Al-Muhajir ibn Abi Umayya

Al-Muhajir ibn Abi Umayya ibn al-Mughira ibn Abd Allah (Arabic: المهاجر بن أبي أمية المغيرة بن عبد الله, romanizedAl-Muhājir ibn Abī Umayya ibn al-Mughīra ibn ʿAbd Allāh) was a companion of the Islamic prophet Muhammad from the Banu Makhzum clan and a Muslim commander active in Yemen during the Ridda wars (632–633).

Life

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Al-Muhajir's birth name was al-Walid until it was changed to al-Muhajir (the Emigrant) by Muhammad; the latter noted that one of the Pharaohs bore the name al-Walid and that the name was used so excessively by the Banu Makhzum clan of the Quraysh tribe to which al-Muhajir belonged that it practically became a deity of the clan.[1]

Al-Muhajir's father was Abu Umayya Suhayl, a son of al-Mughira ibn Abd Allah, a prominent pre-Islamic leader of the Makhzum in Mecca.[2] Abu Umayya was well known for his generosity to traveling companions on the road and was popularly known as Zad al-Rakb (Provider for the Passengers).[2] Al-Muhajir's mother was Atika bint Amir from the Firas clan of the Kinana tribe, which was noted for its martial prowess.[3] Al-Muhajir's sister was Umm Salama, one of the wives of Muhammad.[4] He was a paternal first cousin of Khalid ibn al-Walid.[5]

Muhammad appointed al-Muhajir as the tax collector over the Yemenite tribes of Kinda (specifically its Banu Mu'awiya branch) and Sadif.[5] He married Asma bint al-Nu'man ibn Abi al-Jawn, a Kindite noblewoman and former wife of Muhammad; she later married al-Muhajir's Makhzumite kinsman Ikrima ibn Abi Jahl.[6] In 631 Muhammad appointed al-Muhajir governor of Yemen's principal city Sana'a.[7][8] He did not take up the post, remaining in Medina until the accession of Caliph Abu Bakr in 632.[8]

Abu Bakr dispatched al-Muhajir to reinforce the governor of Yemen, Ziyad ibn Labid al-Ansari, and suppress the rebellion of the Banu Mu'awiya clan of Kinda in Hadhramawt (south Arabian coastal region) during the Ridda wars.[9][10][11] The Kinda was ultimately surrendered to al-Muhajir and Ikrima.[10]

References

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  1. ^ Kister 1975, pp. 15–16.
  2. ^ a b Landau-Tasseron 1998, p. 80.
  3. ^ Landau-Tasseron 1998, p. 175.
  4. ^ Donner 1993, p. 20, note 125.
  5. ^ a b Blankinship 1993, p. 143, note 776.
  6. ^ Donner 1993, p. 185 note 1131, 190 note 1156.
  7. ^ Blankinship 1993, p. 143, notes 776–777.
  8. ^ a b Hinds 1991, p. 138.
  9. ^ Lecker 1994, p. 343.
  10. ^ a b Lecker 2004, p. 693.
  11. ^ Donner 1981, pp. 86–87.

Bibliography

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