383:) in October 741. In setting up the battle, Kulthum disdained Habib ibn Abi Ubaida's experience and advice on how to fight the Berbers - 'foot for foot, horse for horse' – and instead sent the Arab cavalry forth against the Berber foot. Berber slingers and missile troops quickly dehorsed and separated them, depriving the Arabs of their best asset. The Berbers then fell upon the Arab infantry, overwhelming them with numbers and targeting their commanders. The Ifriqiyan column was the first to be hit, and Habib ibn Abi Ubaida among the first to be killed.
364:, was the first to arrive in Kairouan and they imposed themselves on the city, billeting troops, requisitioning supplies, and threatening its inhabitants. The people of Kairouan appealed to Habib ibn Abi Ubaida (then still encamped in the environs of Tlemcen, with some 40,000 Ifriqiyan troops) for assistance. Angered by the reports, Habib fired off a heated missive to Kulthum, threatening to turn his own army against the Syrians if he did not curb his nephew and put an end to the abuses in Kairouan.
368:
brought up the issue of the threats Habib had made in his heated letter, and demanded that his uncle
Kulthum ibn Iyad arrest the Ifriqiyan commander for treason. Habib in turn threatened to decamp unless Kulthum brought his nephew to order and treated the Ifriqiyans with more respect. The armies nearly came to blows. But by smooth diplomacy, Kulthum managed to patch over the quarrels and hold the armies together. But the mutual resentments would play a role in what followed.
386:
Once Habib was known to have fallen, the
Ifriqiyan troops felt no compulsion to remain in the field with the hateful Syrians, and quickly broke ranks and fled, leaving the Syrians to fight alone. The defeat turned into a rout. Some two-thirds of the Arab forces, including the governor Kulthum, were
330:
to pick up reserves, only to find that city in disarray. The
Umayyad garrison commander, Ibn al-Mughira, had, in a state of panic, initiated a series of indiscriminate massacres in a pre-emptive effort to quell an uprising, and ended up provoking that uprising himself. Bewildered and angry, Habib
367:
The junction between the Syrian and
Ifriqiyan armies near Tlemcen did not go any more smoothly. The Ifriqiyans were still smoldering about the Kairouan reports and offended by Syrian high-handedness, while the Syrians remained incensed at what they perceived to be ingratitude. Balj immediately
291:
delayed the start of the uprising until Habib had left with the bulk of the
Ifriqiyan army for Sicily. Upon hearing the news, Habib aborted the Sicilian campaign, and shipped his army quickly back to Africa to help quell the uprising.
331:
let his fury fall on Musa ibn Abi Khalid, an
Umayyad captain who had bravely stayed behind collecting loyal forces. Accusing him of causing the uprising, Habib ordered Musa's hand and leg chopped off.
421:, would forgo the coast and family politics and head inland to organize campaigns against the desert-dwelling nomadic Berbers below the Sous valley, pushing into the region of what is now
334:
Collecting what remained of the
Umayyad army in Ifriqiya, Habib ibn Abi Ubaida entrenched himself in a defensive line in the vicinity of Tlemcen (or perhaps as far back as
484:, and this has led some careless readers to assume Ibn Khaldun meant Habib and consequently confuse the Battle of the Nobles (Khalid's death, 740) with the
618:
315:, and keep the rebels in check, until Habib arrived with his Sicilian expeditionary army. But the Berber rebels did not wait. Under their new leader,
326:
Habib ibn Abi Ubaida's army arrived too late to prevent the massacre of the nobles. Unable to take on the
Berbers by himself, he withdrew his army to
623:
231:
alleges it was Habib who received the order and carried out the assassination of Abd al-Aziz in 716, and personally carried the dead man's head to
628:
455:, 'the inevitable event'), Habib burst out "You brought this event on yourself, you son of a whore!" and struck his head off with his sword. See
603:
562:
273:
130:
449:
Ibn
Khaldun reports that Habib found Abd al-Aziz in public prayer in a mosque, and when Abd al-Aziz began reciting the 69th Sura (
598:
578:
403:
197:
72:
58:
390:
The
Ifriqiyan remnant fled in a scattered manner back to Kairouan, while the remainder of the Syrian army, held together by
429:. It is reported by one of his commanders that, by the 730s, their expeditions had reached as far south as "the Nile" (the
304:
350:
216:
124:
583:
391:
361:
316:
296:
247:
236:
548:
418:
410:
88:
77:
254:
from 734. Obeid Allah, an inherent administrator, seemed to place great trust in Habib on military matters.
