| al-Mustansir Billah المستنصر بالله | |
|---|---|
 Gold coin of al-Mustansir,Egypt, 1055 CE. | |
| 8thImam–Caliph of theFatimid Caliphate | |
| Reign | 13 June 1036 (15thShaban, 427AH)[a] – 29 December 1094 (18thDhu al-Hijjah, 487AH)[b] |
| Predecessor | az-Zahir |
| Successor | al-Musta'li |
| Born | 2 July 1029 (16thJumada II, 420AH)[3][4] Cairo,Fatimid Egypt |
| Died | 29 December 1094 (18thZilhaja, 487AH)[b] (aged 65) Fatimid Egypt |
| Issue |
|
| Dynasty | Fatimid |
| Father | az-Zahir |
| Mother | Rasad[9] |
| Religion | IsmailiShia Islam |
Abū Tamīm Maʿad al-Mustanṣir biʾllāh (Arabic:أبو تميم معد المستنصر بالله; 2 July 1029 – 29 December 1094)[b] wasthe eighth Fatimid Caliph from 1036 until 1094. He was one of the longest reigningMuslim rulers.[10] His reign was the twilight of the Fatimid state. The start of his reign saw the continuation of competent administrators running the Fatimid state (Anushtakin,al-Jarjara'i, and lateral-Yazuri), overseeing the state's prosperity in the first two decades of al-Mustansir's reign. However, the break out of court infighting between the Turkish and Berber/Sudanese court factions following al-Yazuri's assassination, coinciding with natural disasters in Egypt and the gradual loss of administrative control over Fatimid possessions outside of Egypt, almost resulted in the total collapse of the Fatimid state in the 1060s, before the appointment of the Armenian generalBadr al-Jamali, who assumed power asvizier in 1073, and became thede facto dictator of the country under the nominal rule of al-Mustansir.[2][1][4]
The caliph al-Mustanṣir bi-llāh was the last Imam before a disastrous split divided the Isma'ili movement in two, due to the struggle in the succession between al-Mustansir's older son,Nizar, and the youngeral-Mustaʽli, who was raised to the throne by Badr's son and successor,al-Afdal Shahanshah. The followers of Nizar, who predominated in Iran and Syria, became theNizari branch of Isma'ilism, while those of al-Musta'li became theMusta'li branch.
Al-Mustansir was born inCairo on 16thJumada II, 420AH/2 July 1029,[4] to Ali az-Zahir and Rasad, a black slave fromNubia.[11] At the age of only eight months he was declared the heir of his father. His name was Abu Tamim Ma‘ad, surnamed al-Mustansir bil-Lah ("The Asker Of Victory From God"). He ascended to theFatimid Caliphate's throne on 15thShaban, 427/June 13, 1036 at the age of 7. During the early years of hisCaliphate, state affairs were administered by his mother. His rule lasted for 60 years, the longest of all the caliphs, either inEgypt or elsewhere inIslamic states. However, Fatimid power was confined to Egypt due to conquests of theSeljuks in theLevant,Normans inSicily and Malta, and by Arab tribes destabilizing Fatimid control overTunisia andTripoli.[1] Al-Mustansir was considered incapable[citation needed] and as such his court was dominated by military strongmen and his mother's favourite officials, while the treasury was exhausted by factional infighting.[12]
He had constructed a specialmihrab at one of the pillars in theMosque of Ibn Tulun. Atop the mihrab, his name is engraved along with theShahada commonly recited by the public in theFatimid era ending with the phrase 'Ali-un Wali-u Allah, meaning "Ali is the steward of God".
Prominent Dais/Vizirs of his era are as follows:
Moulai Abadullah andSyedi Nuruddin were twoIndians who visited al-Mustansir Billah in Egypt. They joined the Ismaili faith under Fatimid DaiMu'ayyad fi'l-Din al-Shirazi, and went to India to propagate the faith.[14]
During the reign of the Imam al-Mustanṣir, theIsmaili da'wa (“ministry”) was led, in the eastern regions, by Abd al-Malik ibn Attash, who was based inIṣfahān. He also enjoyed good relations with theDruze community which were persecuted by the two previous Fatimid caliphs as they were seen as a heretical offshoot ofIsmailism.
