Abu'l-Fadl al-Isfahani, also known as the Isfahani Mahdi, was a young Persian man who in 931 CE was declared to be "God incarnate" by the Qarmatian leader of Bahrayn,

Abu Tahir al-Jannabi Abu Tahir Sulayman al-Jannabi (, Persian: ابوطاهر بهرام گناوه‌ای, romanized: ''Abū-Tāher Bahrām Ganāveh'ī'') was a Persian warlord and the ruler of the Qarmatian state in Bahrayn. He became the leader of the state i ...

. This new apocalyptic leader, however, caused great disruption by rejecting traditional aspects of

Islam Islam is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the Quran, and the teachings of Muhammad. Adherents of Islam are called Muslims, who are estimated to number Islam by country, 2 billion worldwide and are the world ...

, and promoting ties to

Zoroastrianism Zoroastrianism ( ), also called Mazdayasnā () or Beh-dīn (), is an Iranian religions, Iranian religion centred on the Avesta and the teachings of Zoroaster, Zarathushtra Spitama, who is more commonly referred to by the Greek translation, ...

. Abu Tahir thought that he had identified the

Mahdi The Mahdi () is a figure in Islamic eschatology who is believed to appear at the Eschatology, End of Times to rid the world of evil and injustice. He is said to be a descendant of Muhammad in Islam, Muhammad, and will appear shortly before Jesu ...

as a young Persian prisoner from

Isfahan Isfahan or Esfahan ( ) is a city in the Central District (Isfahan County), Central District of Isfahan County, Isfahan province, Iran. It is the capital of the province, the county, and the district. It is located south of Tehran. The city ...

by the name of Abu'l-Fadl al-Isfahani, who claimed to be a descendant of the

Sassanid Persia The Sasanian Empire (), officially Eranshahr ( , "Empire of the Iranian peoples, Iranians"), was an List of monarchs of Iran, Iranian empire that was founded and ruled by the House of Sasan from 224 to 651. Enduring for over four centuries, th ...

n kings.The Other God: Dualist Religions from Antiquity to the Cathar Heresy by Yuri Stoyanov Al-Isfahani had been brought back to Bahrayn from the Qarmatians' raid into Iraq in 928. In 931, Abu Tahir turned over the state to this Mahdi-Caliph, said in fact to be a

Zoroastrian Zoroastrianism ( ), also called Mazdayasnā () or Beh-dīn (), is an Iranian religion centred on the Avesta and the teachings of Zarathushtra Spitama, who is more commonly referred to by the Greek translation, Zoroaster ( ). Among the wo ...

revivalist with anti-Arab sentiments. He reinstituted the veneration of fire and engaged in burning of religious books during an eighty-day rule. Isfahani also is thought to have some links with established Zoroastrian orthodoxy as the high priest of the Zoroastrians. Esfandiar Adarbad was executed by the Abbasid Caliph after being accused of complicity with Abu Tahir. His reign culminated in the execution of members of Bahrayn's notable families, including members of Abu Tahir's family.Farhad Daftary, The Assassin Legends: Myths of the Isma'ilis, IB Tauris, 1994, p21 Abu Tahir's mother conspired to get rid of Abu'l-Fadl; she faked her death and sent a messenger to call the

to resurrect her. When he refused, he was exposed as being a normal human, and Abu Tahir's brother Sa'id killed Abu'l-Fadl after the Mahdi had reigned for only eighty days. Other accounts say fearing for his own life, Abu Tahir announced that he had been wrong and denounced the al-Isfahani as a false Mahdi. Begging forgiveness from the other notables, Abu Tahir had him executed.

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* * * * * {{cite book , last=Madelung , first=Wilferd , author-link = Wilferd Madelung , chapter = The Fatimids and the Qarmatīs of Bahrayn , pages = 21–73 , title=Mediaeval Isma'ili History and Thought , editor-last = Daftary , editor-first = Farhad , editor-link = Farhad Daftary , year = 1996 , publisher=

Cambridge University Press Cambridge University Press was the university press of the University of Cambridge. Granted a letters patent by King Henry VIII in 1534, it was the oldest university press in the world. Cambridge University Press merged with Cambridge Assessme ...

, isbn=978-0-521-00310-0 , chapter-url={{Google books, 8eebGQXgPcQC, page=21, plainurl=y Qarmatians 931 deaths People from Bahrain (historical region) Iranian Zoroastrians 10th-century Iranian people Mahdism