The Banu'l-Furat () were a
Shia
Shia Islam is the second-largest branch of Islam. It holds that Muhammad designated Ali ibn Abi Talib () as both his political successor (caliph) and as the spiritual leader of the Muslim community (imam). However, his right is understood ...
family of civil functionaries of the
Abbasid Caliphate
The Abbasid Caliphate or Abbasid Empire (; ) was the third caliphate to succeed the Islamic prophet Muhammad. It was founded by a dynasty descended from Muhammad's uncle, Abbas ibn Abd al-Muttalib (566–653 CE), from whom the dynasty takes ...
in the late 9th and early 10th centuries, several of whom held the office of
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 ...
. In the sources, the members of the family are often simply designated as Ibn al-Furat. Along with their rivals, the
Banu'l-Jarrah, they controlled the Caliphate's central government in the early decades of the 10th century.
The most notable members of the family were:
*
Abu'l-Abbas Ahmad ibn Muhammad ibn Musa ibn al-Hasan ibn al-Furat (died 904), chief fiscal minister of the caliphs
al-Mu'tadid
Abū al-ʿAbbās Aḥmad ibn Ṭalḥa ibn Jaʿfar ibn Muḥammad ibn Hārūn (), 853/4 or 860/1 – 5 April 902, better known by his regnal name al-Muʿtaḍid bi-llāh (), was the caliph of the Abbasid Caliphate from 892 until his death ...
and
al-Muktafi
Abū Muḥammad ʿAlī ibn Aḥmad ibn Ṭalḥa ibn Jaʿfar ibn Muḥammad ibn Hārūn al-Muktafī bi'Llāh (; 877/78 – 13 August 908), better known by his regnal name al-Muktafī bi-Llāh (), was the caliph of the Abbasid Caliphate f ...
until his death.
*
Abu'l-Hasan Ali ibn Muhammad ibn Musa ibn al-Hasan ibn al-Furat (855–924), originally deputy of his brother Ahmad,
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 ...
in 908–912, 917–918 and 923–924. Deposed and executed with his son al-Muhassin due to their abuse of power in July 924.
* Abu'l-Khattab Ja'far ibn Muhammad ibn Musa ibn al-Hasan ibn al-Furat (died 909/10), head of the land department of East and West from 908 to his death.
*
Abu'l-Fath al-Fadl ibn Ja'far ibn al-Furat (died 938), held several posts in the fiscal ministries of land revenue, vizier for a few months in 932 and in 937. Last vizier of Caliph al-Muqtadir-billah. He was also vizier of the caliph al-Radi.
*
Abu'l-Fadl Ja'far ibn al-Fadl ibn al-Furat (921–1001), also known as Ibn Hinzaba. Vizier of the
Ikhshidids
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 ...
of
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 ...
, he headed the administration during the last years before the
Fatimid
The Fatimid Caliphate (; ), also known as the Fatimid Empire, was a caliphate extant from the tenth to the twelfth centuries CE under the rule of the Fatimid dynasty, Fatimids, an Isma'ili Shi'a dynasty. Spanning a large area of North Africa ...
conquest of the country.
Sources
*
* {{EI2 , volume = 3 , title = Ibn al-Furāt , first = D. , last = Sourdel , authorlink = Dominique Sourdel , pages = 767–768 , doi =10.1163/1573-3912_islam_COM_0322
* Abdullah Burgu, Vizier Ibn al-Furât and His Family During the Collapse of Abbasids (PhD thesis under preparation, Selcuk University)
Government of the Abbasid Caliphate
Arab ethnic groups