Khuzayma ibn Khazim
| Khuzayma ibn Khazim | |
|---|---|
| Died | 818/9 Baghdad |
| Allegiance |
 Abbasid Caliphate
|
| Years of service | 749–810s |
| Wars | Abbasid Revolution, campaigns in Arminiya, Arab–Khazar Wars, Fourth Fitna |
| Relations | Khazim ibn Khuzayma (father), Abdallah ibn Khazim, Shu'ayb ibn Khazim, Ibrahim ibn Khazim (brothers) |
Khuzayma ibn Khazim ibn Khuzayma al-Tamimi (died 818/9) was a powerful grandee in the early Abbasid Caliphate. The son of the distinguished military leader Khazim ibn Khuzayma, he inherited a position of privilege and power, and served early on in high state offices. He was crucial in securing the accession of Harun al-Rashid in 786, and was an influential figure throughout his reign. During the civil war of 811–813 he sided with al-Amin, but finally defected to the camp of al-Amin's brother al-Ma'mun and played a decisive role in ending the year-long siege of Baghdad in a victory for al-Ma'mun's forces.
Khuzayma was the son of Khazim ibn Khuzayma, a Khurasani Arab who became an early follower of the Abbasids and played an instrumental role in their rise to power both during and after the Abbasid Revolution. Through Khazim, the family achieved a prominent place among the Khurasaniyya, the Khurasani soldiers who had come west during the Revolution and formed the main power-base of the early Abbasid regime. In his youth, Khuzayma participated in the Revolution alongside his father, and according to al-Dinawari was named governor of Tabaristan in 760. After Khazim's death (the date is unknown, but sometime after 765), his position and influence were mostly inherited by Khuzayma. Khuzayma served as sahib al-shurta (chief of police) of Baghdad under Caliph al-Mahdi (r. 775–785).
His power was shown in 786, at the death of al-Hadi (r. 785–786), when he was instrumental in securing the accession of al-Hadi's younger brother Harun al-Rashid (r. 786–809) against the claims of al-Hadi's son Ja'far. At the time of his sudden death on 14 September, al-Hadi was planning to remove Harun from the succession in favour of Ja'far, but he had not yet done so. Thus, on the night when al-Hadi died, Harun's supporters hastened to acclaim him as Caliph, while others gave the oath of allegiance to Ja'far. Although Khuzayma had been a staunch supporter of al-Hadi, the Caliph's decision to strip his brother Abdallah from the post of sahib al-shurta probably alienated him. Khuzayma reportedly gathered and armed 5,000 of his own followers, dragged the young prince from his bed and forced him to publicly renounce his claims in favour of Harun.
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