Qatari ibn al-Fuja'a
Qaṭari ibn al-Fujaʾa (Arabic: قطري بن الفجاءة; died c. 698–699 CE) was a Kharjite leader and poet. Born in Al Khuwayr, he ruled over the Azariqa faction of the Kharjites for more than ten years after the death of Nafi ibn al-Azraq in c. 685 CE. He led an uprising against the Umayyad Caliphate for more than 20 years.
Qatari ibn al-Fuja'a | |
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Silver Dirham minted in the name of Qatari (694–695 CE) | |
| Born | Qatari ibn al-Fuja'a al-Mazini al-Tamimi |
| Died | c. 698–699 CE Semnan, Persia (present-day Iran) |
| Cause of death | Killed in battle |
| Years active | 687–698/699 |
| Known for | Leader of the Azariqa sub-sect |
| Title | Amir al-Mu'minin (leader of the faithful) |
| Predecessor | Nafi ibn al-Azraq |
| Successor | Movement disbanded |
Ibn Khallikan, a 13th-century Muslim scholar, states that 'Qatari' is not his given name, but instead refers to the name of the region where he hailed from. A member of the Banu Tamim tribe, he held the title of Amir al-Mu'minin, which translates to 'leader of the faithful' and was the formal title of the Caliphs. His nicknames were Na'ama (ostrich) and Abu al-Mawt (father of death). It has been asserted that he was the first Khawarji leader to promote jihadism, as his poems glorified courage, death and war in the name of Allah.
He minted the first known Kharijite coins, the earliest of which dated to 688 or 689. It was minted in the Arab-Sasanian style. The coin bore the Pahlavi inscription "‛Abdallah Qatari, the Commander of the Faithful, who has increased the royal glory".