Abu al-Fadl al-Abbas ibn Muhammad (–February or March 1430), commonly known as al-Musta'in II, was the 10th "shadow"
Abbasid caliph
The Abbasid caliphs were the holders of the Islamic title of caliph who were members of the Abbasid dynasty, a branch of the Quraysh tribe descended from the uncle of the Islamic prophet Muhammad, Al-Abbas ibn Abd al-Muttalib.
The family came ...
of
Cairo
Cairo ( ; , ) is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Egypt and the Cairo Governorate, being home to more than 10 million people. It is also part of the List of urban agglomerations in Africa, largest urban agglomeration in Africa, L ...
, reigning under the tutelage of the
Egyptian Mamluk sultans from 1406 to 1414. He was the only Cairo-based caliph to hold political power as
Sultan of Egypt
Sultan of Egypt was the status held by the rulers of Egypt after the establishment of the Ayyubid dynasty of Saladin in 1174 until the Ottoman conquest of Egypt in 1517. Though the extent of the Egyptian Sultanate ebbed and flowed, it generally ...
,
albeit for only six months in 1412. All the other
Cairene caliphs who preceded or succeeded him were spiritual heads lacking any temporal power.
Life
Al-Musta'in was the son of
al-Mutawakkil I
Abu Abd Allah Muhammad ibn Abi Bakr (died 9 January 1406), commonly known as al-Mutawakkil I, was the 44th Abbasid caliphs of Cairo, Abbasid caliph and the seventh one to rule in Cairo, reigning from 1362 to 1383 and then from 1389 to 1406, unde ...
by a Turkish concubine named Bay Khatun. He succeeded his father as caliph on 22 January 1406.
At that point in time, the role of the caliphs had been reduced to legitimizing the rule of the
Burji Mamluk
Mamluk or Mamaluk (; (singular), , ''mamālīk'' (plural); translated as "one who is owned", meaning "slave") were non-Arab, ethnically diverse (mostly Turkic, Caucasian, Eastern and Southeastern European) enslaved mercenaries, slave-so ...
sultans through the issuance of certificates of investiture. Al-Musta'in accompanied Sultan
Faraj on his campaign in the
Levant
The Levant ( ) is the subregion that borders the Eastern Mediterranean, Eastern Mediterranean sea to the west, and forms the core of West Asia and the political term, Middle East, ''Middle East''. In its narrowest sense, which is in use toda ...
against the rebel ''amirs'' (governors) of
Aleppo
Aleppo is a city in Syria, which serves as the capital of the Aleppo Governorate, the most populous Governorates of Syria, governorate of Syria. With an estimated population of 2,098,000 residents it is Syria's largest city by urban area, and ...
and
Tripoli. Faraj's defeat at
Lajjun
Lajjun (, ''al-Lajjūn'') was a large Palestine (region), Palestinian Arab village located northwest of Jenin and south of the remains of the biblical city of Tel Megiddo, Megiddo. The Israeli kibbutz of Megiddo, Israel was built 600 metres ...
on 25 April 1412 resulted in anarchy. Al-Musta'in was captured by the rebels, who competed against each other for the sultanate. Unable to choose a candidate from among themselves, the quarreling Mamluks followed the advice of Faraj's son Fath Allah, who had suggested appointing al-Musta'in as sultan.
After formally removing Faraj from office, al-Musta'in reluctantly accepted the sultanate on 7 May 1412.
He agreed to take on the post only after having obtained assurance from the Mamluks that he would retain his position as caliph in the event of his deposition from the sultanate.
Faraj surrendered and was sentenced to death. His execution took place on 28 May. The Mamluk realms were divided, with
Nawruz al-Hafizi receiving the Syrian provinces and al-Musta'in returning to Egypt accompanied by
Shaykh al-Mahmudi and
Baktamur Djillik. Al-Musta'in took up his residence at the
Cairo Citadel
The Citadel of Cairo or Citadel of Saladin () is a medieval Islamic-era fortification in Cairo, Egypt, built by Salah ad-Din (Saladin) and further developed by subsequent Egyptian rulers. It was the seat of government in Egypt and the residenc ...
on 12 July.
