31 Facts About Al-Mahdi

Al-Mahdi was born in 744 or 745 AD in the village of Humeima.

Al-Mahdi's mother was called Arwa, and his father was al-Mansur.

Al-Mahdi defeated the uprisings of Ispahbud, the governor of Tabaristan, and Astazsis, massacring more than 70,000 of his followers in Khorasan.

Al-Mahdi expanded the mail service, increased his secret service, fortified cities, and increased judicial appointments.

Al-Mahdi increased his line of control from Syria to the Armenian frontier and claimed the strategic town of Tarsus, that linked Anatolia, Syria, and northern Iraq.

Al-Mahdi was poisoned by one of his concubines in 785 AD.

Al-Mahdi prepared a dish of sweets and placed a poisonous pear at the top of the plate.

Al-Mahdi sent the dish to her adversary via a servant Mahdi intercepted the plate and ate the pear without hesitation.

Al-Mahdi's first concubine when he was a prince was Muhayyat.

Al-Mahdi was the mother of caliphs al-Hadi and Harun al-Rashid.

Al-Mahdi had another son named Isa, and a daughter named Banuqah or Banujah.

Al-Mahdi was born in Mecca and brought up in Jurash.

Al-Mahdi had two sisters, Salsal and Asma, and a brother Ghitrif.

Al-Mahdi was the daughter of Caliph al-Saffah and his wife Umm Salamah, a Makhzumite.

Al-Mahdi's mother was Bakand, the daughter of Isbahbadh, Farrukhan the Little.

Al-Mahdi bore al-Mahdi a son named for his grandfather, Mansur, and two daughters, Sulaimah and Aliyah.

Al-Mahdi was acquired by al-Mahdi together with al-Bahtariyah, when she was a child.

Al-Mahdi presented her to his concubine Muhayyat, who, discovering musical talent in the child, sent her to the famous school of Taif in the Hijaz for a thorough musical education.

Al-Mahdi gave birth to al-Mahdi's powerful and dark-skinned son Ibrahim.

Al-Mahdi had bought her about the same period for 17,000 gold dinars.

Al-Mahdi then married her, settling on her a marriage portion of one million dirhams.

Al-Mahdi continued to expand the Abbasid administration, creating new diwans, or departments: for the army, the chancery, and taxation.

Al-Mahdi had two important religious policies: the persecution of the zanadiqa, or dualists, and the declaration of orthodoxy.

Al-Mahdi focused on the persecution of the zanadiqa in order to improve his standing among the purist Shi'i, who wanted a harder line on heresies, and found the spread of syncretic Muslim-polytheist sects to be particularly virulent.

Al-Mahdi declared that the caliph had the ability, and indeed the responsibility, to define the orthodox theology of Muslims to protect the umma against heresy.

Al-Mahdi made great use of this broad, new power, and it would become important during the 'mihna' crisis of al-Ma'mun's reign.

Al-Mahdi was very interested in consulting with his wife, al-Khaizuran in the all important daily affairs of the government.

Al-Mahdi did not oppose her, and he gave her a relatively free hand from the Bayt al-mal.

Al-Mahdi vacationed for long periods of time at al-Rusafa, officially, allowed his wife, Khaizuran to run certain matters pertaining to the state, and in general, liked to have a good time.

Al-Mahdi used several styles of coinage but the traditional Islamic style of Gold dinar, silver dirham and Copper fals were common.

Al-Mahdi was promoted to Caliph's heir and given the responsibility of governing the empire's western territories, from Syria to Azerbaijan.