Abdallah ibn Muhammad ibn Ibrahim al-Zaynabi

Abdallah ibn Muhammad ibn Ibrahim al-Zaynabi (Arabic: عبد الله بن محمد بن إبراهيم الزينبي‎)[1] was a minor Abbasid prince. He served as the governor of several provinces, including the Yemen and Egypt, in the late eighth and early ninth centuries.

Abdallah ibn Muhammad ibn Ibrahim al-Zaynabi عبد الله بن محمد بن إبراهيم الزينبي
Abbasid Governor of Yemen
In office 785 – -
Monarch	Al-Hadi
Preceded by	Sulayman ibn Yazid al-Harithi
Succeeded by	Ibrahim ibn Salm ibn Qutaybah al-Bahili or al-Ghitrif ibn al-Ata
Abbasid Governor of Mecca
Monarch	Harun al-Rashid (under Harun al-Rashid he was once or twice governor of Mecca)
Abbasid Governor of Egypt
In office 805–806
Monarch	Harun al-Rashid
Preceded by	Ahmad ibn Isma'il ibn Ali
Succeeded by	Al-Husayn ibn Jamil
Personal details
Relations	Abbasid dynasty
Mother	Zaynab bint Sulayman ibn Ali
Father	Muhammad ibn Ibrahim al-Hashimi
Known for	Leading the funeral prayers of famous Muslim theologian Malik ibn Anas in 795

Life

A member of the Abbasid dynasty, Abdallah was the descendant of notable personages on both sides of his family. His father Muhammad was a son of Ibrahim ibn Muhammad ibn Ali, who had been a leading figure in the early stages of the Abbasid Revolution before being killed by the last Umayyad caliph Marwan II in 749.[2] His mother, Zaynab, was the daughter of Sulayman ibn Ali and a senior princess at the Abbasid court, and Abdallah himself was usually known by the names of "al-Zaynabi" or "Abdallah ibn Zaynab."[3] He was a second cousin of the fourth and fifth Abbasid caliphs al-Hadi (r. 785–786) and Harun al-Rashid (r. 786–809).[4]

During his career Abdallah was appointed to several provincial governorships. Either during the caliphate of al-Hadi or al-Mahdi he was made governor of the Yemen,[5] and under Harun al-Rashid he was once or twice governor of Mecca[6] (and possibly Medina).[7] In 805 he was appointed over Egypt, in which position he remained for approximately a year.[8]

Abdallah was also known for leading the prayers at the funeral of Malik ibn Anas in 795.[9]

Notes

1. For his full name, see Ibn Taghribirdi 1930, p. 131.
2. Omar 1971, p. 988; Ibn Hazm 1982, p. 31.
3. Rahmatallah 1952, pp. 27 ff., 45; Yarshater 1985–2007, v. 39: p. 263; Ibn Hazm 1982, p. 31; Al-Kindi 1912, p. 141; Ibn Taghribirdi 1930, p. 131.
4. Yarshater 1985–2007, v. 30: p. xxiv.
5. Ibn Abd al-Majid 1985, pp. 25–26; Ibn Hazm 1982, p. 31; Gordon et al. 2018, p. 1141.
6. Yarshater 1985–2007, v. 30: p. 304; Khalifah ibn Khayyat 1985, p. 461.
7. Yarshater 1985–2007, v. 39: p. 263 & n. 1168.
8. Al-Kindi 1912, pp. 141–42; Ibn Taghribirdi 1930, pp. 131–32.
9. Yarshater 1985–2007, v. 39: p. 263.

References

• Gordon, Matthew S.; Robinson, Chase F.; Rowson, Everett K.; et al., eds. (2018). The Works of Ibn Wadih al-Ya'qubi: An English Translation. 3. Leiden and Boston: Brill. ISBN 978-90-04-35621-4.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
• Ibn Abd al-Majid, Taj al-Din 'Abd al-Baqi al-Yamani (1985). Ta'rikh al-Yaman al-Musamma Bahjat al-Zaman fi Ta'rikh al-Yaman. Sana'a: Dar Kalimah.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
• Ibn Hazm, Abu Muhammad ibn 'Ali ibn Ahmad ibn Sa'id al-Andalusi (1982). Harun, 'Abd al-Salam Muhammad (ed.). Jamharat Ansab al-'Arab (in Arabic) (5th ed.). Cairo: Dar al-Ma'arif.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
• Ibn Taghribirdi, Jamal al-Din Abu al-Mahasin Yusuf (1930). Nujum al-zahira fi muluk Misr wa'l-Qahira, Volume II (in Arabic). Cairo: Dar al-Kutub al-Misriyya.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
• Khalifah ibn Khayyat (1985). al-Umari, Akram Diya' (ed.). Tarikh Khalifah ibn Khayyat, 3rd ed (in Arabic). Al-Riyadh: Dar Taybah.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
• Al-Kindi, Muhammad ibn Yusuf (1912). Guest, Rhuvon (ed.). The Governors and Judges of Egypt (in Arabic). Leyden and London: E. J. Brill.
• Omar, F. (1971). "Ibrahim b. Muhammad". In Lewis, B.; Ménage, V. L.; Pellat, Ch. & Schacht, J. (eds.). The Encyclopaedia of Islam, New Edition, Volume III: H–Iram. Leiden: E. J. Brill. pp. 988–89. doi:10.1163/1573-3912_islam_SIM_3440. OCLC 495469525.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
• Rahmatallah, Maleeha (1952). The Women of Baghdad in the Ninth and Tenth Centuries, as Revealed in the History of Baghdad of al-Hatib (Thesis). University of Pennsylvania.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
• Yarshater, Ehsan, ed. (1985–2007). The History of al-Ṭabarī (40 vols). SUNY Series in Near Eastern Studies. Albany, New York: State University of New York Press. ISBN 978-0-7914-7249-1.