Al-Mutawakkil's father became the eighth Abbasid caliph of the Caliphate in 833.
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31 Facts About Al-Mutawakkil
2.
Al-Mutawakkil's father ruled the caliphate for eight years and he was succeeded by his elder son al-Wathiq.
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4.
Al-Mutawakkil came in a brand-new court dress, hoping to mollify the Caliph, but instead al-Wathiq ordered that his hair be shorn off, and al-Mutawakkil be struck in the face with it.
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5.
Al-Mutawakkil's possessions were confiscated, and he was tortured to death.
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6.
Al-Mutawakkil's possessions were confiscated—reportedly, in his house alone the Caliph's agents found one million gold dinars.
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7.
Al-Mutawakkil released from prison the famous jurist Ahmad ibn Hanbal ibn Hilal ibn Asad al-Shaybani, who opposed the Mutazilites in their opinion that the Quran was created.
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8.
Al-Mutawakkil retook the mines, pressed on to the Beja royal stronghold and defeated the king in battle.
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9.
Al-Mutawakkil's reign is remembered for its many reforms and viewed as a golden age of the Abbasids.
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10.
Al-Mutawakkil would be the last great Abbasid caliph; after his death the dynasty would fall into a decline.
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11.
Al-Mutawakkil decided to diverge away from the religious policies of the previous caliphs, opting instead to put a stop to the controversy over whether the Qur'an was created or uncreated, ultimately putting an end to the doctrinal regime that had been in place since 833.
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12.
Al-Mutawakkil spent the next several years taking hostile steps against the Mu'tazilites, dismissing a number of Ibn Abi Du'ad's qadis from office and ordering an end to debate over the nature of the Qur'an.
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14.
Al-Mutawakkil was killed before the cypress wood arrived for his new palace.
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15.
Al-Mutawakkil was unlike his brother and father in that he was not known for having a thirst for knowledge, but he had an eye for magnificence and a hunger to build.
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16.
Al-Mutawakkil ordered a canal to be built to divert water from the Tigris, entrusting the project to two courtiers, who ignored the talents of a local engineer of repute and entrusted the work to al-Farghani, the great astronomer and writer.
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17.
Al-Mutawakkil was keen to involve himself in many religious debates, something that would show in his actions against different minorities.
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18.
Al-Mutawakkil's father had tolerated the Shi?a Imam who taught and preached at Medina, and for the first years of his reign al-Mutawakkil continued the policy.
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19.
Also during his reign, Al-Mutawakkil met the famous Byzantine theologian Cyril the Philosopher, who was sent to tighten the diplomatic relations between the Empire and the Caliphate in a state mission by the Emperor Michael III.
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20.
Al-Mutawakkil's belonged to the household of his brother Caliph al-Wathiq, who kept her as a concubine and favorite although she belonged to the singer Amr ibn Banah.
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21.
Al-Mutawakkil's was a Greek, and was the mother of his eldest son, the future Caliph Al-Muntasir.
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22.
Al-Mutawakkil's was an Andulasian, and was one of his favorites.
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23.
Al-Mutawakkil's was the mother of his sons Ibrahim al-Mu'ayyad and Abu Ahmad.
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24.
Al-Mutawakkil's was from Kufa, and was mother of the future Caliph al-Mu'tamid.
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25.
Al-Mutawakkil's was a Greek, and was the mother of the future caliph al-Mu'tazz and Isma'il.
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26.
Al-Mutawakkil's was purchased by Muhammad ibn al-Faraj al-Rukhkhaji, who gave her to Al-Mutawakkil.
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27.
Al-Mutawakkil's had been given to al-Mutawakkil by Ubaydullah ibn Tahir, when he became caliph, as one of a group of four hundred slaves.
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28.
Al-Mutawakkil continued to rely on Turkic statesmen and slave soldiers to put down rebellions and lead battles against foreign empires, notably the Byzantines.
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29.
Al-Mutawakkil's secretary, Al-Fath ibn Khaqan, who was Turkic, was a famous figure of Al-Mutawakkil's era.
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30.
Caliphate of Al-Mutawakkil is remembered for its many reforms and viewed as a golden age of the Abbasids.
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31.
Al-Mutawakkil would be the last great Abbasid caliph; after his death the dynasty would fall into a decline.
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