Ahmad
bin Nasr's Revolt and Death
Ahmad bin Nasr bin Malik bin Haitham
Khazai's grand father Malik bin Khazai was one of the deputies of the
propagation of the Abbasids cause. Ahmed bin Nasr used to live in the company
of the scholars of Hadith and was counted among them. He was opposed to the
issue of the Quran's creation that was why a large group of people took the
oath at his hands against the Caliphate of the Abbasids. He revolted in Baghdad
on Wednesday night 3 Shaban 231 A.H. and beat the war drums. The Baghdad Police
swung into action and arrested him very tactfully.
Ahmad bin Nasr and his men were sent
to Wathiq Billah as captives. Wathiq killed Nasr with his own hands. He cut off
his head and sent his body to Baghdad. The body was hung on the gate of Baghdad
and his head on the clock tower of Baghdad. A special guard was deputed with
instructions that he should not let the face be pointed towards the Qiblah
(direction of prayer). A sign was hung from his ear with the words: "This
is Ahmad bin. Nasr bin Malik's head whom the Caliph invited to accept the faith
of Qur'ān's creation but he declined. Then Allāh quickly invited him to the
fire of Hell." Ahmad bin Nasr's murder took place earlier than Abu Abdur
Rahman Abdullah bin Mohammad Azdi's experience with the Caliph, which has been
mentioned above.
The
Exchange Prisoners of War with the Romans
The chain of battles with the Romans
had been going on continuously. The Muslims continued to defeat the Romans and
at times, they reached Constantinople. However, the Roman Empire could not be
destroyed. During the period of the rightly guided Caliphs, the Iranian empire
was totally annihilated but the Roman Empire survived. Although Syria, Palestine,
and Egypt were taken from the Romans and no stone was left unturned by the
Muslims to capture Constantinople and enter Europe, civil wars among the
Muslims started and Constantinople and Europe were spared from being overrun by
the hooves of the Muslims' horses. The series of these internal struggles
continued in such a way that they did not appear to have an end and none of the
Caliphs had a chance and the time necessary to concentrate all their power on
Europe nor was any of them able to stop the rebellions and uprisings in the
Islamic territories.
In short, the internal bickering of
the Muslims saved the Roman Emperor in Constantinople and the other European
countries. The skirmishes between the Muslims and the Christians along the
borders continued. Sometimes a Caliph invaded the Romans and returned to the
capital after threatening and punishing them but it was never possible for him
to be away from his capital for an extended period of time. Even during Wathiq
Billah's regime skirmishes with the Romans went on. During Caliph Haroon
Rasheed's time, the exchange of the Christian and Muslim prisoners took place
twice. The exchange had taken place on the bank of the river Lams and on 10
Muharram 231 A.H. during Wathiq Billah's regime it took place there for a third
time. The procedure adopted was as follows: Two bridges across the river were
constructed in parallel. On one bridge, the Christian prisoners crossed over
and on the other bridge the Muslim prisoners crossed from the other side. This
was done to insure that the number of Muslims released equaled the number of
Christians released. Wathiq Billah sent Khaqan on his behalf to the riverbank
along with the Christian prisoners. When an equal number of prisoners were
exchanged and all the Muslim prisoners numbering 4,600 were released, there
still remained many Roman prisoners in the Muslims custody.
Saying, "In this exchange we
should have the upper hand and this is a type of obligation on the Romans from
us," Khaqan then set the remaining Roman prisoners free.
The
death of Wathiq Billah
Wathiq Billah came to suffer from
dropsy. His whole body swelled up. He was made to sit on a hot oven. This
improved his condition. The next day the oven was heated a bit more and he sat
for a longer period, which caused fever. They took him out and put him on a
litter for a tour. When it was put down, they found him dead. Immediately
members of the government Qadi Ahmad bin Dawood, Muhammad bin Abdul Malik Prime
Minister Itakh, Waseef and Umar bin Farah assembled at the Caliph's palace and
decided to enthrone Mohammad bin Wathiq Billah, a young boy of 9 years. At that
moment Waseef addressed them saying, "Don't you fear Allāh making such a
young boy Caliph?"
Hearing these words, they realized
their mistake. They stopped and began to discuss who was the most deserving
man. At last, Wathiq Billah's brother Jafar bin Motasim was called made to put
on the royal robe and sit on the throne of the Caliphate. He was given the
title Motawakkil Alallāh, Motawakkil Alallāh took the oath for Caliphate from
all, led the funeral prayer and ordered the burial.
Wathiq Billah was buried in Hadi
palace. He ruled for 5 years and 9 months. He died on Tuesday 24 Thul Hijjah
232 A.H. at the age of 36. He was very firm and forbearing. However, he
committed excesses regarding the issue of the Qur'ān's creation. He was cured
of this craze at the end of his life.
Note: Caliph Wathiq's body was left
alone after death and everyone was busy taking the oath from Motawakkil
Alallāh's hands while an animal came ate his eyes out of his head.
Motawakkil
Alallāh
Motawakkil Alallāh bin Motasim bin
Haroon Rasheed's real name was Jafar. His kunya was Abul Fadl. He was born of a
slave-girl named Shuja. He ascended the throne after Wathiq's death on 24 Thul Hijjah
232 A.H. Immediately after becoming Caliph he disbursed salaries for 8 months
to the army and made his son Muntasir the ruler of Hijaz, Yemen and Taif.
Mohammad
bin Abdul Malik's Deposition and Death
Mohammad bin Abdul Malik Zayyat had
been Prime Minister since Motasim's times. Even during Wathiq Billah's regime,
he continued in that post. During Motawakkil Alallāh's Caliphate, he remained
Prime Minister and then he was deposed and punished.
The following are the details:
During his Caliphate, Wathiq Billah was displeased with his brother Motawakkil
Alallāh. Motawakkil Alalāh went to Prime Minister Mohammad bin Abdul Malik and
requested him to recommend him to the Amir al-Muminin and improve his standing
with him. Due to his long term of office, the Prime Minister he had grown a bit
arrogant, ill tempered and unbalanced. He paid little attention to Motawakkil
Alallāh and treated him discourteously and said to him "Mend your ways and
the Amir al-Muminin will automatically be pleased with you and no recommendation
is needed." After that, he complained to Wathiq Billah against him saying,
"He came to me for a recommendation to you. When I saw his hair growing
like a woman, I did not talk to him." Wathiq called Motawakkil Alallāh to
the court, had his hair cut and turned him out of the court. The engineer of
this humiliation was Mohammad bin Abdul Malik, Motawakkil Alallāh after two
months of his assuming power, ordered Itakh to arrest Mohammad bin Abdul Malik
at home and send the message to all the occupied countries that all his
property and goods wherever they were should be confiscated. In compliance with
the order, Itakh imprisoned him, had his goods brought to Baghdad and deposited
them in the royal treasury. Mohammad bin Abdul Malik could not stand the rigors
of captivity and died on 15 Rabi-al-Awwal 233 A.H. in that state. Omar bin
Farah was also arrested and imprisoned like him in Ramadan 233 A.H. but was
later released on payment of 1,100,000 dirhams.
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