Abu Uthman Said ibn Hakam al-Qurashi

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Abu Uthman Said ibn Hakam al-Quraschi , Arabic أبو عثمان سعيد بن الحكم القرشي, DMG 'abū' uṯmān sa'īd ibn al-ḥakam al-qurašī (* December 30, 1204 in Tavira ; † January 9, 1282 in Madina al Jazira) was the first Raʾīs of Menorca from 1234 to 1282 .

Early years

Abu Uthman Said ibn Hakam al Quraschi was born on December 30, 1204 in Tavira in the Algarve ( Gharb al-Andalus ), today's Portugal . He studied philology in Ischbiliya ( Seville ), the capital of the Almohad caliphs in al-Andalus . During his studies he participated in meetings with famous writers.

Because of the decline of the Abbasid Caliphate, Al-Andalus had entered a process of disintegration, which resulted in the demolition of vital trade relations. This created a spiral of internal conflict and external invasions. Because of this political instability in al-Andalus, Abu Uthman emigrated to North Africa and settled in Bejaja and Tunis , where he served the Almohad governors and emirs as secretary.

Two years later, Abu Uthman wanted to return to al-Andalus, but the situation there had meanwhile worsened. He was recorded by the Almohad Wālī in Medina Mayūrqa (today's Palma de Mallorca ). In 1227 he was then transferred to Manūrqa (Menorca) in order to collect taxes there as Muschrif and at the same time to command the troops stationed there.

Mushrif on Manurqa

In 1229, James I landed on Mallorca, but at that time he had spared Menorca. The last Muslim resistance in Mallorca was finally broken in 1231. James I then sent three ambassadors - Berenguer de Santa Eugenia , Don Assalit de Gudar and Don Pere Maça - to Menorca to negotiate its submission to the Crown of Aragon .

James I had relatively few troops in Mallorca at this time and therefore ordered huge fires to be kindled on the coast opposite Menorca in order to simulate a large army and thus to put the Muslims on Menorca under pressure. After a meeting between the Qādī Abu Abd Allah Muhammad , Abu Uthman, the sheikhs and three hundred other influential people in Menorca, an agreement was reached to assume vassal status to the new King of Mallorca. The Treaty of Capdepera was therefore signed on June 17, 1231. Allegedly, Abu Uthman is said to have been the driving force behind the contract with James I, although this cannot be inferred from the text. The treaty guaranteed Menorca extensive political autonomy with simultaneous military protection by the King of Mallorca. In return, Menorca had to make an annual tribute payment, which amounted to over 3,000 bushels of wheat, 100 cows and 500 goats or sheep, later two quintals of fresh butter and 200 gold coins ( Byzantines ) were added for the transport of cattle. Abu Abd Allah Muhammad now acted as the new ruler of Menorca.

Seizure of power

In July 1234 (year 631 after the Hijra ), Abu Uthman came to power in Menorca through a military coup. He then negotiated a new treaty with Jacob I, which certified him to be the sole ruler of Raʾīs . The rule of Abu Uthman is likely to have been the only period in Menorca in which the island was a politically independent state, even if it was tributary to the Kingdom of Mallorca . Abu Uthman ruled with an iron hand and transformed Menorca into a tightly organized Islamic state. For example, he had drunk people executed. In Madina al Jazira (today's Ciutadella ) he created a political control center with a Council of Ministers, secretaries and tribal representatives. Its small military force consisted mostly of mercenaries. Abu Uthman was a skilful tactician and so his Islamic state survived, while others fell victim to the Christian Reconquista : Córdoba (1236), his native town Tavira (1242), Seville (1248) and Murcia (1266). Only the Emirate of Granada remained independent, even though it was vassal to the Kingdom of Castile .

When Jacob I died in 1276, the kingdom of Aragon was divided into two parts: his son Jacob II received the kingdom of Mallorca and the counties of Roussillon and Cerdanya . The rest of the kingdom of Aragon remained with his son Peter III. Menorca remained tribute to James II. This regulation should ultimately seal the doom of Muslim Menorca.

Abu Uthman died on January 9, 1282 (year 680 after the Hijra) in Madina al Jazira and his son Abu Umar ibn Said followed him as Raʾīs of Menorca .

In addition to his political career, Abu Uthman was an outstanding Islamic intellectual of the 13th century who was well versed in both Islamic law and medicine and was at the same time a philologist, grammarian and man of letters. In Madina al Jazira he had set up a large library, some of which are still kept in the El Escorial library today.

literature

  • M. Barcelo: El tractat de Capdepera de 17 Juny de 1231 entre Jaume I i Abû 'Abd Allàh Muhammad de Manûrqa. Sobre la funció social i politics del fugaha . 1984.
  • B. Moll Mercadal: Abû 'Uthmân Sa'îd ibn Hakam, Ra'îs de Manûrqa (631 / 1234-680 / 1289) . Publicacions des Born nº5, 1999.
  • The Book of Deeds The "Book of Deeds" by James I of Aragon (PDF format, in English)
predecessor Office successor
Raʾīs of Menorca
1234–1282
Abu Umar ibn Said