Musta‘in I bi-‘llah, al-
Musta‘in I bi-‘llah, al-. ‘Abbasid caliph (r.862-866). He was made caliph by the Turkish commanders at Samarra after the death of his cousin al-Muntasir.
Musta‘in I bi-‘llah, al-. ‘Abbasid caliph (r.862-866). He was made caliph by the Turkish commanders at Samarra after the death of his cousin al-Muntasir.
Musta‘in II bi-‘llah, al-
Musta‘in II bi-‘llah, al- (d. 1430). ‘Abbasid “shadow” caliph in Egypt (r.1406-1414). He abdicated as sultan and was deposed as caliph.
Musta‘in II bi-‘llah, al- (d. 1430). ‘Abbasid “shadow” caliph in Egypt (r.1406-1414). He abdicated as sultan and was deposed as caliph.
Mustakfi bi-‘llah, Abu’l-Qasim al-
Mustakfi bi-‘llah, Abu’l-Qasim al- (Abu’l-Qasim al-Mustakfi bi-‘llah) (b. 1074). Fatimid caliph (r.1094-1101). Throughout his reign, the actual power was entirely in the hands of the vizier al-Afdal ibn Badr al-Jamali. His name is connected with the Musta‘li Isma‘ilis in western India, also known as Bohoras. In 1099, Jerusalem was lost to the Crusaders.
Abu’l-Qasim al-Mustakfi bi-‘llah see Mustakfi bi-‘llah, Abu’l-Qasim al-
Mustakfi bi-‘llah, Abu’l-Qasim al- (Abu’l-Qasim al-Mustakfi bi-‘llah) (b. 1074). Fatimid caliph (r.1094-1101). Throughout his reign, the actual power was entirely in the hands of the vizier al-Afdal ibn Badr al-Jamali. His name is connected with the Musta‘li Isma‘ilis in western India, also known as Bohoras. In 1099, Jerusalem was lost to the Crusaders.
Abu’l-Qasim al-Mustakfi bi-‘llah see Mustakfi bi-‘llah, Abu’l-Qasim al-
Mustakfi bi-‘llah, al-
Mustakfi bi-‘llah, al- (903-949). ‘Abbasid caliph (r. 944-946). He was forced to recognize the Buyid leader Mu‘izz al-Dawla Ahmad as in effect ruler of Iraq, and then was deposed and imprisoned.
Mustakfi bi-‘llah, al- (903-949). ‘Abbasid caliph (r. 944-946). He was forced to recognize the Buyid leader Mu‘izz al-Dawla Ahmad as in effect ruler of Iraq, and then was deposed and imprisoned.
Mustanjid I bi-‘llah, Abu’l-Muzaffar al-
Mustanjid I bi-‘llah, Abu’l-Muzaffar al- (Abu’l-Muzaffar al-Mustanjid I bi-‘llah) (1116-1170). ‘Abbasid caliph in Baghdad (r. 1160-1170). His reign was dominated by powerful viziers and court officials. Policies aimed at the exclusion of the Saljuqs from Iraq, and al-Mustanjid’s reign witnessed the continuing flowering of Hanbalism. The caliph was famous as a poet and had a first-hand knowledge of astronomy.
Al-Mustanjid was the Abbasid Caliph in Baghdad from 1160 to 1170. He was the son of previous Caliph al-Muqtafi. One of al-Muqtafi's wives wanted her own son to succeed. She gained over many Amirs to her side, and had their slave-girls armed with daggers to kill the new Caliph. Al-Mustanjid discovered the plot and placed the rebel son and mother in prison.
Around this time, the Fatimid dynasty was at last extinguished, having lasted for 260 years. Their conqueror, Saladin, though himself an orthodox Muslim, initially did not proclaim the Sunni faith in the midst of a people still devoted to the tenets and practice of the Shi'a sect. But he soon found himself able to do so; and thus the spiritual supremacy of the Abbasids again prevailed, not only in Syria, but throughout Egypt and all its dependencies.
