Abd AllÃÂh ibn ÿÃÂmir al-Hadhrami (Arabic: ùèï çÃÂÃÂàèàùçàñ çÃÂÃÂöñàÃÂ) was a 7th-century Arab administrator and Umayyad partisan active during the First Fitna. He served briefly as governor of Mecca under Caliph Uthman ibn Affan and later led a pro-Umayyad uprising in Basra against Caliph Ali ibn Abi Talib, during which he was killed.
Abd Allah ibn Amir was born in Yemen, a heritage reflected in his nisba, al-Hadhrami. His family were long-standing confederates of the Banu Umayya clan.
His father, Amr ibn al-Hadhrami, was a prominent leader of the Quraysh during the early days of Islam. In 624, he led a Meccan trade caravan that became the target of the Raid on Nakhla, where he was killed by Waqid ibn Abdullah, making him the first casualty in the armed conflict between the Muslims of Medina and the Meccans.
Through his mother, Umm Talha bint Kurayz, Abd Allah was a maternal first cousin of Caliph Uthman, as his mother was the sister of Uthman's mother, Arwa bint Kurayz.
During the final months of Uthman ibn AffanâÂÂs caliphate, al-Hadhrami was appointed governor of Mecca. He remained in office through the time of Uthman's assassination in 656, after which the city became a focal point for Umayyad loyalists and opponents of AliâÂÂs accession.
Following his arrival in power, Ali issued a general dismissal of Uthman's provincial governors, whom he considered to be symbols of nepotism and corruption. Ali's attempt to gain control of Mecca failed when the local population refused to swear allegiance to him; the city subsequently entered into open rebellion against Medina. Fleeing governors from Yemen, including Ya'la ibn Umayya and Abd Allah ibn Abi Rabi'ah, arrived in the city with wealth and resources which they used to equip the revolt led by Aisha. Al-Hadhrami was among the first to support AishaâÂÂs calls for vengeance against the regicides.
Following the appointment of Uthman ibn Hunayf as governor of Basra by Ali, al-Hadhrami remained in the city as a deputy for the former governor, Abd Allah ibn Amir. Ibn Hunayf subsequently arrested him without resistance to secure control of the provincial administration, ending al-Hadhrami's initial tenure there.
In 659, following the Umayyad annexation of Egypt, Mu'awiya I dispatched al-Hadhrami back to Basra to foment a pro-Umayyad uprising. His arrival successfully drew support from factions of the Banu Tamim, forcing AliâÂÂs deputy governor, Ziyad ibn Abihi, to seek protection from the Banu Azd tribe.
Ali initially attempted to resolve the situation by sending Aÿyan ibn Dabiÿah al-Mujashiÿ, but Aÿyan was assassinated shortly after arrival. Ali then dispatched Jariyah ibn Qudamah, who restored Ziyad to the governorâÂÂs palace and led a military crackdown on the rebels.ÃÂ
Al-Hadhrami and approximately seventy followers withdrew to the fortified house of Sabil al-Saÿdi. During the ensuing assault, Jariyah ordered the structure to be set on fire; al-Hadhrami and most of his supporters were killed in the conflagration. Notably, Mu'awiya reportedly showed little reaction to the news, a detail historians highlight as evidence of the expendable nature of provincial allies during the civil war.