At a glance
- Era
- The Buyid, Fatimid and Seljuk Era
- Region
- Levant & Iraq
- Review
- Draft Completeness 2/5 · Help complete it
In time
In space
Map: Natural Earth, public domain · places and route from the graph
Sects and schoolsFactions, splits and schismsSacred space and pilgrimage
Summary
In Dhu al-Qa'da 420 AH the caliphal court arrested the preacher of the Baratha mosque because of extremism in his sermon. In his place Abu Mansur ibn Tammam gave a sermon closer to the middle course, and those present pelted him with clods of earth until his shoulder was broken. A decree from al-Qadir went out in anger, likening the mosque to the mosque of harm, and the Friday prayer was suspended there for weeks before it resumed with a sermon written in an official hand. 1
The sermon and the stoning
The substitute preacher gave the Friday sermon on the nineteenth of Dhu al-Qa'da. He lessened the mention of Ali ibn Abi Talib and closed with the words, "O God, forgive the Muslims, and whoever claims that Ali is his mawla." The common people rose up and threw clods of earth at him; his shoulder and teeth were broken, and blood ran down his face. 2
The caliph's decree
The decree from al-Qadir came in harsh terms. It described the mosque as a gathering of "unbelievers and heretics" and said it was much like the mosque of harm. The house of the former preacher was attacked by about thirty men. 3
The weeks without Friday prayer
The Friday prayer was suspended for weeks, until the day of 'Id al-Nahr came, when the muezzin garbled the takbir and panic spread among the worshippers. Then the elders of al-Karkh and al-Sharif al-Murtada interceded, and the preaching was resumed on the first of Muharram from a written text. The preacher was excused from striking the pulpit with a sword and from mentioning "his mawla." 4
Connections
- Occurred at
- Baghdad
- Had participant
- al-Qadir bi-llah Ahmad ibn Ishaq ibn al-Muqtadir· al-Sharif al-Murtada
People and things also explored
The death of al-Qadir and the accession of al-Qa'im bi-amr Allah, 422· The Baghdad Attestation on Fatimid Lineage· The reading of the Qadiri Creed in the Dar al-Khilafa· Riot at the funeral of Bint Abi Nuh and the plunder of the Dar al-Rum church· Al-Qadir's rescript imposing distinguishing dress on the dhimmis· Al-Qadir bans dealing in Maghrebi dinars· The ghilman's seizure and humiliation of Jalal al-Dawla, 424· The burning of a codex attributed to Ibn Mas'ud and the Karkh strife
Sources
- al-Muntazam fi Tarikh al-Muluk wa'l-Umam — Ibn al-Jawzi , j.8 p.383-387
- al-Muntazam fi Tarikh al-Muluk wa'l-Umam — Ibn al-Jawzi , j.8 p.384-385
- al-Muntazam fi Tarikh al-Muluk wa'l-Umam — Ibn al-Jawzi , j.8 p.385
- al-Muntazam fi Tarikh al-Muluk wa'l-Umam — Ibn al-Jawzi , j.8 p.385-387
Cite this page
islam.museum contributors. “The Baratha Mosque Affair in 420”. islam.museum, https://islam.museum/en/event/baratha-affair-420/. CC BY-SA 4.0. Last updated 2026-10-22.