Second Fitna
What Was the Second Fitna?
The Second Fitna was a major period of civil war and political upheaval within the early Islamic Caliphate, lasting from approximately 680 to 692 CE (Asma Afsaruddin et al., 2013). It represented a significant rift in the Muslim community, following the earlier "Great Fitna" that had pitted the Prophet's companions against one another (G. R. Hawting et al., 2005). This conflict primarily involved a power struggle between the established Umayyad dynasty and the counter-caliphate of Abd Allah ibn al-Zubayr (Asma Afsaruddin et al., 2013).
Turning Points and Principal Figures
The Second Fitna saw the rise of the Marwanid line under Marwan I and his son 'Abd al-Malik, who moved against Ibn al-Zubayr's supporters (Asma Afsaruddin et al., 2013). A decisive battle between the Qays and Kalb tribes ended the Sufyanid line, while the governor al-Hajjaj led a final assault on Mecca in 692 (Asma Afsaruddin et al., 2013). This siege resulted in the death of Ibn al-Zubayr and the dismantling of his rival caliphate, effectively ending the civil war (Asma Afsaruddin et al., 2013).
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Political and Religious Consequences
Following the Second Fitna, 'Abd al-Malik instituted a highly centralized government to assert direct control (Asma Afsaruddin et al., 2013). To establish religious legitimacy, he commissioned the Dome of the Rock and standardized the Qur’anic text (Asma Afsaruddin et al., 2013). The war left a lasting legacy of "political reserve" among Sunni Muslims, who feared that revolutionary reform would lead to further "fitna" (G. R. Hawting et al., 2005). This period also raised enduring questions about the proper qualities of a Muslim leader (Encyclopaedia Britannica et al., 2009).