Abd al-Rahman ibn Habib al-Fihri

Abd al-Rahman ibn Habib al-Fihri (died 755) was an Arab noble of the Oqbid or Fihrid family, and ruler of Ifriqiya (North Africa) from 745 through 755 AD.

Abd al-Rahman ibn Habib was a great-grandson of Oqba ibn Nafi al-Fihri (Muslim Arab conqueror of North Africa). His family, the al-Fihris, were among the leading Arab families of the Maghreb.

In 740, Ibn Habib joined his father Habib ibn Abi Obeida in an Arab expedition across the water to Sicily in what was possibly the first attempt at a full-scale invasion of the island (rather than a mere raid). They had a successful landing and laid a brief siege to Syracuse, securing its submission and agreement to pay tribute. But the break-out of the Great Berber Revolt in the Maghreb forced the al-Fihris to cease their invasion of Sicily and ship their army quickly back to North Africa to help quell the uprising. The Arabs were defeated by the Berbers at the Battle of Bagdoura (near the Sebou) in 741. His father was killed in the field of battle, while Abd al-Rahman ibn Habib narrowly escaped and fled across the straits to Spain with the remnant of the Arab army.

While in Spain, Ibn Habib involved himself in the conflicts which immediately erupted between the commanders of the defeated army (the Syrian regiments (junds)), and the resident governor, Abd al-Malik ibn Qatan al-Fihri. When the Syrian commander Balj ibn Bishr al-Qushayri tortured and executed the elderly Ibn Qatan, a Fihrid relative, Abd al-Rahman ibn Habib openly broke with the Syrians and joined the Andalusian (baladi) party. Ibn Habib participated in the Battle of Aqua Portora in August 740 and it was claimed by at least one chronicler (Ibn al-Khatam) that he sought out and fatally wounded Balj in the heat of battle (although the chronicler may have confused Ibn Habib with another Abd al-Rahman, Ibn al-Qama al-Lakhmi, the governor of Narbonne and commander of the Andalusians).

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