Al-Muqtafi

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For the 10th-century caliph, see Al-Muktafi. For the Palestinian legal database, see Al-Muqtafi (legal and judicial).

Al-Muqtafi (1096 – 12 March 1160) (Arabic: المقتفي لأمر الله‎) was the Abbasid Caliph in Baghdad from 1136 to 1160. The continued disunion and contests between Seljuk Turks afforded al-Muqtafi opportunity of not only maintaining his authority in Baghdad, but also extending it throughout Iraq.

Al-Muqtafi was able to defend the Capital from various attacks. But he was ill-advised enough to support the rebellion of a son of Seljuk Sultan of Hamadan, who in response marched against Baghdad and forced the Caliph to take refuge in the eastern quarter, initiating the Seljuk siege of Baghdad 1157. Later the Caliph was recalled by the Sultan who needed him to quell a more serious rising in the East when Malik Shah took Hamadan. Al-Muqtafi again received favor by the Seljuk, who betrothed himself to one of his daughters.

During this Caliphate, the Crusade was raging furiously, and Zengi, the governor of Mosul and founder of Zengid dynasty, obtained high distinction as a brave and generous warrior. At one time hard pressed, Zengi made urgent appeal for help to Baghdad. The Sultan and the Caliph despatched 20,000 men in response. But in reality neither the Seljuks, nor the Caliph, nor their Amirs, had any enthusiasm in war against Crusaders.

Al-Muqtafi is praised by early Muslim historians as virtuous, able, and brave. During his Caliphate of twenty-five years, he conducted many minor expeditions against enemies in the vicinity.

A charter of protection granted by al-Muqtafi in 1139 to the Nestorian patriarch ʿAbdishoʿ III was published in 1926 by the Chaldean scholar Alphonse Mingana.^[1]

Notes

↑ Mingana, A., 'A Charter of Protection Granted to the Nestorian Church in AD 1138 by Muktafi II, Caliph of Baghdad', Bulletin of the John Rylands Library, 10 (1926), 126-33

References

This text is adapted from William Muir's public domain, The Caliphate: Its Rise, Decline, and Fall.

Sunni Islam titles
Al-Muqtafi Abbasid dynasty Cadet branch of the Banu Hashim Born: ? Died: 1160
Preceded by Al-Rashid	Caliph of Islam 1136–1160	Succeeded by Al-Mustanjid

v t e Abbasid Caliphs

Caliphs of Baghdad (749–1258)	as-Saffah al-Mansur al-Mahdi al-Hadi Harun al-Rashid al-Amin al-Ma'mun Ibrahim ibn al-Mahdi^[B] al-Mu'tasim al-Wathiq al-Mutawakkil al-Muntasir al-Musta'in al-Mu'tazz al-Muhtadi al-Mu'tamid al-Mu'tadid al-Muktafi al-Muqtadir Abdallah ibn al-Mu'tazz^[B] al-Muqtadir al-Qahir al-Muqtadir al-Qahir ar-Radi al-Muttaqi al-Mustakfi al-Muti at-Ta'i al-Qadir al-Qa'im al-Muqtadi al-Mustazhir al-Mustarshid al-Rashid al-Muqtafi al-Mustanjid al-Mustadi al-Nasir az-Zahir al-Mustansir al-Musta'sim (Mongol conquest)

Caliphs of Cairo (1261–1517)	al-Mustansir al-Hakim I al-Mustakfi I al-Wathiq I al-Hakim II al-Mu'tadid I al-Mutawakkil I al-Musta'sim al-Mutawakkil I al-Wathiq II al-Musta'sim al-Mutawakkil I al-Musta'in al-Mu'tadid II al-Mustakfi II al-Qa'im al-Mustanjid al-Mutawakkil II al-Mustamsik al-Mutawakkil III al-Mustamsik al-Mutawakkil III (Ottoman conquest)

^[B] indicates ephemeral caliphs recognized in the city of Baghdad only

Persondata
Name	Al-Muqtafi
Alternative names
Short description	Abbasid Caliph
Date of birth
Place of birth
Date of death	1160
Place of death

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