ضرار بن عمرو

ضرار بن عمرو

Dirar ibn Amr — a head of the Mu'tazila; al-Mas'udi names him with Thumama and al-Jahiz as holding the Nabataean better than the Arab — read by Ahmad Amin as a political argument for easy deposition rather than belittlement of Arabs 1.

Depth

At a glance

Roles
Scholar
Era
The Early Abbasid Caliphate
Region
Levant & Iraq
Identifiers
Wikidata
Review
Draft Completeness 1/5 · Help complete it

Overview

Dirar ibn Amr, one of the leading figures of the Mu'tazila. 2

The question of the Nabateans and the Arabs

Al-Mas'udi, al-Jahiz and others report from him and from Thumama ibn Ashras that they held the Nabateans to be better than the Arabs. Ahmad Amin discusses this reading and holds that Dirar and his companions did not stop at saying that the caliphate need not be held by the Quraysh or by the Arabs. They said that a non-Arab, even a Nabatean, has a better claim than a Qurashi, because he would be easier to depose if he were unjust. 2

In al-Nawawi's commentary on Muslim there is a phrase in which he criticises this view. 2

What is not mentioned here: his full biography and his death; an additional source is needed.

Connections

Explore the connections

Participated in
the day of al-Silān — al-Nuʿmān's convoy trap against Banū ʿĀmir undone

People and things also explored

al-Nuʾman ibn al-Mundhir· the day of al-Silān — al-Nuʿmān's convoy trap against Banū ʿĀmir undone

Sources

  1. Duha al-Islam — Ahmad Amin (Hindawi 2012) , p. 60-61
  2. Duha al-Islam — Ahmad Amin (Hindawi 2012) , p.60-61
Cite this page

islam.museum contributors. “ضرار بن عمرو”. islam.museum, https://islam.museum/en/person/dirar-ibn-amr/. CC BY-SA 4.0. Last updated 2026-10-19.

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Wing

People

Prophets, companions, scholars, rulers, scientists, poets, travelers: women and men who shaped the story.
Related

al-Nuʾman ibn al-Mundhir

The Lakhmid king of al-Hira whom Khosrow summoned after the courtier Zayd ibn Adi’s intrigue; he entrusted his family and wealth to Hani ibn Masʾud of Banu Shayban, then went to Khosrow who imprisoned him until death — the refusal to surrender that deposit ignited Dhu Qar.