He involved himself in the appointment and removal of ministers, and
coins were struck in his name.
This signalled his intention to rule as sultan and not to content himself with a figurehead role. Worried by such a prospect, Shaykh started to gradually isolate al-Musta'in, nearly turning him into a state prisoner. Baktamur Djillik's death on 15 September accelerated Shaykh's usurpation of power, which became complete when he had himself recognized as sultan on 6 November 1412, whereupon he assumed the title of al-Mu'ayyad. After long hesitation, al-Musta'in formally abdicated the sultanate, and was held in the Citadel. Having filled his role as
interim sultan, he expected to remain as caliph, as had been initially agreed upon. However, he was deposed from the caliphate by Shaykh on 9 March 1414, and replaced by his brother
al-Mu'tadid II
Al-Mu'tadid II (, Abū l-Fatḥ Dāwud al-Muʿtaḍid bi-Llāh; died 23 July 1441) was the eleventh Abbasid dynasty, Abbasid caliph of Cairo for the Mamluk Sultanate (Cairo), Mamluk Sultanate between 1414 and 1441.
References
*
Bibliography ...
.
Shaykh's dethronement of al-Musta'in was declared unlawful by the ''
ulama
In Islam, the ''ulama'' ( ; also spelled ''ulema''; ; singular ; feminine singular , plural ) are scholars of Islamic doctrine and law. They are considered the guardians, transmitters, and interpreters of religious knowledge in Islam.
"Ulama ...
''. Acting upon this, Nawruz al-Hafizi decided to wage battle against Shaykh.
The latter transferred al-Musta'in to
Alexandria
Alexandria ( ; ) is the List of cities and towns in Egypt#Largest cities, second largest city in Egypt and the List of coastal settlements of the Mediterranean Sea, largest city on the Mediterranean coast. It lies at the western edge of the Nile ...
along with Faraj's three sons on 29 January 1417.
According to 15th-century historian
al-Suyuti
Jalal al-Din al-Suyuti (; 1445–1505), or al-Suyuti, was an Egyptians, Egyptian Sunni Muslims, Muslim polymath of Persians, Persian descent. Considered the mujtahid and mujaddid of the Islamic 10th century, he was a leading Hadith studies, muh ...
, al-Musta'in remained in the Mediterranean city until the reign of Sultan
Sayf ad-Din Tatar, when he was released and allowed to return to Cairo. However, he preferred to stay in Alexandria, where he received considerable sums of money from the merchants.
He died there of
plague in 1430 at less than 40 years of age. In retrospect, al-Musta'in's short reign as sultan is viewed as a failed attempt at producing an Abbasid revival.
In 1455, his brother
al-Qa'im equally tried and failed to hold power as sultan.
Nevertheless, al-Musta'in's position as caliph was recognized far beyond Egypt's borders, with distant rulers such as
Ghiyasuddin Azam Shah
Ghiyasuddin A'zam Shah (, ) was the third Sultan of Bengal and the Ilyas Shahi dynasty. He was one of the most prominent medieval Bengali sultans. He established diplomatic relations with the Ming Empire of China, pursued cultural contacts with ...
of
Bengal
Bengal ( ) is a Historical geography, historical geographical, ethnolinguistic and cultural term referring to a region in the Eastern South Asia, eastern part of the Indian subcontinent at the apex of the Bay of Bengal. The region of Benga ...
sending him large sums of money.
See also
*
List of monarchs who lost their thrones in the 15th century
Notes
References
Further reading
*
*
*
ncludes a translation of Ibn Taghribirdi's text about the relevant years.
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Musta'in
1390s births
1430 deaths
15th-century Abbasid caliphs
Burji sultans
Cairo-era Abbasid caliphs
15th-century deaths from plague (disease)
15th century in the Mamluk Sultanate
Infectious disease deaths in Egypt
15th-century Mamluk sultans
Sons of Abbasid caliphs