Abu Musa al-Ashari

Abu Musa al-Ash'ari, Abd Allah ibn Qays al-Ash'ari, a Companion of the Ash'aris and an ally of the Banu Utba ibn Rabi'a ibn Abd Shams. He was among those whom the two ships brought from Abyssinia to the Prophet at Khaybar. See the return of the emigrants from Abyssinia. ¹

He became known for his jurisprudence and his recitation of the Qur'an, and he was appointed over Basra and Kufa in the caliphate of Umar. ¹

Al-Mas'udi relates that before Siffin he used to say that this community would not stop facing trials until they appointed two arbiters. Suwayd ibn Ghafla advised him not to be one of them. He then accepted an arbiter on behalf of the people of Iraq, and Ali did not accept him, but al-Ash'ath and his group insisted. ²

Abu Musa, 'Abd Allah ibn Qays, a native of Yemen from the tribe of the Ash'ar, was born about 614 AD. He left South Arabia by sea with several brothers and tribesmen and came to Muhammad at Khaybar (7 AH, 628) to swear allegiance. The entry treats the report that he was among the emigrants to Abyssinia as most unlikely to be authentic; the summary above follows the Ibn Hisham account of the ships from Abyssinia. He was at the battle of Hunayn (8 AH, 630). In 10 AH (631-632) he was sent to Yemen with Mu'adh ibn Jabal to spread Islam, and then served as a lieutenant of Muhammad and of Abu Bakr in that region. ³

'Umar made him governor of Basra in 17 AH (638), when he recalled al-Mughira ibn Shu'ba. As governor, Abu Musa organised and carried out the occupation of Khuzistan (17-21 AH, 638-642), of which he must be considered the conqueror; Sus, or al-Ahwaz, fell to him in 17 AH, though the campaign was long, with many well fortified towns, and Tustar fell in 21 AH (642). He also took part in the conquest of Mesopotamia, uniting his forces with those of Iyad ibn Ghanm, and in the campaign on the Iranian plateau; he was present at Nihawand, and several towns are ascribed to him. At the request of the people of Kufa, 'Umar appointed him governor there in 22 AH (642-643) and, after a few months, sent him back when al-Mughira was reappointed. In 23 AH (643-644) he defeated the Kurdish tribes at Bayrukh in a bloody but indecisive battle, took the town, and was accused to the caliph over the distribution of the booty. He then gave support to 'Uthman ibn Abi'l-As in the conquest of Fars. ³

Discontent against him appeared in 26 AH (646-647) among his troops. In 29 AH (649-650) a delegation of Basrans brought the most serious complaint to Medina about his abuses, and 'Uthman decided to replace him at Basra by 'Abd Allah ibn 'Amir. The people of Kufa, however, demanded his reappointment when they drove out the governor Sa'id ibn al-As in 34 AH (654-655), and he was governor there when 'Uthman was assassinated. He swore allegiance to 'Ali in the name of the Kufans, but when war broke out between 'Ali and 'A'isha, Talha and al-Zubayr he called on his subjects to remain neutral and did not give way under pressure. 'Ali's partisans expelled him from the town, and 'Ali's letter of dismissal was harsh. He was one of the two arbitrators appointed at Siffin in 37 AH (657), as the representative of 'Ali, and after the meeting at Adhruh he withdrew to Mecca. When Busr ibn Abi Artat occupied the holy cities in 40 AH (660), he feared vengeance, and the entry notes that some sources say he fled, though Busr reassured him. He then took no further part in politics. His death date is uncertain (41, 42, 50, 52 or 53 AH); 42 AH is the most probable. ³

He was much admired for his recitation of the Qur'an and his prayers, for he had a pleasant voice; and his name is connected above all with Qur'anic studies, since he established a mushaf which locally outlived the composition of the 'Uthmanic vulgate. ³