Abbasa and Ja'far

'Abbasa and Ja'far
‘Abbasa ('Abbasa bint al-Mahdi) (b. c. 765 CC, Abbasid Empire - d. after 803 CC, Abbasid Empire) was the daughter of the ‘Abbasid caliph al-Mahdi and the sister of the caliphs Harun al-Rashid and al-Hadi.  Her name is connected with the fall of the Barmakids in 803 C.C., because of her alleged love affair.

The Barmakids were a Persian family that had become very powerful during the caliphate of al-Mahdi.  Yahya, the vizier of Harun al-Rashid, had aided Harun al-Rashid in obtaining the caliphate.  Yahya and his sons were in high favor until 803 when the caliph threw them in prison and confiscated their land.  Many reasons are given for this punitive action. Yahya's entering Harun's presence without Harun's permission; Yahya's opposition to Muhammad ibn al-Layth who later gained Harun's favor; and the Barmakid's ostentatious display of their wealth are said to be the cause of Harun's action.  However, the reason which has intrigued writers and storytellers for ages is the alleged romantic relationship between Jafar, the son of Yahya, and Harun's sister, 'Abbasa.

As the story goes, Jafar, was the constant companion of Harun.  Harun was also very fond of his sister, 'Abbasa, and loved to have both her and Jafar around at times of recreation.  However, Muslim etiquette forbade their common presence.  To circumvent the rules of etiquette, Harun had a marriage ceremony performed between 'Abbasa and Jafar, but only with the understanding that the ceremony was purely nominal and that 'Abbasa and Jafar were not to become intimately involved.  Unfortunately, the heart of 'Abbasa ignored the ban.  She fell in love with Jafar and became infatuated with him.  One night she entered Jafar's bedroom in the darkness, masquerading as one of his slave girls.  She seduced Jafar and had sex with him.

From this union, a child was conceived.  'Abbasa secretly gave birth to the child and the child was sent by 'Abbasa to Mecca.  However, a maid, after quarreling with her mistress, disclosed the scandal.  Harun, while on a pilgrimage in Mecca, heard the story and became enraged.  Upon his return to Baghdad, Harun had Jafar executed, his body cut in two, and impaled on either side of the bridge.  Harun also had Jafar's father (Yahya) and brother (al-Fadl) cast into prison.  Jafar's body stayed impaled for three years until when Harun happened to pass through Baghdad from the East, saw the body, and gave the command for the remains to be taken down and burned.  

This story is discounted by modern scholars, but it has become part of the legend of the court of Harun al-Rashid.

Another version of the story notes that 'Abbasa bint al-Mahdi was the daughter of the third Abbasid caliph, al-Mahdi, and a concubine by the name of Rahim.  'Abbasa was also the half -sister of al-Hadi, Harun al-Rashid, Ulayya, and Ibrahim ibn al- Mahdi.  

Harun al-Rashid became caliph after al-Mahdi.  He was known for being unhappy iwth the fact that he was a relative of  'Abbasa's as he was attracted to her.  To keep 'Abbasa in his life, Harun al-Rashid had 'Abbasa marry Ja'far ibn Yahya.  The marriage was supposed to be one of convenience, but 'Abbasa fell in love with her arranged husband, Ja'far.  At night, a slave woman would be sent to Ja'far's bedroom.  One night 'Abbasa took the slave woman's place.  Her husband was surprised but welcoming.  They consummated their marriage,

'Abbasa became pregnant and gave birth to twin boys in secret.  The twins would be raised in Mecca.  However, eventually, Harun found out about the relationship.  Angered by the betrayal, he had Ja'far killed.  'Abbasa was either killed or sent into exile.

Introduction

I am not a Muslim.  I am simply a man in search of truth -- the truth about myself, my people, my country, my world and God.  In my search for truth, I have discovered that there is much that I once believed to be true that is certainly not the total truth and, indeed, may not be true at all.
 

I once believed that I am only an "African American".However, in my search for truth, I discovered that such a label is not entirely true.I discovered that, like me, most persons of African descent who live in the United States also have European and Indigenous American blood.By labeling such individuals as being only "African American", society may be denying essential elements of their being.

 

As a so-called "African American", I once believed that American slavery defined my past and impacted my present.But once I escaped the confines of the label, I learned that my triple heritage -- my African, European and Indigenous American heritage -- is far richer than I could ever have imagined.With a triple heritage, African slavery is not an overriding historical theme.With a triple heritage, the self-evident fact is that for people like me the overriding historical theme concerns the creation of a new people and the beginning of a new experiment with fascinating possibilities for the future history of man.

 
 

Another consequence of discovering the nature of a triple heritage is the realization that one of the defining labels that is currently en vogue in American society simply does not fit.On almost any day of the week, in schools, churches, and the halls of power throughout the land, one can hear pronouncements being made concerning the "Judeo-Christian" heritage of America.However, as a person with a triple heritage, there are other religious traditions which have obviously had some bearing on the individual that I am today.In addition to my "Judeo-Christian" heritage, there is also a lingering influence of the tribal religions of the African and Indigenous American peoples and, perhaps more significantly, there is the ongoing influence of Islam.

 
 

In discovering the truth about the African part of my heritage, I was frequently confronted by the role that Islam played in developing African society and in initiating the African diaspora.After all, it was the Muslim Arab merchants who took African slaves and companions with them as they traversed the then known world.China, Malaysia, India, and Spain all came to be the home of Africans because of the peripatetic Arabs.It was the Muslims who spread their religion to both the West and East coasts of Africa and through persuasion and intermarriage converted the African people to the Islamic faith.And it was African Muslims from the west coast of Africa who frequently were the slave cargo of the European ships that came to the Americas, speaking such Muslim languages as Hausa, Mandingo, and Fulfulde. It was these forefathers who played such an integral part in the bold experiment which eventually made me what I am.

Yes, Islam has, undoubtedly, had an historical role in defining what it means to be an African American.But, for me, there is even more.

 
 

For me, there are moments and times in my life which are indelibly etched in my psyche.There was the time while living in Glasgow, Montana, in the early 1960s that I became aware of the sport of boxing when a brash young boxer by the name of Cassius Clay defeated the "invincible" bear known as Sonny Liston.Cassius Clay would soon become the legendary Muhammad Ali -- a Muslim who became the dominant sports figure of my generation.

 
 

There was the time in high school in 1969 when I first began to explore my African heritage by reading a story about a small time hoodlum who underwent two Islamic conversions -- first as the Nation of Islam leader known as Malcolm X and later as the more orthodox Muslim, El Hajj Malik Shabazz.

 
 

Then there was the crucial period of my life when during my first two years of college, in 1972 and 1973, I served as the "Minister of Information" of the Amherst Afro-American Society under the leadership of Umar Zaid Muhammad.

 
 

No, I am not a Muslim.But my personal heritage, and my personal experiences, compel me to say that here too I have a triple heritage.I have not just a Judeo-Christian heritage, but rather a heritage that is a combination of Judaism, Christianity and Islam.