Abū Muslim al-Khurāsānī was a famous Persian dāʿī (missionary) and commander (ca. 100–137/ca. 718–754). This article deals with his life in two parts: firstly his career up to the rise of the ʿAbbāsid caliphate and secondly from the establishment of the ʿAbbāsids to his death.
Part I
The Sources
There are two different kinds of reports about Abū Muslim. Firstly, there are those that were undoubtedly fabricated and disseminated retrospectively by the ʿA…