Mustanjid I bi-‘llah, Abu’l-Muzaffar al- (Abu’l-Muzaffar al-Mustanjid I bi-‘llah) (1116-1170). ‘Abbasid caliph in Baghdad (r. 1160-1170). His reign was dominated by powerful viziers and court officials. Policies aimed at the exclusion of the Saljuqs from Iraq, and al-Mustanjid’s reign witnessed the continuing flowering of Hanbalism. The caliph was famous as a poet and had a first-hand knowledge of astronomy.
Al-Mustanjid was the Abbasid Caliph in Baghdad from 1160 to 1170. He was the son of previous Caliph al-Muqtafi. One of al-Muqtafi's wives wanted her own son to succeed. She gained over many Amirs to her side, and had their slave-girls armed with daggers to kill the new Caliph. Al-Mustanjid discovered the plot and placed the rebel son and mother in prison.
Around this time, the Fatimid dynasty was at last extinguished, having lasted for 260 years. Their conqueror, Saladin, though himself an orthodox Muslim, initially did not proclaim the Sunni faith in the midst of a people still devoted to the tenets and practice of the Shi'a sect. But he soon found himself able to do so; and thus the spiritual supremacy of the Abbasids again prevailed, not only in Syria, but throughout Egypt and all its dependencies.
Mustanjid II bi-‘llah, Abu’l-Mahasin al-
Mustanjid II bi-‘llah, Abu’l-Mahasin al- (Abu’l-Mahasin al-Mustanjid II bi-‘llah) (b. c. 1396). ‘Abbasid “shadow” caliph of Egypt (r.1455-1479). Khushqadam, one of the six successive Mameluke sultans who dominated him, kept him in the Citadel of Cairo until his death.
Mustanjid II bi-‘llah, Abu’l-Mahasin al- (Abu’l-Mahasin al-Mustanjid II bi-‘llah) (b. c. 1396). ‘Abbasid “shadow” caliph of Egypt (r.1455-1479). Khushqadam, one of the six successive Mameluke sultans who dominated him, kept him in the Citadel of Cairo until his death.
Mustansir II bi-‘llah, Abu’l-Qasim al-
Mustansir II bi-‘llah, Abu’l-Qasim al- (Abu’l-Qasim al-Mustansir II bi-‘llah). First ‘Abbasid “shadow” caliph of Egypt who ruled in 1261. When the Mongols captured Baghdad in 1258, he was brought to Cairo, where he was given a ceremonious welcom by the Mameluke sultan Baybars I. The caliph invested Baybars with the black livery of the ‘Abbasids and conferred on him the universal sultanate with plenary powers. Baybars sent the caliph to Iraq, to regain his ancestral dominions from the Mongols. He joined forces with a kinsman and rival, who had been proclaimed as the caliph al-Hakim by Aqqush al-Barli, the Mameluke warlord of Aleppo. Al-Mustansir was killed in a Mongol ambush, while al-Hakim made his way to Cairo, where he was installed as caliph in 1262. His descendants continued the titular caliphate until it lapsed after the Ottoman conquest of Egypt in 1517.
Mustansir II bi-‘llah, Abu’l-Qasim al- (Abu’l-Qasim al-Mustansir II bi-‘llah). First ‘Abbasid “shadow” caliph of Egypt who ruled in 1261. When the Mongols captured Baghdad in 1258, he was brought to Cairo, where he was given a ceremonious welcom by the Mameluke sultan Baybars I. The caliph invested Baybars with the black livery of the ‘Abbasids and conferred on him the universal sultanate with plenary powers. Baybars sent the caliph to Iraq, to regain his ancestral dominions from the Mongols. He joined forces with a kinsman and rival, who had been proclaimed as the caliph al-Hakim by Aqqush al-Barli, the Mameluke warlord of Aleppo. Al-Mustansir was killed in a Mongol ambush, while al-Hakim made his way to Cairo, where he was installed as caliph in 1262. His descendants continued the titular caliphate until it lapsed after the Ottoman conquest of Egypt in 1517.
Mustansir I bi-‘llah, Abu Ja’far al-
Mustansir I bi-‘llah, Abu Ja’far al- (Abu Ja‘far al-Mustansir I bi-‘llah) (b. 1192). ‘Abbasid caliph. At least two major figures at the court were Shi‘is. Al-Mustansir’s caliphate spans an uneasy lull between Mongol onslaughts. He stands out as a great patron of architecture, among other works through the Mustansiriyya madrasa in Baghdad. He was also a great bibliophile.
