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

al-Madhara'i The al-Madhara'i () 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 Ikhshidid dynasty, between ...

family of fiscal bureaucrats, serving as director of finances and

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 ...

under the

Tulunids The Tulunid State, also known as the Tulunid Emirate or The State of Banu Tulun, and popularly referred to as the Tulunids () was a Mamluk dynasty of Turkic peoples, Turkic origin who was the first independent dynasty to rule Egypt in the Middle ...

Egypt Egypt ( , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a country spanning the Northeast Africa, northeast corner of Africa and Western Asia, southwest corner of Asia via the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to northe ...

. As its ''

nisba The Arabic language, Arabic word nisba (; also transcribed as ''nisbah'' or ''nisbat'') may refer to: * Arabic nouns and adjectives#Nisba, Nisba, a suffix used to form adjectives in Arabic grammar, or the adjective resulting from this formation **c ...

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

Wasit Wasit (, ) was an early Islamic city in Iraq. It was founded in the 8th century by the Umayyad viceroy of Iraq, al-Hajjaj ibn Yusuf, to serve as the region's seat and as the garrison of the Syrian troops who enforced Umayyad rule there. It was ...

in lower

Iraq Iraq, officially the Republic of Iraq, is a country in West Asia. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to Iraq–Saudi Arabia border, the south, Turkey to Iraq–Turkey border, the north, Iran to Iran–Iraq border, the east, the Persian Gulf and ...

. 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 Abbasid Empire (; ) was the third caliphate to succeed the prophets and messengers in Islam, Islamic prophet Muhammad. It was founded by a dynasty descended from Muhammad's uncle, Abbas ibn Abd al-Muttalib (566–653 C ...

bureaucracy at

Samarra Samarra (, ') is a city in Iraq. It stands on the east bank of the Tigris in the Saladin Governorate, north of Baghdad. The modern city of Samarra was founded in 836 by the Abbasid caliph al-Mu'tasim as a new administrative capital and mi ...

, Ali and his sons moved to

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

Ahmad ibn Tulun Ahmad ibn Tulun (; c. 20 September 835 – 10 May 884) was the founder of the Tulunid dynasty that ruled Egypt in the Middle Ages, Egypt and Bilad al-Sham, Syria between 868 and 905. Originally a Turkic peoples, Turkic slave-soldier, in 868 Ibn ...

, the autonomous ruler of Egypt and later

Syria Syria, officially the Syrian Arab Republic, is a country in West Asia located in the Eastern Mediterranean and the Levant. It borders the Mediterranean Sea to the west, Turkey to Syria–Turkey border, the north, Iraq to Iraq–Syria border, t ...

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

al-Husayn Husayn ibn Ali (; 11 January 626 – 10 October 680 CE) was a social, political and religious leader in early medieval Arabia. The grandson of the Islamic prophet Muhammad and an Alid (the son of Ali ibn Abi Talib and Muhammad's daughter ...

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

to the new

Tulunid The Tulunid State, also known as the Tulunid Emirate or The State of Banu Tulun, and popularly referred to as the Tulunids () was a Mamluk dynasty of Turkic origin who was the first independent dynasty to rule Egypt, as well as much of Syria, s ...

ruler, Khumarawayh ibn Ahmad ibn Tulun, throughout the latter's reign (884–896). He continued in the post under Khumarawayh's underage successor, Jaysh ibn Khumarawayh, 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 Muhtajids, Muhtajid ruler of Chaghaniyan (until 939) and governor of Samanid Greater Khorasan, Khurasan (933–939). He was the son of Muzaffar ibn Muhtaj. Origins The origin of the Muhtajids is u ...

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

Harun ibn Khumarawayh Harun ibn Khumarawayh (; died 30 December 904) was the fourth Tulunid vassal 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 the vizier, Abu Ja'far i ...

. 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 dynasty of governors of mamluk origin, who governed Egypt and parts of the Levant from 935 to 969 on behalf of the Abbasid Caliphate. The dynasty carried the Arabic title "Wāli" reflecting their position a ...

after 939.

References

Sources

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Ali Ibn Ahmad Al-Mashara'i 9th-century births 897 deaths Al-Madhara'i family Tulunid officials Viziers in the medieval Islamic world 9th-century government officials