The Revolt of Ibn al-Ash‘ath in Ta’rīkh and Futūḥ

An Essay on the Study of Historical Materials about Umayyads History

Abstract

In this paper, I have analyzed the personality of Ibn al-Ash‘ath on the basis of the descriptions of his revolt contained in Tabarī’s Ta’rīkh and Ibn A‘tham’s Futūḥ. My analysis confirms the following points. First, the order of events of the revolt as described in the two materials is not significantly different. Second, there is consistency in the portrayal of Ibn al-Ash‘ath in each of the two materials. Third, while there is consistency in his portrayal in each materials, there are wide discrepancies in his portrayal between the two materials.
 Based on these findings, I arrived at the following understanding. (1) The difference in the portrayal of Ibn al-Ash‘ath is connected with who has been credited with leading the revolt in the two materials. In Ta’rīkh, the Iraqi army is considered to have led the revolt, whereas Futūḥ regards Ibn al-Ash‘ath as the leader. (2) In both the materials, the portrayal of Ibn al-Ash‘ath is closely related to the images of Ḥajjāj and the Iraqi army. Both Ḥajjāj and the Iraqi army appear many times in other events in Umayyad history. By analyzing the images of Ḥajjāj =aj and the Iraqi army that are baed on the descriptions of other events in both these materials, it would be possible to explore the significance of this revolt in the broader Umayyad history.
 Based on the above understanding, I believe there is a need to further study the various events in Umayyad history. Accumulating such studies would shed light on the positions which taken by historical narratives of the two materials.