Mustansir I bi-‘llah, Abu Ja’far al- (Abu Ja‘far al-Mustansir I bi-‘llah) (b. 1192). ‘Abbasid caliph. At least two major figures at the court were Shi‘is. Al-Mustansir’s caliphate spans an uneasy lull between Mongol onslaughts. He stands out as a great patron of architecture, among other works through the Mustansiriyya madrasa in Baghdad. He was also a great bibliophile.
Mustansir bi-‘llah
Mustansir bi-‘llah (Abu Tamim al-Mustansir bi-‘llah) (Abū Tamīm Ma'add al-Mustanṣir bi-llāh) (July 5, 1029 – January 10, 1094). Fatimid caliph (r.1036-1094). He had the longest recorded reign of any Muslim ruler. The breakdown of the civil administration, the subsequent exhaustion of the treasury and the fightings between the Turkish and Berber troops and the many Sudani slaves led to the neglect of agriculture. The result was a famine, which lasted from 1067 to 1072. In 1073, the caliph invited the Armenian Badr al-Jamali, who saved the Fatimid caliphate but at the cost of abandoning its temporal authority to a series of military commanders. The success of the Saljuqs affected the position of the Fatimids in the Holy Cities, where the ‘Abbasid caliph was acknowledged, in the Hejaz and in Yemen, as well as in the West, where Ifriqiya was lost. Diplomatic relations were entertained with the Georgians, the Daylamis, the khaqan of Turkestan and with Delhi, all hostile to the Saljuqs and the Ghaznavids. It came however to a breach with Constantinople. The state religion of the Fatimids, Isma‘ili Shi‘ism, was disseminated in Persia and in Yemen, where it was supported by the Sulayhids.
Abū Tamīm Ma'add al-Mustanṣir bi-llāh was born in Cairo and eight months afterwards was declared to succeed his father. His name was Ma'd Abu Tamim, surnamed al-Mustansir bil-Lah "The Victorious By God". He ascended on June 13, 1036 at the age of 6. During the early years, the state affairs were administered by his mother. His period of Caliphate lasted for 60 years, the longest of all the caliphs, either in Egypt or elsewhere in the Islamic states.
Ali bin Ahmad Jarjarai, an able vizir, whose period was one of prosperity in Egypt, died in 1044. He was followed by Ibn al-Anbari and Abu Mansur Sadaqa, but neither of them were competent. In 1050, there came forward a capable vizir Abu Muhammad Hasan bin Abdur Rehman Yazuri, who held the office for 8 years, and was an earnest reformer. He was followed by about 40 vizirs one after another during 15 years (1058-1073), but none equaled him, because they squandered the royal treasury.
Between 1065 and 1072, the famine made the condition of Egypt from bad to worse. Meanwhile, in 1062 and again in 1067, the struggle between the Turkish and Sudanese soldiery deteriorated into open warfare, ending in a victory for the Turks and their Berber allies.
The Berbers in lower Egypt deliberately aggravated the distress by ravaging the country, destroying the embankments and canals, and seeking every way to reduce the capital and the neighboring districts by sheer starvation. Makrizi sees in this incident the beginning of the crisis in Egypt, which he refers by the appellations, disorder (fitna), civil war (al-shidda al-mashhura), corruption of state (fasad ad-dawla) and days of calamity and dearth (ayyam al-shidda wal ghala).
In al-Mustansir's stable where there had been ten thousand animals there were now only three thin horses, and his escort once fainted from hunger as it accompanied him through the streets. As long as the calamity lasted, al-Mustansir alone possessed a horse, and, when he rode out, the courtiers followed on foot, having no beast to carry them. The condition of the country deteriorated with the protracted famine that followed by plague, and whole districts were absolutely denuded of population and house after house lay empty.
