Al-Mustanjid
Al-Mustanjid (Arabic: المستنجد بالله) (1124 – 20 December 1170) was the Abbasid Caliph in Baghdad from 1160 to 1170. He was the son of previous Caliph al-Muqtafi.
| Al-Mustanjid المستنجد بالله | |
|---|---|
| Khalīfah Amir al-Mu'minin | |
| 32nd Caliph of the Abbasid Caliphate Abbasid Caliph in Baghdad | |
| Reign | 12 March 1160 – 18 December 1170 |
| Predecessor | Al-Muqtafi |
| Successor | Al-Mustadi |
| Born | 1124 Baghdad, Abbasid Caliphate now Iraq |
| Died | 18 December 1170 (aged 46) Baghdad, Abbasid Caliphate now Iraq |
| Burial | Baghdad |
| Consort | Ghadha |
| Issue | Al-Mustadi |
| Dynasty | Abbasid |
| Father | Al-Muqtafi |
| Mother | Thawus |
| Religion | Sunni Islam |
Biography
One of al-Muqtafi's wives, al-Mustanjid's stepmother, 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, Fatimid dynasty was at last extinguished, having lasted for 260 years. Their conqueror, Saladin, though himself an orthodox Muslim, initially didn't 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.
There is little else to say than that this caliph continued to occupy a more or less independent position, with a vizier and courtly surroundings, and supported by only a small force sufficient for an occasional local campaign.
See also
- Ar-Rashid bi-llāh 30th Abbasid Caliph and Cousin of Al-Mustanjid.
- Awn al-Din ibn Hubayra a 12th-century Arab official and jurist, who served for sixteen years as Abbasid vizier under al-Mustanjid and his father al-Muqtafi.
References
- This text is adapted from William Muir's public domain, The Caliphate: Its Rise, Decline, and Fall.
Al-Mustanjid Born: 1124 Died: 20 December 1170 | ||
| Sunni Islam titles | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Al-Muqtafi |
Caliph of Islam Abbasid Caliph 12 March 1160 – 20 December 1170 |
Succeeded by Al-Mustadi |