Al-Mustansir Billah

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Al-Mustansir Billah bigraphy, stories - Fatimid caliph

Al-Mustansir Billah : biography

July 5, 1029 – January 10, 1094

() (July 5, 1029 – January 10, 1094) (d. aged ), was born in Cairo on 16th Jumada II, 420 AH and eight months afterwards was declared to succeed his father. His name was Ma’d Abu Tamim, surnamed al-Mustansir bil-Lah "The Asker Of Victory From God". He ascended to the Fatimid Caliphate throne on 15th Shaban, 427/June 13, 1036 at the age of . During the early years of his Caliphate, the state affairs were administered by his mother. His period of Caliphate lasted for 60 years, the longest of all the caliphs, either in Egypt or elsewhere in Islamic states.

Mustansir as Imam amongst Shia Islam

The tree blow depicts Mustansir amongst prominent Imam in Shia Islam:

Famine

Between 457/1065 and 464/1072, famine degraded conditions in Egypt from bad to worse. Meanwhile, in 454/1062 and again in 459/1067, the struggle between the Turkish and Sudanese soldiery deteriorated into open warfare, ending in a victory for the Turks.

During this same period, Berber nomadic tribes from lower Egypt deliberately aggravated the distress by ravaging the countryside, destroying the embankments and canals of the Nile. The ten thousand animals that al-Mustansir’s stables once held reportedly deteriorated to the point where only three thin horses were left; it is said that eventually al-Mustansir alone possessed a horse, and that when he rode out, the courtiers followed on foot, having no beast to carry them; it is also said that his escort once fainted from hunger as it accompanied him through the streets. As long as the calamity lasted, the condition of the country continued to decline. The protracted famine was followed inevitably by plague; whole districts were absolutely denuded of population and house after house lay empty.

Vizir of his period

Badr al-Jamali()

Badr al-Jamali() was a visir, "Amir al Juyush"(Arabic: امير الجيوش, Commander of Forces), Badi Al-Duat( Chief Missionary) and prominent statesman for the Fatimids under the Caliphate and Imamate of Al-Mustansir. Ethnically an Armenian, he was purchased by a Syrian emir, Jamal ud-Dawla, for a relatively small price. Later he became a Mamluk. He was later appointed as the governor of Acre during his service.http://ismaili.net/heritage/node/17916 He was appointed Commander of the Armies in 1074 and died in 1094, during which he was the de facto ruler of the Fatimid kingdom, his authority being over everything except the Caliphate. Badr Al-Jamali built many structures under Imam Mustansir, including:

  • Al-Jam`e Al-Juyushi
  • Bab al-Futuh
  • Bab al-Nasr
  • Bab Zuweila

Ali bin Ahmad Jarjarai

Ali bin Ahmad Jarjarai, an able vizir, whose period in office was one of prosperity in Egypt, died in 436/1044. He was followed by Ibn al-Anbari and Abu Mansur Sadaqa, but neither of them were considered especially competent. In 442/1050, a more capable vizir, Abu Muhammad Hasan bin Abdur Rehman Yazuri, came to office, which he held for 8 years; he was considered an earnest reformer. He was followed during the next 15 years (450-466/1058-1073) by about 40 vizirs one after another in rapid succession, but none equated him, as their main ‘accomplishments’ appear to be that they squandered the royal treasury.

Turkish mercenaries

Concurrently, the Turkish mercenaries had drained the treasury; many of the works of art and valuables of all sorts in the palace were sold to satisfy their demands—often they themselves were the purchasers, at merely nominal prices, and resold the articles thus gained at a profit. Emeralds valued at 300,000 dinars were bought by one Turkish general for 500 dinars, and in one fortnight of the year 460/1068articles to the value of 30,000,000 dinars were sold off to provide pay for the Turks. The precious library, which had been rendered available to the public and was one of the atttractions for many who visited Cairo, was scattered; the books were torn up, thrown away, or used to light fires. At length, the Turks began fighting amongst themselves. Nasir ad-Dawla, the Turkish general of the Fatimid army, had invested the city, which was defended by the rival faction of the Turkish guard; after burning part of Fustat and defeating the defenders, he entered as conqueror. When he reached the palace, he found al-Mustansir lodged in rooms which had been stripped bare, waited on by only three slaves, and subsisting on two loaves which were sent him daily by the daughters of Ibn Babshand, the grammarian.