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Ashtar Alavi
NameAbdullah ibn Muhammad al-Nafs al-Zakiyya
Other NamesAshtar Alavi
Personal Details
Birth PlaceMedina, Saudi Arabia
Death PlaceKabul, Afghanistan
Death Date151 AH
ReligionIslam

ASHTAR ALAVI, Abdullah ibn Muhammad al-Nafs al-Zakiyya (d. approx. 151 AH/768 CE), was a prominent figure among the Alavids[1].


Birth

He was born in Medina and raised there. His mother was Salma, daughter of Muhammad ibn al-Hasan ibn al-Hasan (peace be upon him). He was called "Ashtar" due to the eversion of his eyelid[2].


Biography

The first mention of Ashtar in historical sources dates to 140 AH, when Al-Mansur, the Abbasid caliph, came to Mecca for the pilgrimage. Muhammad al-Nafs al-Zakiyya and his brother Ibrahim, who were living in hiding, also came to Mecca along with several other Alavids. Some of them intended to assassinate the caliph, and Abdullah Ashtar resolved to carry out this act, but al-Nafs al-Zakiyya opposed it[3].

According to Tabari[4], following the uprising of al-Nafs al-Zakiyya in Medina (145 AH), Abdullah Ashtar, sent by his father along with a group of Zaydis, went to Umar ibn Hafs al-Sufri, who was the governor of Sindh on behalf of Al-Mansur and sympathized with the Talibids. Umar accepted their invitation, pledged allegiance to al-Nafs al-Zakiyya through Abdullah, and secured pledges from the families, leaders, and nobles of his province. However, after some time, when news reached him of the defeat and subsequent death of al-Nafs al-Zakiyya, Abdullah sent Ashtar to one of the kings of Sindh or the Rajas[5] to seek safety. Shortly thereafter, another group of Zaydis joined Abdullah. It is said that from this time onward, Shiism began to spread in Sindh[6].

When news of Abdullah reached Al-Mansur, he wrote to Umar ibn Hafs demanding an explanation regarding this matter. However, Umar did not provide a satisfactory answer. Shortly after, Al-Mansur appointed Hisham ibn Amr al-Taghlibi in his place. Although Hisham initially hesitated to arrest Abdullah upon arriving in Sindh, eventually Hisham's brother fought against Abdullah and ten of his companions, killing them all. Hisham ibn Amr then informed Al-Mansur of the event, and the caliph praised his action[7].

Abu al-Faraj al-Isfahani's account of Ashtar's journey to Sindh differs from Tabari's narrative. According to this version, Isa ibn Abdullah ibn Mas'ada—whose father had been the tutor of the children of Abdullah ibn al-Hasan ibn al-Hasan (peace be upon him), Ashtar's grandfather—stated that after the killing of al-Nafs al-Zakiyya, Ashtar traveled from Kufa and Basra to Sindh. Al-Mansur tasked Hisham ibn Amr with suppressing him, and ultimately Ashtar was killed there. Hisham sent his head to Al-Mansur[8].


Children

Various reports exist concerning Abu al-Hasan Muhammad, the son of Ashtar. According to Tabari[9], while Ashtar was staying with a Sindh Raja, he had a son by a concubine. After Ashtar's death, both the concubine and her child were sent to Al-Mansur, who then forwarded them to Medina. The caliph confirmed Muhammad's Alavid lineage and ordered the governor of Medina to entrust him to his relatives. Nevertheless, it is reported that Imam al-Sadiq (peace be upon him) expressed astonishment regarding Muhammad's lineage and Al-Mansur's letter on the subject[10]. However, according to Abu al-Faraj al-Isfahani[11], citing Ibn Mas'ada, Ashtar's son remained with Ibn Mas'ada in Sindh until the death of Al-Mansur (159 AH), after which he came to Medina during the caliphate of al-Mahdi al-Abbasi. Another source indicates that Ashtar's son later migrated from Sindh[12]. The family of al-Nafs al-Zakiyya descending from Abdullah Ashtar[13][14] became known as Banu Ashtar or the Ashtariyya, who resided in Kufa and its surroundings[15], though their lineage eventually died out[16].


Death

According to Mas'udi[17], after the killing of al-Nafs al-Zakiyya, Ashtar fled to Khorasan and then to Sindh, where he was killed. Ibn Sufi[18] and Ibn Inaba[19] have written that Ashtar was killed in Kabul on a mountain named Aluj.


Footnotes

  1. ↑ Ashtar Alavi
  2. ↑ Bayhaqi, Ali, Lubab al-Ansab, vol. 1, p. 225, edited by Mehdi Rajai, Qom, 1410 AH
  3. ↑ Tabari, History, vol. 1, p. 525
  4. ↑ Tabari, History, vol. 8, pp. 33-36
  5. ↑ Habibi, Abdulhay, History of Afghanistan after Islam, vol. 1, p. 408, Kabul, 1345 SH
  6. ↑ Habibi, Abdulhay, History of Afghanistan after Islam, vol. 1, p. 408, Kabul, 1345 SH
  7. ↑ Tabari, History, vol. 8, pp. 35-36
  8. ↑ Abu al-Faraj al-Isfahani, Maqatil al-Talibiyyin, vol. 1, pp. 311-312, edited by Ahmad Saqr, Cairo, 1368 AH/1949 CE
  9. ↑ Tabari, History, vol. 8, p. 36
  10. ↑ Bukhari, Sahl, Sirr al-Silsila al-Alawiyya, p. 8, edited by Muhammad Sadiq Bahr al-Ulum, Najaf, 1381 AH/1962 CE
  11. ↑ Abu al-Faraj al-Isfahani, Maqatil al-Talibiyyin, vol. 1, p. 314, edited by Ahmad Saqr, Cairo, 1368 AH/1949 CE
  12. ↑ Ibn Sufi, Ali, Al-Majdi, vol. 1, p. 39, edited by Ahmad Mahdavi Damghani, Qom, 1409 AH
  13. ↑ Bukhari, Sahl, Sirr al-Silsila al-Alawiyya, vol. 1, p. 8, edited by Muhammad Sadiq Bahr al-Ulum, Najaf, 1381 AH/1962 CE
  14. ↑ Ibn Inaba, Ahmad, Umdat al-Talib, p. 105, edited by Muhammad Hasan Al Talqani, Najaf, 1380 AH/1961 CE
  15. ↑ Bayhaqi, Ali, Lubab al-Ansab, vol. 1, p. 225, edited by Mehdi Rajai, Qom, 1410 AH
  16. ↑ Ibn Inaba, Ahmad, Umdat al-Talib, p. 108, edited by Muhammad Hasan Al Talqani, Najaf, 1380 AH/1961 CE
  17. ↑ Mas'udi, Ali, Muruj al-Dhahab, vol. 3, p. 307, edited by Muhammad Muhyi al-Din Abd al-Hamid, Cairo, 1384 AH/1964 CE
  18. ↑ Ibn Sufi, Ali, Al-Majdi, vol. 1, p. 39, edited by Ahmad Mahdavi Damghani, Qom, 1409
  19. ↑ Ibn Inaba, Ahmad, Umdat al-Talib, p. 105, edited by Muhammad Hasan Al Talqani, Najaf, 1380 AH/1961 CE
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