Al-Mustakfi
Abdallah ibn al-Muktafi (Arabic: عبد الله المستكفي) (905 – September/October 949), better known by his regnal name al-Mustakfi bi-llah (Arabic: المستكفي بالله, "Desirous of Being Satisfied with God Alone"[1]) was the Abbasid Caliph in Baghdad from 944 to 946. He was installed by Tuzun, a Turkish general who deposed and blinded the previous Caliph, al-Muttaqi.
| Abdallah ibn al-Muktafi عبد الله المستكفي | |
|---|---|
| Khalīfah Amir al-Mu'minin | |
 Dirham of Al-Mustakfi | |
| 22nd Caliph of the Abbasid Caliphate Abbasid Caliph in Baghdad | |
| Reign | 26 August 944 – 28 January 946 |
| Predecessor | Al-Muttaqi |
| Successor | Al-Muti |
| Born | 905 Baghdad, Abbasid Empire now Iraq |
| Died | September/October 949 (aged 44) Baghdad, Abbasid Empire now Iraq |
| Dynasty | Abbasid |
| Father | Al-Muktafi |
| Religion | Sunni Islam |
Biography
In 944, Tuzun, with the Caliph, marched to Wasit and defeated the Buwayhids, who were threatening the Capital. The tribute due from Mosul being withheld, Tuzun also marched against the Hamdanid ruler Nasir al-Dawla; but, after friendly relations were re-established, he returned.
The next year, Tuzun died, and was succeeded by Abu Ja'far, one of his generals. Baghdad now fell into a fearful state of distress. Due to a blockade, supplies no longer reached the markets, and people were reduced to eating dogs, cats and garbage. The mob was driven by starvation to plunder the city's remaining shops. Multitudes fled Baghdad for Basra or elsewhere, dying in great numbers from weakness. Abu Ja'far at last, finding himself unable to control affairs, requested the aid of the Hamdanid commander Nasir al-Dawla from Mosul--even offering, if he would come, to turn over supreme command to him. However, the Hamdanids were at the moment engaged on one hand with the Rus' in Adharbayjan, and on the other with the Ikhshidids in Syria.
Just then the governor of Wasit surrendered to the chief of the Buwayhids, and joined him in his march on Baghdad. Abu Ja'far and the Caliph fled into hiding. The Caliph then received the secretary of the Buwayhid chief to negotiate peace, which the Caliph accepted. Invited thus, the Buwayhid ruler, Mu'izz al-Dawla, entered Baghdad, and, under the title of Amir al-Umara (Amir of Amirs), assumed the supreme command. The Caliph abjectly submitted to the Amir, whose name, in addition to al-Mustakfi's, was now by his command stamped upon the coinage and recited in the public prayers; but it was all in vain. Mu'izz al-Dawla feared the Caliph was a creature of the Turks. Eventually al-Mustakfi was blinded and deposed, having been Caliph for about eighteen months. The city fell into chaos, and the Caliph's palace was looted.
References
- Bowen, Harold (1928). The Life and Times of ʿAlí Ibn ʿÍsà: The Good Vizier. Cambridge University Press. p. 385.
- This text is adapted from William Muir's public domain, The Caliphate: Its Rise, Decline, and Fall.
Al-Mustakfi Born: 905 Died: September/October 949 | ||
| Sunni Islam titles | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Al-Muttaqi |
Caliph of Islam Abbasid Caliph September 944 – January 946 |
Succeeded by Al-Muti |