the battle of al-Rayy
وقعة الري بين طاهر وعلي بن عيسى
Tahir's four thousand broke 'Ali ibn 'Isa's army by Rayy — the two-handed blow that named him Dhu'l-Yaminayn, 'his head before me and his seal on my finger' 1.
At a glance
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Overview
al-Mas'udi relates that al-Amin sent Ali ibn Isa ibn Mahan at the head of a large army toward Khurasan, and he turned aside to a district of the Rayy. Tahir ibn al-Husayn came against him with about four thousand horsemen. 2
The encounter
al-Mas'udi says that Abbas ibn al-Layth struck a blow with both hands, and that Tahir was for this called Dhu al-Yaminayn ("Lord of the Two Hands"). A man known as Tahir ibn al-Raji slaughtered Ali, and they disputed over his ring and his head. 2
Tahir wrote to al-Fadl ibn Sahl that Ali's head was before him and his ring on his finger, and al-Ma'mun was pleased, and the caliphate was pledged to him. 2
The source gives no date here. It needs an additional source.
Sources
- Muruj al-Dhahab — al-Masʼudi, p. 375-376
- Muruj al-Dhahab — al-Masʼudi, p.375-376
Cite this page
islam.museum contributors. “the battle of al-Rayy”. islam.museum, https://islam.museum/en/event/battle-of-al-rayy-195/. CC BY-SA 4.0. Accessed 2026-10-17.