Sufyan ibn Mujib al-Azdi

سفيان بن مجيب الأزدي

An Azdi; Mu'awiya ibn Abi Sufyan sent him to Tripoli in Uthman's caliphate, where he built a fortress in a meadow some miles off called Hisn Sufyan, cut the people's supplies and besieged them until they gathered in one of their three strongholds and wrote to the Roman king, who sent ships they boarded by night and fled — Sufyan finding the stronghold empty at dawn, entering it and writing the conquest to Mu'awiya, who settled a great company of Jews in it, it being the one holding the port today; Mu'awiya used to send a company of troops each year to garrison it under an agent who stayed with a small party when the sea closed, until its people broke faith in Abd al-Malik's days and a Byzantine patrician occupied it, was killed — or captured and crucified — with his agent.

Overview

Sufyan ibn Mujib al-Azdi, a commander whom Mu'awiya ibn Abi Sufyan sent to Tripoli in the caliphate of Uthman. His mission is connected to the conquest of Syria ¹.

Tripoli

al-Baladhuri reports that he built a fortress in a meadow a few miles from the city, which was named the Fortress of Sufyan. He cut off supplies to its people and besieged them, until they gathered in one of their three fortresses and wrote to the king of the Byzantines. He sent them ships, in which they sailed by night and fled. In the morning Sufyan found the fortress empty, entered it, and wrote to Mu'awiya announcing the conquest ¹.

Mu'awiya settled a large number of Jews there, and each year he sent troops to it and appointed an agent over it. Later its people broke the treaty in the days of Abd al-Malik, and a Byzantine patrician settled in it. It is said that he and its agent were killed, and it is said that he was captured and killed and crucified ¹.

The Battle of Ajnadayn

In al-Baladhuri: then came the battle of Ajnadayn — also Ajtadayn — attended by near a hundred thousand Romans, Heraclius chaining most of them and their bravest gathering from the districts, Heraclius then residing at Hims; the Muslims fought them fiercely, Khalid ibn al-Walid showing fine valour that day, then God defeated His enemies and scattered them utterly, killing many; martyred that day were Abdullah ibn al-Zubayr ibn Abd al-Muttalib ibn Hashim, Amr ibn Sa'id ibn al-As ibn Umayya and his brother Aban (some say Aban died in year 29), Tulayb ibn Umayr ibn Wahb ibn Qusayy — a Byzantine champion challenged him and severed his right hand so his sword fell with his palm, then covered and killed him, his mother Arwa bint al-Muttalib the Prophet's aunt, his kunya Abu Adi — Salama ibn Hisham ibn al-Mughira (some say he fell at Marj al-Suffar), Ikrama ibn Abi Jahl ibn Hisham al-Makhzumi (some say at Mu'ta), Nu'aym ibn Abdullah al-Nahham al-Adawi (some say at the Yarmuk), Hisham ibn al-As ibn Wa'il al-Sahmi (some say at the Yarmuk), Amr ibn al-Tuqayl ibn Amr al-Dawsi (some say at the Yarmuk), Jundub ibn Amr al-Dawsi, and Sa'id, al-Harith and al-Hajjaj sons of al-Harith ibn Qays ibn Adi al-Sahmi — Hisham ibn Muhammad al-Kalbi placing al-Na'am at Mu'ta, Sa'id at the Yarmuk, Tamim at Ajnadayn and his brother Ubaydullah ibn Abd al-Asad at the Yarmuk — and al-Harith ibn Hisham ibn al-Mughira fell at Ajnadayn; when the report reached Heraclius his heart sank, his hand failed and he was filled with terror, fleeing from Hims to Antioch — some say his flight came at the Muslims' very arrival in Syria; the battle fell on Monday twelve nights remaining of Jumada I year 13 — some say two nights into Jumada II, some say two remaining of it; the Romans then massed at al-Yaqusa — a valley whose mouth is al-Fawwara — where the Muslims met, exposed and routed them killing many, their remnant reaching Syria's towns; Abu Bakr died in Jumada II year 13, his obituary reaching the Muslims at al-Yaqusa.

Sufyan ibn Mujib al-Azdi

At a glance

Overview

Tripoli

Connections

People and things also explored

Sources

The Battle of Ajnadayn