Slave Soldiers and Islam_ The Genesis of a Military System - Daniel Pipes

TheUnfreeinMuslimWarfare,2-205/624-820 129

after,the

Umayyadgovernor

ofKhurasansenthis

bodyguard

(.haras,shur.ta)

and

ghulzms

intotheBattleofKharistn.

14

UmayyadDecline,

119-32/737-50

ExtensivewarfarebetweenMuslimsand

virtually

none

against

non-Muslimsmarkedthefinal

years

oftheArabian

period.

With

Rebels.

During

these

years

theunfree

foughtsignificantly

lesswithrebelsthan

they

did withthe

Umayyads.

Inabout120/

738 a manumitted

ghulm

ofthe

Khriji

leaderSiwrb. al-

Ashearbecamealeaderof

Khrijitroops

inhisown

right.

TM

When

Zayd

b.cAli’srebellion

collapsed

in

122/740,

a

ghul{zm

was

oneofthelasttwosoldiersto

persevere

withhiminbattle.

42

The

very

last

years

of

Umayyad

rulesawa

flurry

ofrebelac-

tivities.

4

A mawlaled the riff-raff

(ghawgh’)

onbehalfof

CAbdallhb.
Muewiya

in

127/745.t4

When

Sulaymn

b.Hishftm,

thesonof

CaliphHishm,joinedthe

Khriji

rebels,hismawla

Badradh-Dhakwni,a

distinguishedmilitary

leaderand

proba-

blefounderofthe

Dhakwniya corps

ofmawlas,

a4

changed

sideswithhim

along

with3,000ahl

al-bayt(retainers)

andmaw-

las?

46

Badradh-Dhakwniledhisownandother

Khrijitroops

in128/7467

7

A1-Kirmni,oneofseveraldissidentleadersin

Khurasanatthetimeofthefirst

stirrings

oftheAbbasidsthere,

had

the support of two mawla leaders

commanding

2,000

and5,000 soldiers,

respectively,

in 129/747.148

Finally,

asthe

Umayyad regime collapsed,

Marwn b.

Muh.

ammad fled to

Egypt,

wherehefaceda

corps

ofmawlasled

by

amawla,and

beatthem?

49

140.T,2:1609.

141.UH,3:108.

142.T,2:1709.

143.TheAbbasidswillbetreatedinthenextsection.

144.T,2:1883.

145.

Dhakwaniyacorps:

T,2:1892,1939.Wellhausen,

p.

372,thinksthisunit

wasnamedafterMuslimb.Dhakwn

(on

whom,seebelow,n.

154).

146.T,2:1913,1941.

147.T,2:1939.

148.Khalifa,p.588.

149.

al-Kindi,p.

96.