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مؤنس الخادم الملقب بالمظفر

مؤنس الخادم الملقب بالمظفر

The eunuch 'al-Muzaffar'; he deposed al-Muqtadir in 317 and hailed al-Qahir, saw him restored within days, then rode on him again in 320 — at the encounter a Berber's javelin unhorsed the caliph and he was butchered, his head borne on a lance 1.

Depth

At a glance

Era
The Early Abbasid Caliphate
Review
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Overview

Mu'nis the servant, known as al-Muzaffar, one of the military commanders of the Abbasid age. Al-Suyuti relates that he rose against al-Muqtadir in 317 AH, when news reached him that the caliph intended to appoint Harun ibn Gharib commander of the commanders in his place. He deposed him and gave the oath to al-Qahir; then al-Muqtadir returned through the efforts of the army. 2

Fighting al-Muqtadir

He rose against him a second time in 320 AH. In the encounter one of the Berbers struck him with a spear, and he fell and was killed. 2 Ibn al-Athir says that Mu'nis did not take part in the fighting, and that he wept when the head was brought to him. According to Ibn al-Athir, what happened was a cause of the weakening of the caliphs' prestige. 3

His end

Al-Suyuti says that he agreed with Ibn Muqla and others to depose al-Qahir, and al-Qahir outwitted them and seized them. 4 Ibn al-Athir details that al-Qahir seized him by a ruse in 321 AH, and that he was killed in Sha'ban of that year. 5

Connections

Explore the connections

Participated in
Mu'nis's deposition of al-Muqtadir and the troops' restoration of him

People and things also explored

al-Muqtadir bi'llah· Muhammad al-Qahir bi-llah· Mu'nis's deposition of al-Muqtadir and the troops' restoration of him

Sources

  1. Tarikh al-Khulafa — al-Suyuti (Dar al-Minhaj edition) , p. 591-593
  2. Tarikh al-Khulafa — al-Suyuti (Dar al-Minhaj edition) , p.591-593
  3. al-Kamil fi'l-Tarikh of Ibn al-Athir , p.180-181
  4. Tarikh al-Khulafa — al-Suyuti (Dar al-Minhaj edition) , p.597
  5. al-Kamil fi'l-Tarikh of Ibn al-Athir , p.190-195
  • al-Muntazam fi Tarikh al-Muluk wa'l-Umam — Ibn al-Jawzi
Cite this page

islam.museum contributors. “مؤنس الخادم الملقب بالمظفر”. islam.museum, https://islam.museum/en/person/muanis-al-muzaffar/. CC BY-SA 4.0. Last updated 2026-10-21.

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People

Prophets, companions, scholars, rulers, scientists, poets, travelers: women and men who shaped the story. Related

al-Muqtadir bi'llah

Abbasid caliph, hailed in 295 and deposed in 296, restored to the caliphate in 317 and killed in 320. According to al-Suyuti he was born in Ramadan 282 to a Byzantine mother named Shaghab, and no caliph before him had been younger, since he took office at thirteen. He was deposed twice: for a single day in 296, in favour of Ibn al-Mu'tazz, and in 317, when Mu'nis moved to put al-Qahir in his place until the troops restored him; command and prohibition then passed to his womenfolk because of his frailty. Al-Dhahabi says order was greatly disrupted in his days because of his youth. According to al-Mas'udi he was Ja'far ibn Ahmad al-Muktafi, known as Abu'l-Fadl, whose mother was an umm walad called Shaghab. He was hailed on the day his brother died, on the thirteenth night of Dhu'l-Qa'da 295, at thirteen years old, and was killed in Baghdad after the afternoon prayer on Wednesday, three nights before the end of Shawwal 320. His caliphate lasted twenty-four years, eleven months and sixteen days, and he was thirty-eight years old. Also according to al-Mas'udi, after al-Abbas ibn al-Hasan was killed he appointed Ali ibn Muhammad ibn al-Furat as vizier three times: first in 299, then in 304, and the third time when his son Muhsin was the dominant force in affairs. He also appointed as vizier Muhammad ibn Ubayd Allah ibn Yahya ibn Khaqan; Ali ibn Isa ibn Dawud ibn al-Jarrah, twice; Hamid ibn al-Abbas; Abd Allah ibn Muhammad ibn Ubayd Allah al-Khaqani; Ahmad ibn Ubayd Allah al-Khusaybi; Abu Ali Muhammad ibn Ali ibn Muqla; Sulayman ibn al-Hasan ibn Makhlad; Ubayd Allah ibn Muhammad al-Kalwadhani; al-Husayn ibn al-Qasim, who was killed at Raqqa; and last of them al-Fadl ibn Ja'far ibn al-Furat. According to Ibn al-Athir, in 317 they removed him from the palace, with his mother, his maternal aunt, his favourite concubines and his sons, to the house of Mu'nis. Ibn Hamdan came to rebuke him while he was weeping, and so did al-Muqtadir. They deposited the document of his deposition with Judge Abu Amr, who concealed it; this was approved of him after he returned, and he appointed him to the judgeship. According to Ibn al-Jawzi, in 302 he ordered that Jews and Christians not be employed; they were confined to their houses, obliged to wear caps and patches, and their stirrups were made of wood. According to Ibn al-Jawzi, the death of Ibn al-Mu'tazz became known in the sultan's house two nights into Rabi' II 296; Mu'nis took him out to his home wrapped up and handed him to his family, who buried him in a ruin facing their house. Al-Muqtadir ordered the ledgers thrown into the Tigris, and many gave thanks to him for it. No caliph is known to have been deposed and then restored except two: al-Amin and al-Muqtadir bi'llah.