al-Mu'tadid Abbad

Al-Mu'tadid bi'llah, Abu 'Amr 'Abbad b. al-Zafir b. Quraysh; when his father the qadi Muhammad died he took his place in 433, titled first Fakhr al-Dawla, then al-Mu'tadid. ¹

Ibn Bassam wrote in al-Dhakhira: "the pivot on which strife turns, the utmost reach of affliction — a man before whom neither foe nor envier could stand, from whom neither near nor far was safe; a tyrant decisive in command though self-contradictory, a lion who crushes gazelles while crouched; an arrogant one who found guidance, an avenger who cut and spared nothing; he rose while people warred and managed his affairs sitting and standing until his arm lengthened, his land widened and his following grew." Yet he had looked into letters before inclining to seek rule, and gained from it an ample share of melodious verse. ¹