Meanwhile, the Turkish mercenaries had drained the treasury, the works of art and valuables of all sorts in the palace were sold to satisfy their demands. Often they themselves were the purchasers at merely nominal prices and sold the articles again at a profit. Emeralds valued at 300,000 dinars were bought by one Turkish general for 500 dinars, and in one fortnight of the year 1068 articles to the value of 30,000,000 dinars were sold off to provide pay for the Turks. The precious library which had been rendered available to the public and was one of the objects for which many visited Cairo was scattered, the books were torn up, thrown away, or used to light fires. At length, the Turks began fighting amongst themselves. Nasir ad-Dawla, the Turkish general of the Fatimid army, had attacked the city which was defended by the rival faction of the Turkish guard and, after burning part of Fustat and defeating the defenders, he entered as conqueror. When he reached the palace, he found al-Mustansir lodged in rooms which had been stripped bare, waited on by only three slaves, and subsisting on two loaves which were sent him daily by the daughters of Ibn Babshand, the grammarian.
The victorious Turks dominated Cairo, held the successive vizirs in subjection, treated al-Mustansir with contempt, and used their power to deplete the treasury by enhancing their pay to nearly twenty times its former figure. Nasir ad-Dawla became so overbearing and tyrannical in his conduct that he provoked even his own followers, and so at length he was assassinated in 1074. Unfortunately, this left the city in a worse condition than ever, for it was now at the mercy of the various Turkish factions which behaved no better than troops of brigands. In sum, the condition of Egypt continued to rage with unabated violence.
Abu Tamim al-Mustansir bi-‘llah see Mustansir bi-‘llah
Abū Tamīm Ma'add al-Mustanṣir bi-llāh see Mustansir bi-‘llah
Mustansir bi-‘llah (Abu Tamim al-Mustansir bi-‘llah) (Abū Tamīm Ma'add al-Mustanṣir bi-llāh) (July 5, 1029 – January 10, 1094). Fatimid caliph (r.1036-1094). He had the longest recorded reign of any Muslim ruler. The breakdown of the civil administration, the subsequent exhaustion of the treasury and the fightings between the Turkish and Berber troops and the many Sudani slaves led to the neglect of agriculture. The result was a famine, which lasted from 1067 to 1072. In 1073, the caliph invited the Armenian Badr al-Jamali, who saved the Fatimid caliphate but at the cost of abandoning its temporal authority to a series of military commanders. The success of the Saljuqs affected the position of the Fatimids in the Holy Cities, where the ‘Abbasid caliph was acknowledged, in the Hejaz and in Yemen, as well as in the West, where Ifriqiya was lost. Diplomatic relations were entertained with the Georgians, the Daylamis, the khaqan of Turkestan and with Delhi, all hostile to the Saljuqs and the Ghaznavids. It came however to a breach with Constantinople. The state religion of the Fatimids, Isma‘ili Shi‘ism, was disseminated in Persia and in Yemen, where it was supported by the Sulayhids.
Abū Tamīm Ma'add al-Mustanṣir bi-llāh was born in Cairo and eight months afterwards was declared to succeed his father. His name was Ma'd Abu Tamim, surnamed al-Mustansir bil-Lah "The Victorious By God". He ascended on June 13, 1036 at the age of 6. During the early years, the state affairs were administered by his mother. His period of Caliphate lasted for 60 years, the longest of all the caliphs, either in Egypt or elsewhere in the Islamic states.
Ali bin Ahmad Jarjarai, an able vizir, whose period was one of prosperity in Egypt, died in 1044. He was followed by Ibn al-Anbari and Abu Mansur Sadaqa, but neither of them were competent. In 1050, there came forward a capable vizir Abu Muhammad Hasan bin Abdur Rehman Yazuri, who held the office for 8 years, and was an earnest reformer. He was followed by about 40 vizirs one after another during 15 years (1058-1073), but none equaled him, because they squandered the royal treasury.
Between 1065 and 1072, the famine made the condition of Egypt from bad to worse. Meanwhile, in 1062 and again in 1067, the struggle between the Turkish and Sudanese soldiery deteriorated into open warfare, ending in a victory for the Turks and their Berber allies.
The Berbers in lower Egypt deliberately aggravated the distress by ravaging the country, destroying the embankments and canals, and seeking every way to reduce the capital and the neighboring districts by sheer starvation. Makrizi sees in this incident the beginning of the crisis in Egypt, which he refers by the appellations, disorder (fitna), civil war (al-shidda al-mashhura), corruption of state (fasad ad-dawla) and days of calamity and dearth (ayyam al-shidda wal ghala).