346:
608:
530:
Hrbek, Ivan (1992), Africa from the Seventh to the Eleventh Century, 3rd, University of California Press
481:
320:
220:
613:
288:
554:
The End of the Jihâd State: The Reign of Hishām ibn ʻAbd al-Malik and the Collapse of the Umayyads
276:
of the island (rather than a mere raid). Habib had a successful landing and laid a brief siege to
485:
372:
139:
558:
114:
633:
287:
in the western Maghreb Morocco broke out during Habib's absence. It seems the Berber leader
277:
143:
242:
Habib eventually returned to North Africa, and became one of the leading commanders of the
212:
165:
422:
592:
430:
284:
193:
134:
53:
319:, the Berbers attacked and annihilated the Arab column in what became known as the
43:
552:
477:
456:
376:
228:
39:
426:
399:
265:, bringing the Moroccan hinterlands more firmly within the Umayyad Caliphate.
224:
211:
Habib ibn Abi Ubaida participated in the 712 expedition of Ifriqiyan governor
181:
338:) and appealed to Kairouan for reinforcements. His request was forwarded to
451:
413:, Abd al-Wareth and Amran. In 745, they took over and ruled Ifriqiya as a
176:(or 'Oqbid') family who played an important role in the early history of
339:
312:
300:
251:
243:
232:
205:
177:
257:
In 735, Habib ibn Abi Ubaida led the Arab armies in the conquest of the
414:
327:
308:
262:
201:
172:) (died October 741) was an Arab military commander of the illustrious
371:
The joint Syrian-Ifriqiyan army clashed with the Berber rebels at the
354:
335:
269:
173:
395:
258:
311:). This vanguard column was to hold a line in the outskirts of
525:
Histoire des Berbères et des dynasties musulmanes de l'Afrique
480:'s chronicle (p. 360) writes "Ibn Abi Obeida" perished at the
380:
542:
The Muslim conquest and settlement of North Africa and Spain
499:
The Muslim conquest and settlement of North Africa and Spain
406:, survived the battle and accompanied the Syrians to Spain.
409:
Habib was survived by several sons, notably Abd al-Rahman,
272:, in what was possibly the first attempt at a full-scale
557:. Albany, New York: State University of New York Press.
219:. In 714, Habib was appointed alongside Musa's own son
537:, édition originale 1931, réédition Payot, Paris, 1961
268:
In early 740, Habib headed a large Arab expedition to
299:
assembled a cavalry-heavy column from the nobles of
120:
110:
105:
97:
65:
49:
33:
28:
21:
535:Histoire de l'Afrique du Nord, des origines à 1830
353:at the head of a fresh Arab army, drawn from the
192:Habib ibn Abi Ubaida al-Fihri was a grandson of
360:. The Syrian cavalry, under Kulthum's nephew,
8:
387:either killed or captured by the Berbers.
204:, the leading Arab aristocratic family of
18:
417:family dominion. One of Habib's son's,
246:army, particularly during the tenure of
442:
280:, securing its submission to tribute.
7:
295:While waiting for Habib to return,
169:
303:, placing it under the command of
16:Arab military commander (died 741)
14:
619:Generals of the Umayyad Caliphate
497:Abd al-Wahid Dhannun Taha (1989)
235:, and presented it to the Caliph
579:History of early Islamic Tunisia
404:Abd al-Rahman ibn Habib al-Fihri
624:Medieval Arabs killed in battle
307:(possibly Habib's brother, see
629:Muslim conquest of the Maghreb
345:In spring 741, Umayyad Caliph
323:in late October/November 740.
