Muhammad b. Ilyas
Encyclopedia
Abu 'Ali Muhammad ibn Ilyas (d. 967
or 968
) was the Ilyasid
ruler of northern Kerman from 932
until 967. For over thirty years he was able to maintain a virtually independent territory against his aggressive neighbors, the Samanids and Buyids.
he was imprisoned after angering the Samanid amir, Nasr ibn Ahmad
. He was freed after receiving the support of Nasr's vizier Abu'l-Fadl al-Bal'ami and was sent on a campaign in Gurgan
. At this point Muhammad joined a rebellion started by Nasr's brothers, headed by Yahya ibn Ahamd. As the rebels began to lose Muhammad traveled to Nishapur
but was not allowed into the city by its governor, Makan b. Kaki. Muhammad entered into Makan's service but when the latter left for Gurgan, he allowed the rebel Yahya into Nishapur.
In 932
Nasr's army approached Nishapur, and Yahya's supporters fled. Muhammad made his way to Kerman, a province loosely in the hands of the Abbasids. He was able to establish his authority in the northern portion of Kerman; the southern and eastern parts were inhabited by the Qufs and Baluch tribes who maintained their autonomy.
Nasr sent Makan b. Kaki against Muhammad. The Ilyasid attempted to gain the support of the Abbasid general Yaqut but failed, was defeated by Makan and forced to flee. In 935
/936
Makan was summoned by Nasr's governor of Khurasan
, the Muhtajid
Muhammad b. al-Muzaffar, to assist him in fighting the Ziyarids. After Makan left Muhammad returned to Kerman, and after battling the Samanid garrisons left behind by Makan restored his position there.
Meanwhile in Fars the Buyids had come to power in 934
. Two years later 'Ali
sent his younger brother Ahmad
to Kerman to take over the province. The Samanids remaining in Kerman withdrew, and Muhammad decided to head to Sistan
rather than fight the Buyids. Ahmad soon ran into troubles with the Qufs and Baluch, however, and in one battle with them was seriously wounded. He gradually gained some ground against them, and defeated Muhammad when he returned from Kerman, but eventually 'Ali decided to recall Ahmad from the province. This withdrawal allowed Muhammad to reestablish himself in Kerman.
or 960
the caliph sent him a banner and robe, objects signifying the status of an independent ruler. Muhammad reportedly ruled as a brigand, plundering the caravans coming from Fars, and gained a large amount of wealth. He was also active in creating building projects and giving money to charities.
Muhammad was traveling to the territory of the Qufs to collect his share of plunder that the Qufs had gained from a caravan when he suffered a stroke
. As he was paralyzed by the stroke he made plans for the succession. His son Ilyasa was made his heir and given command of the army, while Ilyas was put next in line.
Muhammad was on bad terms with a third son, Suleiman, who was sent to the Ilyasids' native Sughd
and instructed to take command of the family properties there. Suleiman left, but instead of going to Sughd went to the Qufs and received the tribute that they owed his father. He then raised an army from the Qufs and took control of the town of Sirajan, which he had previously been governor of. The army under Ilyasa was sent by Muhammad against him, and after some fighting Suleiman fled to Khurasan. Sirajan was then plundered.
Muhammad was allowed to leave with all his wealth. He made his way to Bukhara
, where Suleiman was as well. While there he urged the Samanid amir Mansur b. Nuh
to take action against the Ziyarids and Buyids. He died soon afterwards, either in 967
or 968
.
967
Year 967 was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Julian calendar.-Africa:* The Fatimid general Gawhar al-Siqilli launches a new victorious campaign in the West of the Magrib.- Europe :...
or 968
968
Year 968 was a leap year starting on Wednesday of the Julian calendar.- Europe :* The Battle near Silistra occurs in the spring near the Bulgarian town of Silistra, but most probably on the modern territory of Romania.- Religion :* The Archbishopric of Magdeburg is founded.* The first Polish...
) was the Ilyasid
Banu Ilyas
The Banu Ilyas or Ilyasids were the rulers of Kerman from 932 until 968. Their capital was Bardasir.-Muhammad b. Ilyas:Abu 'Ali Muhammad b. Ilyas was a member of the Samanid army and was of Sogdian origin. He supported the failed 929 coup against the Samanid amir Nasr b. Ahmad. After the rebellion...
ruler of northern Kerman from 932
932
Year 932 was a leap year starting on Sunday of the Julian calendar.- Asia :* After an initial defeat, Mardavij took Tabaristan and Gurgan. Makan, whose attempts to recover his territories failed, entered the service of the Samanids.- Europe :* St...
until 967. For over thirty years he was able to maintain a virtually independent territory against his aggressive neighbors, the Samanids and Buyids.
