Ubayd Allah ibn Ziyad | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Governor of Khurasan | |
| In office 673–676 | |
| Preceded by | Ziyad ibn Abihi |
| Succeeded by | Sa'id ibn Uthman |
| Governor of Basra | |
| In office 674/75–684 | |
| Preceded by | Abd Allah ibn Amr ibn Ghaylan |
| Succeeded by | Abd al-Malik ibn Abd Allah ibn Amir |
| Governor of Kufa | |
| In office 679/680–683/684 | |
| Preceded by | Nu'man ibn Bashir |
| Succeeded by | Amir ibn Mas'ud ibn Umayya |
| Personal details | |
| Died | 6 August 686 |
| Relations | Abbad ibn Ziyad, Salm ibn Ziyad, Yazid ibn Ziyad, Abd al-Rahman ibn Ziyad (siblings) |
| Parents |
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| Military service | |
| Allegiance | Umayyad Caliphate |
| Battles/wars | |
Ubayd Allah ibn Ziyad (Arabic: عُبَيْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ زِيَادٍ, romanized: ʿUbayd Allāh ibn Ziyād) was the Umayyad governor of Basra, Kufa and Khurasan during the reigns of caliphs Mu'awiya I (r. 661–680) and Yazid I (r. 680–683), and the leading general of the Umayyad army under caliphs Marwan I (r. 684–685) and Abd al-Malik (r. 685–705).
He virtually inherited the governorships from his father Ziyad ibn Abihi after the latter's death in 673. During Ubayd Allah's governorship, he suppressed Kharijite and Alid revolts. In the ensuing Battle of Karbala in 680, Husayn ibn Ali and his small retinue were slain by Ubayd Allah's troops, shocking many in the Muslim community. Ubayd Allah is primarily remembered for his role in the killings of members of Ali ibn Abi Talib's family and he has become infamous in Muslim tradition. Ubayd Allah was ultimately evicted from Iraq by the Arab tribal nobility amid the revolt of Abd Allah ibn al-Zubayr.
He made it to Syria where he persuaded Marwan I to seek the caliphate and helped galvanize support for the flailing Umayyads. Afterward, he fought at the Battle of Marj Rahit in 684 against pro-Zubayrid tribes and helped reconstitute the Umayyad army. With this army he struggled against rebel Qaysi tribes in the Jazira before advancing against the Alids and Zubayrids of Iraq. However, he was slain and his forces routed at the Battle of Khazir by Ibrahim ibn al-Ashtar, the commander of the pro-Alid al-Mukhtar of Kufa.