Muhammad ibn Abi Hudhayfa
Muhammad ibn Abi Hudhayfa was a Qurayshi dissident and later governor of Egypt during the First Fitna. Raised in the household of the caliph Uthman ibn Affan after his father’s death, he later became a prominent opponent of Uthman’s administration in Egypt. Following the accession of Ali ibn Abi Talib, Ibn Abi Hudhayfa was recognized as governor before being replaced and subsequently killed during the Umayyad invasions of Egypt (657–658).
Early life
Muhammad ibn Abi Hudhayfa was born in Abyssinia during the lifetime of the Prophet Muhammad. He was the son of Abu Hudhayfa ibn Utba, an early Companion of the Prophet, and Sahla bint Suhail. After his father and adopted brother Salim Mawla Abi Hudhayfa were killed at the Battle of al-Yamama, Muhammad was taken into the household of Uthman ibn Affan, who raised him as a foster son.Uprising in Egypt during the reign of Uthman
By the mid-7th century, Egypt experienced growing tensions between the provincial administration and segments of the local garrison population. These tensions formed part of wider disputes within the caliphate during the later years of Uthman’s reign.In 656, when Ibn Sa‘d departed Egypt to attend a consultation of governors in Medina, Muhammad ibn Abi Hudhayfa revolted against his authority. He expelled the governor from Fustat and took control of the city with the support of elements of the Egyptian garrison.