qa'da. He appointed Mulhan al-Shaybani over Kufa, and Mulhan was killed by al-Nadr ibn Sa'id, agent of Ibn Hubayra. Al-Dahhak then appointed al-Muthanna ibn Imran al-A'idhi, who met Ibn Hubayra at Ghazza, and they fought fiercely for several days. Al-Muthanna, Uzayr and Amr, leaders of al-Dahhak's companions, were killed and the Kharijites were routed, and Mansur ibn Jumhur drew near. Mansur gathered the people of Kufa, Yemeni and Mudari, who had held back from al-Dahhak, and marched with them until they camped at al-Rawha. Ibn Hubayra came with his troops and fought them for days, then defeated them and killed al-Bardun ibn Marzuq al-Shaybani, and Mansur fled. Ibn Hubayra then came and camped in Kufa and expelled the Kharijites from it.