Abû 'Uthmân Sa'îd ibn Hakam al Qurashi
| Abû ‘Uthman Sa’îd ibn Hakam al Qurashi | |
|---|---|
| Ra'is of Manûrqa | |
|
In office 1234–1282 |
|
| Succeeded by | Abû 'Umar ibn Sa'îd |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
December 30, 1204 Tavira, Algarve (now Portugal) |
| Died | January 9, 1282 (aged 77) |
Abû ‘Uthman Sa’îd ibn Hakam al Qurashi (30 December 1204 - 9 January 1282) (Arabic: أبو عثمان سعيد بن الحكم القرشي) was the first Ra’îs of Manûrqa (modern Minorca) from 1234 to 1282.
Sa’îd ibn Hakam was born in the city of Tavira in the Algarve (modern Portugal). He studied philology at Seville, the capital of the Almohad Caliph of Al Andalus, and took part in literary reunions of famous poets.
Al Andalus had been in a process of decadence primarily due to the downfall of the Abbasid Caliph which meant the closing of a vital commercial relationship. This situation brought a critical spiral of internal conflicts and external invasions. Because of the political instability in Al Andalus, Sa’îd ibn Hakam moved to North Africa, to the cities of Bejaïa and Tunis, where he served as secretary to the Almohad governors.
Two years later, he planned to return to Al Andalus, but the situation had worsened, so he was given refuge by the Almohad wali of Medina Mayurqa (Modern Majorca). He was then sent to Manûrqa as al-Motaserrif in 1227. His mission was to collect and administrate the taxes and command the army.
In 1229, James I of Aragon invaded Mayurqa, but did not take any action at that moment against Manûrqa. By 1231, the resistance of Mayurqa’s Muslims was finally crushed and James I sent three ambassadors to Manûrqa, Berenguer de Santa Eugenia, Don Assalit de Gudar and Don Pere Maça, to negotiate its submission to the Kingdom of Aragon. James I, who at that time had a small number of troops, ordered fires to be set on the coast facing Manûrqa as to simulate a larger army and thus put more pressure on the Muslims. After a meeting between the Kadī Abû ‘Abd Allah Muhammad, Sa’îd ibn Hakam, the sheiks and three hundred of the principal people of the island, they agreed to become vassals to the new King of Majorca. The treaty of Capdepera was signed on 17 June 1231. It was rumoured that Sa’îd ibn Hakam was the real instigator of the treaty with James I, although his role in the text of the treaty was discreet. The treaty gave wide political autonomy to the island and the military protection of the island by the King of Majorca in exchange for the payment of an annual tribute of three thousand quarters of wheat, a hundred cows and five hundred goats or sheep, later adding two “quintals” (hundredweight) of fresh butter and two hundred bezants for leave to transport the cattle. Abû ‘Abd Allah Muhammad was the new ruler of Manûrqa.
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