(Redirected from ‘Amr ibn al-‘As)'ˤAmr ibn al-ˤĀs' (
Arabic: عمرو بن العاص) (born c.
583 - d.
January 6,
664 CE) was an
Arab military commander who is most noted for leading the Islamic conquest of
Egypt in
640. He was a contemporary of
Muhammad who rose quickly through the Muslim hierarchy following his conversion to
Islam in the year 8 AH (
629 CE). He founded the Egyptian capital of
Fustat, and built the
Mosque of Amr ibn al-As at its center -- the first Mosque on the continent of
Africa.
Biography
573? – 610: Early Life
He belonged to the
Banu Sahm [1] clan of the
Quraish. Assuming he was over ninety years old when he died, he was born before 573.
He was the son of
al-'As ibn Wa'il [2] and
Layla bint Harmalah A.K.A "Al-Nabighah", although his biological lineage is questioned since his mother had relations with several men durning his conception.
[3].
al-'As ibn Wa'il other sons where
Hisham ibn al-A'as. Amr also gained a son,
Abd-Allah ibn Amr [4].
610 – 632 Muhammad's era
610: Rise of Islam
Like the other Quraish chiefs, he opposed
Islam in the early days.
625: battle of Uhud
He commanded a Quraish contingent at the
battle of Uhud.
628: Treaty of Hudaybiyyah
Amr ibn al-ˤĀs was married to
Umm Kulthum bint Uqba[5] but he divorced her when she embraced
Islam. She then re-married
Umar ibn al-Khattab.
630: Conquest of Mecca
In the company of
Khalid bin Waleed, he rode from
Mecca to
Medina where both of them converted to Islam. Thereafter he took part in all the campaigns fought by the Muslims.
630: Dhat as-Salasil
Abu Bakr,
Umar ibn al-Khattab and
Abu Ubayda ibn al-Jarrah served under ˤAmr ibn al-ˤĀs in the campaign of
Dhat as-Salasil [6] and had offered their prayers behind him for many weeks. At that time, ˤAmr ibn al-ˤĀs was their boss not only in the army but also as a leader in religious services
[7] .
ˤAmr was dispatched by Muhammad to
Oman and played a key role in the
conversion of the leaders of that nation, Jayfar and 'Abbād ibn Julanda. He was then made governor of the region until shortly after Muhammad's death.
There are some hadith regarding him and his fathers will:
[4]
632 – 634: Abu Bakr's era
ˤAmr was sent by the
Caliph Abū-Bakr with the Arab armies into
Palestine following Muhammad's death. It is believed that he played an important role in the Arab conquest of that region, and he is known to have been at the battles of
Ajnadayn and
Yarmuk as well as the fall of
Damascus.
634 – 644: Umar's era
Following the success over the Byzantines in Syria, Amr's suggested to Umar that he march on Egypt, to which Umar agreed.
The actual invasion began towards the end of
630, as Amr crossed the
Sinai Peninsula with 3,500-4,000 men. After taking the small fortified towns of Pelusium (Arabic: Al-Farama) and beating back a Byzantine surprise attack near Bilbais, Amr headed towards the fort of Babylon (in the region of modern-day
Cairo). After some skirmishes south of the area, Amr marched north towards
Heliopolis, with reinforcements reaching him from Syria, against the Byzantine forces in Egypt, under
Theodore. The resulting Arab victory at the
battle of Heliopolis brought about the fall of the much of the country. After difficult and long sieges, skirmishes, and negotiations, the Byzantine capital of
Alexandria surrendered following a treaty signed in late
641. Despite a brief re-conquest by Byzantine forces in 645 which was beaten at the
battle of Nikiou, the country was firmly in Arab hands.
Shortly afterwards, Amr would settle his army in the newly-established stronghold of
Fustat or
Misr al-Fustat ("The tented city") from which "Misr," the Arabic name for Egypt, is derived, towards the end of
641. The first
mosque in Egypt was named for ˤAmr and still exists in the southern part of Cairo. Fustāt was eventually absorbed into Cairo by the 12th century CE.
