Ali ibn Ahmad al-Madhara'i (died 897) was a member of the

al-Madhara'i The al-Madhara'i ( ar, الماذرائيون) were a family of officials from Iraq who served as and virtually monopolized the posts of director of finances (''‘āmil'') of Egypt and Syria for the Tulunid dynasty, the Abbasid Caliphate, and the I ...

family of fiscal bureaucrats, serving as director of finances and

vizier A vizier (; ar, وزير, wazīr; fa, وزیر, vazīr), or wazir, is a high-ranking political advisor or minister in the near east. The Abbasid caliphs gave the title ''wazir'' to a minister formerly called ''katib'' (secretary), who was a ...

under the

Tulunids The Tulunids (), were a Mamluk dynasty of Turkic origin who were the first independent dynasty to rule Egypt, as well as much of Syria, since the Ptolemaic dynasty. They were independent from 868, when they broke away from the central authori ...

Egypt Egypt ( ar, مصر , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a transcontinental country spanning the northeast corner of Africa and southwest corner of Asia via a land bridge formed by the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Mediter ...

. As its ''

nisba The Arabic word nisba (; also transcribed as ''nisbah'' or ''nisbat'') may refer to: * Nisba, a suffix used to form adjectives in Arabic grammar, or the adjective resulting from this formation **comparatively, in Afro-Asiatic: see Afroasiatic_lang ...

'' shows, the family hailed from the village of Madharaya near

Wasit Wasit ( ar, وَاسِط, Wāsiṭ, syr, ‎ܘܐܣܛ) is an ancient city in Wasit Governorate, south east of Kut in eastern Iraq. History The city was built by al-Hajjaj ibn Yusuf in c. 702 CE on the west bank of the Tigris across from the hist ...

in lower

Iraq Iraq,; ku, عێراق, translit=Êraq officially the Republic of Iraq, '; ku, کۆماری عێراق, translit=Komarî Êraq is a country in Western Asia. It is bordered by Turkey to Iraq–Turkey border, the north, Iran to Iran–Iraq ...

. Ali was a son of the founder of the family's fortunes, Abu Bakr Ahmad ibn Ibrahim al-Madhara'i. Educated in the traditions of the

Abbasid The Abbasid Caliphate ( or ; ar, الْخِلَافَةُ الْعَبَّاسِيَّة, ') was the third caliphate to succeed the Islamic prophet Muhammad. It was founded by a dynasty descended from Muhammad's uncle, Abbas ibn Abdul-Muttalib ...

bureaucracy at

Samarra Samarra ( ar, سَامَرَّاء, ') is a city in Iraq. It stands on the east bank of the Tigris in the Saladin Governorate, north of Baghdad. The city of Samarra was founded by Abbasid Caliph Al-Mutasim for his Turkish professional army ...

, Ali and his sons moved to

, where in 879 Ahmad was appointed director of finances (''‘āmil'') by

Ahmad ibn Tulun Ahmad ibn Tulun ( ar, أحمد بن طولون, translit=Aḥmad ibn Ṭūlūn; c. 20 September 835 – 10 May 884) was the founder of the Tulunid dynasty that ruled Egypt and Syria between 868 and 905. Originally a Turkic slave-soldier, in 868 ...

, the autonomous ruler of Egypt and later

Syria Syria ( ar, سُورِيَا or سُورِيَة, translit=Sūriyā), officially the Syrian Arab Republic ( ar, الجمهورية العربية السورية, al-Jumhūrīyah al-ʻArabīyah as-Sūrīyah), is a Western Asian country loc ...

. Ahmad held his post until his death in 884, and appointed Ali and his brother

al-Husayn Abū ʿAbd Allāh al-Ḥusayn ibn ʿAlī ibn Abī Ṭālib ( ar, أبو عبد الله الحسين بن علي بن أبي طالب; 10 January 626 – 10 October 680) was a grandson of the Islamic prophet Muhammad and a son of Ali ibn Abi ...

as his representatives in Egypt and Syria respectively. Ali succeeded his father in 884, serving as

to the new

Tulunid The Tulunids (), were a Mamluk dynasty of Turkic peoples, Turkic origin who were the first independent dynasty to rule Egypt in the Middle Ages, Egypt, as well as much of Bilad al-Sham, Syria, since the Ptolemaic dynasty. They were independent f ...

ruler,

Khumarawayh ibn Ahmad ibn Tulun Abu 'l-Jaysh Khumārawayh ibn Aḥmad ibn Ṭūlūn ( ar, أبو الجيش خمارويه بن أحمد بن طولون; 864 – 18 January 896) was a son of the founder of the Tulunid dynasty, Ahmad ibn Tulun. His father, the autonomous ruler ...

, throughout the latter's reign (884–896). He continued in the post under Khumarawayh's underage successor,

Jaysh ibn Khumarawayh Abu 'l-Asakir Jaysh ibn Khumarawayh ( ar, أبو العساكر جيش بن خمارويه; born c. 882) was the third Emir of the Tulunids in Egypt in the Middle Ages, Egypt, ruling briefly in 896. The eldest son of Khumarawayh ibn Ahmad ibn Tul ...

, and was murdered on the same day as he in 897. Ali's sons, Abu'l-Tayyib Ahmad (died 915), and

Abu Bakr Muhammad Abu Bakr Muhammad (died 941) was the first Muhtajid ruler of Chaghaniyan (until 939) and governor of Samanid Khurasan (933–939). He was the son of Muzaffar ibn Muhtaj. Origins The origin of the Muhtajids is unknown. The name has been ...

, continued to occupy high office, Ahmad as fiscal director and Muhammad as vizier to the new Tulunid ruler,

Harun ibn Khumarawayh Harun ibn Khumarawayh ( ar, هارون بن خمارويه; died 30 December 904) was the fourth Tulunid Emir of Egypt (896–904). He succeeded his elder brother Abu 'l-Asakir Jaysh, who had been murdered by army chiefs. He left state affairs to ...

. Muhammad was the longest-serving and last important representative of the family, surviving the

recovery of the Tulunid domains and going on to serve the

Ikhshidid dynasty The Ikhshidid dynasty (, ) was a Turkic mamluk dynasty who ruled Egypt and the Levant from 935 to 969. Muhammad ibn Tughj al-Ikhshid, a Turkic mamluk soldier, was appointed governor by the Abbasid Caliph al-Radi. The dynasty carried the Arabic t ...

after 939.

References

Sources

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Ali Ibn Ahmad Al-Mashara'i 9th-century births 897 deaths Al-Madhara'i family Tulunid officials Viziers