In al-Mustansir's stable where there had been ten thousand animals there were now only three thin horses, and his escort once fainted from hunger as it accompanied him through the streets. As long as the calamity lasted, al-Mustansir alone possessed a horse, and, when he rode out, the courtiers followed on foot, having no beast to carry them. The condition of the country deteriorated with the protracted famine that followed by plague, and whole districts were absolutely denuded of population and house after house lay empty.
Meanwhile, the Turkish mercenaries had drained the treasury, the works of art and valuables of all sorts in the palace were sold to satisfy their demands. Often they themselves were the purchasers at merely nominal prices and sold the articles again at a profit. Emeralds valued at 300,000 dinars were bought by one Turkish general for 500 dinars, and in one fortnight of the year 1068 articles to the value of 30,000,000 dinars were sold off to provide pay for the Turks. The precious library which had been rendered available to the public and was one of the objects for which many visited Cairo was scattered, the books were torn up, thrown away, or used to light fires. At length, the Turks began fighting amongst themselves. Nasir ad-Dawla, the Turkish general of the Fatimid army, had attacked the city which was defended by the rival faction of the Turkish guard and, after burning part of Fustat and defeating the defenders, he entered as conqueror. When he reached the palace, he found al-Mustansir lodged in rooms which had been stripped bare, waited on by only three slaves, and subsisting on two loaves which were sent him daily by the daughters of Ibn Babshand, the grammarian.
The victorious Turks dominated Cairo, held the successive vizirs in subjection, treated al-Mustansir with contempt, and used their power to deplete the treasury by enhancing their pay to nearly twenty times its former figure. Nasir ad-Dawla became so overbearing and tyrannical in his conduct that he provoked even his own followers, and so at length he was assassinated in 1074. Unfortunately, this left the city in a worse condition than ever, for it was now at the mercy of the various Turkish factions which behaved no better than troops of brigands. In sum, the condition of Egypt continued to rage with unabated violence.
Abu Tamim al-Mustansir bi-‘llah see Mustansir bi-‘llah
Abū Tamīm Ma'add al-Mustanṣir bi-llāh see Mustansir bi-‘llah
Mustaqim-zade, Sa‘d al-Din
Mustaqim-zade, Sa‘d al-Din (Sa‘d al-Din Mustaqim-zade) (1719-1788). Ottoman scholar and calligrapher. He composed around 150 books, most of them in Turkish but some also in Arabic and Persian, dealing with religious sciences, belles-lettres and Sufism.
Sa‘d al-Din Mustaqim-zade see Mustaqim-zade, Sa‘d al-Din
Mustaqim-zade, Sa‘d al-Din (Sa‘d al-Din Mustaqim-zade) (1719-1788). Ottoman scholar and calligrapher. He composed around 150 books, most of them in Turkish but some also in Arabic and Persian, dealing with religious sciences, belles-lettres and Sufism.
Sa‘d al-Din Mustaqim-zade see Mustaqim-zade, Sa‘d al-Din
Mustarshid bi-‘llah, al-
Mustarshid bi-‘llah, al- (b. 1093). ‘Abbasid caliph (r. 1118-1135). He initially juggled with the various factions among the Saljuqs of Iraq and western Persia, depending on one group or another for military support. He finally was defeated by the Saljuq Mas‘ud ibn Muhammad ibn Malik Shah in 1135 and murdered, allegedly by Assassins. He was a fine calligrapher and an accomplished poet.
Mustarshid bi-‘llah, al- (b. 1093). ‘Abbasid caliph (r. 1118-1135). He initially juggled with the various factions among the Saljuqs of Iraq and western Persia, depending on one group or another for military support. He finally was defeated by the Saljuq Mas‘ud ibn Muhammad ibn Malik Shah in 1135 and murdered, allegedly by Assassins. He was a fine calligrapher and an accomplished poet.
Musta‘sim bi-‘llah, al-
Musta‘sim bi-‘llah, al- (al-Musta'sim Billah) (al-Musta'sim-Billah Abu-Ahmad Abdullah bin al-Mustansir-Billah) (1212/1213 – February 20, 1258). Last ‘Abbasid caliph of Baghdad (r.1247-1258). Having refused to meet the demands of the Mongol Il-Khan Hulegu, the caliph was captured and put to death.
