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Ubaydallah ibn Abi Bakra's Second Disaster

كارثة عبيد الله بن أبي بكرة الثانية

Sijistan

Under al-Hajjaj, Ubaydallah ibn Abi Bakra returned to Sijistan — bewildered, weakened, the land barren — marched near Kabul, where the enemy seized a defile on him and Rutbil closed in. He truced for five hundred thousand dirhams, three sons as hostages — Nahar, al-Hajjaj, and Abu Bakra — and a writ not to raid while he governed. Shurayh ibn Hani' al-Harithi counselled: 'fear God and fight, else you weaken Islam on this frontier and flee the death that is your lot' — they fought; Shurayh charged and fell; the army escaped spent through Bust's mafaza where many died of thirst and hunger; Ubaydallah died of grief for what befell the people — some say an ear illness — leaving his son Abu Bardha'a in command.

Depth

At a glance

Era
The Umayyad Period
Review
Draft Completeness 1/5 · Help complete it

Overview

Al-Baladhuri relates that when al-Hajjaj became governor of Iraq he sent Ubayd Allah ibn Abi Bakra to Sistan. He marched until he camped near Kabul, and the enemy took a valley against him, and Rutbil came upon them. 1

The peace and the battle

Ubayd Allah made peace with them for five hundred thousand dirhams and three of his sons as hostages, and a writ that he would not raid them while he was governor. Shurayh ibn Hani al-Harithi advised him to fight them. They fought and Shurayh was killed, and the people escaped exhausted, and many of them died of thirst and hunger in the desert of Bust. 1

Ubayd Allah died of grief for what had befallen the people; it is said that he complained of an ear and died, and he appointed his son Abu Bardha'a as his successor. 1

A second source is needed; the date is not given in the data.

Connections

Explore the connections

Had participant
Ubaydallah ibn Abi Bakra· Shurayh ibn Hani' al-Harithi· Rutbil (the Zunbil)
Occurred at
Sijistan

People and things also explored

Abd al-Aziz ibn Abdallah ibn Amir's Sijistan· Ibn al-Ash'ath's End at Sijistan· Qutayba's Coming to Sijistan· Ubaydallah ibn Abi Bakra's Peace with Rutbil· Abdullah ibn Umayya's Truce with the Second Rutbil· the conquest of Sijistan (24 AH)· Ma'n ibn Za'ida's Campaign on Rutbil· Rutbil's War and al-Rabi' ibn Ziyad

Sources

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

islam.museum contributors. “Ubaydallah ibn Abi Bakra's Second Disaster”. islam.museum, https://islam.museum/en/event/ubaydallah-ibn-bakra-disaster/. 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'.