The Killing of Musa ibn Abdallah ibn Khazim
مقتل موسى بن عبد الله بن خازم
Al-Mufaddal sent Uthman ibn Mas'ud with fifteen thousand, who camped on the island still called Jazirat Uthman, pressed Musa, and summoned Tarkhun. Seeing the forces arrive, Musa left the city charging his men: 'if I am killed, yield it to Mudrik ibn al-Muhallab, never to Ibn Mas'ud'. Turks and Sughd cut him off, his horse stumbled, he mounted behind a mawla crying 'death is bitter'; Uthman marked him — 'Musa's leap, by the Lord of the Ka'ba!' — drove him down, and they surrounded and slew him and his company save Irqiya ibn al-Harfana, spared to Khalid ibn Abi Barza. Wasil ibn Taysala al-Anbari struck the final blow; the city went to Mudrik — it was the end of 85h — and the man who struck dead Musa's leg was himself killed by Qutayba.
At a glance
- Era
- The Umayyad Period
- Review
- Draft Completeness 1/5 · Help complete it
Overview
Al-Baladhuri relates that Musa ibn Abd Allah ibn Khazim was killed at Tirmidh at the end of 85 AH. Uthman ibn Mas'ud had squeezed him hard. 1
The siege
After Yazid ibn al-Muhallab was removed and al-Mufaddal was appointed over Khurasan, Uthman ibn Mas'ud sent forces and camped on an island at Tirmidh with fifteen thousand men, and wrote to Tarkhun, who came to him. Musa left the city and instructed his companions that if he was killed they should hand the city over to Mudrik ibn al-Muhallab. 1
The killing
The Turks and the Soghdians came between him and the fortress, his horse stumbled and fell. Uthman made for him, and Musa and his companions were killed, and only one escaped. The one who finished him off was Wasil ibn Taysala al-Anbari. The city was handed to Mudrik. 1
Connections
- Had participant
- Musa ibn Abdallah ibn Khazim· Uthman ibn Mas'ud· Wasil ibn Taysala al-Anbari· Mudrik ibn al-Muhallab
- Occurred at
- al-Tirmidh
People and things also explored
Musa ibn Khazim's Seizure of Tirmidh· Musa's Wars from Tirmidh· Tirmidh between Musa ibn Khazim and Qutayba· Mudrik ibn al-Muhallab· Musa ibn Abdallah ibn Khazim· Uthman ibn Mas'ud· Wasil ibn Taysala al-Anbari· al-Tirmidh
Sources
- Futuh al-Buldan — al-Baladhuri (Mu'assasat al-Ma'arif edition)
Cite this page
islam.museum contributors. “The Killing of Musa ibn Abdallah ibn Khazim”. islam.museum, https://islam.museum/en/event/musa-death-tirmidh/. CC BY-SA 4.0. Accessed 2026-10-17.