Al-Musta'sim Billah was the last Abbasid Caliph in Baghdad; he ruled from 1242 until his death.
In 1258, the Abbasid domain, comprising of a little more than what is now Iraq and Syria, was invaded by the Mongols under Hulagu Khan, the grandson of Genghis Khan. In an advance on Baghdad, Hulagu Khan had several columns advance simultaneously on the city, and laid siege to it. The Caliph had been deluded by promises from his Vizier that the Mongols could be driven off literally by the women of the city throwing stones at them, and did the worst of all things: nothing. He neither raised an army to defend Baghdad from the largest Mongol army ever assembled – one Mongol in ten had been conscripted into the forces advancing on the Caliphate – nor did he attempt to negotiate with Hulagu. Instead he sent weak threats to the Mongol warlord.
Baghdad was sacked on February 10, and the caliph was massacred by Hulagu Khan soon afterwards. It is reckoned that the Mongols did not want to shed "royal blood," so they wrapped him in a rug and trampled him to death with their horses. Some of his sons were massacred as well; one of the surviving sons was sent as a prisoner to Mongolia, where Mongolian historians report he married and fathered children, but played no role in Islam thereafter.
The Travels of Marco Polo reports that upon finding the caliph's great stores of treasure which could have been spent on the defense of his realm, Hulagu Khan locked him in his treasure room without food or water, telling him "eat of thy treasure as much as thou wilt, since thou art so fond of it."
The Mameluke sultans and Syria later appointed an Abbasid Caliph in Cairo, but they were even more symbolic than by now marginalized Abbasid Caliphs in Baghdad. They were ignored by the rest of the Muslim world. Even though they kept the title for about 250 years more, other than installing the Sultan in ceremonies, these Caliphs had little importance.
After the Ottomans conquered Egypt in 1517, the Abbasid Caliph of Egypt, Al-Mutawakkil III was transported to Constantinople, and Sultan Selim I announced himself to be a Caliph.
Musta'sim Billah, al- see Musta‘sim bi-‘llah, al-
Musta'sim-Billah Abu-Ahmad Abdullah bin al-Mustansir-Billah, al- see Musta‘sim bi-‘llah, al-
Musta‘sim bi-‘llah, al- (al-Musta'sim Billah) (al-Musta'sim-Billah Abu-Ahmad Abdullah bin al-Mustansir-Billah) (1212/1213 – February 20, 1258). Last ‘Abbasid caliph of Baghdad (r.1247-1258). Having refused to meet the demands of the Mongol Il-Khan Hulegu, the caliph was captured and put to death.
Al-Musta'sim Billah was the last Abbasid Caliph in Baghdad; he ruled from 1242 until his death.
In 1258, the Abbasid domain, comprising of a little more than what is now Iraq and Syria, was invaded by the Mongols under Hulagu Khan, the grandson of Genghis Khan. In an advance on Baghdad, Hulagu Khan had several columns advance simultaneously on the city, and laid siege to it. The Caliph had been deluded by promises from his Vizier that the Mongols could be driven off literally by the women of the city throwing stones at them, and did the worst of all things: nothing. He neither raised an army to defend Baghdad from the largest Mongol army ever assembled – one Mongol in ten had been conscripted into the forces advancing on the Caliphate – nor did he attempt to negotiate with Hulagu. Instead he sent weak threats to the Mongol warlord.
Baghdad was sacked on February 10, and the caliph was massacred by Hulagu Khan soon afterwards. It is reckoned that the Mongols did not want to shed "royal blood," so they wrapped him in a rug and trampled him to death with their horses. Some of his sons were massacred as well; one of the surviving sons was sent as a prisoner to Mongolia, where Mongolian historians report he married and fathered children, but played no role in Islam thereafter.
The Travels of Marco Polo reports that upon finding the caliph's great stores of treasure which could have been spent on the defense of his realm, Hulagu Khan locked him in his treasure room without food or water, telling him "eat of thy treasure as much as thou wilt, since thou art so fond of it."
