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The deposition of al-Muti' and the bay'a to al-Ta'i'

خلع المطيع وبيعة الطائع

c. 974 CE · 363 AH

In 363 al-Muti' was struck by paralysis and his tongue grew heavy; Izz al-Dawla's chamberlain Subuktakin proposed he depose himself for his son al-Ta'i' — done on Wednesday 13 Dhu'l-Qa'da after twenty-nine years and months, recorded with qadi Ibn Umm Shayban, and he was called 'al-Shaykh al-Fadil' thereafter. Ibn Shahin says he abdicated unforced; he went to Wasit and died Muharram 364. Al-Dhahabi: al-Muti' and his son were helpless among the Buyids, the caliphs' weakness lasting till al-Muqtafi 1.

Depth

At a glance

Era
The Early Abbasid Caliphate
Region
Levant & Iraq
Review
Draft Completeness 2/5 · Help complete it

In time

960970980990 c.
The Buyid, Fatimid and Seljuk Era

Overview

In 363 AH the caliph al-Muti' li-Allah was struck by paralysis and his tongue grew heavy, and the chamberlain of Subuktakin, lord of Izz al-Dawla, urged him to depose himself and hand the matter to his son al-Ta'i li-Allah. 2

The deposition

Al-Muti' did so, and the matter was given to al-Ta'i on Wednesday, the thirteenth of Dhu al-Qa'da. The reign of al-Muti' had lasted twenty-nine years and some months. The judge Ibn Umm Shayban confirmed the deposition, and afterwards he was called "the honourable shaykh". 2

The accounts

Ibn Shahin said that, as far as he could establish, he deposed himself without compulsion. He went out to Wasit with his son and died in Muharram 364 AH. 2

Al-Dhahabi said that al-Muti' and his son were weakened under the Buyids, and that the affairs of the caliphs remained weak until al-Muqtafi became caliph. 2

Connections

Explore the connections

Had participant
al-Muti li-llah al-Fadl ibn al-Muqtadir· al-Ta'i' li-Llah Abd al-Karim ibn al-Muti'· سبكتكين حاجب عز الدولة

People and things also explored

Al-Ta'i' Delegates Authority to Adud al-Dawla· Ibn al-Wathhab's claim in Gilan to be al-Ta'i'· Mu'izz al-Dawla deposes and blinds al-Mustakfi· Deposition of al-Ta'i' and Accession of al-Qadir· Abdallah ibn Ja'far, known as Ibn al-Wathhab· al-Muti li-llah al-Fadl ibn al-Muqtadir· al-Ta'i' li-Llah Abd al-Karim ibn al-Muti'· سبكتكين حاجب عز الدولة

Sources

  1. Tarikh al-Khulafa — al-Suyuti (Dar al-Minhaj edition) , p. 624
  2. Tarikh al-Khulafa — al-Suyuti (Dar al-Minhaj edition) , p.624
Cite this page

islam.museum contributors. “The deposition of al-Muti' and the bay'a to al-Ta'i'”. islam.museum, https://islam.museum/en/event/muti-abdication-tai-363/. CC BY-SA 4.0. Last updated 2026-10-22.

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Al-Ta'i' Delegates Authority to Adud al-Dawla

In 369 al-Ta'i' sat on the throne ringed by a hundred swordsmen, Uthman's mushaf before him, the Burda on his shoulder, the qadib in his hand, the Prophet's sword at his side; the curtain Adud al-Dawla sent hung so no soldier's eye touched the caliph first. Adud entered and kissed the ground — his captain Ziyad recoiled: 'what is this, king? is this God?' — 'this is God's caliph on earth'. Seven times he kissed the ground, then the caliph's foot, and sat on a chair only under oath. Al-Ta'i' said: 'I have resolved to delegate to you what God entrusted to me of the subjects' affairs in earth's east and west, save my household and retinue'. Before this he had received the investiture robes, a jewelled crown, and two standards — silvered as amirs' and gilded as heirs-apparent's, the latter unprecedented — and in 368 the drums at his gate and the khutba from the court minbars, which Ibn al-Jawzi notes had never been granted even to heirs.