Zuhayr ibn Qays al-Balawi زهير بن قيس البلوي | |
|---|---|
| Governor of Ifriqiya | |
| In office 683–688 | |
| Monarchs | Mu'awiyah II Marwan I Abd al-Malik |
| Preceded by | Uqba ibn Nafi |
| Succeeded by | Hassan ibn al-Nu'man |
| Personal details | |
| Died | 688 |
| Religion | Islam |
| Burial place | As-Sahabah Mosque, Derna, Libya |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance | Rashidun Caliphate Umayyad Caliphate |
| Battles/wars | Muslim conquest of Egypt Muslim conquest of the Maghreb
|
Zuhayr ibn Qays al-Balawī (Arabic: زهير بن قيس البلوي) (died 688) was a companion of the Islamic prophet Muhammad and an Arab commander who fought in the service of the Rashidun, Umayyad and Zubayrid caliphs. He played a key role in the early Muslim conquests of Egypt, Barqa (Cyrenaica) and Ifriqiya. When the latter province fell to a Byzantine–Berber alliance in 682, Zuhayr was given command of the army to restore Arab rule. During that campaign, he temporarily retook Kairouan, the Arabs' capital in Ifriqiya, and killed the Berber chief Kasila, but was slain by Byzantine raiders on his way back to Barqa.