▁regarded ▁the ▁office ▁of ▁ha j ib ▁in ▁a ▁court ly ▁setting ▁as ▁an ▁innov ation ▁of ▁the ▁Um ay y ad ▁C ali ph ate ▁( 6 6 1 – 7 5 0 ), ▁but ▁in ▁reality ▁it ▁is ▁ ▁widely ▁att ested ▁in ▁the ▁sources ▁for ▁the ▁pre - I sl am ic ▁Gh ass an id ▁and ▁L akh mid ▁k ings , ▁the ▁proph et ▁Muhammad , ▁S aj ah , ▁various ▁early ▁Muslim ▁provincial ▁govern ors ▁and ▁political ▁figures , ▁including ▁all ▁early ▁cal i ph s ▁and ▁anti - cal i ph s ▁such ▁as ▁Has an ▁ibn ▁Ali ▁and ▁I bn ▁al - Z ub ay r . ▁However , ▁in ▁Arab ic ▁histor i ography , ▁their ▁existence ▁is ▁often ▁obsc ured ▁or ▁eu ph em ist ically ▁par ap hr ased , ▁since ▁the ▁office ▁was ▁ill ▁regarded ▁in ▁early ▁Muslim ▁society , ▁with ▁its ▁strong ▁eg al itar ian ▁t endencies . ▁ ▁Indeed , ▁the ▁formal ization ▁of ▁the ▁ha j ib ▁is ▁part ▁of ▁the ▁cons olid ation ▁and ▁strat ification ▁process ▁of ▁the ▁Muslim ▁society ▁after ▁the ▁early ▁Muslim ▁con quest s , ▁when ▁the ▁r uler ▁began ▁to ▁be ▁separated ▁from ▁the ▁ruled , ▁and ▁surrounded ▁by ▁an ▁increasing ly ▁elaborate ▁cer emon ial , ▁borrow ed ▁in ▁large ▁part ▁from ▁S ass an id ▁Pers ian ▁pract ic . ▁ ▁Um ay y ad ▁and ▁Abb as id ▁cal i ph ates ▁In ▁the ▁Um ay y ad