نظام الملك وزير ألب أرسلان
نظام الملك وزير ألب أرسلان
c. October 1092 CE · c. Shawwal 485 AH
Alp Arslan's vizier; he ended his predecessor Amid al-Mulk's Ash'ari-cursing, championed the Shafi'is, honoured Imam al-Haramayn and al-Qushayri, and built the Nizamiyya — 'said to be the first school built for the jurists' 1. In 485 a youth in sufi guise handed him a petition and knifed him on the eve of 10 Ramadan — it was said Malikshah had suborned it; for twenty years he had run the whole realm, leaving the sultan 'only the throne and the hunt', and al-Muqtadi had him sit before him saying 'God is pleased with you as the Commander of the Faithful is pleased with you' 2.
At a glance
- Era
- The Early Abbasid Caliphate
- Review
- Draft Completeness 1/5 · Help complete it
Life in time
Overview
The vizierate
He reversed what his predecessor, Amid al-Mulk, had done by cursing the Ash'aris. He championed the Shafi'is, honoured the imam al-Haramayn and Abu al-Qasim al-Qushayri, and built the Nizamiyya. It is said to be the first school built for jurists 3.
Ibn al-Sam'ani said: "The Ka'ba of glory and the follower of generosity." Dawud ibn Mikal recommended him to his son Alp Arslan. When Alp Arslan died, he secured the realm for Malikshah, until the whole affair came to rest with Nizam al-Mulk, and he remained so for twenty years 4.
His death
He was killed by a young man with the appearance of a Sufi from the Batiniyya on the tenth night of Ramadan 485 AH. The man handed him a petition, then struck him in the chest with a knife. It is said that Malikshah had arranged it, but this report is not one we can affirm 4.
His works
The Amali of Nizam al-Mulk is attributed to him 5.
Connections
- Authored
- أمالي نظام الملك
- Participated in
- إصلاح نظام الملك التقويم· تشييد المدرسة النظامية ببغداد
- Founder of
- The Nizamiyya Madrasa of Baghdad
- Related to
- The sakk and the hawala
People and things also explored
Abu Ishaq al-Shirazi· السلطان ملكشاه جلال الدولة بن ألب أرسلان· Baghdad· The Nizamiyya Madrasa of Baghdad· The sakk and the hawala· إصلاح نظام الملك التقويم· تشييد المدرسة النظامية ببغداد· أمالي نظام الملك
Sources
- Tarikh al-Khulafa — al-Suyuti (Dar al-Minhaj edition), p. 645
- Shadharat al-Dhahab — Ibn al-Imad al-Hanbali, p. 381-382
- Tarikh al-Khulafa — al-Suyuti (Dar al-Minhaj edition), p.645
- Shadharat al-Dhahab — Ibn al-Imad al-Hanbali, p.381-382
- Kashf al-Zunun an Asami al-Kutub wa'l-Funun — Hajji Khalifa (Furqan ed.)
Cite this page
islam.museum contributors. “نظام الملك وزير ألب أرسلان”. islam.museum, https://islam.museum/en/person/nizam-al-mulk/. CC BY-SA 4.0. Accessed 2026-10-17.