Laith
Encyclopedia
Al-Laith was amir of the Saffarid amirate from 909 until 910. He was the son of 'Ali ibn al-Laith.
In 890 al-Laith and his brother al-Mu'addal
helped their father 'Ali escape from imprisonment at the hands of the latter's uncle, the Saffarid amir Amr bin Laith
. The three of them fled to Khurasan
, where they entered the services of the leading anti-Saffarid in that region, Rafi' b. Harthama. 'Ali died in 893, the brothers continued to serve Rafi'. In 896 they were captured by 'Amr, who however treated them well.
Following 'Amr's capture by the Samanids in 900, the slave commander Sebük-eri began establishing ties with al-Laith, who had gone into hiding in Sistan
. As the son of 'Ali, who had originally been designated as the successor to Ya'qub bin Laith as-Saffar
, he was a possible contender for the amirate, and gained supporters in the army. Despite this, he at first remained loyal to 'Amr's successor, Tahir b. Muhammad
. He participated in the abortive 900-901 campaign to recover Fars from the Caliphate
and another and more successful campaign that took place in around 904.
For the next few years following reoccupation of Fars, al-Laith accompanied Sebük-eri. In 907 or 908 Sebük-eri sent him on a military expedition against Makran
, whose ruler, the Ma'danid
'Isa b. Ma'dan, had not paid tribute due to the Saffarids for the last several years. Al-Laith was able to gain the tribute owed, but when he returned Sebük-eri ordered him back to Makran and took his son hostage in an effort to compel him to obey. Instead, al-Laith launched a rebellion in Kerman
, which was administered by Sebük-eri, and gained aid from Tahir, but his army abandoned him when Sebük-eri's force approached. Al-Laith was forced to flee to Sistan with few supporters but a large amount of wealth he had gained from plundering the towns of Kerman.
Al-Laith reached the capital Zarang in late 908 and occupied part of the city, despite Tahir's attempts to dislodge him. Tahir was eventually forced to withdraw from the area, and al-Laith was hailed as amir in March 909. He began his reign by sending an army under the command of his brother to enforce his authority in Afghanistan
, which resulted in the capture of Sebük-eri's brother Ghalib. Al-Mu'addal then campaigned in Ghazna and, together with support sent by his brother, imposed al-Laith's authority in parts of Afghanistan by the end of the year.
In February 910 al-Laith left Zarang at the head of an expedition against Sebük-eri. By May he had defeated Sebük-eri on the field and released his son from captivity, and the conquest of Fars proceeded in earnest. Sebük-eri, however, was a caliphal vassal and received support from the Abbasids. Al-Laith's representative in Fars was defeated by Abbasid forces under Mu'nis al-Khadim
in August, forcing al-Laith to come to terms, and he left Fars for Kerman. Sebük-eri, however, refused to make peace with the Saffarid, and with Abbasid help he defeated and captured both him and his son; al-Mu'addal managed to escape to Kerman. The captives were sent to Baghdad
; al-Laith remained in prison until his death at Raqqa in 928.
In 890 al-Laith and his brother al-Mu'addal
Al-Mu'addal
Al-Mu'addal was the Saffarid ruler of Zarang for a part of 911.In 890 al-Mu'addal and his brother al-Laith helped their father 'Ali escape from imprisonment at the hands of the latter's uncle, the Saffarid amir Amr bin Laith. The three of them fled to Khurasan, where they entered the services of...
helped their father 'Ali escape from imprisonment at the hands of the latter's uncle, the Saffarid amir Amr bin Laith
Amr bin Laith
Amr-i Laith Saffari was the second ruler of the Saffarid dynasty of Iran who ruled .In the beginning he was a mule-hirer. He was Yaqub bin Laith as-Saffar's younger brother who fought alongside his older brother and in 875 became Governor of Herat....
. The three of them fled to Khurasan
Greater Khorasan
Greater Khorasan or Ancient Khorasan is a historical region of Greater Iran mentioned in sources from Sassanid and Islamic eras which "frequently" had a denotation wider than current three provinces of Khorasan in Iran...
, where they entered the services of the leading anti-Saffarid in that region, Rafi' b. Harthama. 'Ali died in 893, the brothers continued to serve Rafi'. In 896 they were captured by 'Amr, who however treated them well.
