Amir al-Umara — the over-commandership
إمرة الأمراء
The office that swallowed the vizierate: according to Miskawayh, first conferred on Harun ibn Gharib in 316 under al-Muqtadir; when al-Radi handed all affairs to Muhammad ibn Ra'iq the amir al-umara appointed and dismissed governors, farmed kharaj and estates, had khutba and kunya and banner — the caliph holding nothing of rule — the title passing to Bajkam then to Ahmad ibn Buya, Mu'izz al-Dawla, who ran Baghdad for the Buyids nearly a century.
At a glance
- Era
- Abbasid Fragmentation
- Region
- Levant & Iraq · Persia & Central Asia
- Review
- Draft Completeness 1/5 · Help complete it
Overview
Amir al-umara ("commander of the commanders") is a comprehensive political title, whose history Hasan Ibrahim Hasan presents in Tarikh al-Islam. 1
Beginning
According to Miskawayh, the first to hold it was Harun ibn Gharib, in the year 316 AH, in the caliphate of al-Muqtadir. 1
The authority of the amir
The title became the gateway to the new state when al-Radi handed the reins of affairs to Muhammad ibn Ra'iq. The commander of the commanders became independent in appointing and dismissing governors, and in administering the land tax, the estates, and the whole realm. The sermon was delivered in his name from the pulpits, he was given a kunya, and robes of honour and banners were sent to him. His standing rose above that of the vizier, and the caliph came to possess no authority at all. 1
After Ibn Ra'iq
The office passed to Bajkam, and then to Ahmad ibn Buya, who took the title Mu'izz al-Dawla and ruled Baghdad on behalf of the caliphate for nearly a century. See the Buyids. 1
Connections
- Related to
- محمد بن رائق· Buyid dynasty
People and things also explored
تغلب ابن رائق ونشوء إمرة الأمراء· al-Malik al-Rahim Abu Nasr Khusraw Firuz· عماد الدولة علي بن بويه· محمد بن رائق· Buyid dynasty
Sources
- Tarikh al-Islam — Hasan Ibrahim Hasan, p.36-37
Cite this page
islam.museum contributors. “Amir al-Umara — the over-commandership”. islam.museum, https://islam.museum/en/concept/amir-al-umara/. CC BY-SA 4.0. Accessed 2026-10-17.