Abd al-Malik ibn Marwan

Lore & Background

Abd al-Malik was born in Medina to Marwan ibn al-Hakam and A'isha. He witnessed the assassination of Caliph Uthman in 656, an event that had a lasting effect on him. He distinguished himself in a campaign against the Byzantines as commander of a Medinese naval unit, appointed by Caliph Mu'awiya I. Afterward, he returned to Medina and served as secretary of the bureaucracy under his father, who was governor.

When a revolt broke out in Medina in 683, the Umayyads were expelled. On the way to Syria, Abd al-Malik encountered the army of Muslim ibn Uqba and provided him with intelligence about Medina's defenses. The rebels were defeated at the Battle of al-Harra in August 683.

Reader's Guide

Abd al-Malik's reign focused on reuniting the Caliphate after the Second Fitna. He secured Syria, concluded a truce with Byzantium in 689, quelled a coup in 690, and reincorporated Qaysi tribes in 691. He conquered Zubayrid Iraq and sent al-Hajjaj ibn Yusuf to kill Ibn al-Zubayr in late 692.

He resumed war with Byzantium, leading to advances into Anatolia and Armenia, and the capture of Carthage and Kairouan in 698. In the east, al-Hajjaj established authority in Iraq and Khurasan by 702. His reforms included introducing a single Islamic currency, making Arabic the bureaucratic language, founding the Dome of the Rock, centralizing provincial rule, and abolishing traditional stipends.

Did You Know?

• He was a close adviser of his father Marwan I and was appointed governor of Palestine before becoming caliph.
• He did not participate in the Battle of Marj Rahit in 684 on religious grounds.
• His son and successor al-Walid I largely maintained his policies.