محمد بن هشام المهدي
محمد بن هشام المهدي
Muhammad ibn Hisham ibn Abd al-Jabbar, an Umayyad of Cordoba who seized the city in 399 as 'al-Mahdi', hid the caliph Hisham al-Mu'ayyad and buried a lookalike Christian corpse in his name — the opening act of the fitna that broke the caliphate 1.
At a glance
- Era
- Abbasid Fragmentation
- Region
- al-Andalus & Europe
- Review
- Draft Completeness 1/5 · Help complete it
Overview
Muhammad ibn Hisham ibn Abd al-Jabbar ibn Abd al-Rahman al-Nasir, of the Umayyads in Córdoba. Ibn al-Athir says that he appeared in Jumada al-Akhira 399 AH, took the title al-Mahdi billah, and seized Córdoba. 1
His rule
The caliph al-Mu'ayyad Hisham was seized and imprisoned in the palace. Then he gave out that he had died, and produced the body of a Christian man who resembled him; people prayed over it and buried it in the Muslim cemeteries. His uncle Hisham ibn Sulayman rose against him, defeated him and killed him. Sulayman ibn al-Hakam al-Musta'in also rose against him, seeking help from the Christians; Muhammad was defeated and took refuge in the palace, then fled and went into hiding. He returned secretly to Toledo, sought help from the Christians, entered Córdoba and renewed the oath of allegiance for himself, and gave the chamberlainship to Wadih al-Amiri. 1
Connections
- Participated in
- فتنة قرطبة وخروج ابن عبد الجبار
People and things also explored
عبد الرحمن شنجول بن المنصور· هشام المؤيد بالله· سليمان المستعين بالله الأموي· Cordoba· فتنة قرطبة وخروج ابن عبد الجبار
Sources
- al-Kamil fi'l-Tarikh of Ibn al-Athir, p. 499-501
Cite this page
islam.museum contributors. “محمد بن هشام المهدي”. islam.museum, https://islam.museum/en/person/muhammad-ibn-hisham-al-mahdi-cordoba/. CC BY-SA 4.0. Accessed 2026-10-16.