At a glance
- Era
- The Buyid, Fatimid and Seljuk Era
- Region
- Levant & Iraq
- Review
- Draft Completeness 2/5 · Help complete it
In time
In space
Map: Natural Earth, public domain · places and route from the graph
Summary
In 398 AH Baghdad saw strife between the people of al-Karkh and the people of Bab al-Basra. In the midst of it a copy of the Qur'an was burned, said to be the copy of Ibn Mas'ud because it differed from the standard copies, in the presence of the nobles, judges and jurists. 1
The strife
The strife broke out in Rajab between the people of al-Karkh and the jurists over the estate of al-Rabi'. Its cause was an attack on Abu Abd Allah ibn al-Nu'man, known as Ibn al-Mu'allim, a Shi'i jurist, in his mosque in Darb Riyah. His companions called on the people of al-Karkh for help, and they went to the house of the judge Abu Ahmad ibn al-Akfani and Abu Hamid al-Isfara'ini and reviled them. 2
The burned copy
It so happened that a copy was brought in, said to be Ibn Mas'ud's, which differed from the standard copies. The nobles, judges and jurists gathered and it was presented to them. Abu Hamid al-Isfara'ini and the jurists advised burning it, and it was burned in their presence. When Sha'ban came, a man attended the shrine on the night of the middle of the month and called down curses on those who had burned the copy, and he reviled them. He was summoned and seized, and an order was issued for his execution. The people of al-Karkh spoke out on behalf of this man, because he was a Shi'i, and fighting broke out between them and the people of Bab al-Basra, Bab al-Sha'ir and al-Qalayin. 1
The weakening of al-Karkh
They shouted "Ruler, O Mansur!" The cry reached the caliph and angered him. He posted guards at his gate to support the Sunnis, and his servants helped them. The people of al-Karkh weakened, and what lay along the Dajaj canal was burned. Then the nobles and merchants gathered at the caliph's palace and asked him for clemency, and he pardoned them. Amid al-Juyush marched to Baghdad and sent word to Ibn al-Mu'allim to leave the city; he left on the night of Sunday, seven days before the end of Ramadan, and Abu Hamid returned to his house. 3
Connections
- Located in
- Baghdad
- Had participant
- Abu Hamid al-Isfarayini, Ahmad ibn Muhammad· al-Qadir bi-llah Ahmad ibn Ishaq ibn al-Muqtadir
People and things also explored
The Baghdad Attestation on Fatimid Lineage· The reading of the Qadiri Creed in the Dar al-Khilafa· The death of al-Qadir and the accession of al-Qa'im bi-amr Allah, 422· The Baratha Mosque Affair in 420· Riot at the funeral of Bint Abi Nuh and the plunder of the Dar al-Rum church· Al-Qadir's rescript imposing distinguishing dress on the dhimmis· Al-Qadir bans dealing in Maghrebi dinars· Al-Qadir's order of repentance for the Mu'tazila in Baghdad and Khurasan
Sources
- al-Muntazam fi Tarikh al-Muluk wa'l-Umam — Ibn al-Jawzi , j.7 p.238-239
- al-Muntazam fi Tarikh al-Muluk wa'l-Umam — Ibn al-Jawzi , j.7 p.238
- al-Muntazam fi Tarikh al-Muluk wa'l-Umam — Ibn al-Jawzi , j.7 p.239
Cite this page
islam.museum contributors. “The burning of a codex attributed to Ibn Mas'ud and the Karkh strife”. islam.museum, https://islam.museum/en/event/mushaf-ibn-masud-burned-398/. CC BY-SA 4.0. Last updated 2026-10-22.