Abu Said Faraj

Abu Said Faraj ibn Ismail (أبو سعيد فرج بن إسماعيل, 1248 – 24 April 1320) was a member of the Nasrid dynasty of Granada, who was a close advisor to Sultan Muhammad II (r. 1273–1302) and Muhammad III (r. 1302–1309) and served as the governor of Málaga between 1279 and the early 1310s. He was born in 1248 to Ismail ibn Nasr, governor of Málaga and brother of Sultan Muhammad I. After Ismail's death, the Sultan brought the young Abu Said to court, where he became friends with his cousin, the future Muhammad II. When the latter became Sultan, Abu Said became his advisor on economic and military policies. He married Muhammad II's daughter Fatima, and in 1279 he was appointed as the royal governor in Málaga. The city—the realm's most important port—had just recently been recovered by the crown after a rebellion by the Banu Ashqilula since 1266 followed by a short occupation by the Marinids of Morocco since 1278. He implemented policies to pacify the population and improved the region's economic condition, as well as embarking on the construction of ships to strengthen the Granadan navy. As governor, he also led Málaga's troops in various campaigns on the Iberian Peninsula, including against rebels and against the Marinid Sultanate.

He remained governor under the next Sultan, his brother-in-law Muhammad III, with whom he and his wife also enjoyed good relations. He led the Granadan campaign to conquer Ceuta in North Africa in 1306. His relations with the next Sultan, Nasr (r. 1309–1314), were poor and in 1311 he started a rebellion to enthrone his own son, Ismail, instead. His forces captured various castles and defeated the Sultan in battle, before being forced to return to Málaga after failing to besiege the capital. After this setback, he was deposed as governor of Málaga due to an attempt to yield the city to the Marinid Sultanate, and he was imprisoned by his son Ismail until his death in 1320. At some point after his imprisonment, Ismail restarted the rebellion and succeeded in taking the throne as Ismail I (r. 1314–1325).