Establishment of Rule in Kerman
Muhammad is first mentioned as a commander in the service of the Samanids. In 929929
Year 929 was a common year starting on Thursday of the Julian calendar.- Asia :* Mpu Sindok, ruler of the Mataram Kingdom, moves his court from Central Java to East Java in Indonesia.- Europe :...
he was imprisoned after angering the Samanid amir, Nasr ibn Ahmad
Nasr II of Samanid
Nasr II was amir of the Samanids . His reign saw the high point of Samanid rule. He was the son of Ahmad ibn Isma’il....
. He was freed after receiving the support of Nasr's vizier Abu'l-Fadl al-Bal'ami and was sent on a campaign in Gurgan
Gürgan
Gürgan is a village in Baku, Azerbaijan. It forms part of the municipality of Gürgən-Pirallahı....
. At this point Muhammad joined a rebellion started by Nasr's brothers, headed by Yahya ibn Ahamd. As the rebels began to lose Muhammad traveled to Nishapur
Nishapur
Nishapur or Nishabur , is a city in the Razavi Khorasan province in northeastern Iran, situated in a fertile plain at the foot of the Binalud Mountains, near the regional capital of Mashhad...
but was not allowed into the city by its governor, Makan b. Kaki. Muhammad entered into Makan's service but when the latter left for Gurgan, he allowed the rebel Yahya into Nishapur.
In 932
932
Year 932 was a leap year starting on Sunday of the Julian calendar.- Asia :* After an initial defeat, Mardavij took Tabaristan and Gurgan. Makan, whose attempts to recover his territories failed, entered the service of the Samanids.- Europe :* St...
Nasr's army approached Nishapur, and Yahya's supporters fled. Muhammad made his way to Kerman, a province loosely in the hands of the Abbasids. He was able to establish his authority in the northern portion of Kerman; the southern and eastern parts were inhabited by the Qufs and Baluch tribes who maintained their autonomy.
Battle with the Samanids and Buyids
In 934934
Year 934 was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Julian calendar.- Asia :* The Ziyarid army occupies Ahvaz.* The Goryeo army defeats Hubaekje forces in present-day Hongseong County.- Europe :...
Nasr sent Makan b. Kaki against Muhammad. The Ilyasid attempted to gain the support of the Abbasid general Yaqut but failed, was defeated by Makan and forced to flee. In 935
935
Year 935 was a common year starting on Thursday of the Julian calendar.-Africa:* A third attempt to conquer Egypt by the Tunisia-based Shi'ite Fatimid dynasty fails....
/936
936
Year 936 was a leap year starting on Friday of the Julian calendar.- Asia :* King Taejo of Goryeo defeats Hubaekje....
Makan was summoned by Nasr's governor of Khurasan
Greater Khorasan
Greater Khorasan or Ancient Khorasan is a historical region of Greater Iran mentioned in sources from Sassanid and Islamic eras which "frequently" had a denotation wider than current three provinces of Khorasan in Iran...
, the Muhtajid
Al Muhtaj
The Al-i Muhtaj or Muhtajids was an Iranian or Arabicized Iranian ruling family of the small principality of Chaghaniyan. They ruled during the 10th and early 11th centuries.-Early history:...
Muhammad b. al-Muzaffar, to assist him in fighting the Ziyarids. After Makan left Muhammad returned to Kerman, and after battling the Samanid garrisons left behind by Makan restored his position there.
Meanwhile in Fars the Buyids had come to power in 934
934
Year 934 was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Julian calendar.- Asia :* The Ziyarid army occupies Ahvaz.* The Goryeo army defeats Hubaekje forces in present-day Hongseong County.- Europe :...
. Two years later 'Ali
'Imad al-Daula
Ali ibn Buya "'Imad al-Daula" was the founder of the Buyid dynasty in Iran .- Early career :'Ali first entered the services of the Samanids under Nasr II, where he became a member of the ruler's entourage. From there he eventually joined Makan, who ruled Gorgan and Ray as a governor of the...
sent his younger brother Ahmad
Mu'izz al-Daula
Ahmad was the first of the Buwayhid emirs of Iraq, ruling from 945 until his death. He was the son of Buya.During the Buwayhid conquest of Fars, Ahmad distinguished himself in battle. In 935 or 936, Ahmad's oldest brother 'Ali sent Ahmad to Kerman with the task of conquering that province from the...
to Kerman to take over the province. The Samanids remaining in Kerman withdrew, and Muhammad decided to head to Sistan
Sistan
Sīstān is a border region in eastern Iran , southwestern Afghanistan and northern tip of Southwestern Pakistan .-Etymology:...
rather than fight the Buyids. Ahmad soon ran into troubles with the Qufs and Baluch, however, and in one battle with them was seriously wounded. He gradually gained some ground against them, and defeated Muhammad when he returned from Kerman, but eventually 'Ali decided to recall Ahmad from the province. This withdrawal allowed Muhammad to reestablish himself in Kerman.