1:
604:Umayyad governors of Ifriqiya
305:Khalid ibn Abi Habib al-Fihri
200:. Habib was the scion of the
162:Habib ibn Abi Ubayda al-Fihri
23:Habib ibn Abi Ubayda al-Fihri
501:, London, Routledge: pp. 204
398:and secured passage over to
351:Kulthum ibn Iyad al-Qushayri
128:Umayyad conquest of the Sous
125:Umayyad conquest of Hispania
584:History of medieval Tunisia
540:Abd al-Wahid Dhannun Taha,
650:
544:, 1989, London, Routledge.
362:Balj ibn Bishr al-Qushayri
349:dispatched a new governor
317:Khalid ibn Hamid al-Zanati
549:Blankinship, Khalid Yahya
419:Ismail ibn Habib al-Fihri
248:Ubayd Allah ibn al-Habhab
198:conqueror of North Africa
155:
131:Muslim conquest of Sicily
170:حبيب بن أبي عبيدة الفهري
599:8th-century Arab people
533:Julien, Charles-André,
527:, 1852 trans., Algiers.
402:. Habib's eldest son,
347:Hisham ibn Abd al-Malik
59:Yusuf ibn Abd al-Rahman
488:(Habib's death, 741).]
482:Battle of the Nobles
321:Battle of the Nobles
223:as vice-governor in
289:Maysara al-Matghari
285:Great Berber Revolt
261:valley of southern
101:Abu Ubayda ibn Uqba
510:Hrbek, p. 308
486:Battle of Bagdoura
373:Battle of Bagdoura
140:Battle of Bagdoura
564:978-0-7914-1827-7
159:
158:
115:Umayyad Caliphate
641:
568:
511:
508:
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469:
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148:
106:Military service
29:Personal details
19:
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250:as governor of
213:Musa ibn Nusair
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423:Western Sahara
392:Balj ibn Bishr
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180:(Tunisia) and
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609:Arab generals
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523:Ibn Khaldun,
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483:
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474:
471:
465:
462:
459:, p. 355
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431:Senegal River
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379:(near modern
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217:conquer Spain
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209:
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194:Uqba ibn Nafi
187:
185:
183:
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167:
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141:
138:
137:
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135:Berber Revolt
132:
126:
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119:
116:
113:
109:
104:
100:
96:
90:
87:
84:
82:Abd al-Warith
81:
79:
76:
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73:Abd al-Rahman
71:
70:
68:
64:
60:
56:(grandfather)
55:
54:Uqba ibn Nafi
52:
48:
45:
41:
36:
32:
27:
20:
553:
541:
534:
524:
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468:Ibn al-Hakem
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267:
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210:
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161:
160:
145:
121:Battles/wars
478:Ibn Khaldun
457:Ibn Khaldun
377:Sebou river
297:Obeid Allah
229:Ibn Khaldun
221:Abd al-Aziz
142:(741)
40:Sebou River
37:October 741
614:741 deaths
593:Categories
437:References
427:Mauritania
400:al-Andalus
182:al-Andalus
111:Allegiance
61:(grandson)
452:Al-Haaqqa
375:, by the
244:Ifriqiyan
188:Biography
184:(Spain).
50:Relations
573:See also
551:(1994).
340:Damascus
313:Tangiers
301:Kairouan
278:Syracuse
274:invasion
252:Ifriqiya
237:Sulayman
233:Damascus
206:Kairouan
178:Ifriqiya
66:Children
634:Fihrids
518:Sources
328:Tlemcen
309:Fihrids
263:Morocco
202:Fihrids
146:†
42:, near
561:
415:Fihrid
355:Syrian
336:Tahert
270:Sicily
174:Fihrid
166:Arabic
98:Parent
89:Ismail
411:Ilyas
396:Ceuta
358:junds
225:Spain
85:Imran
78:Ilyas
559:ISBN
425:and
283:The
259:Sous
34:Died
433:).
381:Fez
215:to
44:Fes
595::
342:.
239:.
227:.
208:.
196:,
168::
567:.
164:(
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