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c. 944 CE · 333 AH

Al-Muttaqi summoned Ibn Hamdan, lost with him at Ukbara, fled to Mosul and Nisibis, then distrusted the Hamdanids and wrote Tuzun for peace — he swore mighty oaths. The Ikhshid of Egypt came to Raqqa: 'beware their treachery — come with me to Egypt, it is yours' — he refused. On 4 Muharram 333 Tuzun met him, kissed the ground and walked before him, then seized him, blinded him, took the seal, the Burda and the staff, and hailed Abd Allah ibn al-Muktafi as al-Mustakfi — whom the blinded Muttaqi himself acclaimed. Muttaqi was jailed opposite al-Sindiyya twenty-five years till his death in 357. When the blinded al-Qahir heard, he said 'we are two now — we need a third': and so it was, al-Mustakfi was blinded too ¹.

Overview

In 333 AH Tuzun seized the caliph al-Muttaqi, blinded his eyes, and gave his allegiance to al-Mustakfi billah. ²

The road to Baghdad

Al-Muttaqi corresponded with Ibn Hamdan, who came with a large army. The caliph moved with his household to Tikrit, then to Mosul and Nusaybin. He corresponded with Tuzun about a truce, and swore to him and exaggerated his oaths. The Ikhshid, ruler of Egypt, offered that he come with him to Egypt, but he would not accept. ³

The seizure and the blinding

Al-Muttaqi left al-Raqqa for Baghdad on the fourth of Muharram 333 AH. Tuzun met him, dismounted and kissed the ground, then seized him on his arrival and blinded him. His ring, his mantle and his staff were taken from him, the allegiance was given to al-Mustakfi, and al-Muttaqi was made to testify to his own deposition. ³

Tuzun died before a year had passed. Al-Muttaqi was imprisoned on an island opposite al-Sindiyya for twenty-five years until he died in Sha'ban 357 AH. ³

Ibn al-Jawzi's account

Ibn al-Jawzi mentions that al-Qahir billah was blinded in the same way in 333 AH, after his vizier Ibn Muqla feared him, and that he died in 339 AH and was buried beside his father al-Mu'tadid. ⁴

دخول بني بويه بغداد وتلقيبهم سنة 334

In 334 al-Mustakfi received Abu'l-Husayn Ahmad ibn Buwayh with oaths and robes, made him amir al-umara — the first Buyid sovereign — titled his brothers Imad al-Dawla and Rukn al-Dawla and had the three titles struck on the coinage; Daylamites and Turks were quartered in Baghdad's houses, a custom new to the city.

سمل المتقي على يد توزون

At a glance

In time

Overview

The road to Baghdad

The seizure and the blinding

Ibn al-Jawzi's account

Connections

People and things also explored

Sources

Time

دخول بني بويه بغداد وتلقيبهم سنة 334