Amr was recalled to the capital (which had, by then, moved from
Mecca to
Damascus) where he became
Muˤāwiyya's close advisor.
644 – 656: Uthman's era
656 – 661: Ali's era
658: Malik and Ibn Abī-Bakr
In
658 (38 A.H.), the
Governor in Egypt was
Malik ibn Ashter, when assigned by
ˤAlī. At that time, ˤAmr ibn al-ˤĀs had 6000 soldiers who were on their way, sent by the governor of
Damascus,
Muˤāwiyya.
ˤAlī was asked to send help. His best general and childhood friend,
Malik ibn Ashter, were sent to defend his other childhood friend, the former governor of Egypt, Muhammad ibn Abī-Bakr, since ˤAlī believed only Malik could best Muˤāwiyya and ˤAmr ibn al-ˤĀs. Muhammad ibn Abī-Bakr was instructed to return to ˤAlī's capital city,
Kufa.
Malik left Kufa to take charge of Egypt. At the frontier Malik, was greeted by innkeepers, not knowing they were disguised agents of Muˤāwiyya. They poisoned his drink, killing Muˤāwiyya's long-time nemesis. As soon as Muˤāwiyya got the news of Malik's demise, he exclaimed in an ecstasy of delight, "Today ˤAlī has lost his second arm!" hardly believing his good fortune. By killing Ammar ibn Yasir in the
Battle of Siffīn, Muˤāwiyya had cut ˤAlī's first arm; and now by killing Malik, he had cut ˤAlī's other arm, this time with poison.
Without any opposition, ˤAmr ibn al-ˤĀs entered Egypt and encountered Muhammad ibn Abī-Bakr and easily defeated him. Having no army, he tried to fight with a handful of soldiers. He was captured and tortured to death. This enraged
Aisha.
The newly-occupied Egypt became a part of Muˤāwiyya's dominions. ˤAlī loved Muhammad ibn Abī-Bakr as his own son and his death was felt as another terrible shock. ˤAlī prayed for him, and invoked God's blessings and mercy upon his soul
[9]. (Shia View)
661 – 680: Muāwiyya's era
ˤAmr died in
683 and was believed to be over ninety years old at the time of his death.
Legacy
Sunni view
Amr ibn al-As is widely acclaimed by Sunnis for his military and political acumen. His brilliant leadership is credited with the conquests of vast lands, without which millions of people would not be Muslim today. There is some element of ruthlessness in his military actions, but generally he is viewed by the Sunnis as an illustrious companion of the Prophet Muhammad.
Shi'a view
Shi'a generally accuse Amr ibn al-As for his open attack on Ali's
Caliphate and therefore is viewed as an enemy of the Prophet based on several hadiths. Also, he was one of the engineers of the coming of the
Umayyad Dynasty which marked a contrast of lifestyle to the piety of the first four Caliphs. He is also seen as a political genius who used his cunning to undermine the ligitimacy of the
Ahl al-Bayt and uphold
Mu'awiyah's claim to the Caliphate in return for
authority in
Egypt.
Further reading
★ Butler, Alfred J. ''The Arab Conquest of Egypt and the Last Thrity years of Roman Dominion'' Oxford, 1978.
★ Charles, R. H. ''The Chronicle of John, Bishop of Nikiu: Translated from Zotenberg's Ethiopic Text'', 1916. Reprinted 2007. Evolution Publishing, ISBN 978-1-889758-87-9.
[2]
See also
★
Sahaba
References
1. britannica.com [1]
2. see Sunan Abu Dawud 2877
3. http://www.al-islam.org/nahjul/179.htm
4. see Sunan Abu Dawud 2877
5. http://www.eslam.de/begriffe/u/umm_kulthum_bint_ukba.htm, http://www.eslam.de/alphabet/u.htm
6. http://www.allaahuakbar.net/muhammad/dhat_as_salasil_campaign.htm
7. (ref)
8. see Sunan Abu Dawud 2877
9. (ref)
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