Muhammad al-Mahdi

محمد المهدي

Muhammad ibn Abdullah al-Mansur, al-Mahdi, third Abbasid caliph; in al-Baladhuri: he sent his son Harun raiding Byzantine lands in year 163, besieging Damalu — its people by some reports settled at Baghdad on his ruling, spared and named for their town — and he completed what remained of the march-cities' and fortresses' works after his father al-Mansur, adding to their garrisons, ordered al-Hadath built and bequeathed the building of Tarsus on al-Hasan ibn Qahtaba's description; in his caliphate a body of Qinnasrin's hadir converted and he had the khadra written at their hands.

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Muhammad ibn Abd Allah al-Mahdi was the third Abbasid caliph and al-Mansur's son. He finished the border cities his father began and ordered al-Hadath built, began building the Sacred Mosque and the Prophet ﷺ's Mosque, and rebuilt Jerusalem after the earthquakes — al-Mas'udi calls him gentle and generous.

Muhammad ibn Abd Allah al-Mansur al-Mahdi, third Abbasid caliph and al-Mansur's son. Al-Baladhuri records him sending his son Harun on the raid into Roman lands in 163 AH that besieged Samalu — the fate of its people being disputed — and he finished the remaining border cities and forts his father began, strengthening their garrisons and ordering al-Hadath built; he had the pledge taken for Musa al-Hadi then Harun al-Rashid. Al-Mas'udi calls him gentle and generous, records his severity against those he named the heretics as the books of Mani, Ibn Daysan and Marcion spread — and that he was the first to order the dialectical theologians to compose books answering them; and he began building the Sacred Mosque and the Prophet ﷺ's Mosque, and rebuilt Jerusalem after the earthquakes. He died at the village of Radin in 169 AH, his caliphate lasting ten years, a month and fifteen days.

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Muhammad ibn Abd Allah al-Mansur al-Mahdi, third Abbasid caliph and al-Mansur's son. Al-Baladhuri records him sending his son Harun on the 163 AH raid into Roman lands that besieged Samalu — the fate of its people disputed under the Samalu captives — and that he finished the remaining border cities and forts his father began, strengthened their garrisons and ordered al-Hadath built; al-Suyuti records his taking the pledge of succession for Musa al-Hadi then for Harun al-Rashid. Al-Mas'udi calls him gentle and generous, records his severity against those he named the heretics as the books of Mani, Ibn Daysan and Marcion spread, and that he was the first to order the dialectical theologians to compose books in refutation; and that he began building the Sacred Mosque and the Prophet ﷺ's Mosque and rebuilt Jerusalem after the earthquakes. His death is told at the village of Radin in 169 AH, his caliphate lasting ten years, a month and fifteen days.

Overview

Muhammad ibn Abd Allah al-Mansur al-Mahdi, the third of the Abbasid caliphs, and the son of al-Mansur. ¹ ²

In his reign

Al-Baladhuri relates that he sent his son Harun on a raid into the lands of the Byzantines in 163 AH, and he besieged Samalu. He mentions a disagreement over the fate of its people, the captives of Samalu. ¹

He completed the building of the frontier cities and fortresses that remained after his father, and increased their garrisons. He ordered the building of al-Hadath. ¹

Al-Suyuti says that he gave the oath of allegiance for the heirship first to Musa al-Hadi and then to Harun al-Rashid. ²

His character and works in al-Mas'udi

Al-Mas'udi describes him as generous and open-handed. He says that he went to great lengths in killing those he called heretics, because the books of Mani, Ibn Daysan and Marcion had spread. He was the first to order the dialectical theologians to write books refuting them. ³

He says that he began the building of the Sacred Mosque and the Mosque of the Prophet ﷺ, and built Jerusalem after the earthquakes had destroyed it. ³

He relates that he died in 169 AH at the village of Rudhin, and that his caliphate lasted ten years, one month and fifteen days. ⁴

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Harun al-Rashid

Harun ibn Muhammad al-Mahdi, fifth Abbasid caliph; in al-Baladhuri: as prince he led the summer raid of year 163 for his father, besieging Damalu and granting its people aman — settled at Baghdad's Samalu quarter — and in year 165 descending on the Gulf, repairing Masisa and its mosque, increasing its garrison and building the Adhana-bridge palace on the Sayhan; as caliph he learned in year 171 that the Byzantines had conspired to fortify Tarsus and forestalled them through Harthama ibn A'yan and Faraj ibn Sulaym, settling the two levies, ordered Ayn Zarba built and fortified in year 180 and the city of the Black Church likewise, named the march cities the 'Awasim, returned the Cypriot captives taken by Hayy ibn Ma'yuf, restored Filastin's deserted estates to their people through Harthama with the takhafif and rudud, disbursed funds through the marches and coasts, and carried the craft of raiding, in Mu'awiya ibn Amr's words, to a pitch unmatched before him. Tarikh Baghdad (#7347): born at Rayy three nights short of Dhu'l-Hijja 150 (another report 149), given the bay'a at Baghdad on Friday 14 Rabi' I 170 — the very day al-Hadi died — aged nineteen years, two months and thirteen days, with al-Ma'mun born that same night; he kept al-Khuld, alternated a year of hajj with a year of ghazw, took a hundred scholars and their sons on pilgrimage, loved fiqh and fuqaha' and loathed kalam disputation; he wept convulsively at Abu Mu'awiya al-Darir's hadith 'I would love to be killed in God's path then live again' yet was told his place in Islam was too great to go raiding in person. He died at Tus on Saturday night, four days into Jumada II 193, buried at Sanabadh with his son Salih praying over him — forty-five years old after twenty-three years, two months and sixteen days of rule.

Muhammad al-Mahdi

At a glance

Overview

In his reign

His character and works in al-Mas'udi

Connections

People and things also explored

Sources

People

Harun al-Rashid