Copyright © 2015, American-Eurasian
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Research Journal of Social Sciences
ISSN: 1815-9125
EISSN: 2309-9631
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2015 September; 8(7): pages 62-64.
Published Online 30 June 2015.
Research Article
Shiite Al-Hamdan Government Formation
1Sakineh
Ravand and 2Mozhgan Purfard
1Department
2Associate
of History, Darab Branch, Islamic Azad University, Darab, Iran.
professor, Department of History, Babak City Branch, Islamic Azad University, Babak City, Iran.
Received: 23 April 2015; Revised: 28 May 2015; Accepted: 18 June 2015
Copyright © 2015 by authors and American-Eurasian Network for Scientific Information.
This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution International License (CC BY).
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
ABSTRACT
This article examines Shiite Al-Hamdan government formation and its role in the progress of Shiite with focus on methods of
historical research. This article examines the role of this government in promoting the objectives of the Shiite. According to historical
documents the Shiite rose at time of the Prophet indicating the claim by the Prophet that said: “Shiite are my best people, and they are
in heaven”, but the Shiite title was used after the death of the Prophet (PBUH) for those who loved Imam Ali (AS) and followed him
until death. Shiites with cultural power and strong intellectual could win fight against the tyranny of the rulers of the time. Meantime,
they have migrated across the world due to Abbasid and Umayyad rulers’ oppression leading to Shiite Islam ideas flourishing in the
world. They had cultural power and could gradually strengthen its political power and formed governments around the world, one of
these states was that Al-Hamdan with a significant role in the development of Shiism. They fought against the enemies of some
Abbasid caliphs especially Qoramateh, and also won the war with the Romans (Byzantine). Their approach was train scientists and
publishes Shiite books that flourished Shiism.
Keywords: Islam world, Shiism, Abbasid, Roman, Al-Hamdan
INTRODUCTION
Shiite rise right back to the time of the Prophet
(PBUH) death:
And Caliphs opposition to the government of
Imam Ali (AS) and usurp the caliphate and
succession of the Prophet.This was met with protests
from a group of Companions, among the protesters
this religion formed and over time, the Umayyad and
Abbasids excreted too much pressure on the Shiites,
and they had to leave the land of Imam Ali (AS) and
Prophet, but at the same time this migration led to
prosperity and progress throughout the Shiite Muslim
world. Muslims welcome and orientation of Imam
Ali (AS) and his followers were so much that the
Shiites felt political power and formed independent
Shiite states in the Muslim world. Although the life
of this government was short, they achieved cultural
progress and raised a lot of scientists and scholars at
presence of school leaders. They also, to fight the
unjust, wrote based on Shiite principles and ideas and
Imam Mahdi (AS) approach. Moreover, the book
became great references for Shiites in different times,
but at some point in time Shiite established friendly
Corresponding Author: Sakineh Ravand, Department of History, Darab Branch, Islamic Azad University, Darab,Iran.
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Sakineh Ravand and Mozhgan Purfard, 2015 / Research Journal of Social Sciences 8(7), September, Pages: 62-64
relations with the Abbasid dynasty and supported
them politically and military and added many lands
into the realm of Islam and Abbasids triumph against
Christians was promising.
Shiite Al-Hamdan government formation:
Hamdanids ancestor is Hamdan Ibn Hamdon
Taqlibi, of the Arab race and was based around
Mosul. Hamdan was a valid role in the political
events of Mosul 260 AH and in 272 AH was allied
with foreign Aaron and shortly after it seized Mardin.
In 281 AH Motazed fought him, he escaped and his
son Hussein took the fortress duty. Caliph
surrounded Mardin, pursued Hamdan and captured
and took him to prison, this time Hamdanids fame
began. Hussein Ibn Hamdan was famous due to the
fight by Qarmatians, as well as Ibn Moataz assistance
in gaining the rein and withdrawing Moqtader .
Hamdanids or Bani Hamdan was from Bani
Taghlab from Adnan Rabi'i Arabs. Hamdan had
eight sons, the most known was Abulheyja Abdullah,
the father of Hassan (Naser Al- Dawla) the founder
of the branch and Ali (Saif al-Dawla) was the
founder of the Aleppo branch of Hamdanids
government.
Hamdan was a general of Abbasid army that first
supported the Khawarij. His sons, Hossein and
Abulheyja, were al-Mu'tadid bi-llah, the Abbasid
caliph commanders and Hossein was awarded due to
Khawarij overthrow, then he formed a military
legion in Blad AL-Jabal and fought against Bani
Dalaf to withdrow Qarmate to satisfy Moktafi, the
Abbasid caliph.
He fought Safaris, but despite the military
service, eventually with his brother Abulheyja
rebelled against al-Muqtader bi-llah that went in vain
due to the Caliph policy and died in prison. But
Abulheyja who had sought refuge and the caliph has
given him mercy took Mosul and surrounding area
tribute after his release from prison, and around the
year 267 was killed in a conspiracy to dethrone alMuqtader bi-llah.
