'Abd Allah b. Wahb al-Rasibi
ʿAbd Allāh b. Wahb al-Rāsibī (Arabic: عَبدالله بن وَهب الراسِبي, d. 38/658-9) - the chief of Khawarij - was referred to as Dhu l-Thafinat (possessor of forehead callus) due to his frequent prostrations. After the Khawarij broke away from Imam 'Ali (a) in 37/658, he was elected to lead. He was killed in the Battle of Nahrawan.
| Full Name | Abd Allah b. Wahb al-Rasibi al-Azdi |
|---|---|
| Companion of | Imam Ali (a) |
| Epithet | Dhu l-Thafinat |
| Religious Affiliation | Kharijite |
| Lineage | Banu Rasib |
| Place(s) of Residence | Kufa |
| Death/Martyrdom | He was killed in the Battle of Nahrawan in 38/658-9 |
Lineage, Birth, and Title
The lineage of 'Abd Allah b. Wahb al-Rasibi al-Azdi goes back to Banu Rasib b. Mayda'an b. Malik b. Nasr from the Azd tribe.[1] He was born during the period of the Prophet Muhammad (s). Ibn Hajar said that 'Abd Allah saw the time of the Prophet (s).[2]
Since 'Abd Allah practiced sujud very much, he came to be known as "Dhu l-Thafinat".[3] Al-Zirikli referred to him as a leader of the Ibadiyya, characterizing him as a brave, eloquent person.[4]
Periods of the Caliphs
'Abd Allah b. Wahb accompanied Sa'd b. Abi Waqqas in the conquest of Iraq,[5] and accompanied Imam 'Ali (a) in his battles, until he parted company with the Imam (a) after the event of Arbitration.[6]
Battle of Khawarij
After the event of Hakamiyya, Khawarij elected 'Abd Allah b. Wahb as their leader[7] on Shawwal 10, 37 (March 21, 658).[8] He wrote a letter to Khawarij in Basra and asked them to join him in Nahrawan.[9] Imam 'Ali (a) wrote a letter to him and his followers to join him for a war with Mu'awiya. In response, they asked the Imam (a) to admit his disbelief and repent from it.[10] Following the activities of the Imam (a), a number of Khawarij joined him or sidestepped from the war, but others insisted on the war with the Imam (a) under the leadership of 'Abd Allah b. Wahb.
'Abd Allah b. Wahb was killed in the Battle of Nahrawan by Ziyad b. Khasafa al-Tamimi and Hani b. Khattab al-Hamdani.[11] It is said that Shabath b. Rib'i also played a role in his murder.[12]
Imam 'Ali's (a) Letter to 'Abd Allah b. Wahb and other Khawarij in the Battle of Nahrawan:
"The two men on whose arbitration we had agreed have violated the Book of God, and followed their desires without any guidance from God, and did not practice the Prophet's (s) tradition and the ruling of the Qur'an. God, the Prophet (s), and believers hate them. When my letter reaches you, come to us. We are going to [a war with] our enemy and your enemy, and we are up to the task that we were at first".[13]
The reply by 'Abd Allah b. Wahb and Others to the letter of Imam 'Ali (a):
"You are not angry for the sake of your Lord. You are angry for your own sake. If you admit to your disbelief right now and repent to God, we will consider your request to return to you. Otherwise, we fairly declare a war with you".[14]
See Also
Notes
- ↑ Ibn Ḥajar, al-Iṣāba, vol. 5, p. 78.
- ↑ Ibn Ḥajar, al-Iṣāba, vol. 5, p. 78.
- ↑ Ibn Ḥajar, al-Iṣāba, vol. 5, p. 78.
- ↑ Ziriklī, al-Aʿlām, vol.4, p. 143.
- ↑ Ṭabarī, Tārīkh al-umam wa l-mulūk, vol. 4, p. 37.
- ↑ Balādhurī, Ansāb al-ashrāf, vol. 2, p. 360; Ibn Ḥajar, al-Iṣāba, vol. 5, p. 78.
- ↑ Balādhurī, Ansāb al-ashrāf, vol. 2, p. 360; Ibn Ḥajar, al-Iṣāba, vol. 5, p. 78.
- ↑ Ṭabarī, Tārīkh al-umam wa l-mulūk, vol. 5, p. 75.
- ↑ Ṭabarī, Tārīkh al-umam wa l-mulūk, vol. 5, p. 75.
- ↑ Ṭabarī, Tārīkh al-umam wa l-mulūk, vol. 5, p. 79.
- ↑ Balādhurī, Ansāb al-ashrāf, vol. 2, p. 372.
- ↑ Balādhurī, Ansāb al-ashrāf, vol. 2, p. 362.
- ↑ Ṭabarī, Tārīkh al-umam wa l-mulūk, vol. 5, p. 78.
- ↑ Ṭabarī, Tārīkh al-umam wa l-mulūk, vol. 5, p. 79.
References
- Balādhurī, Aḥmad b. Yaḥyā al-. Ansāb al-ashrāf. Edited by Muḥammad Bāqir Maḥmūdī. Beirut: Dār al-Taʿāruf li-l-Maṭbūʿāt, 1394 AH-1974.
- Ibn Ḥajar al-ʿAsqalānī, Aḥmad b. ʿAlī. Al-Iṣāba fī tamyīz al-ṣaḥāba. Edited by ʿĀdil Aḥmad ʿAbd al-Mawjūd and ʿAlī Muḥammad Muʿawwaḍ. Beirut: Dār al-Kutub al-ʿIlmīyya, 1415 AH-1995.
- Ṭabarī, Muḥammad b. Jarīr al-. Tārīkh al-umam wa l-mulūk. Edited by Muḥammad Abū l-Faḍl Ibrāhīm. Beirut: Dār al-Turāth, 1387 AH-1967.
- Ziriklī, Khayr al-Dīn al-. Al-Aʿlām qāmus tarājum li ashhur al-rijāl wa al-nisāʾ min al-ʿarab wa al-mustaʿribīn wa al-mustashriqīn. Beirut: Dār al-ʿIlm li-l-Malāyyīn, 1989.