Abu Shuja Muhammad al-Ashraf ibn Muhammad ibn Ali ibn Khalaf was a

vizier A vizier (; ; ) is a high-ranking political advisor or Minister (government), minister in the Near East. The Abbasids, Abbasid caliphs gave the title ''wazir'' to a minister formerly called ''katib'' (secretary), who was at first merely a help ...

of the

Fatimid caliph This is a list of an Arab dynasty, the Shi'ite caliphs of the Fatimid dynasty (909–1171). The Shi'ite caliphs were also regarded at the same time as the imams of the Isma'ili branch of Shi'a Islam Shia Islam is the second-largest br ...

al-Mustansir Billah Abū Tamīm Maʿad al-Mustanṣir biʾllāh (‎; 2 July 1029 – 29 December 1094) was the eighth Fatimid Caliph from 1036 until 1094. He was one of the longest reigning Muslim rulers. His reign was the twilight of the Fatimid state. The st ...

on two brief occasions in 1064–65. Abu Shuja's date of birth is unknown. He was the son of the

Buyid The Buyid dynasty or Buyid Empire was a Zaydi and later Twelver Shi'a dynasty of Daylamite origin. Founded by Imad al-Dawla, they mainly ruled over central and southern Iran and Iraq from 934 to 1062. Coupled with the rise of other Iranian dyna ...

vizier Fakhr al-Mulk, who had been executed by the Buyid emir

Sultan al-Dawla Abu Shuja (; 993 – December 1024), better known by his ''laqab'' of Sultan al-Dawla (Persian: سلطان الدوله, "Power of the Dynasty"), was the Buyid amir of Fars (1012–1024) and Iraq (1012–1021). He was the son of Baha' al-Dawla. ...

in 1016. Historians stress his family's enormous wealth, but also his integrity. He served as vizier to al-Mustansir during the chaos of the

Mustansirite Hardship The Mustansirite Hardship () was a political crisis in Fatimid Egypt which resulted in a seven-year famine that occurred between 1064 and 1071 CE. Around 40,000 people are estimated to have starved to death during that period. The crisis occurred ...

, for only two days in December 1064 and again from January to February 1065. He held the titles of () and (), as well as his father's title of (). When

Badr al-Jamali Abu'l-Najm Badr ibn Abdallah al-Jamali al-Mustansiri, better known as Badr al-Jamali () or by his eventual title as Amir al-Juyush (, ), was a military commander and statesman for the Fatimid Caliphate under Caliph al-Mustansir. Of Armenian origi ...

was called to take over the vizierate by al-Mustansir in 1073, Abu Shuja left for Syria, but was intercepted and executed by Badr al-Jamali.

References

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* * 1073 deaths 11th-century Arab people Viziers of the Fatimid Caliphate 11th-century executions {{Islam-bio-stub