Uthman ibn Hayyan al-Murri (Arabic:عثمان بن حيان المري) was an 8th-century provincial governor and military commander for theUmayyad Caliphate. He served as the governor ofMedina from 712 or 713 to 715.

A member of theBanu Murra, Uthman was appointed over Medina during the reign ofal-Walid ibn Abd al-Malik (r. 705–715) after being recommended to the caliph byal-Hajjaj ibn Yusuf, the powerful governor ofIraq.^[1] During his administration Uthman took harsh measures to crack down on anti-Umayyad elements in the city and punished a number of individuals who were suspected of engaging in sedition. He particularly took action against a large group of Iraqi emigres whose presence in Medina had caused the city to develop a reputation as a center of political dissent, forcibly deporting them back to al-Hajjaj in neck collars and threatening to demolish the homes of any Medinese who were caught providing shelter to them.^[2] At the urging of several Medinese citizens he also issued a directive to expel singers and adulterers from the city in an effort to clamp down on corruption, but following the intercession of a local notable he changed his mind and rescinded the order.^[3]

Uthman's term as governor lasted until 715, when he became a target of the new caliphSulayman ibn Abd al-Malik's campaign to remove his predecessor's political appointees from power. In June of that year Sulayman dismissed Uthman in favor of the chiefqadi of Medina,Abu Bakr ibn Muhammad ibn Amr ibn Hazm, and additionally sent instructions to have him flogged.^[4] This act made Uthman deeply resentful of Abu Bakr, and afterYazid ibn Abd al-Malik became caliph in 720 he petitioned that an investigation into the circumstances surrounding his flogging be opened, which led to Abu Bakr himself receiving thehadd punishment from the new governor of MedinaAbd al-Rahman ibn al-Dahhak.^[5] The feud between Uthman and Abu Bakr continued at least until 721/2, when Abd al-Rahman was ordered to effect a reconciliation between the two men.^[6]

Uthman later served as a military commander on theByzantine frontier, and was a leader of the 722 and 723 summer expeditions against the Byzantines.^[7]

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• Hinds, Martin, ed. (1990).The History of al-Ṭabarī, Volume XXIII: The Zenith of the Marwānid House: The Last Years of ʿAbd al-Malik and the Caliphate of al-Walīd, A.D. 700–715/A.H. 81–95. SUNY Series in Near Eastern Studies. Albany, New York: State University of New York Press.ISBN 978-0-88706-721-1.
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• McMillan, M.E. (2011).The Meaning of Mecca: The Politics of Pilgrimage in Early Islam. London: Saqi.ISBN 978-0-86356-437-6.
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• 8th-century Arab people
• Ghatafan
• Umayyad governors of Medina

• Articles containing Arabic-language text
• CS1 Arabic-language sources (ar)