al-Dahhak ibn Qays al-Fihri — The Umayyad Governor Who Led Muawiyah's Forces at Marj Rahit, Contested the Caliphate Briefly After Yazid III's Death, and Died in the Struggle for Damascus

The Second Fitna Context

After Husayn’s death at Karbala (61 AH) and the ensuing turbulence, the Second Fitna (civil war, 60-73 AH) saw multiple claimants to the caliphate emerge simultaneously:

• Abdullah ibn al-Zubayr (based in Mecca) — a Companion’s son who contested Umayyad legitimacy
• The Marwanid Umayyads — Marwan ibn al-Hakam and his descendants
• Various Shi’a and Kharijite movements

Al-Dahhak ibn Qays aligned with ibn al-Zubayr and effectively controlled Damascus for a period during this chaos.

The Battle of Marj Rahit

Marj Rahit (684 CE) was decisive: Marwan ibn al-Hakam’s forces defeated and killed al-Dahhak ibn Qays, securing Damascus for the Marwanid Umayyad line. This battle ended the Sufyanid-Zubayriyy competition for Syria and established the Marwanids as the unchallenged heirs of Umayyad power.

The battle also had a significant sectarian dimension: it hardened the tribal fault-lines between the Qays Arab tribes (who had largely backed al-Dahhak) and the Yemeni Arab tribes (who backed Marwan), a polarization that would recur across the late Umayyad period.

See also: Seerah Al Hakam Ibn Abi Al As, Seerah Al Walid Ibn Uqba, Seerah Al Mukhtar Al Thaqafi, Seerah Zaid Ibn Arqam, Seerah Al Mughira Ibn Shuba