Following 'Amr's capture by the Samanids in 900, the slave commander Sebük-eri began establishing ties with al-Laith, who had gone into hiding in Sistan
Sistan
Sīstān is a border region in eastern Iran , southwestern Afghanistan and northern tip of Southwestern Pakistan .-Etymology:...
. As the son of 'Ali, who had originally been designated as the successor to Ya'qub bin Laith as-Saffar
Ya'qub bin Laith as-Saffar
Ya'qub bin Laith as-Saffar or Ya'qub-i Laith Saffari was the founder of the Saffarid dynasty in Sistan, with its capital at Zaranj . He ruled territories that are now in Iran and Afghanistan, as well as portions of West Pakistan...
, he was a possible contender for the amirate, and gained supporters in the army. Despite this, he at first remained loyal to 'Amr's successor, Tahir b. Muhammad
Tahir I
Abu'l-Hasan Tahir was amir of the Saffarid amirate from 901 until 909. He was the son of Muhammad b. Amr.In 900 the ruling Saffarid amir, Amr bin Laith, was captured by the Samanids while campaigning against them in Khurasan...
. He participated in the abortive 900-901 campaign to recover Fars from the Caliphate
Caliphate
The term caliphate, "dominion of a caliph " , refers to the first system of government established in Islam and represented the political unity of the Muslim Ummah...
and another and more successful campaign that took place in around 904.
For the next few years following reoccupation of Fars, al-Laith accompanied Sebük-eri. In 907 or 908 Sebük-eri sent him on a military expedition against Makran
Makran
The present day Makran is a semi-desert coastal strip in the south of Sindh, Balochistan, in Iran and Pakistan, along the coast of the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman. The present day Makran derived its name from Maka, a satrap of Achaemenid Empire....
, whose ruler, the Ma'danid
Ma'danids
The Ma'danid dynasty was an Islamic dynasty that ruled Makran from the late 9th or early 10th century until around the 11th century.-History:Makran had been one of the easternmost provinces of the Caliphate after its conquest by the Muslims in 644...
'Isa b. Ma'dan, had not paid tribute due to the Saffarids for the last several years. Al-Laith was able to gain the tribute owed, but when he returned Sebük-eri ordered him back to Makran and took his son hostage in an effort to compel him to obey. Instead, al-Laith launched a rebellion in Kerman
Kerman
- Geological characteristics :For the Iranian paleontologists, Kerman has always been considered a fossil paradise. Finding new dinosaur footprints in 2005 has now revealed new hopes for paleontologists to better understand the history of this area.- Economy :...
, which was administered by Sebük-eri, and gained aid from Tahir, but his army abandoned him when Sebük-eri's force approached. Al-Laith was forced to flee to Sistan with few supporters but a large amount of wealth he had gained from plundering the towns of Kerman.
Al-Laith reached the capital Zarang in late 908 and occupied part of the city, despite Tahir's attempts to dislodge him. Tahir was eventually forced to withdraw from the area, and al-Laith was hailed as amir in March 909. He began his reign by sending an army under the command of his brother to enforce his authority in Afghanistan
Afghanistan
Afghanistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located in the centre of Asia, forming South Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East. With a population of about 29 million, it has an area of , making it the 42nd most populous and 41st largest nation in the world...
, which resulted in the capture of Sebük-eri's brother Ghalib. Al-Mu'addal then campaigned in Ghazna and, together with support sent by his brother, imposed al-Laith's authority in parts of Afghanistan by the end of the year.
In February 910 al-Laith left Zarang at the head of an expedition against Sebük-eri. By May he had defeated Sebük-eri on the field and released his son from captivity, and the conquest of Fars proceeded in earnest. Sebük-eri, however, was a caliphal vassal and received support from the Abbasids. Al-Laith's representative in Fars was defeated by Abbasid forces under Mu'nis al-Khadim
Mu'nis al-Khadim
Mu'nis al-Khadim was the commander of the Abbasid army during the reign of al-Muqtadir. His many successes on the field helped to check the decline of the Caliphate during his lifetime...
in August, forcing al-Laith to come to terms, and he left Fars for Kerman. Sebük-eri, however, refused to make peace with the Saffarid, and with Abbasid help he defeated and captured both him and his son; al-Mu'addal managed to escape to Kerman. The captives were sent to Baghdad
Baghdad
Baghdad is the capital of Iraq, as well as the coterminous Baghdad Governorate. The population of Baghdad in 2011 is approximately 7,216,040...
; al-Laith remained in prison until his death at Raqqa in 928.