Layla b. Nu'man
Laylā b. Nuʿmān (d. 308/920) was an 'Alids commander of the army of Al-Hasan al-Utrush, and a ruler of Hyrcania during the reign of al-Hasan b. al-Qasim. In their correspondences, al-Utrush's children referred to Layla as "the helper of God's religion and the assistant of the household of the Messenger of God."
He supported al-Utrush against al-Hasan b. al-Qasim's riot against al-Utrush. After al-Utrush's death, he served al-Hasan b. al-Qasim.
Al-Hasan b. al-Qasim appointed him as the ruler of Hyrcania in 308/920-1. He attacked Damghan and Nishapur, and after victory, he gave a sermon in the name of al-Hasan b. al-Qasim. After the conquest of Nishapur, he was arrested and then killed in a skirmish in Tus, and his head was sent to the headquarters of the Abbasid caliphate at the command of Nasr b. Ahmad.
Father
There is no information about Lala b. Nu'man's early life. His father was a ruler of Gilan, and his original name was Shahdust.[1] With his father's links, he found his way to the Alawite palace, and became close to al-Hasan al-Utrush.
Commander of Alawites
Ibn Athir first mentions Layla as a commander of Alawites in his account of the events of 301/913-4, when Lalyla and some Samanid commanders, such as al-Husayn b. 'Ali al-Marwrudi and Simjur al-Dawati, joined people of Sistan in their riots against Nasr b. Ahmad, a Samanid ruler. At this time, he served al-Hasan al-Utrush.[2]
Support of al-Hasan al-Utrush
In 303/915-6, Layla supported al-Hasan al-Utrush against al-Hasan b. al-Qasim's riot against al-Utrush. With the help of people of Amol, he saved al-Utrush and took him to Amol.[3] At this time, Layla was the ruler of Hyrcania.[4] Al-Mar'ashi refers to the remnants of Layla b. Nu'man's house of government in the village of Nashkanjan in Sari.[5]
The Period of al-Hasan b. al-Qasim
Al-Hasan al-Utrush died in 304/916. According to Gardizi, when he died, Layla took over the army and went to Hyrcania, but apparently he then served al-Hasan b. al-Qasim, al-Da'i al-Saghir.[6]
Ruler of Hyrcania
Al-Hasan b. al-Qasim appointed Layla b. Nu'man as the ruler of Hyrcania in 308/920-1.[7] Layla attacked Khorasan, because it was in turmoil at the time, and the Samanid government failed in its administration there.
He first attacked Damghan, where he killed a number of people, and upon his return to Hyrcania, he encountered Qaratakin (a Samanid commander). In this battle, Qaratakin was defeated and then fled,[8] and Baris, a commander under Qaratakin, asked Layla for a safety conduct and joined him with an army of thousand people. He was cherished by Layla and his sister became engaged to Baris.[9] These victories encouraged Layla to embark upon an attack on Nishapur.
Death
In Dhu l-Hijja 308/April-May 921, Layla conquered Nishapur and gave a sermon in the name of al-Hasan b. al-Qasim.[10] Nasr b. Ahmad sent Hammuya b. 'Ali from Bukhara to quench Layla b. Nu'man. In a skirmish in Tus, Hammuya retreated at first, but with the plans of his commanders, he finally defeated Layla. Layla fled, but he was arrested and then killed. At the command of Nasr, his head was sent to the headquarters of the Abbasid caliphate.[11]
Muhammad Warraq Jurjani, a Shiite poet, composed an elegy after Layli's murder.[12]
Characteristics
Layla b. Nu'man was generous, and was tolerant with his enemies. According to Gardizi, his generous donations to others led to his financial problems and his defeat in the battle with Hammuya.[13]
Titles
In their correspondences, children of al-Hasan al-Utrush referred to Layla as "the helper of God's religion and the assistant of the household of the Messenger of God."[14]
Notes
- ↑ Ṣābī, al-Tājī fī akhbār al-dawla al-daylamiyya, p. 15; Ibn Isfandiyār, Tārīkh-i Ṭabaristān, vol. 1, p. 274.
