Rafi ibn Harthama

Rāfi' ibn Harthama (Arabic: رافع بن هرثمة; died 896) was an Abbasid mercenary soldier who in the turmoils of the late 9th century became ruler of Khurasan from 882 to 892.

[1][8] Rafi faced the opposition of the Saffarids under Amr, who had made his peace with the caliph in 879 and been recognized as governor of Khurasan and most of Iran, as well as the adventurer Abu Talha Mansur ibn Sharkab, who had briefly seized Nishapur in 876–878 and was now ruler of Merv.

[10] During his stay in Tabaristan, Rafi was joined by Ali ibn al-Layth, Amr's brother, who had initially been the favoured candidate to succeed Ya'qub.

Evicted from Rayy, in order to gain allies for an attempt to recover Khurasan, Rafi reconciled himself with Muhammad ibn Zayd, to the extent that he had the Friday prayer read in the latter's name.

This turn towards the Alids marked a public break with the Abbasid and Sunni camp, which the Saffarids exploited accordingly to bolster their support among the populace of Khurasan.