The Mameluke sultans and Syria later appointed an Abbasid Caliph in Cairo, but they were even more symbolic than by now marginalized Abbasid Caliphs in Baghdad. They were ignored by the rest of the Muslim world. Even though they kept the title for about 250 years more, other than installing the Sultan in ceremonies, these Caliphs had little importance.
After the Ottomans conquered Egypt in 1517, the Abbasid Caliph of Egypt, Al-Mutawakkil III was transported to Constantinople, and Sultan Selim I announced himself to be a Caliph.
Musta'sim Billah, al- see Musta‘sim bi-‘llah, al-
Musta'sim-Billah Abu-Ahmad Abdullah bin al-Mustansir-Billah, al- see Musta‘sim bi-‘llah, al-
Mustazhir bi-‘llah, al-
Mustazhir bi-‘llah, al- (al-Mustadhir) (1078-1118). ‘Abbasid caliph who ruled from 1094 to 1118. He was never able to turn the debilitating disputes between the Saljuq sultans Berkyaruq, Tutush and Muhammad Tapar to his own advantage. The Nizari schism had further weakened the Fatimid caliphate and unleashed the Assassins’ campaigns within Saljuq territory.
Al-Mustadhir was the Abbasid caliph in Baghdad from 1094 to 1118. He succeeded his father al-Muqtadi. During his twenty-four year incumbency he was politically irrelevant, despite the civil strife at home and the appearance of the First Crusade in Syria. An attempt was even made by crusader Raymond IV of Toulouse to attack Baghdad, but he was defeated near Tokat. The global Muslim population had climbed to about 5 per cent as against the Christian population of 11 per cent by 1100.
In the year 1099, Jerusalem was captured by the crusaders and its inhabitants were massacred. Preachers travelled throughout the caliphate proclaiming the tragedy and rousing men to recover from infidel hands the Al-Aqsa Mosque, the scene of the Prophet's heavenly flight. But whatever the success elsewhere, the mission failed in the eastern provinces, which were occupied with their own troubles, and moreover cared little for the Holy Land, dominated as it then was by the Fatimid faith. Crowds of exiles, seeking refuge in Baghdad, joined there with the populace in crying out for war against the Franks (the name used by Muslims for the crusaders). For two Fridays in 1111 the insurgents, incited by Ibn al-Khashshab, the qadi of Aleppo, stormed the Great Mosque, broke the pulpit and throne of the Caliph in pieces, and shouted down the service, but neither the Sultan nor the Caliph were interested in sending an army west.
Mustadhir, al- see Mustazhir bi-‘llah, al-
Mustazhir bi-‘llah, al- (al-Mustadhir) (1078-1118). ‘Abbasid caliph who ruled from 1094 to 1118. He was never able to turn the debilitating disputes between the Saljuq sultans Berkyaruq, Tutush and Muhammad Tapar to his own advantage. The Nizari schism had further weakened the Fatimid caliphate and unleashed the Assassins’ campaigns within Saljuq territory.
Al-Mustadhir was the Abbasid caliph in Baghdad from 1094 to 1118. He succeeded his father al-Muqtadi. During his twenty-four year incumbency he was politically irrelevant, despite the civil strife at home and the appearance of the First Crusade in Syria. An attempt was even made by crusader Raymond IV of Toulouse to attack Baghdad, but he was defeated near Tokat. The global Muslim population had climbed to about 5 per cent as against the Christian population of 11 per cent by 1100.
In the year 1099, Jerusalem was captured by the crusaders and its inhabitants were massacred. Preachers travelled throughout the caliphate proclaiming the tragedy and rousing men to recover from infidel hands the Al-Aqsa Mosque, the scene of the Prophet's heavenly flight. But whatever the success elsewhere, the mission failed in the eastern provinces, which were occupied with their own troubles, and moreover cared little for the Holy Land, dominated as it then was by the Fatimid faith. Crowds of exiles, seeking refuge in Baghdad, joined there with the populace in crying out for war against the Franks (the name used by Muslims for the crusaders). For two Fridays in 1111 the insurgents, incited by Ibn al-Khashshab, the qadi of Aleppo, stormed the Great Mosque, broke the pulpit and throne of the Caliph in pieces, and shouted down the service, but neither the Sultan nor the Caliph were interested in sending an army west.
Mustadhir, al- see Mustazhir bi-‘llah, al-
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