- ↑ Ibn Athīr, al-Kāmil, vol. 8, p. 79-80.
- ↑ Nāṭiq bi l-Ḥaqq, al-Ifāda fī tārīkh al-aʾimma al-sāda, p. 127; Ibn Isfandiyār, Tārīkh-i Ṭabaristān, vol. 1, p. 274.
- ↑ Ibn Athīr, al-Kāmil, vol. 8, p. 124.
- ↑ Marʿashī, Tārīkh-i Ṭabaristān wa Rūyān wa Māzandarān, p. 307.
- ↑ Gardīzī, Tārīkh-i Gardīzī, p. 191.
- ↑ Ibn Athīr, al-Kāmil, vol. 8, p. 79-80.
- ↑ Ṣābī, al-Tājī fī akhbār al-dawla al-daylamiyya, p. 44.
- ↑ Ibn Athīr, al-Kāmil, vol. 8, p. 79-80.
- ↑ Ṣābī, al-Tājī fī akhbār al-dawla al-daylamiyya, p. 44-45.
- ↑ Ṣābī, al-Tājī fī akhbār al-dawla al-daylamiyya, p. 45; Ibn Isfandiyār, Tārīkh-i Ṭabaristān, vol. 1, p. 277-8; Abū ʿAlī Miskawayh, Tajārub al-umam, vol. 5, p. 232; Hamadānī, Takmila tārīkh-i Ṭabarī, p. 51; Ibn Athīr, al-Kāmil, vol. 8, p. 124-125.
- ↑ Marzbānī, Muʿjam al-shuʿarāʾ, p. 428.
- ↑ Gardīzī, Tārīkh-i Gardīzī, p. 191-192.
- ↑ Ibn Athīr, al-Kāmil, vol. 8, p. 124-125.
References
- Abū ʿAlī Miskawayh, Aḥmad b. Muḥammad. Tajārub al-umam. Edited by Abu l-Qāsim Imāmī. Tehran: 1377 Sh.
- Ibn Isfandiyār, Bahāʾ al-Dīn, Muḥammad b. Ḥasan. Tārīkh-i Ṭabaristān. Edited by ʿAbbās Iqbāl. Tehran: 1320 Sh.
- Gardīzī, Abū Saʿīd ʿAbd al-Ḥayy b. Ḍaḥḥāk b. Maḥmūd. Tārīkh-i Gardīzī. Edited by ʿAbd al-Ḥayy Ḥabībī. Tehran: Dunyā-yi Kitāb, 1363 Sh.
- Hamadānī, Muḥammad b. ʿAbd al-Malik. Takmila tārīkh-i Ṭabarī. Edited by Albert Yusuf Kanʿān. Beirut: 1961.
- Ibn Athīr al-Jazarī, ʿAlī b. Abī l-Karam. Al-Kāmil fī l-tārīkh. [n.p]. [n.d].
- Marzbānī, Abū ʿAbd Allāh Muḥammad b. ʿUmrān. Muʿjam al-shuʿarāʾ. Edited by ʿAbd al-Sattār Aḥmad Faraj. Cairo: 1960.
- Marʿashī, Sayyid Zahīr al-Dīn. Tārīkh-i Ṭabaristān wa Rūyān wa Māzandarān. Edited by Bernhard Waren. Tehran: 1363 SH.
- Nāṭiq bi l-Ḥaqq, Yaḥyā b. Ḥusayn. Al-Ifāda fī tārīkh al-aʾimma al-sāda. Edited by Ibrāhīm b. Majd al-Dīn Muʾayyidī and Hādī b. Ḥasan Ḥamzī. Yemen: 2001.
- Ṣābī, Abū Isḥāq al-. Al-Tājī fī akhbār al-dawla al-daylamiyya, fī al-Akhbār al-aʾimma al-Zaydiyya fī Tabaristān, Daylamān wa Jīlān. Edited by Wilferd Madelung. Beirut: 1987.