ADMINISTRATIVE THEORY AND PRACTICEleast into the eighth century, they cannot have involved much more
than the writing of proper names, numbers, and a few technical terms.^93
In theory, a Muslim military scribe was supposed to be able to calculate
the proper amount of salary payments and to recognize the distin-
guishing marks of the animals and the emblems of the soldiers.94 Under
'Umar I and 'Uthman (644-56), 'Abdullah ibn Khalaf al-Khuza'i is
regarded as the first director of the military register at Basra while
Abu Jabira ibn a<;l-paQQak al-Ansari was in charge of the dfwiin at
Kufa.^95 But the career of Ziyad is a perfect example of how a divider
of booty graduated to military administrator. When 'Utba left Basra
in 636, Ziyad became the military scribe of al-Mughira ibn Shu'ba,
who was governor from 636 to 638; this probably involved him di-
rectly in the foundation of the military diwiin there.^96 AI-Mughira's
successor, Abu Musa al-Ash'ari (638-42, 643-50) "discovered" him,
and the description of how during his second term Abu Musa entrusted
his two seal rings to Ziyad, who was in charge of the affairs of the
people, might suggest that Ziyad was responsible for both the treasury
and the military diwiin.^97 This was certainly the case under Abu Musa's
successor, 'Abdullah ibn Amir ibn Kurayz (650-56), who put Ziyad
in charge of the dtwiin and treasury-that is, over the entire financial
administration, both income and expenditure.^98 Ziyad kept this po-
sition during the reign of 'An (656-61) when he served Ibn 'Abbas
(656-59) as secretary in charge of the tax bureau and the dtwiin"at
Basra.^99
For two decades, in spite of the rotation of governors, Ziyad and
'Abdullah ibn Khalaf, who was probably his subordinate, provided
the same kind of continuity in the administration of the revenues and
the army at Basra that Abu Jabira did at Kufa. But after twenty years
the population capable of bearing arms at Kufa had increased through
settlement and the coming of age of their own and captive children.
93 Baladhuri, FutulJ, pp. 346-47; Jahshiyari, Wuzara', p. 33.
94 Ibn 'Abd Rabbihi, '/qd, IV, 177.
9S Ibn 'Abd Rabbihi, '/qd, IV, 163-64, 168, 169; Jahshiyari, Wuzara', pp. 14, 19;
Tabari, Ta'rlkh, U, 831, 837; Tha'alibi, Lafii'if, p. 59. 'Abdullah ibn Khalaf was killed
at the Battle of the Camel in 656, but Abii J abira is supposed to have kept his position
until he was dismissed by 'Ubaydullah ibn Ziyad in the late 670s.
96 Ibn Qutayba, Ma'iiri(, p. 346; Zotenberg, Chronique, Ill, 445-46.
97 Dinawari, Akhbiir aNiwal p. 125; Ibn Sa'd, Tabaqiit, VU(I), 70; Tabari, Ta'rlkh,
I, 1711.
98 Baladhuri, FutulJ, p. 357.
99 Jahshiyari, Wuzarii', pp. 20--21; Tabari, Ta'iikh, I, 3230. When Ibn 'Abbas was
dismissed in 659, Ziyad was left in charge of the khara; (Tabari, Ta'rlkh, I, 3448).