Prelude to the Generals, A study of some aspects of the reign of the eighth 'Abbasid Caliph Al - Mu'tasim Bi - Allah (218 - 227AH/833 - 842AD)
تاريخ النشر: 01/01/2001
الناشر: Ithaca press
نبذة الناشر:The son of Al-Rashid of the Arabian Nights and a great grandson of Al-Mansur, founder of Baghdad and the architect of the Abbasid state, Al-Mu'tasim was destined to succeed to the caliphate. Inheriting a troubled and fragmented empire, Al-Mu'tasim was to be the last caliph of the illustrious Abbasid dynasty, ...which could be traced to Abbas, the Prophet Muhammad's uncle, to exercise such absolute-and inherited-power. Following his reign the power of the caliph dwindled as various military generals gained the ascendancy.
After civil war between Al-Mu'tasim's brothers Al-Amin and Al-Ma'mun divided the caliphate in two, Al-Ma'mun's policy of doctrinal intolerance shook the foundations of the Abbasid Caliphate and further weakened the state. Thus coming to power during a critical period, Al-Mu'tasim also had to contend with serious rebellion at home and a growing threat from Byzantium. His reign was, perhaps inevitably, a military one, and his widely-acknowledged valour and genius as a commander stood him in good stead.
Professor Osman Sayyid Ismail Al-Bili has a Ph.D. from SOAS, University of London and is a life member of Clare Hall, Cambridge. Formerly the Minister of Education and Chairman of C.H. Education in Sudan and a member of the Executive Board of UNESCO, Professor Al-Bili has held various senior academic posts in the UK, Nigeria and Qatar. Presently a Professor of Middle Eastern and Islamic History and General Supervisor of the Center of Muslim Contribution to Civilization, he has published many books and articles in his field. إقرأ المزيد