.png)
Ibn al-Ash'ath (died 704) was an Arab nobleman and military commander during the Umayyad Caliphate. He played a minor role in the Second Fitna and then served as governor of Rayy. After the appointment of al-Hajjaj ibn Yusuf as governor of Iraq in 694, relations with the Iraqi tribal nobility became strained. In 699, al-Hajjaj appointed Ibn al-Ash'ath as commander of a huge Iraqi army to subdue Zabulistan. In 700, Ibn al-Ash'ath and the army revolted. This developed into a full-fledged anti-Umayyad rebellion, with widespread support, especially among the religious zealots known as "Quran readers". The rebel army was decisively defeated by al-Hajjaj's Syrian troops at the Battle of Dayr al-Jamajim. Ibn al-Ash'ath fled to Zabulistan. His fate is unclear; some accounts hold that he was executed there, while most claim that he committed suicide to avoid capture. The suppression of Ibn al-Ash'ath's revolt signalled the end of the power of the tribal nobility of Iraq. (Full article...)