Abu 'l-Fadl Muhammad ibn Abi Abdallah al-Husayn ibn Muhammad al-Katib, commonly known after his father as Ibn al-'Amid (died 970) was a
Persian statesman who served as the ''
vizier
A vizier (; ; ) is a high-ranking political advisor or Minister (government), minister in the Near East. The Abbasids, Abbasid caliphs gave the title ''wazir'' to a minister formerly called ''katib'' (secretary), who was at first merely a help ...
'' of the
Buyid ruler
Rukn al-Dawla for thirty years, from 940 until his death in 970. His son, , also called Ibn al-'Amid, succeeded him in his office.
Biography

Abu 'l-Fadl was from a low-class family. He was the son of a wheat merchant from
Qom, who served as a ''
kātib'' in
Khurasan
KhorasanDabeersiaghi, Commentary on Safarnâma-e Nâsir Khusraw, 6th Ed. Tehran, Zavvâr: 1375 (Solar Hijri Calendar) 235–236 (; , ) is a historical eastern region in the Iranian Plateau in West Asia, West and Central Asia that encompasses wes ...
and later attained the rank of ''
ʿamīd''. In 933, he was the vizier of
Vushmgir
Zahir al-Dawla Vushmgir was the second Ziyarid emir who ruled from 935 until his death in December 967. He was a son of Ziyar. Voshmgir means "quail catcher" in the local Caspian Iranian dialects.
Origins and early life
Vushmgir was the son o ...
. Abu 'l-Fadl's father was later taken captive by the
Samanids. He was assassinated at
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 ...
around 935.
Abu 'l-Fadl is first mentioned in 940, when the Buyid ruler Rukn al-Dawla, who greatly favoured him, appointed him as his vizier. In 948, Abu 'l-Fadl served as the tutor of Rukn al-Dawla's son
'Adud al-Dawla
Fannā (Panāh) Khusraw (), better known by his laqab of ʿAḍud al-Dawla (; 24 September 936 – 26 March 983) was an emir of the Buyid dynasty, ruling from 949 to 983. At the height of his power, he ruled an empire stretching from Makran ...
. In c. 955, a son of Abu 'l-Fadl's father's former overlord,
Muhammad ibn Makan, marched towards the domains of Rukn al-Dawla, conquering the important cities of
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 ...
and
Ray. During the invasion, Abu 'l-Fadl tried to repel Muhammad army, but was defeated. However, in a second battle, with the aid of Adud al-Dawla, he managed to rout them, reconquer lost territory, and capture Muhammad. Around the same time, another Dailamite military officer named
Ruzbahan rebelled against Mu'izz al-Dawla, while Ruzbahan's brother Bullaka rebelled against Adud al-Dawla in
Shiraz
Shiraz (; ) is the List of largest cities of Iran, fifth-most-populous city of Iran and the capital of Fars province, which has been historically known as Pars (Sasanian province), Pars () and Persis. As of the 2016 national census, the popu ...
. Abu 'l-Fadl, however, managed to suppress the rebellions. In the 960s, the prominent official
Ibn Miskawayh served Abu 'l-Fadl as his chief librarian in the library in Ray.
In 966, Abu 'l-Fadl was wounded during an invasion by ''
ghazis'' from
Khorasan, who plundered much of
Jibal
Jibāl (), also al-Jabal (), was the name given by the Arabs to a region and province located in western Iran, under the Umayyad and Abbasid Caliphates.
Its name means "the Mountains", being the plural of ''jabal'' ("mountain, hill"), highlight ...
, and marched towards the great library of Ray, which was, however, saved by Ibn Miskawayh. Rukn al-Dawla managed to repel them. The next year, under the orders of Rukn al-Dawla, Abu 'l-Fadl conquered
Azerbaijan
Azerbaijan, officially the Republic of Azerbaijan, is a Boundaries between the continents, transcontinental and landlocked country at the boundary of West Asia and Eastern Europe. It is a part of the South Caucasus region and is bounded by ...
, and restored the
Sallarid Ibrahim I ibn Marzuban I as the ruler of the region. Abu 'l-Fadl urged Rukn al-Dawla to depose Ibrahim and impose direct Buyid control on the region. Rukn al-Dawla, however, declined to take up his advice. In 970, Abu 'l-Fadl was sent on an expedition against the
Kurdish ruler
Hasanwayh, but Abu 'l-Fadl died before he managed to deal with him. Abu 'l-Fadl was succeeded as vizier by his son Abu'l-Fath who managed to deal with Hasanwayh.
Work
Abu 'l-Fadl enjoyed an excellent reputation as a scholar and became the patron of a literary circle. Amongst his outstanding contributions to science is his book entitled "Building Cities" in which he describes building methods and
construction
Construction are processes involved in delivering buildings, infrastructure, industrial facilities, and associated activities through to the end of their life. It typically starts with planning, financing, and design that continues until the a ...
planning. The book exists as an original
manuscript
A manuscript (abbreviated MS for singular and MSS for plural) was, traditionally, any document written by hand or typewritten, as opposed to mechanically printed or reproduced in some indirect or automated way. More recently, the term has ...
in one of the Arabic and Islamic libraries in
Istanbul
Istanbul is the List of largest cities and towns in Turkey, largest city in Turkey, constituting the country's economic, cultural, and historical heart. With Demographics of Istanbul, a population over , it is home to 18% of the Demographics ...
,
Turkey
Turkey, officially the Republic of Türkiye, is a country mainly located in Anatolia in West Asia, with a relatively small part called East Thrace in Southeast Europe. It borders the Black Sea to the north; Georgia (country), Georgia, Armen ...
.
References
Sources
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Abu 'l-Fadl ibn al-'Amid
Year of birth unknown
970 deaths
Iranian scholars
10th-century scholars
Buyid viziers
10th-century Iranian people
People from Qom