Sa'id ibn Makhlad () (died 889) was a senior official 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 ...

. Born a

Nestorian Christian Nestorianism is a term used in Christian theology and Church history to refer to several mutually related but doctrinarily distinct sets of teachings. The first meaning of the term is related to the original teachings of Christian theologian ...

, he converted to Islam and served as a secretary in the Abbasid capital,

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 ...

. He rose to prominence during the regency of

al-Muwaffaq Abu Ahmad Ṭalḥa ibn Al-Mutawakkil, Jaʿfar ibn al-Mu'tasim, Muḥammad ibn Harun al-Rashid, Hārūn al-Muwaffaq bi'Llah (; 29 November 843 – 2 June 891), better known by his as Al-Muwaffaq Billah (), was an Abbasid dynasty, Abbasid prince ...

over his brother, the Caliph

al-Mu'tamid Abu’l-ʿAbbās Aḥmad ibn Al-Mutawakkil, Jaʿfar ibn al-Mu'tasim, Muḥammad ibn Harun al-Rashid, Hārūn al-Muʿtamid ʿalā’Llāh (; – 14 October 892), better known by his regnal name al-Muʿtamid ʿalā 'llāh (, 'Dependent on God'), ...

(r. 870–892): between 878 and 885, he served as ''de facto''

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 Caliphate, although he did not bear the title. His valuable assistance to al-Muwaffaq was recognized in 882 by the award of the honorific title ''Dhu'l-wizaratayn'' ("possessor of the two vizierates"), with which he appears even on coins. However, the activities of his brother, Abdun, who had remained a Christian and tried to obtain concessions for the Christian subjects of the Caliphate, brought about his sudden fall from power in 885. He died in 889. Sa'id has been erroneously considered by some writers as the brother of another Christian convert,

al-Hasan ibn Makhlad al-Jarrah Al-Hasan ibn Makhlad ibn al-Jarrah () was a senior official of the Abbasid Caliphate. Born a Nestorian Christian, he converted to Islam late in life, and served as secretary under Caliph al-Mutawakkil (r. 847–861). Under Caliph al-Mu'tamid (r. 87 ...

, who was his predecessor as vizier.

Sources

* 9th-century births 889 deaths Viziers of the Abbasid Caliphate Converts to Islam from Christianity Nestorians in the Abbasid Caliphate {{Islam-bio-stub 9th-century Arab people 9th-century government officials