Ismail al-Saffak al-Ukhaydhiri
إسماعيل السفاك الأخيضري
c. 887 CE · c. 273 AH
Ismail ibn Yusuf ibn Ibrahim ibn Musa al-Jawn the Alid, called al-Saffak ('the shedder of blood'); he rose among the Hijaz Arabs in 251, drove Mecca's governor Ja'far out, plundered the caliphal households, killed troops and townsfolk, took the gold, silver and the Ka'ba's kiswa and looted for fifty days — then besieged Medina until its people starved and none prayed in the Prophet ﷺ's mosque, sacked Jeddah's merchants, and had himself named in the khutba at Mecca; after twenty-two years haunting the Hijaz he died heirless and his brother Muhammad al-Ukhaydhir founded the Yamama kingship.
At a glance
- Roles
- military-commander
- Era
- Abbasid Fragmentation
- Region
- Arabia
- Review
- Draft Completeness 1/5 · Help complete it
Life in time
Overview
Isma'il ibn Yusuf ibn Ibrahim ibn Musa al-Jawn al-Alawi, known as al-Saffak (the Shedder of Blood), from the state of the Banu al-Akhdar. Ibn Khaldun relates that he went out among the Bedouins of the Hijaz in 251 AH, and made for Mecca, where its governor Ja'far fled. 1
His raids
Ibn Khaldun says that he plundered the homes of the sultan's followers, killed a group of soldiers and people of Mecca, took the gold and silver and the covering of the Ka'ba, and remained at this for fifty days. He marched to Medina and besieged it until its people died of hunger, and no one prayed in its mosque. He overran Jidda and took the property of the merchants, and proclaimed himself in Mecca. 1
His end
He moved about in the Hijaz for twenty-two years and died without descendants. His brother Muhammad al-Akhdar, founder of the kingdom of Yamama, succeeded him. The date of his death (about 273 AH) is approximate and derived. 1
Sources
- Kitab al-Ibar of Ibn Khaldun
Cite this page
islam.museum contributors. “Ismail al-Saffak al-Ukhaydhiri”. islam.museum, https://islam.museum/en/person/ismail-al-saffak/. CC BY-SA 4.0. Accessed 2026-10-16.