Rule in Kerman
Little is said of Muhammad and Kerman for the next thirty years. He may have acknowledged either the Samanids or the Buyids as his overlords, although in 959959
Year 959 was a common year starting on Saturday of the Julian calendar.- Europe :* October 1 – King Eadwig of England dies, and is succeeded by his brother Edgar, who effectively completes the unification of England.* Dunstan becomes bishop of Worcester, England and London.* Bruno I,...
or 960
960
Year 960 was a leap year starting on Sunday of the Julian calendar.- Europe :* Edgar the Peaceable is crowned King of England. Dunstan becomes Archbishop of Canterbury and Edgar's chief adviser. He reforms monasteries and enforces the rule of Saint Benedict: Poverty, Chastity and Obedience for...
the caliph sent him a banner and robe, objects signifying the status of an independent ruler. Muhammad reportedly ruled as a brigand, plundering the caravans coming from Fars, and gained a large amount of wealth. He was also active in creating building projects and giving money to charities.
Muhammad was traveling to the territory of the Qufs to collect his share of plunder that the Qufs had gained from a caravan when he suffered a stroke
Stroke
A stroke, previously known medically as a cerebrovascular accident , is the rapidly developing loss of brain function due to disturbance in the blood supply to the brain. This can be due to ischemia caused by blockage , or a hemorrhage...
. As he was paralyzed by the stroke he made plans for the succession. His son Ilyasa was made his heir and given command of the army, while Ilyas was put next in line.
Muhammad was on bad terms with a third son, Suleiman, who was sent to the Ilyasids' native Sughd
Sughd
Sughd Province is one of the four administrative divisions and one of the three provinces that make up Tajikistan. Centered in the historical Sogdiana, it is located in the northwest of the country, with an area of some 25,400 square kilometers and a population of 2,132,100 , up from 1,870,000...
and instructed to take command of the family properties there. Suleiman left, but instead of going to Sughd went to the Qufs and received the tribute that they owed his father. He then raised an army from the Qufs and took control of the town of Sirajan, which he had previously been governor of. The army under Ilyasa was sent by Muhammad against him, and after some fighting Suleiman fled to Khurasan. Sirajan was then plundered.
Abdication and Death
Meanwhile relations between Muhammad and Ilyasa became strained as various people at court turned Muhammad against his son. He dismissed Ilyasa from the army command and had him imprisoned (this was not the first time the two had been in conflict with one another; a previous quarrel had forced Ilyasa to temporary flee to Buyid Fars). The mothers of Ilyasa and Ilyas, however, eventually freed Ilyasa, who gained the support of the army. Faced with little choice, Muhammad agreed to abdicate, allowing Ilyasa to succeed him.Muhammad was allowed to leave with all his wealth. He made his way to Bukhara
Bukhara
Bukhara , from the Soghdian βuxārak , is the capital of the Bukhara Province of Uzbekistan. The nation's fifth-largest city, it has a population of 263,400 . The region around Bukhara has been inhabited for at least five millennia, and the city has existed for half that time...
, where Suleiman was as well. While there he urged the Samanid amir Mansur b. Nuh
Mansur I of Samanid
Abu Salih Mansur was amir of the Samanids . He was the son of Nuh I.The death of Mansur's brother 'Abd al-Malik I at the end of 961 caused a succession crisis. The Turkic military establishment, which was effectively in control of the government, split over who should succeed Abdul Malik...
to take action against the Ziyarids and Buyids. He died soon afterwards, either in 967
967
Year 967 was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Julian calendar.-Africa:* The Fatimid general Gawhar al-Siqilli launches a new victorious campaign in the West of the Magrib.- Europe :...
or 968
968
Year 968 was a leap year starting on Wednesday of the Julian calendar.- Europe :* The Battle near Silistra occurs in the spring near the Bulgarian town of Silistra, but most probably on the modern territory of Romania.- Religion :* The Archbishopric of Magdeburg is founded.* The first Polish...
.
Sources
- Bosworth, C. E. "The Banu Ilyas of Kirman." Iran and Islam. Edited by C. E. Bosworth. Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press, 1971. ISBN 978-0-85224-200-1
- Kabir, Mazifullah. The Buwayhid dynasty of Baghdad, 334/946-447/1055. Calcutta: Iran Society, 1964.