Sulayman bin Abd al-Malik سلیمان بن عبدالملک |
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Caliph of the Umayyad Caliphate | |||||
Reign | 23 February 715 – 22 September 717 | ||||
Predecessor | Al-Walid ibn Abd al-Malik | ||||
Successor | Umar ibn Abd al-Aziz | ||||
Born | 674 | ||||
Died | 21 September 717 (aged 43) | ||||
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House | Banu Abd Shams | ||||
Dynasty | Umayyad | ||||
Father | Abd al-Malik ibn Marwan | ||||
Mother | Walida bint Al-Abbas |
Full name | |
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Sulayman ibn Abd al-Malik |
Sulayman bin Abd al-Malik (Arabic: سليمان بن عبد الملك) (c. 674 – 22 September 717) was an Umayyad caliph who ruled from 715 until 717. His father was Abd al-Malik ibn Marwan, and he was a younger brother of the previous caliph, al-Walid I.
Under the rule of his brother al-Walid he had been the governor of Palestine. In the tribal politics of the Near East at that time (the Qays-Yaman conflict) he allied himself to the Yamanis. When Yazid ibn al-Muhallab escaped from al-Hajjaj, he made his way to Sulayman in Palestine. Sulayman granted him refuge. Al-Hajjaj pressed al-Walid about this and the caliph commanded Sulayman to send him Yazid in chains. Sulayman had his own son chained to Yazid approach al-Walid and present Sulayman's forcefully written letter insisting on sanctuary for Yazid. Al-Walid accepted this and so informed al-Hajjaj.
Sulayman was hailed as caliph on February 23, 715, the day al-Walid died. He appointed Yazid ibn al-Muhallab governor of Mesopotamia (Iraq) and Salih ibn Abd al-Rahman financial administrator there. Salih was also instructed to arrest and execute the family of al-Hajjaj, one of two prominent leaders (the other was Qutaibah bin Muslim) who had supported the succession of al-Walid's son Yazid, rather than Sulayman. Al-Hajjaj had predeceased al-Walid, so he was no longer alive to pose a threat.
Qutaibah was considerably alarmed at the ascension of Sulayman to the throne. He first sent an envoy to the caliph with letters asserting his loyalty as he was loyal to previous caliphs, urging Sulayman not to replace Qutaibah as governor of Khurasan with Yazid ibn al-Muhallab and, finally, if the envoy saw Sulayman favouring Yazid, with Qutaibah's renunciation of allegiance to Sulayman. Sulayman sent the envoy back with a confirmation of Qutaibah's governorship. However, Qutaibah had already attempted to rebel. Qutaibah's troops rejected his appeal to revolt, killed him and sent his head to Sulayman.