Su fei-erh[a] (Chinese: 蘇菲爾[b]) was a Muslim Bukharan Emir who was invited into China by the Song dynasty Emperor and given a title of Prince by the Chinese Emperor. He played a critical role in forming the Muslim Hui people in China and giving the Islamic religion its current name in Chinese.
Su fei-erh was his name in Chinese;[3] Su Fei'er and So-fei-er are other romanisations of his name.[1][2] His name has variously been reconstructed in his original language as Safar,[1] Sufair,[3]orZubair.
The Song Dynasty hired Muslim warriors from Bukhara to fight against Khitan nomads. 5,300 Muslims from Bukhara were encouraged and invited to move to China in 1070 by the Song emperor Shenzong to help battle the Liao empire in the northeast and repopulate areas ravaged by fighting.[4] The emperor hired these men as mercenaries in his campaign against the Liao empire. Later on these Muslims were encouraged to settle between the Song capital of Kaifeng and Liao capital of Yanjing (modern day Beijing) in order to create a buffer zone. China's northern and northeastern provinces were settled by Muslims in 1080 when 10,000 Muslim women and men were invited into China.[4][2][c] They were led by the Amir of Bukhara, Sayyid "So-fei-er" in Chinese. He is called the "Father" of Chinese Islam. Islam was named by the Tang and Song Chinese as the "law of the Arabs" (Dàshí fǎ 大食法).[d][5] Su fei-erh gave Islam the new name of "the religion of the Huihui" (Huíhuí-jiào 回回教).[5][e]
Many of Su fei-erh's descendants have wielded political power and prestige from the 12th century to the 19th century. One of the sons of Su fei-erh was appointed governor of Shandong while a grandson called Shams Shah was given the title of "Protector of the Tatars". Kamal al-Din, a great grandson, was made commander-in-chief of the army under Emperor Gaozong. In turn, Kamal's son Mahmud served as governor of Yunnan and Shaanxi. Further descendants were also appointed into high positions within the Song dynasty.[1]
Su fei-erh is said by the Fa-hsiang to be the ancestor of Sayyid Ajjal Shams al-Din Omar (who was descended from Muhammad); some say this claim and was a forgery to mask Sayyid Ajjal's arrival to China with the Mongols.[3][f]