Ibn al-Athīr (aSunni historian) describes Abd al-Malik (Ibn Attash) as being interested in works of literature, and being a professionalcalligrapher. He continues by describing him as a clever, intelligent and quick thinker, and an ethical man.
One of Ibn Attash's most notable students,Ḥasan-i Ṣabbāḥ became an important figure and was selected as the ḥujja or “proof” of al-Mustanṣir. This position/rank was right below the Imam in the Ismaili religious hierarchy. He would go on to found theNizari sect.[15]
Prominent buildings constructed during the reign of al-Mustansir are as follows:
Between 1065 (457 AH) and 1072 (464 AH),famine degraded the conditions in Egypt from bad to worse. Meanwhile, in 1062 (454 AH) and again in 1067 (459 AH), the struggle between theTurkish andSudanese soldiery deteriorated into open warfare, ending in a victory for the Turks.
During this same period,Berber nomadic tribes fromlower Egypt deliberately aggravated the distress by ravaging the countryside, destroying the embankments and canals of theNile. The ten thousand animals that al-Mustansir's stables once held reportedly declined to the point where only three thin horses were left; it is said that eventually al-Mustansir alone possessed a horse, and that when he rode out, the courtiers followed on foot, having no beast to carry them; it is also said that his escort once fainted from hunger as it accompanied him through the streets. As long as the calamity lasted, the condition of the country continued to decline. The protracted famine was followed inevitably by plague; whole districts were absolutely denuded of population and house after house lay empty.
Concurrently, the Turkish mercenaries had drained the treasury; many of the works of art and valuables of all sorts in the palace were sold to satisfy their demands---often they themselves were the purchasers, at merely nominal prices, and resold the articles thus gained at a profit.Emeralds valued at 300,000dinars were bought by one Turkish general for 500 dinars, and in onefortnight of the year 460/1068 articles to the value of 30,000,000 dinars were sold off to provide pay for the Turks. The precious library, which had been rendered available to the public and was one of the attractions for many who visitedCairo, was scattered; the books were torn up, thrown away, or used to light fires. At length, the Turks began fighting amongst themselves.Nasir al-Dawla ibn Hamdan, the general of the Turks, had invested the city, which was defended by the rival faction of the Turkish guard; after burning part ofFustat and defeating the defenders, he entered as conqueror. When he reached the palace, he found al-Mustansir lodged in rooms which had been stripped bare, waited on by only three slaves, and subsisting on two loaves which were sent him daily by the daughters of Ibn Babshand, the grammarian.
The victorious Turks dominated Cairo, held the successive viziers in subjection, treated al-Mustansir with contempt, and used their power to deplete the treasury by enhancing their pay to nearly twenty times its former figure. Nasir al-Dawla became so overbearing and tyrannical in his conduct that he provoked even his own followers, and so at length he wasassassinated in 466/1074.[contradictory] Unfortunately, this left the city in a worse condition than ever, for it was now at the mercy of the various Turkish factions, who behaved no better than brigands. Conditions in Egypt continued to deteriorate, and unabated violence raged in the streets and countryside alike.
Using the genealogical information of the members of the Fatimid dynasty imprisoned bySaladin, and contemporary documents, the historianPaul E. Walker estimates that al-Mustansir had "at the minimum seventeen sons whose names we can recover".[16] Indeed, he suggests that it was precisely the great number of offspring he sired during his long reign that created the succession crisis after his death.[17]
al-Mustansir Born: 2 July 1029 Died: 29 December 1094 | ||
| Regnal titles | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Fatimid Caliph 13 June 1036 – 29 December 1094 | Succeeded by |
| Shia Islam titles | ||
| Preceded by | Imam ofIsma'ilism 13 June 1036 – 29 December 1094 | Succeeded byas Imam ofMusta'li Isma'ilism |
| Succeeded byas Imam ofNizari Isma'ilism | ||
Fatimid Caliphate topics | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Imam-Caliphs | |||||||||||
| History |
| ||||||||||
| Government |
| ||||||||||
| Isma'ilism |
| ||||||||||
| Culture |
| ||||||||||
