Ibrahim ibn al-Ashtar
| Ibrāhīm ibn Mālik al-Ashtar | |
|---|---|
| Died | October 691 |
| Allegiance |
Rashidun Caliphate (656–661) Al-Mukhtar al-Thaqafi (686–687) Zubayrid Caliphate (687–death) |
| Battles/wars |
Battle of Siffin (657) Battle of Khazir (686) Battle of Maskin (691) |
| Relations | Malik al-Ashtar (father) |
| Other work | Governor of Mosul (687–691) |
Ibrāhīm ibn Mālik al-Ashtar ibn al-Ḥārith al-Nakhaʿī (died October 691) was an Arab commander who fought in the service of Caliph Ali (r. 656–661) and later served the pro-Alid leader al-Mukhtar al-Thaqafi. He led al-Mukhtar's forces to a decisive victory at the Battle of Khazir (686) against the Umayyads under Ubayd Allah ibn Ziyad, who was personally slain by Ibn al-Ashtar. He later defected to the Zubayrids after they killed al-Mukhtar in 687. About four years later, while fighting for the Zubayrids at the Battle of Maskin, Ibn al-Ashtar was killed by the Umayyad army and his corpse was set alight.
Ibrahim was the son of Malik al-Ashtar ibn al-Harith al-Nakha'i, a commander in the Rashidun army and partisan of Caliph Ali ibn Abi Talib. The family belonged to the Banu Nakha', hence their epithet al-Nakha'i. The Banu Nakha' was part of the larger tribe of Madh'hij. Ibrahim had a brother from the same mother but different father named Abd al-Rahman ibn Abdallah al-Nakha'i, who also was a warrior. Like his father, Ibrahim is also said to have fought alongside Ali against the Banu Umayya at the Battle of Siffin in 657.
Ibn al-Ashtar's prominence rose after he entered the service of the pro-Alid and anti-Umayyad leader al-Mukhtar al-Thaqafi. The latter took over Kufa in 685/86 and was soon after confronted by an invading Umayyad army from Syria under the command of Ubayd Allah ibn Ziyad. Al-Mukhtar charged Ibn al-Ashtar with command over his mostly Persian mawali troops from Kufa to prevent the Umayyad advance into Iraq. Ibn al-Ashtar marched northward with his forces and fought the Umayyads at the Battle of Khazir east of Mosul. He inflicted a disastrous defeat on the Umayyads, personally slaying Ubayd Allah, while other senior Umayyad commanders, such as Husayn ibn Numayr al-Sakuni, were also slain. He had their heads sent to al-Mukhtar, who in turn sent them to the anti-Umayyad caliph of Medina and Iraq, Abdullah ibn al-Zubayr.
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