| al-Zahir li-I'zaz Din Allah الظاهر لإعزاز دين الله | |
|---|---|
 Gold dinar of al-Zahir | |
| Imam–Caliph of theFatimid Caliphate | |
| Reign | 1021–1036 |
| Predecessor | al-Hakim bi-Amr Allah |
| Successor | al-Mustansir Billah |
| Born | 26 June 1005 Cairo, Fatimid Egypt |
| Died | 13 June 1036 (aged 30) Cairo, Fatimid Egypt |
| Spouse | Rasad, amongst others |
| Issue | al-Mustansir Billah |
| Dynasty | Fatimid |
| Religion | Isma'iliShiaIslam |
Abū al-Ḥasan ʿAlī ibn al-Ḥākim (Arabic:أبو الحسن علي ابن الحاكم; 20 June 1005 – 13 June 1036), better known with hisregnal nameal-Ẓāhir li-Iʿzāz Dīn Allāh (Arabic:الظاهر لإعزاز دين الله,lit. 'He Who Appears Openly to Strengthen the Religion of God'[1]), was the seventhcaliph of theFatimid dynasty (1021–1036). Al-Zahir assumed the caliphate after the disappearance of his fatheral-Hakim bi-Amr Allah.
At the time of al-Hakim's disappearance on 14 February 1021, his sister,Sitt al-Mulk, took the reins of power. She disregarded the previous appointment of a cousin,Abd al-Rahim ibn Ilyas, as heir apparent by al-Hakim, and instead raised al-Hakim's 16-year-old son Ali to the throne. Ali received the public oath of allegiance on 28 March, with the regnal nameal-Zāhir li-Iʿzāz Dīn Allāh.[2] His rival, Abu'l-Qasim, was recalled fromDamascus, where he was serving as governor, toCairo, where he died—reportedly by suicide—a few months later.[2]
Until her death in February 1023, the government was conducted by Sitt al-Mulk, who according to historianThierry Bianquis proved "a true stateswoman".[2] He was the first Fatimid monarch to actively shift the responsibility of governing onto his officials, inaugurating a trend that would eventually lead to the complete political impotence of the Fatimid caliphs.[2]
Under this regime, the Fātimid state slipped into crisis - in Egypt, famine and plague led to anarchy in the years 1023–1025, and inPalestine andSyria, there was a revolt amongst theSunniBedouin (1024–1029). The coalition of rebels was fragmented by Fātimid diplomacy, after which GeneralAnushtakin al-Dizbari was able to defeat it militarily.
Meanwhile, in 1028 one of the governing circle,ʻAlī ibn Ahmad Jarjarai, was able to eliminate his colleagues and take over the office ofvizir, which he managed to retain until 1045. He enjoyed good relations with theByzantine Empire, even though the suzerainty overAleppo was constantly disputed, occasionally coming to arms. To improve relations withByzantine and theChristian subjects of the Fatimid realm, the rebuilding of theChurch of the Holy Sepulchre, destroyed in 1009, was authorised under his caliphate in a treaty with the Byzantine EmperorRomanus III. Actual building work, funded by the Byzantines, was not undertaken until 1042.
For the next seven years, theDruze faced extreme persecution by the new caliph, al-Zahir, who wanted to eradicate the faith completely.[3] This was the result of a power struggle inside of the Fatimid empire in which the Druze were viewed with suspicion because of their refusal to recognize the new caliph as theirIsmaili Imam. Many spies, mainly the followers ofal-Darazi, joined theMuwahhidun movement in order to infiltrate the Druze community. The spies set about agitating trouble and soiling the reputation of the Druze. This resulted in friction with the new caliph who clashed militarily with the Druze community. The clashes ranged fromAntioch toAlexandria, where tens of thousands of Druze were slaughtered by the Fatimid army.[4] The largest massacre was at Antioch, where 5,000 prominentDruze were killed, followed by that ofAleppo.[4] As a result, the faith went underground, in hope of survival, as those captured were either forced to renounce their faith or be killed. Druze survivors "were found principally in southern Lebanon and Syria". In 1038, two years after the death of al-Zahir, theDruze movement was able to resume because the new leadership that replaced him had friendly political ties with at least one prominent Druze leader.[3]
The period of his Imamate was fourteen years. After ʻAlī died of the plague 13 June 1036, his son became the eighth caliph under the regnal name ofal-Mustansir.
al-Zahir li-I'zaz Din Allah Born: 20 June 1005 Died: 13 June 1036 | ||
| Regnal titles | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Fatimid Caliph 13 February 1021 – 13 June 1036 | Succeeded by |
| Shia Islam titles | ||
| Preceded by | Imam ofIsma'ilism 13 February 1021 – 13 June 1036 | Succeeded by |
| International | |
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| National | |
