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Fadl b. Sahl al-Sarakhsi

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Fadl b. Sahl al-Sarakhsi
Full NameFadl b. Sahl b. 'Abd Allah
TeknonymDhu l-Ri'asatayn ● Abu l-'Abbas
Religious AffiliationIslam
Well-known RelativesSahl b. 'Abd Allah (father), Hasan b. Sahl (brother)
Place of BirthSarakhs (a city in Khurasan)
Places of ResidenceKhurasan
Death202/818 or 203/819 in Sarakhs
Known forVizier of al-Ma'mun
Notable rolesVizier of al-Ma'mun


Faḍl b. Sahl al-Sarakhsī (Arabic: فضل بن سهل سَرَخسی), titled Dhū l-Riʾāsatayn (Arabic: ذوالرئاستین, lit. "Possessor of Two Leaderships"), was the vizier of al-Ma'mun, the Abbasid caliph. Some consider him the one who proposed the succession of Imam al-Rida (a); although al-Shaykh al-Saduq, citing Fadl's enmity towards Imam al-Rida (a), rejects this claim and believes that al-Ma'mun chose Imam al-Rida (a) as his successor due to a personal vow.

According to some reports, Imam al-Rida (a) exposed Fadl's hidden conspiracies against al-Ma'mun and even reprimanded him for his ill intentions against al-Ma'mun.

Fadl played a significant role in the Translation Movement and the expansion of sciences during al-Ma'mun's era. He was killed in 202/818 or 203/819 by the order of al-Ma'mun.

Role in Imam al-Rida's Succession

It is reported that some believe the proposal for Imam al-Rida (a)'s succession (Wilayat al-'Ahd) was put forward by Fadl b. Sahl.[1] According to Al-Tabari, the Abbasids believed that Imam al-Rida's (a) succession was Fadl's plot and protested against it.[2]

Nu'aym b. Hazim, one of al-Ma'mun's confidants, believed that by appointing Imam al-Rida (a) as the successor, Fadl intended to transfer the rule from the Abbasids to the Alawis and deceptively hand it over to the Iranians.[3] According to some researchers, sending Raja' b. Abi Dahhak, a relative of Fadl, to bring Imam al-Rida (a) from Medina to Merv is also evidence for this claim.[4]

In contrast, a group including al-Shaykh al-Saduq and Abu l-Faraj al-Isfahani, historians of the 4th/10th century, believe that al-Ma'mun had vowed that if he defeated his brother Al-Amin, he would return the caliphate to the Alawis; thus he made this decision[5] and it was not Fadl's decision; because Fadl had severe enmity towards Imam al-Rida (a)[6] and envied him.[7] Also, according to al-Shaykh al-Saduq in Uyun akhbar al-Rida, al-Ma'mun considered this a personal decision.[8]

Al-Shaykh al-Mufid believes that when Fadl and his brother (Hasan b. Sahl) became aware of al-Ma'mun's serious decision regarding Imam al-Rida's (a) succession, they refrained from opposing al-Ma'mun.[9] According to some Shi'a history researchers, Imam al-Rida's (a) succession was al-Ma'mun's decision and Fadl had an advisory role, and attributing it to Fadl was raised by his opponents who had Arab prejudices.[10]

Two Views About Fadl

Some historians have considered Fadl b. Sahl to be a Shi'a.[11] Also, Al-Shaykh al-Saduq has cited a narration from Imam al-Rida (a) regarding Fadl's status, but immediately points out that he saw it in some manuscripts and did not narrate it from anyone.[12] Furthermore, some researchers have expressed doubt about the authenticity of this narration.[13]

According to al-Shaykh al-Saduq, Fadl b. Sahl intended to kill Al-Ma'mun and consulted with Imam al-Rida (a) about this, but the Imam reprimanded and cursed Fadl.[14] According to some historians, Fadl b. Sahl concealed some affairs and events of the society from al-Ma'mun, but Imam al-Rida (a) informed him of this. By investigating through government dignitaries, al-Ma'mun realized Fadl's concealment, which caused his pessimism towards Fadl b. Sahl.[15]

According to Al-Shaykh al-Saduq, Fadl brought one of the Imam's close companions, Hisham b. Ibrahim al-Rashidi, close to himself to spy on the Imam and transfer his news to Fadl and al-Ma'mun.[16] In Shi'a sources such as Al-Kafi and Al-Irshad, it is mentioned that Fadl suggested to al-Ma'mun to turn the Imam back from performing the Eid al-Fitr prayer.[17]

Personality and Status

It is said that Fadl b. Sahl al-Sarakhsi,[18] known as "Dhu l-Riʾasatayn"[19] meaning the holder of two leaderships (leadership of war and leadership of the court/divan), was from pre-Islamic families who ruled in Iran.[20] He was born in Sarakhs.[21]

According to historical sources, after entering al-Ma'mun's court,[22] from 196/811 to 202/818, with expertise in astronomy,[23] Fadl was al-Ma'mun's advisor[24] and vizier.[25] Fadl played an important role in the translation movement during al-Ma'mun's time.[26] He had great influence in al-Ma'mun's court.[27] It is said that Fadl b. Sahl was also in the chain of transmission of a hadith from the Prophet Muhammad (s).[28]

