Muhammad ibn Ishaq ibn Kundaj () was a prominent general of the

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

in the early 10th century.

Life

He was the son of Ishaq ibn Kundaj, a Turkic strongman who had established himself, with sanction from 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 ...

court, as the ruler of

Mosul Mosul ( ; , , ; ; ; ) is a major city in northern Iraq, serving as the capital of Nineveh Governorate. It is the second largest city in Iraq overall after the capital Baghdad. Situated on the banks of Tigris, the city encloses the ruins of the ...

in 879. Ishaq ruled Mosul and parts of the

Jazira Jazira, al-Jazira, Jazeera, al-Jazeera, etc. are all transcriptions of Arabic language, Arabic meaning "the island" or "the peninsula". The term may refer to: Business *Jazeera Airways, an airlines company based in Kuwait Locations * Al-Jazir ...

almost uninterruptedly until his death in 891, when he was succeeded by Muhammad. Already in the next year, however, he was driven from Mosul by a rival strongman, Ahmad ibn Isa al-Shaybani. In 893, the new Caliph

al-Mu'tadid Abū al-ʿAbbās Aḥmad ibn Ṭalḥa ibn Jaʿfar ibn Muḥammad ibn Hārūn (), 853/4 or 860/1 – 5 April 902, better known by his regnal name al-Muʿtaḍid bi-llāh (), was the caliph of the Abbasid Caliphate from 892 until his death ...

campaigned in the Jazira, aiming to re-establish direct caliphal control over the region. The Caliph seized Mosul and appointed his own governor there over much of the Jazira. Ahmad retreated to Amid, while Muhammad fled to the

Tulunids The Tulunid State, also known as the Tulunid Emirate or The State of Banu Tulun, and popularly referred to as the Tulunids () was a Mamluk dynasty of Turkic peoples, Turkic origin who was the first independent dynasty to rule Egypt in the Middle ...

Palestine Palestine, officially the State of Palestine, is a country in West Asia. Recognized by International recognition of Palestine, 147 of the UN's 193 member states, it encompasses the Israeli-occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and th ...

. After the assassination of the Tulunid ruler Khumarawayh in 896, Muhammad was among those members of the court who tried to assassinate Khumarawayh's successor, Jaysh. The plot was betrayed to Jaysh, and on the very same day, they fled into the desert, leaving their families and property behind. The party crossed the

Syrian Desert The Syrian Desert ( ''Bādiyat Ash-Shām''), also known as the North Arabian Desert, the Jordanian steppe, or the Badiya, is a region of desert, semi-desert, and steppe, covering about of West Asia, including parts of northern Saudi Arabia, ea ...

, losing a few to thirst, and arrived in

Kufa Kufa ( ), also spelled Kufah, is a city in Iraq, about south of Baghdad, and northeast of Najaf. It is located on the banks of the Euphrates, Euphrates River. The estimated population in 2003 was 110,000. Along with Samarra, Karbala, Kadhimiya ...

, from where they sought asylum with al-Mu'tadid. The Caliph welcomed them and allowed them to enter his service (July 896). Muhammad now became one of the senior members of the Abbasid court, in both civilian and military positions. In 902, after al-Mu'tadid's death, he was one of the senior subalterns of the Abbasid commander-in-chief,

Badr al-Mu'tadidi Abu'l-Najm Badr al-Mu'tadidi was the chief military commander of the Abbasid Caliphate during the reign of Caliph al-Mu'tadid (892–902). Originally a military slave ('' ghulam'' or ''mawla'') who served under the future al-Mu'tadid in the supp ...

. When the

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 ...

al-Qasim ibn Ubayd Allah slandered Badr and sought to bring about his execution, Muhammad played a role in calming Badr's fears and persuading him of the sincerity of a guarantee of safe passage for

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 ...

. On the way, Badr was killed by one of the Caliph's pages. In 903/4 Muhammad was among the leading officers in the campaigns against the

Qarmatians The Qarmatians (; ) were a militant Isma'ili Shia movement centred in Al-Ahsa in Eastern Arabia, where they established a religious state in 899 CE. Its members were part of a movement that adhered to a syncretic branch of Sevener Ismaili ...

, and in June 906 he led the army that drove them from the town of Hit. In 912 he was made governor of

Basra Basra () is a port city in Iraq, southern Iraq. It is the capital of the eponymous Basra Governorate, as well as the List of largest cities of Iraq, third largest city in Iraq overall, behind Baghdad and Mosul. Located near the Iran–Iraq bor ...

References

Sources

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Muhammad ibn Ishaq ibn Kundaj 9th-century births 10th-century deaths Generals of the Abbasid Caliphate Governors of the Abbasid Caliphate 10th-century people from the Abbasid Caliphate Year of birth unknown Year of death unknown 9th-century people from the Abbasid Caliphate 10th-century Asian people People from the Tulunid dynasty