Abu Isa

Abu ʿIsa was an alleged Jewish prophet who lived in the 8th century CE in Persia. He founded the Isawiyya movement that led a military revolt in the city of Isfahan. The timing of this event is disputed, but it is thought to have occurred as early as the reign of the caliph Abd al-Malik ibn Marwan and as late as that of Marwan II (early to mid-eighth century CE). Eventually, he was killed by al-Mansur near Ray. Abu 'Isa was identified with the Dajjal (an Antimessiah-figure) in a famous Sunni hadith that reads "the Dajjal will be followed by 70,000 Jews of Isfahan wearing Persian shawls".

Abu Isa is seen as the most notable Jewish prophet figure between the Bar Kokhba revolt in the second century and Sabbatai Zevi in the seventeenth century CE. He was described in dozens of Islamic and Jewish sources of historiography from his until early modern times. He is also known for his relativizing view of prior religions: he accepted the prophethoods both of Muhammad and Jesus, while also claiming that they were only prophets to their own communities.

Abu Isa was known by many different names depending on the source, including Ovadiah, 'Isa al-Isfahani, Muhammad ibn 'Isa, Ishaq ibn Ya'qub al-Isfahani, and Isaac ben Jacob al-Isfahani.