But al-Muqtader knew that only Hamdanids can
win fights against blood tribal uprisings, the
Khawarij and the movements of Kurds, so he
appointed Hassan (Naser al Dawla) the son of
Abulheyja on Mosul areas. However, Hamdanids
government source can be the year 293 AH, with
Abulheyja as the governor of Mosul appointed by alMuqtader the Abbasi .
Hamdanids grew up in Jazireh of Mesopotamia,
now divided among Iraq, Syria and Turkey and ruled
there totally and partially alternately. Jazireh was
divided into three regions: Bekr (Amad and
Miyafareqin cities, etc.); Mozer (Roha, Harran and
Ar-Raqqah cities) and Rabiah (Mosul and Nusaybin
cities); the area economically prosperous with rich
and fertile agriculture and natural resources, as it has
always been disputed for tax and wealth to equip
army between the Abbasid and the Byzantine
(Eastern Roman). Residents of Jazireh in the
Hamdanids days mostly were Mosul Salabi Arabs,
but Kurds population was considered important,
especially their military ability that led to alliance
with Hamdanids .
Abulheyja Abdullah bin Naser al-Hamdan, the
father of Naser al-Dawla, Ali and , Saif al-Dawla
whose Shi'ism had no doubt are considered Shia by
most writers of the time, to the extent that poems by
Abufras, Seif al-Dawla cousin in praise of Ali (AS)
and poems that appeal to fourteen innocent Shiites
represent them and they usually without any nonShiite tradition. Saif al-Dawla knew wars with the
Romans as jihad in Allah. He collected war dust off
his clothes and kept in a container; in the year 356
AH, when feeling at the verge of death, bring them
into the fabric of the pillow and asked his family to
lay it under his head in grave. His capital and court in
Aleppo was the place for great scientists and scholars
gatherings. Great philosopher, Al-Farabi, the famous
historian Abu Futuh Razi Al-aghany and Abofras
were famous poets of the period. They were
contemporaries to Buyid dynasty in Iran and
Ikhshidid dynasty of Egypt. His son Saad al-Dawla
and then his son Saeed al-Dawla took the rein in 381
to 392 and their rule in Mosul fell by Aḍud al-Dawla
of Buyid dynasty in 367 AH .
Hamdanids decided to form an independent state
during several Abbasid caliphs, who of course did
not succeed in Baghdad, but they could separate in
Mosul. They used any political and military means
(even family ties) with caliphs and rulers to establish
and maintain their independence from rulers tried
Baghdad. They were one of the first commanders of
the Islamic East with “Al-dawla” title given to them
by the Caliph, Moktafi.
Their relations with the Abbasids in the late third
century until the end of the first third of the fourth
century AH were friendly, but during Buyid dynasty
turned to hostility by Naser al-dawla and his son and
the caliphs were not involved in the hostility, but
were forced to accept Buyid dynasty policy because
they were the real power. Abbasid caliphs wanted
Hamdanids to protect the borders of Rom; therefore
the jihad against the Romans considered the best of
their tasks and was mostly ordered in the provincial
orders.
Conclusion:
After the death of the Prophet, a group of
Companions of the Prophet believed that a legitimate
successor of the Prophet (PBUH) is Imam Ali (AS).
This group became known as the Shia. There have
been severe restrictions against Shia by Umayyad
and Abbasid rulers. Shiite continued dynamicity
supported by religious and cultural infrastructure
built from the Quran and tradition, though being at
minority for centuries. Shiite imams played a
fundamental role in the religious- political life of the
time although failed due to lack of opportunity
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Sakineh Ravand and Mozhgan Purfard, 2015 / Research Journal of Social Sciences 8(7), September, Pages: 62-64
inflicted by Umayyad and Abbasid rulers, and the
Shiite community itself was deprived of the presence
of the appearance of the Imam, but with the advent of
the next Shiite government and the families Shiite
entered a new phase of political - social and specially
cultural life and could play an important role in
Islamic culture and civilization during several
centuries. Hamdanids were among the governments
of Iraq and Syria (Mosul and Aleppo) as a bulwark
against the invasion of Byzantium and also
institutionalized the Shiite culture on a continual
basis in the Muslim world, in this era, Aleppo and
Syria Territory as well as Baalbek, Jebel Amel and
its beaches filled with Shiites and Shiite scholars,
particularly Aleppo was considered as the base, that
the word of the Umayyad and Abbasids crackdown
on Shiites in their forced migration caused Shiite
scattered across the Muslim world . This led to the
propagation of Shiite opinions and formation of
Shiite governments throughout the Muslim world.
Umayyad and Abbasid rulers were significant
obstacle to the extent that they arrested and hanged
Shiite publicly, because they were afraid of them. AlHamdan was one of the Shiite families that started
and spread its activities in a large part of the Muslim
world.
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