Mughatil ibn Bakri

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Mughatil ibn Atieh Bakri (مقاتل بن عطیه بکری) was a Medieval authority of the Nizamiyyah in Baghdad, and son in law of Nizam al-Mulk.

He is known by a treatise that he wrote, in which he recounts in detail a Sunni - Shia debate taking place in the court of Sultan Malik Shah I.

The text was written in Arabic under the title "مؤتمرعلماء بغداد" and has been translated into Persian under the title In search of Truth in Baghdad (در جستجوی حق در بغداد). It has also appeared under the title "راهي به سوي حقيقت" with ISBN 5-89328-796-4 as well.

According to the text, the debate took place with the Shah and his vizier Nizam ul-Mulk as arbiters, while the Sunni and Shia sides each offered their case to the Sultan. The debate finally ends with the Shia side convincing the Sultan and his Vizier (both of whom were followers of the Shafi'i school of Sunni Islam) to voluntarily convert to the Shia faith.

This, according to Mughatil, aroused the rage of some extremists of the Sunni establishment, eventually resulting in the assassination of both the Vizier and the Sultan.

The circumstances surrounding the murder of Nizam ul-Mulk and the Sultan have been reported differently by some other sources, yet the cause of their demise nevertheless remains shrouded in mystery.