Abu'l-Hasan Muhammad ibn al-Mustakfi () was a son of the

Abbasid The Abbasid Caliphate or Abbasid Empire (; ) was the third caliphate to succeed the prophets and messengers in Islam, Islamic prophet Muhammad. It was founded by a dynasty descended from Muhammad's uncle, Abbas ibn Abd al-Muttalib (566–653 C ...

caliph

al-Mustakfi Abu al-Qasim Abd Allah ibn Ali (11 November 908 – September/October 949), commonly known by his regnal name al-Mustakfi, was the Abbasid caliph in Baghdad from 944 to 946. Al-Mustakfi was a younger son of Caliph al-Muktafi, and hence a riva ...

(). He was designated as his father's heir, and a few coins were minted at

Baghdad Baghdad ( or ; , ) is the capital and List of largest cities of Iraq, largest city of Iraq, located along the Tigris in the central part of the country. With a population exceeding 7 million, it ranks among the List of largest cities in the A ...

with his name before his father was overthrown by the

Buyids 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 ...

in early 946. Muhammad fled to the

Ikhshidid The Ikhshidid dynasty (, ) was a Turkic dynasty of governors of mamluk origin, who governed Egypt and parts of the Levant from 935 to 969 on behalf of the Abbasid Caliphate. The dynasty carried the Arabic title "Wāli" reflecting their position a ...

court in

Egypt Egypt ( , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a country spanning the Northeast Africa, northeast corner of Africa and Western Asia, southwest corner of Asia via the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to northe ...

, from where he launched a covert propaganda effort against the Buyids and the caliph installed by them,

al-Muti Abū ʾl-Qāsim al-Faḍl ibn al-Muqtadir (; 913/14 – September/October 974), better known by his regnal name of al-Mutīʿ li-ʾllāh (), was the Abbasid caliph in Baghdad from 946 to 974, ruling under the tutelage of the Buyid emirs. Al ...

. In this he obscured his real identity, assuming the mantle of the

Mahdi The Mahdi () is a figure in Islamic eschatology who is believed to appear at the Eschatology, End of Times to rid the world of evil and injustice. He is said to be a descendant of Muhammad in Islam, Muhammad, and will appear shortly before Jesu ...

, the expected Islamic messiah, and his messages were apparently well received by both

Sunni Sunni Islam is the largest branch of Islam and the largest religious denomination in the world. It holds that Muhammad did not appoint any successor and that his closest companion Abu Bakr () rightfully succeeded him as the caliph of the Mu ...

s and

Shia Shia Islam is the second-largest branch of Islam. It holds that Muhammad designated Ali ibn Abi Talib () as both his political successor (caliph) and as the spiritual leader of the Muslim community (imam). However, his right is understood ...

Iraq Iraq, officially the Republic of Iraq, is a country in West Asia. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to Iraq–Saudi Arabia border, the south, Turkey to Iraq–Turkey border, the north, Iran to Iran–Iraq border, the east, the Persian Gulf and ...

, including in Baghdad itself. These efforts were intensified after the death of the Buyid conqueror of Baghdad,

Mu'izz al-Dawla Ahmad ibn Buya (Persian language, Persian: احمد بن بویه, died April 8, 967), after 945 better known by his ''laqab'' of Mu'izz al-Dawla (, "Fortifier al-Dawla, of the Dynasty"), was the first of the Buyid emirs of Iraq (region), Iraq, ...

, in 967. His chief convert was none other than the Buyid commander of Baghdad, the Turk Sübüktegin al-Ajami, who invited him into the city, gave him protection and was preparing to mount a coup in his name, before his identity was uncovered and he was handed over to al-Muti. The Caliph did not severely punish him, other than ordering his nose cut off, thereby disqualifying him from the succession; Muhammad eventually managed to escape, but his hopes of seizing the throne were never realized.

References

Sources

* {{cite book , last = Busse , first = Heribert , title = Chalif und Grosskönig - Die Buyiden im Irak (945-1055) , trans-title = Caliph and Great King - The Buyids in Iraq (945-1055) , language = German , orig-date = 1969 , year = 2004 , location = Würzburg , publisher = Ergon Verlag , isbn = 3-89913-005-7 10th-century births 10th-century deaths 10th-century people from the Abbasid Caliphate Prisoners and detainees of the Abbasid Caliphate Sons of Abbasid caliphs Heirs apparent who never acceded Self-declared mahdi