Q. & A. 711 to 1707 with solved Papers css 1971 to date

41
AL-MAHDI
(775-785 A.D./158-169 A.H.)
Succession
Mansur was succeeded by his son Mahdi in 158/775 and his accession was inaugurated by granting freedom to the prisoners and distributing gifts and alms among the subjects. Mahdi was benevolent ruler and wise administrator. Rebellions
Although his father had perpetrated cruelties yet he had left a peaceful kingdom for his smooth sailing. Mahdi’s benevolent rule was however, occasionally disturbed by outbreaks of rebellions. In

160 H/776-7 Yusuf, a chief rebelled in Khurasan. His rebellion was put down by force. He was put to torture anr? his followers were dicapitated. Ya’qub an and had been thrown ’nto prison by Mansur but was released by Mahdi and raised to the ministry with unlimited power. People became jealous of his property and speaking ill of him, antagonised the caliph against him. He was found guilty of helping an and pretender and put into a gloomy prison to lose his eyesight ultimately. He was released much later by Harun with permission to retire to Makkah. Zandiqs

The religious role of the Abbasids was emphasised by suppressing heresy. Mahdi hated the Zandiqs (Manichaeans) because their tenets were not only against Islam but their loosen social and domestic morals corrupted the Muslims. A blind Zandiq poet was put to death for composing verses free of tenets. A number of Manichaeans were killed at Aleppo. A separate department under Sahib ai-Zandiq a ministry was established to deal with the Zandiqs who were charged with heresy and an inquisition was started against them. Appearance of a Veiled Prophet is Khurasan
Beyond the Oxus in Central Asia there arose a veiied Prophet who claimed divine honours and taught about the incarnation of God in Adam and through him to Abu Muslim. He
Al-Mahdi
531
was worshipped as such by a large number of Turkish Muslims in Bukhara and the surrounding districts. They resisted the Muslim authority far four years 158-6l/Nov. 774-Sep. 778. In the long run he proved to be an imposter and could not satisfy his followers, inquisitiveness and as a result he was deserted by a large number of them. Finding himself in dire straits he took refuge in the fortress of Sanam, at Kesh in Transoxiana and burnt himself and his family by setting fire to the house in which he had taken refuge. War with the Byzantines
The frontier was with the Byzantines continued intermittently in Asia Minor for a greater part of Mahdi’s reign. During his time the Byzantines took courage to make inroads on lands as far as Ancyra in Asia Minor, and ravaged the Syrian border. Harun a prince of about 20 years, accompanied by Khalid was sent against the Byzantines at the head of 100,000 soldiers. The army marched along the Mediterrian coast up to Chyrsopolis (modern Scutari) on the Bosphorus and obliged the regent Irene mother of Constantine VI to make peace on payment of a heavy tribute of

70,000 dinars by half-yearly installments in 156/772. In appreciation of his military achievement Harun was appointed governor of the western provinces including Azerbaijan and given the honorific title of al-Rashid (the upright).1 Death of Mahdi

Mahdi had two sons, Musa and Harun, from Khayzuran. He nominated his elder son Musa, surnamed al-Hadi as his successor in

160/Oct. 776-7 and six years after he proclaimed Harun, second in succession, under the title al-Rashid. Some times after Mahdi changed his mind and desired that the elder brother should wave his claim for throne in favour of his younger brother. Hadi did not agree and Mahdi marched on Jurjan (Gurgan) against Hadi on the way he died of eating poisoned food on the 22nd Muharram 169/Aug. 4,

785. Thus the succession of Hadi remained unaltered.
Mansur had left the treasury full which Mahdi used for the development of the empire. He enlarged and beautified mosques repaired the inns and roads, constructed highways, made the pilgrim caravanserais commodious and developed the postal service. Relays of donkeys and camels were posted between the main town of Makkah, Medina, Yamamah and Baghdad and a mint was established at Isa-Abad. The administrative departments of Umayyad’s time were bifurcated and enlarged and new departments
1 S.M Imamuddin, Political History of the Muslims, Vol.11, Part I, P. 122.

532
Political and Cultural History of Islam

were introduced. The Diwaun al-Azma was established to look after them. The caliph’s agent called amin was posted to oversee the whole empire and keep Mahdi informed about the conduct of the officials, their justice and moderation.
The cities and places of strategic importance were garrisoned. Rusafah the eastern suburb of Baghdad was put in a state of good defence. It developed into a centre of trade with India. Indigenous industries were patronised and developed. Philosophy, literature, poetry and music received patronage from the caliph and his courtiers. The first book on the rules and the regulation of Kharaj was written by his wazir Mu’awiya bin Yasar (Abu’Ubayd Ullah) who imposed Kharaj on fruit trees and introducing sharing system in land taxation besides instituting other administrative charges. Ibn alMuqaffah translated the Middle Persian accounts of Persian history. The Khuda inamah and Indian fables like the Kalilah wa Dimnah into Arabic and also composed a few works on political wisdom. Later he was killed by Mahdi who also killed the poet Salih Ibn Abdul-Quddus who preached the Persian dualism and the blind poet Bashar Ibn Bural who wrote in praise of fire worship of his ancestors. Mahdi was a learned man and he patronised ulama and others and spent lavishly in granting stipends and pensions to them till his father’s treasury became empty.2
On his accession he released all prisoners of his father’s time and granted them stipends and returned the confiscated properties of the people. Laxity of manners influenced the commoners. Mahdi frequented Jerusalem and made a pilgrimage to Makkah where he distributed clothes and gifts among the citizens and changed the ghilaf (covering) of the Ka’bah annually. His example was followed by his successois. Under his caliphate the governor of Makkah, Medina and al-Yamamah, Jafar rebuilt and enlarged the two mosques of Makkah and Medina. The chief mosque of Basrah was also extended. Mahdi preferred equality and simplicity, so Maqsurah was removed from the mosque and the height of pulpit was reduced to that of Minbar in the Masjid Nabawi.
In order to balance the power and influence of the Turkish soldiery he appointed 500 Medinite guards and assigned lands for their support a policy worth experiment but not followed by his successors. Although he was fond of pleasure, he was vigilant in administration and active in battle field. He had a successful reign.
Muir, The Caliphate, P.468.
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