At a glance
- Era
- The Crusades, Ayyubids and Mamluks
- Identifiers
- Wikidata
- Review
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Life in time
Overview
Al-Mustansir billah, Abu Ja'far Mansur ibn al-Zahir, an Abbasid caliph who ruled from 623 to 640 AH. 2
Birth and allegiance
He was born in Safar 588 AH, and his mother was a Turkish concubine. He was given the allegiance in Rajab 623 AH. His grandfather al-Nasir drew him close and called him "the judge" for his guidance, his intelligence and his denunciation of the wrong he found. 2
His works
Al-Suyuti says that he spread justice, drew near the people of learning, and built mosques, hostels, madrasas and hospitals. He founded the Mustansiriyya madrasa. When the Tatars invaded the lands his army met them and defeated them. 2
He ordered silver dirhams struck in 632 AH so that people would deal in them instead of the gold fragments, to rescue them from usurious exchange, according to al-Suyuti. 2
His death
He died on Friday, the tenth of Jumada al-Akhira 640 AH. 3
Connections
- Participated in
- Death of Caliph al-Mustansir Billah and accession of al-Musta'sim in 640· al-Mustansir succeeds to the caliphate· Building the Mustansiriyya madrasa in Baghdad· The Tatar Raid on Shahrazur in 629 AH
- Predecessor of
- al-Musta'sim bi'llah Abdullah ibn al-Mustansir, last caliph of Baghdad
People and things also explored
Baghdad· Death of Caliph al-Mustansir Billah and accession of al-Musta'sim in 640· al-Musta'sim bi'llah Abdullah ibn al-Mustansir, last caliph of Baghdad· The Tatar sack of Baghdad and the killing of al-Musta'sim· Muzaffar al-Din Kökburi· Shahrazur· Mongol empire· al-Mustansir succeeds to the caliphate
Sources
- Tarikh al-Khulafa — al-Suyuti (Dar al-Minhaj edition) , p. 702-704
- Tarikh al-Khulafa — al-Suyuti (Dar al-Minhaj edition) , p.702-704
- Tarikh al-Khulafa — al-Suyuti (Dar al-Minhaj edition) , p.705-706
- Shadharat al-Dhahab — Ibn al-Imad al-Hanbali
Cite this page
islam.museum contributors. “al-Mustansir bi'llah Mansur ibn al-Zahir”. islam.museum, https://islam.museum/en/person/al-mustansir-billah/. CC BY-SA 4.0. Last updated 2026-10-23.