Abu al-Abbas al-Saffah

Abu al-Abbas al-Saffah (born 722—died 754, Anbar [Iraq]) was an Islamic caliph (reigned 749–54), the first of the ʿAbbāsid dynasty, which was to rule over the eastern Islamic world for approximately the next 500 years. The ʿAbbāsids were descended from an uncle of Muhammad and were cousins to the ruling Umayyad dynasty. The Umayyads were weakened by decadence and an unclear line of succession, and they enjoyed little popular support, prompting the ʿAbbāsids to declare open revolt in 747. When Abu al-Abbas assumed the caliphate in 749, he began a campaign of extermination against the Umayyads, the ʿAlids, other ʿAbbāsid leaders who had become too popular, and all other claimants to power. He named himself al-Saffah, “the blood-shedder,” because of his savage attacks. He established a firm legal and dynastic base for the ʿAbbāsids. His successor moved the caliphate to Baghdad.