The Reasons behind Harith b. Surayj's Uprising and Its Outcome

During their rule in Khorasan and due to their racist nature the Umayyads practiced discrimination against Mawālī (freed slaves) and the Arab people who shared them in thought and imposed high taxes of different kinds on them. Such a policy made Mawālī face serious and complicated economic conditions and stimulated them to contribute in the harsh regional struggle against Umayyad dynasty. One of the reactions was Harith b. Surayj's uprising. It was not only one of the most important uprisings that shook the Umayyad regime in Khorasan but also prepared the ground for Abu Muslim's uprising who managed to ruin the unstable bases of the Umayyad regime by making use of the experiences he gained from Surayj's uprising. The present paper tries to investigate the causes, development and outcome of Harith b. Surayj's uprising in Khorasan.