False Prophet Al-Muqanna

 

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم

والصلاة والسلام عليك يا رسول الله

In the Name of Allah, the Rahman, the Merciful

Concerning the false prophet known as Al-Muqanna, the historian Ibn Jarir al-Tabari says:

فمما كان من ذلك خروج حكيم ‌المقنع بخراسان من قرية من قرى مرو وكان فيما ذكر يقول بتناسخ الأرواح يعود ذلك إلى نفسه فاستغوى بشرا كثيرا وقوي وصار إلى ما وراء النهر

Among the things that happened was the revolt of Hakim al-Muqanna from a village in Khurasan in Marv. He—as it is mentioned—believed in the transmigration of souls, and that it happened to himself. He seduced many people, and he became strong and went to Transoxiana (Tarikh al-Tabari, v.8, p.135)

It is likely that his name was Hashim son of Hakim. His father, Hakim, was converted to the Hashimiyyah Shi’ite sect—attributed to Abu Hashim the son of Ibn al-Hanafiyyah—and so named his son Hashim. He and his son participated in the Hashmiyyah influenced Abbasid revolution that overthrew the Umayyads. But once in power the Abbasids betrayed the Shi’ite cause and declared the rule for the family of Abbas, no longer in the name of Ali and his progeny. This betrayal was sealed with the execution of Abu Muslim al-Khurasani, the talented general who had made the Abbasid revolution possible. The execution of Abu Muslim is what galvanized the Khurramites in Khurasan and Transoxiana to rebel against the Abbasids, first under Sunbadh and then this Al-Muqanna. These heresies like the coming of new prophets after Prophet Muhammad, transmigration of the soul (metempsychosis) and worst of all the incarnation or manifestation of God in human form known as Hulul, were common among these Khurramites and Ghulat, who were following a syncretic religion combining elements of Islam with dualist Zoroastrianism or ancient Iranian religion.

According to the historian Abu Bakr Muhammad bin Ja’far al-Narshakhi, Al-Muqanna veiled his face with a green cloth, apparently due to its extreme ugliness. He used to dabble in necromancy (conjuring the spirits of the dead) and claimed to be a Prophet. He said he was the reincarnation of Adam, Noah, Abraham, Moses, Jesus, Muhammad and Abu Muslim. He even claimed divinity for himself, saying “there is no god except me”! (Tarikh Bukhara, pp.90-91; The History of Bukhara, pp.65-66)

The violence of this wicked false prophet and his followers was directed against the Muslims, “When first they appeared before Bukhara, a group of the ‘White Raiments,’ who were followers of Muqanna', went to the village called Numijkat. At night they entered the mosque and killed the muezzin and fifteen people. Then they killed all of the people of the village. This was in the year 159/775-6, while the amir of Bukhara was Husain ibn Mu’adh” (The History of Bukhara, p.68)

Al-Muqanna claimed that he veiled his face for mortal humans were unable to behold its glory, “Tell my followers [ashes in his mouth] that Moses requested a sight of me. I did not show myself to him for he did not have the power (to endure it). He who sees me cannot stand it and dies instantly” (ibid, p.72)

While we know the true reason for Al-Muqanna veiling his face was due to how repulsive it was, an actual instance of a Prophet veiling his face due to its shining glory was Moses, “And it came to pass, when Moses came down from mount Sinai with the two tables of testimony in Moses' hand, when he came down from the mount, that Moses wist not that the skin of his face shone while he talked with him. And when Aaron and all the children of Israel saw Moses, behold, the skin of his face shone; and they were afraid to come nigh him. And Moses called unto them; and Aaron and all the rulers of the congregation returned unto him: and Moses talked with them. And afterward all the children of Israel came nigh: and he gave them in commandment all that the Lord had spoken with him in mount Sinai. And till Moses had done speaking with them, he put a vail on his face. But when Moses went in before the Lord to speak with him, he took the vail off, until he came out. And he came out, and spake unto the children of Israel that which he was commanded. And the children of Israel saw the face of Moses, that the skin of Moses' face shone: and Moses put the vail upon his face again, until he went in to speak with him” (Exodus 34:29-35)

Al-Muqanna collected beautiful women to live with him in his fortress, and he would drink wine with them. One day he had the supply of wine poisoned, thereby murdering his female companions, and then committed suicide by immolating himself in a burning furnace (The History of Bukhara, p.74)

Concerning the practices of his followers, “Their religion is such that they neither pray, nor fast, nor do they wash after sexual intercourse. Still they remain in safety, and concealing all of those conditions from the Muslims, they claim to be Muslims. It is said that they allow their women free for one another. They say a woman is like a flower, (no matter) who smells it, nothing is detracted from it. When a man comes to a woman in private he puts a mark on the door of the house, so when the husband of this woman arrives he knows that this woman is in the house with a man. He goes away and when the other man is finished he returns to his home. It is said that they have a man in each village who, whenever anyone wants to take a virgin in marriage, first destroys her virginity, and after that surrenders her to her husband...They said that their rule was that every youth who reached maturity should satisfy his need with this person until he should marry a woman. His repayment for that was that the wife should remain with him the first night. When this man became old, another would be appointed in his place (ibid, p.75)

It is important to analyze the beliefs and practices of the heretical false prophets and their followers to discern a pattern. Many of these false prophets, including Al-Muqanna, raised the sword against the Muslim government of their time. Consider Musaylimah, Aswad al-Ansi, Mukhtar al-Thaqafi, Bihafarid, Ustadhsis, Babak “Khurram Din”, Sunbadh, Ishaq al-Turk, Abu Isa al-Isfahani, etc. A true Prophet is not sent to this world by God to lead an armed insurrection against the government—especially one that is ultimately crushed. The false prophets usually end up making licit what the Shari’ah has strictly forbidden, such as hard drink, sexual promiscuity, along with lifting the obligation of praying the Salah and fasting during Ramadan. The scandalous sharing of women practised by the followers of Al-Muqanna, a form of “free love” and polyamory that was doubtless due to the Mazdakite influence, is a compelling reason to reject such evil false prophets and their religions. Another diabolical feature of the religions based on these false prophets, including Al-Muqanna, is the practice of secrecy and making the pretense of being a Muslim.