وفاة المعتمد

al-Mu'tamid bi-Llah died on Monday, eleven nights before the end of Rajab 279 AH, after a caliphate of twenty-three years. ¹

He is reported to have drunk heavily on the bank of the river at al-Husna and dined there, as is mentioned. ¹

His power had weakened greatly in 279 AH, because of the rise of Abu al-Abbas ibn al-Muwaffaq. He deposed his son al-Mufawwad and gave the oath to Abu al-Abbas, who took the title al-Mu'tadid. He then died suddenly a few months later. It is said that he was poisoned, and it is said that he fell asleep and was smothered in a carpet. He had been like one under restraint. ²

al-Suyuti also mentions the notables who died in his days: al-Bukhari, Muslim, Abu Dawud, al-Tirmidhi, Ibn Majah and others. ²

He relates that al-Mu'tamid sat down for lunch on Monday, and two men ate with him. One of them was in a state of collapse during the night, and the other died before the morning, and al-Mu'tamid was found dead in the morning. It is mentioned that the cause of his death was a poison called al-Bish in his drink. The reputable witnesses testified that he died suddenly with no mark on him, and he was carried to Samarra and buried there. ³

The three sources differ on the cause of death, and this entry records the accounts without preferring one.