The Revolt of Sunbadh the Magian

The Majus rising of Sunbadh arose in 137 AH after the killing of Abu Muslim al-Khurasani, and ended seventy days later at the hand of an Abbasid army under Jahhur ibn Marrar al-Ijli. ²

Sunbadh rose in anger at the killing of Abu Muslim and seeking vengeance for him. Many followers gathered around him, he prevailed over Nishapur, Qumis and al-Rayy, called himself Firuz Isbahadh, seized the treasuries of Abu Muslim, and declared that he intended to demolish the Ka'ba. ³

Abu Ja'far al-Mansur sent an army under Jahhur ibn Marrar al-Ijli, which clashed with it between Hamadhan and al-Rayy, and ended the movement after about seventy days of its rising. ⁴

The movement is counted the first of the movements of the Mubayyida, the groups tied to the name of Abu Muslim who wore white and carried white banners. It was followed by the Rawandiyya movement in 141 AH, then the movement of Ustadhsis in 150 AH. ⁴

• The article is based on a summary of Taqqush's book "The Abbasid State", a modern reference; we have not yet returned to the primary sources it draws on.
• The political, doctrinal and racial motives that the book attributes to Sunbadh are reported from the author, and we have not judged them independently.