Abu Muhammad al-Sufyani

Origins

Abu Muhammad al-Sufyani belonged to the Sufyanid line of the Umayyad dynasty. His father was Abd Allah ibn Yazid, and his mother was Umm Uthman bint Sa'id, making him a grandson of Caliph Yazid I on his father's side and a descendant of the influential Umayyad clan of Sa'id ibn al-As through his mother. He was also connected to Caliph al-Walid II by way of al-Walid's aunt, Atika bint Yazid. Living near Damascus, he was known as a brave fighter for the Umayyads.

During the early part of the Third Fitna, al-Walid II ordered him to confront the forces of Yazid ibn al-Walid, but Abu Muhammad refused to carry out the command. After being captured and let go twice in Homs and Damascus, he made his way to Qinnasrin and then Aleppo. Later, Caliph Marwan II kept him imprisoned in Harran for most of the latter half of his rule. When other prisoners broke out, Abu Muhammad stayed put; those escapees were caught and killed by the people of Harran. Marwan freed him only after suffering defeat at the Battle of the Zab against the Abbasids in January 750.

Revolt

After his release by Marwan II, Abu Muhammad arrived in northern Syria and declared himself caliph during the reign of al-Saffah, adopting the epithet al-Sufyani to reference his descent from Caliph Mu'awiya ibn Abi Sufyan and to claim the early Islamic messianic figure al-Sufyani. Thousands of followers recognized him, and his claim was embraced by many in Syria, especially the people of Homs, who saw him as a messiah-like figure who would deliver a golden age and destroy the Abbasid Caliphate.

Later in 750, the Qaysi general Abu al-Ward launched a revolt against the Abbasids, rallying his kinsmen and other Qaysis and disavowing allegiance to the Abbasid governor of Syria, Abd Allah ibn Ali. Abu Muhammad joined as a leader of the Yaman tribal confederation of Homs and Palmyra, assuming political leadership of the revolt and issuing a claim to leadership of the Umayyad Caliphate, while Abu al-Ward served as military commander, likely limited to Qaysi troops, with Yamani troops led by al-Asbagh ibn Dhu'ala al-Kalbi.

The revolt became a joint Qaysi–Yamani effort to gain control of the Umayyad Caliphate. Despite an initial victory against Abbasid forces led by Abd al-Samad ibn Ali at Qinnasrin, Abu Muhammad's forces were defeated near Homs, where Abu al-Ward and many Qaysi soldiers were killed. Abu Muhammad fled to Palmyra; the Abbasid commander Bassam ibn Ibrahim attempted and failed to capture it, but Abu Muhammad fled again to the Hejaz, finding safe haven near Mount Uhud.

He and his family remained in Arabia until they were tracked down and killed during Caliph al-Mansur's reign. His revolt, though short-lived, was the most significant threat the Abbasids faced immediately after their revolution, motivating them to eliminate other Umayyad remnants.

Sufyani

There is considerable disagreement about the origins, function, and identity of the Sufyani in Islamic tradition, including the specific role of Abu Muhammad al-Sufyani. Within Syria, the Sufyani was viewed as a savior who would bring about an era of prosperity. In contrast, Shi'ite tradition, because of his lineage from Abu Sufyan—an early enemy of Muhammad and the father of Mu'awiya, who caused Ali's fall—portrayed him as an enemy of Islam, akin to an Antichrist and a foe of the Mahdi.

The figure's roots are disputed. Henri Lammens proposed that Abu Muhammad himself started the legend, with Syrians believing he had gone into concealment after his death and would return, similar to the Shi'ite Mahdi. Wilferd Madelung maintained that the Sufyani was originally an anti-Mahdi figure, only later gaining positive meaning in Syria. Numerous Syrian rebels, from Abu Harb al-Mubarqa in the 840s through the 15th century, later adopted the Sufyani title.