According to some sources, Fadl b. Sahl was killed in 202/818[29] or 203/819[30] by the order of al-Ma'mun in a bathhouse in Sarakhs, a city in Khurasan,[31][32] To clear himself of suspicion, al-Ma'mun appointed Hasan b. Sahl as vizier and mourned for Fadl.[33]

Notes

  1. ↑ Bayhaqī, Tārīkh-i Bayhaqī, Dunyā-yi Kitāb, vol. 1, p. 170; Ibn al-Athīr, Al-Kāmil fī l-tārīkh, 1385 AH, vol. 6, p. 197.
  2. ↑ Ṭabarī, Tārīkh al-Ṭabarī, 1387 Sh, vol. 8, p. 554.
  3. ↑ Jahshiyārī, Kitāb al-wuzarāʾ, 1408 AH, p. 203.
  4. ↑ Dūrī, Al-ʿAṣr al-ʿAbbāsī al-awwal, 1997, p. 162.
  5. ↑ Ṣadūq, ʿUyūn akhbār al-Riḍā, 1378 AH, vol. 2, p. 166; Abū l-Faraj al-Iṣfahānī, Maqātil al-ṭālibiyyīn, 1374 Sh, p. 454.
  6. ↑ Ṣadūq, ʿUyūn akhbār al-Riḍā, 1378 AH, vol. 2, p. 166.
  7. ↑ Ṣadūq, ʿUyūn akhbār al-Riḍā, 1378 AH, vol. 2, p. 153.
  8. ↑ Ṣadūq, ʿUyūn akhbār al-Riḍā, 1378 AH, vol. 2, p. 151.
  9. ↑ Mufīd, Al-Irshād, 1413 AH, vol. 2, p. 261.
  10. ↑ Shāhrukhī, «Wākāvī-yi rawābiṭ-i Faḍl b. Sahl bā Imām Riḍā (a)», p. 84.
  11. ↑ Ibn al-Athīr, Al-Kāmil fī l-tārīkh, 1385 AH, vol. 6, p. 197.
  12. ↑ Ṣadūq, ʿUyūn akhbār al-Riḍā, 1378 AH, vol. 2, p. 154.
  13. ↑ Shāhrukhī, «Wākāvī-yi rawābiṭ-i Faḍl b. Sahl bā Imām Riḍā (a)», p. 86.
  14. ↑ Ṣadūq, ʿUyūn akhbār al-Riḍā, 1378 AH, vol. 2, p. 163.
  15. ↑ Ṭabarī, Tārīkh al-Ṭabarī, 1387 Sh, vol. 8, pp. 564–565; Ibn Khaldūn, Tārīkh Ibn Khaldūn, 1408 AH, vol. 3, p. 312.
  16. ↑ Ṣadūq, ʿUyūn akhbār al-Riḍā, 1378 AH, vol. 2, p. 153.
  17. ↑ Kulaynī, Al-Kāfī, 1407 AH, vol. 1, p. 490; Mufīd, Al-Irshād, 1413 AH, vol. 2, p. 265.
  18. ↑ Ibn Khallikān, Wafayāt al-aʿyān, Dār al-Fikr, vol. 4, p. 41.
  19. ↑ Kulaynī, Al-Kāfī, 1407 AH, vol. 1, p. 490.
  20. ↑ Khaṭīb al-Baghdādī, Tārīkh Baghdād, 1417 AH, vol. 12, p. 336.
  21. ↑ Ziriklī, Al-Aʿlām, 1989, vol. 5, p. 149.
  22. ↑ Khaṭīb al-Baghdādī, Tārīkh Baghdād, 1417 AH, vol. 12, p. 336.
  23. ↑ Dīnawarī, Al-Akhbār al-ṭiwāl, 1368 Sh, p. 395.
  24. ↑ Ṭabarī, Tārīkh al-Ṭabarī, 1387 Sh, vol. 8, p. 403; Ibn Khallikān, Wafayāt al-aʿyān, Dār al-Fikr, vol. 4, p. 41.
  25. ↑ Zambaur, Nasab-nāma-yi khulafā, 1356 Sh, p. 6.
  26. ↑ Qifṭī, Tārīkh al-ḥukamāʾ, Germany, p. 242.
  27. ↑ Yaʿqūbī, Tārīkh al-Yaʿqūbī, Dār Ṣādir, vol. 2, p. 450.
  28. ↑ Khaṭīb al-Baghdādī, Tārīkh Baghdād, 1417 AH, vol. 12, p. 337.
  29. ↑ Ṭabarī, Tārīkh al-Ṭabarī, 1387 Sh, vol. 8, p. 565; Masʿūdī, Murūj al-dhahab, 1409 AH, vol. 3, p. 441.
  30. ↑ Ṣadūq, ʿUyūn akhbār al-Riḍā, 1378 AH, vol. 2, p. 166; Ibn Qutayba, Al-Maʿārif, 1992, p. 390.
  31. ↑ Masʿūdī, Murūj al-dhahab, 1409 AH, vol. 3, p. 441.
  32. ↑ Ibn Khaldūn, Tārīkh Ibn Khaldūn, 1408 AH, vol. 3, p. 312; Ibn Khallikān, Wafayāt al-aʿyān, Dār al-Fikr, vol. 4, p. 44.
  33. ↑ Ibn ʿUmrānī, Al-Inbāʾ fī tārīkh al-khulafāʾ, 1421 AH, p. 99.

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